It was yet another week of our mobile group of ladies, so today we pulled out a map and covered it with many things that are common in Belgium. We talked Belgian languages (3 official languages being French, Flemish/Dutch and German), Belgian cuisine (mussels with frites and mayonnaise, which is what the Belgians prefer rather than ketchup!), Belgian customs, Antwerp folklore (the real story behind the name Antwerpen), the Ardennes (southern Belgium with mountains/hills where they speak French) and Flemish culture, including their beer culture and traditions. We looked at flags (all 3 of them: Belgian flag, Flemish and the Wallonnia flag), we looked at Belgian lace (why Brugge is so famous) and Flemish tapestry. We talked about Rubens (famous Flemish painter), Antwerp as the second largest port in all of Europe, Antwerp's beautiful Onze Lieve Vrouw cathedral, Belgian chocolate.....can you imagine that we had some fun? We looked at the coast of Belgium (along the North Sea), the capital city of Belgium (Brussels), where Napoleon met his last battle (Waterloo) and the battle sites of WWI and WWII in Ieper. It was a fun way to get to know a bit more about your new homeland.
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| Some of our visual aids ~ |
Now, you would have thought that one of Belgium's finest snacks would have rounded out the entire experience, but alas! Dried figs, dates and almonds were the specials at the Moroccan nuts booth at the local market in our village yesterday ~ and what a hit those taste treats were! I love the diversity of this ministry world that I live in. Next week's snack: Belgian pralines (you know, the hazelnut filled chocolate bonbons invented by Belgium....but then again, I don't want you to get the impression that I'm sitting around eating bonbons!)
