Hi everyone,

My name is Miguel and I come from Spain. I´ve lived there most of my life but, for several reasons, have been wanting to relocate to somewhere in Europe for a while. So I got a nice job offer coupled with an attractive relocation package and here I am.

I´ve been in Mons for 3 weeks and already have an apartment, a bank account and have applied for the resident card. I really like the place. I used to live in Madrid but cities so big are not my cup of tea. I tend to prefer smaller cities/towns.

So far I´m liking Belgium. My French at the moment is in a pretty sorry state. I took French in high school but haven´t used it for a very long time. I´m making progress though, as you need it to survive here.

I really like the fact that I´m very close to places like Brussels, Antwerp, Paris, London. It´s great to in the center of Europe, so to speak.

Hi Miguel-

We may be moving to the Mons area. Is it a nice place? I have heard mixed reviews. Will you be working for NATO? I ask because many of the people that live in Mons seem to be. My husband is possibly taking a job at SHAPE, but I haven't gotten much feedback about SHAPE. I know you recently left Spain, but if you have any advice, we'd really appreciate it.

Carrie

Hi,

I´ve been here for 3 weeks and I like it. A couple of coworkers are moving from Leuven to Mons as well. They also like it. I haven´t had the chance to visit Antwerp/Mechelen/Leuven yet so I can´t say whether the north region looks better/worse/the same.

No I don´t work for NATO. I work in IT. It´s true there´s a lot of SHAPE people around here, which is why I assumed most people in Mons would speak English, but that´s not the case. Fortunately my French is improving really fast.

I can´t help you on the SHAPE thing but anything Mons related feel free to ask.

Hey thanks for responding...I haven't been on in awhile. How is the housing in Mons? Are there many available places in the center of town. We're going to be looking for something with at least three bedrooms. Even if you had any websites of local housing places, that would be great! Is the downtown lively? Are the people friendly? What would you say the ratio is of Belgians vs. outsiders? Are you enjoying the town?