 FIRST REPORT FROM BRUSSELS BELGIUM
ANGELA BRUCE-RAEBURN, 11.10.2004
I arrived in Belgium on August 23rd
to begin my scholarship at the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven. Belgium is
a county of two very distinct languages and cultures. It was fascinating to
me to read about the deep language divisions that have created two societies
in a country of about 10 million people. The compromise to avoid a language
and culture war was to create a federal government comprising of three
regions- Flanders is the Flemish/Dutch speaking area. Walloonia is the
French speaking area of the country and Brussels is mandated to be
bilingual. Every sign, document, advertisement have to
 be in both languages
in Brussels. Each of these 3 regions has their own government, police,
transportation and school systems which then meets, at the federal level.
However, partisan interests based on the Walloon and Flemish relationship
makes for a tense political environment.
The language and culture difference was put into perspective with my choice
of university in Belgium. I am currently attending Katholieke Universiteit
Leuven (Catholic University of Leuven), which is located in the Flemish area
and considered to be the largest Flemish university. However, there is
another university here in Belgium called Catholique Universite Louvain-La
Neuve (which means Catholic University of Louvain-The New) The reason it is
named Louvain La Neuve was to distinguish it from the Flemish KU-Leuven.
Apparently, in 1971, politics and dissent over a francophone university
being in a Flemish area caused the school to move with the Dutch speaking
university remaining in Leuven and the French speaking faculty moved to a
town symbolically called Louvain Ia Neuve. (Louvain —The New)
I
visited the home of Rotarian Michel Peeters who spoke both Flemish and
French. We conversed in French as he is able to understand English but does
not speak fluently. I found it difficult to imagine a country like the
United States making this type of compromise simply because of the sheer
size of the country. At first, I was thinking that it certainly is a sure
road to civil war or civil disruption, after all both groups are divided
along language lines and almost all political discussion is viewed from
either the Flemish or Walloon standpoint. The divisions run deep and are
historic in nature and can be felt depending on where you live. For example,
if you live in Flanders all public schools are in Flemish. If you live in Wallonia, then all public schools are in French. If you live in
Brussels-then it is more likely that the school will be French but that will
depend on the commune that you live in. Brussels is a part of 19
communes, which are like towns each with its own schools, language (either
French or Dutch) police, and city hall.
 KU
Leuven is a large university even by American standards with approximately
29,000 students. The school is building a reputation for itself in Europe
with distinguished English language programs. I started classes about 2
months ago following course work in the Master of Conflict and Sustainable
Peace. The courses range from Ethics to Human Rights Law. This semester I
have 5 classes, which I am enjoying as they all relate to the questions of
peace war, terrorism and the future. The town of Leuven itself is not very
big and is extremely biker friendly. As a matter of fact the bikes rule the
road and the cars have to wait. I have been debating getting a bike but I am
not sure if I can keep up with the biker champions that flood the street
each day. The town is quite lively and is geared to the student, however,
last week Friday I witnessed a massive exodus of students walking in a
procession (sort of) to the train station. I was told that the town is a
ghost town during the weekend because the majority of the students go home
for the weekends. This surprised me but they go home to do laundry and eat
the food since the cafeteria has a scary reputation.
Belgium like many countries in Europe has a national identification card for
all its citizens. When you move to a commune (town), you must register at
the city hall. Even if you move from one apartment in the same building to
another apartment you have to notify the commune. As a foreign student, I
was obliged to contact the commune within 3 days of my arrival in the
country. I did this promptly and was told that the police would come to
verify that I did in fact live at the address that I gave to the city hall.
At first, I thought that they were joking about the police but I was wrong.
On my first Sunday in Brussels I was awakened at 8:00 am by the doorbell. I
was quite tired but I was immediately awake when I opened the door to two
very serious looking policemen. The policemen came in and looked around the
apartment, asked some questions about me, looked at my passport and then
gave me an appointment to go to the commune.
 Brussels is somewhat understated as the home of the European union. While
the city does not have some of the charms of other European cities like
Paris or Madrid there is an understated elegance. I went to the Grand Place-Oude
Markt (In Flemish) which is a magnificent square surrounded by ancient
buildings Brussels is also home to the African Museum
dedicated to history of African people who were once colonized by Belgium
like Congo-Kinshasa and Rwanda. One of the most famous monuments is of
course Mannequin Pis which is known through out the
 world as the “peeing boy”. The history of the statue is somewhat sketchy
however the legend or myth has it that a boy was the son of a duke in the
12th century who was
caught urinating on the side of the tree in the midst of a battle and was
thus commemorated in Bronze as a symbol of the country’s military courage.
 What many people may not know is that Mannequin Pis is not always naked.
Around his birthday the tradition is
 to dress him in clothes. In September, he
was clothed the entire month with various clothes from other cultures.
Apparently, visiting officials from other countries bring traditional
clothes for Mannequin Pis.
Naturally, as the only American in the program I am frequently asked about
national politics at home in the US. I think socially and culturally this is
a huge divisive issue. Many of the professors and students refer to the US
when they speak of terrorism, imperialism and the questions of ethics, peace
and war. Many of them said that they respected the United States for what it
represented and especially with respect to World War II and the American
liberation of many European nations from Germany but they felt that our
country was going in the wrong direction. I did not consider these
discussions disconcerting or problematic. As a student of peace studies I
believe that we have to create peace and that war is always the worst
option. It is my core belief that alleviating world poverty through
education of children, forgiving debtor countries from loans, cooperation
with developed nations, and concerted aids education is important to
sustainable peace building. Both my classmates as well as the teachers met
the re-election of President Bush with dismay. A lot of the conversation
centered on European Union —American relations. There was a real question
about re-building the transatlantic relationship and many wondered about how
to live in a world with the most powerful nation on earth. Many of the
academics here share the hope of a more powerful European Union to balance
against the US.
I
think one of the most important preparation activities done with the home
sponsor is a discussion of political questions. I met with my home sponsor
in California, Ellen Dunbar, and we talked about how to respond to sensitive
and political questions. As an American in Europe at this time it was a
valuable discussion. In academia, many people have some strong opinions
about the US and its place in the world. More specifically about President
Bush and his administration. As a Rotary Ambassador it was important to get
a perspective on how to respond to some very pointed questions especially
when asked about your own personal thoughts, opinions and affiliations.
Recognizing that I am here because of Rotary and wanting to respond as an
Ambassador would in these situations.
 On
Tuesday October 5th, I attended the Rotary Club meeting
with Mr. Peeters. Of all the things that shocked me in Belgium was the fact
that the Rotary Club in Leuven is for men. I walked in the room with Mr. Peeters,
and I thought it strange that there were no women present in the room. At
first I thought it was because the meeting had not begun and everyone had
not arrived. I was wrong. There are no women in the club. I asked the
President whose name is Theo Mineur if this was normal and if it was how
could they get away with it? He explained that it is not that women cannot
join but that this particular Rotary club is about seventy years old and
they are able to retain their status. However, newer clubs cannot be formed
without women members. I was curious about this so during dinner I sat next
to President Mineur of the club. I asked him if there were women who wanted
to be in Rotary but could not because perhaps the men preferred the status
as it were. He told me no.
 He said that women would be welcome it’s just
that there are not many women who are interested. He also said that there
were other clubs in Belgium for women only. This was strange to me, as I
know many female Rotarians who are quite active in Rotary and other
organizations. I gave a 3-minute presentation at that meeting about Modesto,
California and Rotary’s contribution to my education and future plans. I am
scheduled to visit other Rotary clubs in Leuven as well as Brussels but it
looks as though it won’t be until January. I am also attending a luncheon on
Saturday November 13th for Rotary Scholars in the area.
I
have started the research for my thesis, which is entitled, An Analysis
and Evaluation of the Contemporary Explanations of the Rwanda
Genocide. I found a promoter, which is required. A promoter is a faculty
member who may have some knowledge about the subject matter and serves as a
guide and mentor for ideas as you write the thesis. I thought it best to
start now in light of the fact that it is due in June 2005. It may seem far
way now but time flies.
Thanking you kindly for your time. |
