Dit verhaal gaat over een Rus in België maar hoe voelen de belgen zich in Chili? Is Chili jullie hometown en gaat de voorkeur naar Pisco Sour in plaats van een pint of Porotos Granados en geen gegratineerde witloof?
Laat ons jullie mening horen. Hebben jullie thuis nog vlaamse gewoonten of ben je meer ingeburgerd als chileen.
“You will always be a stranger”
Wed 20/07/2011 - 17:20Will you ever be able to integrate fully in another country? Vladimir Ronin, a Russian expat and professor at the University of Antwerp, tells what he thinks about the expat experience.
Vladimir Ronin is a professor at the University of Antwerp and also a writer. The main subject of his books is history, in particular the life of Russian-speaking expatriates in Belgium and Congo, the former Belgian colony, in different periods.
Vladimir: “I travelled abroad often, but I never lived there for a long time. I never had a dream to live somewhere outside my country. I moved to Belgium because I married a Flemish woman. And of course now I plan to stay where my wife is, most likely in Belgium.”
Vladimir: “I travelled abroad often, but I never lived there for a long time. I never had a dream to live somewhere outside my country. I moved to Belgium because I married a Flemish woman. And of course now I plan to stay where my wife is, most likely in Belgium.”
Life of an expat
“I think Belgium is a very welcoming country. A lot of things here are done especially for expats. There is hardly any pressure to assimilate, because Belgians are accustomed to an enormous lot of variety in the country itself.
On the other hand, I can say that complete integration and absorbtion in the “melting pot of nations” is impossible. In fact, you can’t become a Fleming or a Walloon; you’ll always be a stranger to them.
However, in some sense, this situation suits me. Thanks to my good knowledge of Dutch and French, I’m able to plunge into local life. But I would say that I prefer to communicate with Russian-speaking people, because we understand each other better and it certainly makes our communication pleasant and agreeable.”
On the other hand, I can say that complete integration and absorbtion in the “melting pot of nations” is impossible. In fact, you can’t become a Fleming or a Walloon; you’ll always be a stranger to them.
However, in some sense, this situation suits me. Thanks to my good knowledge of Dutch and French, I’m able to plunge into local life. But I would say that I prefer to communicate with Russian-speaking people, because we understand each other better and it certainly makes our communication pleasant and agreeable.”
Stability and social concern
“The things that I like most of all about Belgium are the relative stability of life, the peaceful, non-aggressive nature of people, the culture of compromise and non-violence, the real concern about socially vulnerable people, the state of law, the willingness of authorities to solve concrete problems and the authorities’ real dependence on voters.
I can’t say that reality matched my expectations when I moved here, because actually I knew too little about Belgium to have any particular expectations.”
I can’t say that reality matched my expectations when I moved here, because actually I knew too little about Belgium to have any particular expectations.”
Big differences
“What are the differences between Russia and Belgium? Well I’m not able to give a short answer, because there are too many things to talk about. I’ve even written a book on this subject: “Russen en Belgen: is het water te diep?” (‘Russians and Belgians: is the water too deep?’).”
East or West, home is best?
“I have many favourite places in Belgium, but the place, which I love the most, is my home.”
Busy time
“I don’t have much free time. That’s why I don’t have any concrete plans for the summer so far. But when I happen to have a few hours to spare I usually read a book, surf on the internet or watch some local content on TV, because I don’t have any Russian channels.”
Keep calm
“One of the tips that I repeatedly gave to expats, who moved to Belgium, is to keep calm in conversations with Belgians and to show as little emotion as possible.
I’ve also noticed that Belgians really think that the way of life they lead and their traditions are the only “normal” ones in the world. And it’s impossible to convince them of the “normality” of any other lifestyle.”
I’ve also noticed that Belgians really think that the way of life they lead and their traditions are the only “normal” ones in the world. And it’s impossible to convince them of the “normality” of any other lifestyle.”
Interview by Irina Rasskazova
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