This is my tip - If you're considering taking a job here, reconsider.

My reasons why:

1. The weather is horrible almost year round. Rarely see sun, rains constantly, and is cold, dark, and gray all the time, winter and summer.
2. Brussels is totally depressing; it is dirty, has terrible drivers, ultra loud sirens, businesses closed frequently. If you must move here, go to Antwerp.
3. If you like ethnic food, it will mostly disappoint as it is not very authentic due to being transposed to French tastes.
4. Brussels is expensive for value received (but, yes, cheaper than the UK or Tokyo, but if you're on Aussie, Canadian, or US dollars, it's expensive).
5. Unless you are a miracle worker, you will hardly ever meet any locals. Then again, you might not want to after you have.
6. There are many expats who like it here - but they drink a lot - a whole lot.
7. The bureaucracy is mind-boggling; can't process visas at all, especially if you're a girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband, etc. Expect to wait about a year plus to get a visa processed, if ever. Meantime, you can't work or have any life at all. Why is it like this? No one knows other than the gov doesn't function almost at all.

Please give relocating careful consideration - there is a lot that you don't find out until you get here and then it's basically too late.

Well, I haven't posted on this forum for a while and those who remember me will know that I'm not a nsaty sh*t, but this is too good to miss:



There was no summer in most of Europe in 2008. Live with it - the rest of us had to.



Don't forget the dogsh*t. - Up to the ankles, the last time I was there. Bruxellois drivers (like most Belgians) aren't that good .. bu then again, how many people live in Belgium? - There are 300 million+ in the US and most of them can't drive, either.



'Ethnic'? are you saying that the Belgians are nonentities? do they not have ethnic characteristics of their own?

I'm sure that the cuisine in Belgium doesn't appeal to everybody, but no country - AFAIK - is under any obligation to pander to the tastes of immigrants or visitors. Given that Belgium (a very small country) has significant numbers of (perhaps ) more than 50 diferent nationalities living in or visiting the country at any one time, I'm surprised that you found a lack of variety of cuisine.

Of course, if you go to a friterie, don't expect to get a Mongolian barbecue.



Indeed. Talk to your employers and get them to give you more money if you can't afford to live here. If you come from a country where the cost of living is lower, don't expect everywhere else to enjoy your cheap standards. The Belgian government didn't set your pay - Your employer and you negotiated that. If you're not happy, don't blame it on the Belgians; renegotiate your salary.




Wow! Not only have I met many Belgians, but many of those I've met have been interested in meeting up with me again. If you are having so many difficulties in meeting - and getting to know - Belgians, have you considerd whether the problem might lie with you?



Not 'but', try 'and'



Ah-Ha! Now we get to the interesting bit. Are you (and your girlfriend/boyfriend/Wife/Husband) EU citizens? - If not, you've NO right to live in Belgium and you probably DO need a visa. You should have obtained that before you arrived. Had you been detected in the US as an illegal immigrant, then not only would you not be allowed to work, but you would have been imprisoned until you could be deported.

Should the Belgians treat you otherwise?

If you're an EU citizen, then your wife/husband is automatically entitled to live and work in Belgium.

If you're an illegal immigrant, then think yourself lucky that you weren't caught as such in a number of other countries. Had you been an illegal immigrant to - say - the US, then you wold find that you had no civil rights whatsoever (the US Constitution and the amndments thereto [notably the Bill of Rights] do NOT apply to foreign nationals - even should they be resident aliens.



I agree completely. Make sure your immigration paperwork (including visas and work permits, whre necessary, is in order BEFORE you immigrate. if it isn't, don't complain if you get a hard time when you get here.

Well, looks like you have absolutely ZIP to add to this equation, besides a few nasty comments.

Not only that, but you're wrong on several counts.

Here's my take:

1. The weather is horrible almost year round. Rarely see sun, rains constantly, and is cold, dark, and gray all the time, winter and summer.

You got that right.

2. Brussels is totally depressing; it is dirty, has terrible drivers, ultra loud sirens, businesses closed frequently. If you must move here, go to Antwerp.

Bingo. Everything is closed on Sunday and then after 6pm or 8pm any other time. Definitely not there to do business if you won't bend to their will. When I need something, I go to Antwerp. Statistically, Brussels is one of the worst for accidents and driving in Europe. This may have something to do with the utterly incompetent bureaucracy which oversees transport and traffic.

3. If you like ethnic food, it will mostly disappoint as it is not very authentic due to being transposed to French tastes.

100% correct.

4. Brussels is expensive for value received (but, yes, cheaper than the UK or Tokyo, but if you're on Aussie, Canadian, or US dollars, it's expensive).

Yep. Go to Antwerp or Gent. Or maybe the Ardennes. Brussels blows and sucks on this one.

5. Unless you are a miracle worker, you will hardly ever meet any locals. Then again, you might not want to after you have.

Yep. Luckily I had some introductions before I first arrived, but the first crew that I worked with just abouyt poisoned it for me.

6. There are many expats who like it here - but they drink a lot - a whole lot.

Don't worry, you'll never see them because you won't be making many friends. (Unless you're lucky.)

7. The bureaucracy is mind-boggling; can't process visas at all, especially if you're a girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband, etc. Expect to wait about a year plus to get a visa processed, if ever. Meantime, you can't work or have any life at all. Why is it like this? No one knows other than the gov doesn't function almost at all.

Bingo. The govt doesn't function at all, in fact. Even when you do have the right papers and want to get something done, local officials seem often mystified. (They could also be mystified that the sun, when visible, comes up in the same place every morning and that water is wet. Don't tell them the earth is round, though. They think that you fall off the edge if you go too far.) Then again, the locals I know hate them and call them incompetent too.

Thanks for your support, Blarfy. I actually don't dislike Belgium and I really like Antwerp and Ghent, but Brussels really gets under my skin. At least I feel like you get what I'm talking about without splitting hairs and it helps me to vent now and then - if for no other reason than to know that there's someone else on this forum that's alive.

@m. de vol -
"Well, I haven't posted on this forum for a while and those who remember me will know that I'm not a nsaty sh*t, but this is too good to miss":

Actually, I wouldn't agree with your self-assessment at all. Then again, how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you may be miles apart....What is clearly important is that you think you're not "a nsaty sh*t" and good on you. That aside, I have always been supportive of you in your past posts, especially your yammering about the finer points of Mississippi living - no self-righteous comments or condescension there by you, but, hey, why bring that up.

I believe you made quite a few erroneous assumptions about me and my list, but I will chalk that up to your being in a grumpy mood when responding to some of my generalizing and my not identifying specific names/cases. I could have defined every word for your edification, but I didn't know someone like you would feel so defensive and be such a Bru apologist. Based on your response, I have definitely revised my opinion of your being an engaged listener to a rant without being so judgmental (and I did mean 'but' not 'and'). Brussels should hire you to be their tourist propagandist.

I had to register just to tell you how much I enjoyed your comments! I think they give a pretty good summary of life here, but you must have a sense of humor. You made my day and it made me smile to hear you vent! As a serial expat, I've learned there are good and bad aspects of life everywhere. You just have to try to focus on the good parts and I admit Brussels is one of the places where you really have to look for the good parts. Such as: you can explore Europe from here? For me, its closer to my place of origin thus quicker and cheaper to visit family than when I lived in Asia. Other than the sun is shining at this very moment, those are only the only two good points that come to mind. I must admit that I much prefer living in a place where the extremely occasional glance of the sun is not a major event for rejoicing! But I do have a sense of humor and I've learned to roll with the punches and bloom where I am planted. My personal opinion is that the lack of sunshine is the reason everyone here walks around looking so grumpy and never smiling. From all outward appearances the Belgiums seem as a whole very unhappy people. You may not appreciate this advise, but sometimes volunteer work can actually be very rewarding nd a great way to meet people. I've not done any here yet, but in the past I've worked with street kids, helped in an orphanage, and taught English as a volunteer to S. Korean children in the countryside that have never heard a native English speaker. I always get much more out of whatever I'm involved in than I put into it, so its good therapy for me as well as helping others Best of luck to you and I hope your assignment here is a ahort one.

Thanks for your positive feedback. Here's the thing: I've become obsessed with weather reports here. Who knew there could be 40 shades of gray with cloudy mixes each day. When there is a hint of sun and you go out, it's still freezing cold so it's a bit of shock to the system - heh!

If I ever adopt some cats or dogs, I'm going to name them after the local cuisine - aubergines, corgettes, moules, waffel, et frites. Although I will admit that I prefer diasporatic cuisine (refer to 'ethnic food' in above rant), I still object to their being modified into such strangeness to fit local tastes. Did I mention that I never will eat chocolates again in my lifetime after I leave?

I have integrated here - I am now a socialist and an atheist.

I truly admire the Brussels transit systems, lest you think I'm just too critical. They are so colorful. Why the other day I was walking on the sidewalk, a little too close to the curb, and the sideview mirror on a bus almost took my arm off. It hurt for at least two weeks, but on the bright side, I didn't have to have it amputated. Another exciting experience involved my trying to exit the metro: a brutish male tried to climb over me exiting onto the platform, and I almost landed on my face. Why is everyone so eager to walk through people. Where are they going? Why are they in such a hurry? What am I missing out on? I dragged myself to the escalator, but it wasn't working that day so I trudged around to the stairs (what do disabilitied persons do here, anyway?). Upon leaving the statiion, I started walking down the cobblestone street and managed to step in a hole, seriously twisting and straining my foot. I must not be all bad because karma intervened. When I pitched forward, I narrowly escaped landing in the dog sh** that was splatted in my projectory. See, that's a positive thing.

To fully integrate here, though, I need to buy some of those pointy-toe shoes that curve up at the tip (like a jester's). Now that would be some Belg-chic!

Seems a bit like a lot of people here are textbook cases of sufferers of Little Man Syndrome... maybe that's why they act like such a$$e$ when driving. In any case, I do think that there is a pretty high incidence of mental illness in society. It's about the only way that I can explain some of the behaviour which I see here.

I must say that after reading all of your posts on this topic, it had me in stitches with laughter because I was having a really bad day thinking about how a country could be sooo depressing with the people being so rude, crazy and unfriendly. Its like you read my mind, I totally agree with you.

Thanks for the posts.

Do you have a blog by any chance?????

Sorry, but I don't have a blog. Today was one of those very rare sunny days in Brussels, so all the mean people in the world couldn't have depressed me today. (My Prozac helps also). I've made sort of a private game out of trying to make people smile. I love a challenge, so this is the perfect place to play that game!

Ah Belgium... Europe's Short Bus.

Hello - I think that it is a real shame that people are not happy living in Belgium. I have lived and worked all over the world and I have to say, Belgium is not that bad - try China, India and some parts of Africa! Ever since I first arrived in 1990 - I met and mixed with Belgians and it never even crossed my mind that this was out of the ordinary. Expats do what ever they like to do, and those that are not expats do the same. Belgium is in the top 20 countries, in the world, for quality of life and many of the countries mentioned like UK, USA and Canada are not there at all or are in the low end of the data whilst Belgium is in the top 10 along with Switzerland and Nordic countries.

Shops being open all the time are not a sign of a developed nation, and no one has the upper hand on driving in this world. Belgium makes the effort for people to spend quality time together and encourages respect. It is true that service could be greatly improved and we should work out how good a role model of service we give with the way we act.

All countries have the same issues with trailing partners who cannot automatically work in a given country. I am about to open a centre to see if we can at least provide a place for partners to meet, talk, hang-out and keep their skills up-to-date.

What ever happens - I trust that you find a place that makes you happy and that what ever problems you have, go away soon.

I have lived in China, as well as a number of other countries. Guangzhou, China which is probably one of the worst cities to live in. We made the best of it, but I have said that if you can live in Guangzhou then you can live ANYwhere. Belgium isn't ALL, bad but please ...one of top 10 best places to live?! Give me a break! Whoever made that list needs to get out more!

As far as the US...if it isn't even in the top 10, I wonder why so many people want to move there?

I guess it depends on who is paying to have the list put out.

Ah - well that is where there is a neutral voice. These lists are not paid for by any business or government.

The metrics are agreed globally and used by UN and OECD type organizations to map global trends and statistics. For example which country has the most people dying of smoking related illness, who has the best healthcare, where are the best schools, what type of infrastructure does a country have, how is telecommunications, crime, family makeup and many more factors.

This makes the data set complex - it takes years to compile the information - each country government can question it and validate it against their own information. Singapore, as mentioned by some people, is great for Expats and has a good quality of life if you can afford it. If not, quality of life is not so good and human rights issues are a problem. The US is some where that everyone aspires to living - quality of health care is poor, crime is high, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse is very high, public transport is poor as is respect for the environment - so they score low on quality of life.

These lists do not always match what we experience - but they measure fact and report fact as agreed by global organizations that need and use the data. Belgium has good public transport and reasonable roads, healthcare is good, schools are not bad, crime lower than most of Europe, the health of the population is good, family unity is high, telecommunications good and so on and on - so that is why Belgium scores high.

So, if you step back, and examine Belgium as a country, and not as an Expat playground - it is a fantastic place to live.

Interesting. Do you have a link for this list ?

Heres the list that i found:

Best countries to live in according to the 2009 Human Development Index.

The HDI combines normalized measures of life expectancy, literacy, educational attainment, and GDP per capita for countries worldwide. It is claimed as a standard means of measuring human development—a concept that, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), refers to the process of widening the options of persons, giving them greater opportunities for education, health care, income, employment, etc. The basic use of HDI is to measure a country's development.

The HDI combines three basic dimensions:

1 Life expectancy at birth, as an index of population health and longevity
2 Knowledge and education, as measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weighting) and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weighting).
3 Standard of living, as measured by the natural logarithm of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in United States dollars.

A HDI of 0.8 or more is considered to represent "high development". This includes all developed countries, such as those in North America, Western Europe, Oceania, and Eastern Asia, as well as some developing countries in Eastern Europe, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and the oil-rich Arabian Peninsula. Seven countries were promoted to this category this year, leaving the "medium development" group: Albania, Belarus, Brazil, Libya, Macedonia, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

On the following table, arrows (?) represent an increase in ranking over the previous study, while arrows (?) represent a decrease in ranking. They are followed by the number of spaces they moved. Dashes (?) represent a nation that did not move in the rankings since the previous study.

1 Iceland 0.968 (?)
2 Norway 0.968 (?)
3 Canada 0.967 (? 1)
4 Australia 0.965 (? 1)
5 Ireland 0.960 (?)
6 Netherlands 0.958 (? 3)
7 Sweden 0.958 (? 1)
8 Japan 0.956 (?)
9 Luxembourg 0.956 (? 9)
10 Switzerland 0.955 (? 3
11 France 0.955 (? 1)
12 Finland 0.954 (? 1)
13 Denmark 0.952 (? 1)
14 Austria 0.951 (? 1)
15 United States 0.950 (? 3)
16 Spain 0.949 (? 3)
17 Belgium 0.948 (? 1)
18 Greece 0.947 (? 6)
19 Italy 0.945 (? 1)
20 New Zealand 0.944 (? 1)
21 United Kingdom 0.942 (? 5)
22 Hong Kong 0.942 (? 1)
23 Germany 0.940 (? 1)
24 Israel 0.930 (? 1)*Disputed for not counting Palestinians
25 South Korea 0.928 (? 1)
26 Slovenia 0.923 (? 1)
27 Brunei 0.919 (? 3)
28 Singapore 0.918 (? 3)
29 Kuwait 0.912 (? 4)
30 Cyprus 0.912 (? 2)

Source(s):http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Human_Deve...dex#2009_report

Anyone who thinks that Belgium is ahead of New Zealand or Singapore has been playing with the laughing gas too much.

Belgium's public transport is spotty and positively nasty in some parts of Brussels. The road system is falling apart. Healthcare... who knows? School system is so bad that getting a place for your child in a decent one is enougth to make some parents go postal. Taxes are among the highest in the developed world. Government exists in name only, although bureaucrats do their best to stifle innovation, business and anything remotely associated with the two. Laws are not enforced and EU directives are blatantly laughed at by local politicians. Suicide rates are among the highest in Europe. Telecommunications are backward and the country is among the last in Europe to charge download limits... need I go on?

Some UN index doesn't tell you that the country has completed stagnated- economically, socially, politically.

Perhaps you should post your own version of the list using your own criteria?

Nope, not gonna go there. I know what I see and what my friends say.

Belgium's public transport (I'm NOT talking about Brussels) is much better than French, British or Dutch public transport, although the carriages are not always the most modern ones. Due to the central position of the country and its capital, the road system is efficient. Maintenance on some parts is definitely too low but is good on others. Cycling paths are considered bad for 50%. Healthcare may not be as good as in Germany but is certainly much better than in France, the UK or The Netherlands. The school system is comparable to that of the neighbouring countries and in any case much better than the Dutch system.
Unfortunately, taxes are indeed among the highest in Europe and Government lacks efficiency because it is in transition between federal and regional powers. As in all EU member countries, some directives/national laws are insufficiently or not (yet) enforced! I don't know about the suicide rates.
I might mention good things in Belgium but I have other things to do right now (having my lunch!)...

And here i thought you didn't have any friends in Belgium.

Brussells may very well be the armpit of the country but in the short time i lived there (Antwerp area) i tend to agree with Emilio's opinion.

Canada is in fact in 3rd place on the 2008 HDI list - Belgium is at 16. Further Canada held the number 1 spot for 7 years straight from 1994 to 2000. Belgium never has. Even the USA is ranked higher than Belgium, and the UK in fact tied Belgium this year in it's HDI score.

Please get your facts straight before comparing Belgium to other countries - it detracts from your argument.

If Belgium is so bad - why are people still here? Why would anyone live and work in a place where they are not at all happy? In am interested as it does seem that there are many people that do not like Belgium - but they are still here after many, many years. If I were not happy - I would be out of here in a flash.

I lived in Belgium as an Australian ex-pat for 18 months, a couple of years ago, and I loved it. We lived on the outskirts of Brussels, at the end of the metro line in Auderghem. We had the woods, the parks, the markets, and nice people (mostly) around.

My ex-pat mates mostly lived in the city, and went out drinking a lot, but we would only join them occasionally. I still surf the expatica Belgium web page, because I would love to go back to Belgium again to live.

I have lived all over the world, from tiny tropical islands, to LA, from Pakistan to the UK to name a few, as well as Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra in Australia. Each place has fantastic things, each has things that will drive you insane. Weigh them up, plan ahead, be prepared, talk to people, read websites and books, do the "what if" thinking, and then, if you decide to go, just enjoy it..... Belgium is a fantastic place. Avoid the things you don't like if you can, laugh along with the paperwork nightmares (think of the funny stories it will make later on).

Relax and enjoy it.

I am a Canadian (hometown is Ottawa) who has lived in Belgium since March 2000. I have lived in Woluwe St. Pierre (Brussels) since moving here. I agree with the Australian poster - Belgium is indeed a good place to live (and work) in my experience.

While I agree that sometimes there do seem to be too many grey cloudy days, winters in Brussels are a lot milder (and shorter) than in Ottawa (or most of Canada). Brussels does - sometimes- get hot summer weather - but 2008 was one of the coldest summers since I moved here. Lets hope its better in 2009! A few years ago, the temp was up to the high 30s and I found it simply too hot then.

As for dining out, I have found that there is a huge choice in Belgium, both 'French/Belgian' cuisine, as well as many other kinds, such as Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Italian, Cuban, Spanish, and even American (McDonalds - "America's meat and potatos"!).

I have certainly enjoyed the jobs I have had here (all in private sector). The job benefits available to mid- and senior level professionals are much better in Belgium than one could possibly get in Canada, the US or many other parts of Europe (such as all-in lease car, loads of annual vacation days, indexation of salaries, etc.).

As for the bureaucracy in Belgium, I agree that it is rather stifling. But having had to deal with the Canada Revenue Agency regarding witholding tax on rental income from my Canadian flat, believe me, Belgium does not have a monopoly on bureaucratic sillyness, cryptic rules & regs, or stupid and unhelpful public servants! In fact, the Belgian income tax form is significantly less of a hassle to fill out than the Canadian version.

I would say that the biggest negative about Belgium is the high tax rates both for income and goods/services.

Canada certainly never deserved its first place ranking...just goes to show what a nonsense the UN ranking system is. Canada is an 'OK place' to live, but best in the world? No way!

Obviously they do not include climate as part of the UN ranking system. I recall as a grad student living in Saskatoon Saskatchewan, during the winter it was so cold that the tyres on my car would freeze flat in the spot where the tyre was pressing on the road surface. It took a good 5 minutes of driving to get the flat spots out of the tyres as the car went clunking along. That is, when the car would start at all. Who aside from Canadians know what a battery blanket or a block heater is? One would literally have to run into a building to get out of the wind, because exposed flesh would freeze in less than 1 minute. This is the reality of the Canadian winter...

Firstly you need to understand the elements that effect the placement of a country such as Canada on the HDI list. If, on the whole, these elements are what you personally consider important then you should return/stay in Canada. As an ex-pat Canadain, now living permanently here since 2006 I would never return. It's much of an individual choice based on factors important to you and at your stage of life.

I've lived south of Brussels for almost three years. I must admit that I have to agree with some of what you say. The weather is horrible. Most of us are running around with Vitamin D deficiency because of the lack of sun (no really and it is serious). I have made friends with a few Belgians but I do not find it at all easy. I find it to be a very closed society. It is unfortunate because I didn't come here to surround myself with other Americans. I'm a trailing spouse so I'm not allowed to work because we are not EU. I do volunteer work including training a service dog, which has gotten me out into the community more. I also take classes and get out a lot. But I do find it a struggle to connect with others (beside other American expats). But on the positive side, we have had the opportunity to travel around most all of Europe over the past three years and I've learned quite a lot of French. It has been an interesting experience but I do find Belgium to be an odd little country. The fact that the French and Flemmish do not get along is in my opinion a big part of the tension that exists in the country. I also find that many Belgians seem to have a lot of pent up anger or frustration or something. I've been yelled at very angrily about 10 times now for very minor things and I find some of the drivers scary aggressive, especially on the highways. They ride the back of my car just a few inches away. But there are always exceptions and I have also had some Belgians be very thoughtful and kind. For example our neighbors invited us over for their family Christmas Eve dinner a couple of years ago.

Quality of Living global city rankings 2009 – Mercer survey

United Kingdom
London, 28 April 2009

European cities dominate the top of the ranking
Vienna scores highest for overall quality of living, Baghdad the lowest
Singapore ranks top for city infrastructure; London ranks eighth

Vienna has passed Zurich to take the top spot as the world’s city with the best quality of living, according to the Mercer 2009 Quality of Living Survey. Geneva retains its position in third place, while Vancouver and Auckland are now joint fourth in the rankings.

Overall, European cities continue to dominate the top locations in this year’s survey. In the UK, London ranks at 38, while Birmingham and Glasgow are jointly at 56. In the US, the highest ranking entry is Honolulu at position 29. Singapore (26) is the top-scoring Asian city followed by Tokyo at 35. Baghdad, ranking 215, remains at the bottom of the table.

The rankings are based on a point-scoring index, which sees Vienna score 108.6, and Baghdad 14.4. Cities are ranked against New York as the base city with an index score of 100. Mercer’s Quality of Living ranking covers 215 cities and is conducted to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments. See top 50 quality of living rankings below.

Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer, commented: “As a result of the current financial crisis, multinationals are looking to review their international assignment policies with a view to cutting costs.”

“Many companies plan to reduce the number of medium to long-term international assignments and localise their expatriate compensation packages where possible though the hardship allowance, based on quality of living criteria, will remain an essential component of the package,” he added.

This year’s ranking also identifies the cities with the best infrastructure based on electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, public transport provision, traffic congestion and the range of international flights from local airports.

Singapore is at the top of this index (score 109.1) followed by Munich in second place and Copenhagen in third. Japanese cities Tsukuba (4) and Yokohama (5) fill the next two slots, whilst Dusseldorf and Vancouver share sixth place. Baghdad ranks at the bottom of the table with a score of only 19.6. See top 50 infrastructure rankings below

Mr Parakatil commented: “Infrastructure has a significant effect on the quality of living experienced by expatriates. Whilst often taken for granted when functioning to a high standard, a city’s infrastructure can generate severe hardship when it is lacking. Companies need to provide adequate allowances to compensate their international workers for these and other hardships.

Brussels has... awful traffic, worse drivers, telephone and Internet are wildly overpriced, water is chalky, international flights are few and half of all packages sent via the post don't arrive. No wonder they didn't rank.

On the positive side, I suppose the lack of roving kindap gangs and death squads sometimes found in other third world capitals is a plus.

I am quite surprised at the virulence of some of the observations on life in Belgium!

I have lived here for more than 30 years (originally from UK) most of it in the French-speaking part, lately in Brussels. I speak and write fluent French (maybe this helps?) and have many good Belgian friends. The weather, of course, is a sore point - but no more so than in the north of France, Germany or in the Netherlands. The biggest negative for me is the total lack of any sense of customer service on the part of major service providers (telephone, electricity, cable TV etc). Driving standards are not always good and the roads are in sad need of attention after the winter.

Having said all that, what about all the advantages? Human-sized cities (and therefore human-sized urban problems), relatively-low crime-rates, the beautiful cities of Flanders, the wonderful scenery of the Ardennes, the consistently excellent food everywhere - from the Michelin-starred palace to the humble, local bistro, the high-quality health care and, of course, the beer and the chocolate. And the much-maligned city of Brussels? It has some magnificent buildings, a vibrant, cosmopolitan atmosphere, plenty of green spaces and you don't have to spend half a lifetime getting to know this compact and pleasant city.

Of course there are downsides - where are there not? But being a guest in a foreign country calls for a certain respect for that country, its customs, origins and traditions. In my experience, when you demonstrate a cheerful, courteous and friendly attitude to the people of Belgium you generally get good cheer, courtesy and friendliness in return. After all, if you really don't like the way things are done here - and if you don't like pralines - then nothing prevents you from living somewhere else. I'm still here - after more than 30 years - and still counting ...

I speak and write Dutch and French, and will be only too happy/overjoyed to move next year. Until moving to Belgium, I'd never seen a developing country in Northern Europe.

It's the only way to describe it.

I totally agree with Longtimer Paul especially his description of the advantages. I have lived in Brussels for over 9 years. [size="2"][/size][color="#0000FF"][/color]

Belgian has:

1. Best beers
2. Nice cities (Leuven, Ghent etc)
3. Very friendly people
4. Good public transportation (atleast in Flanders)
5. Good health care

What I dislike is:

1. Really low salaries (and please dont say that I need to negotiate with my employer and so on. Belgian has shitty salaries...full stop).
2. Expensive housing
3. Bureaucracy (slower than the slowest in the whole universe. Including any potential extra-terrestrial intelligent life )
4. Driving skills of Belgians
5. Total lack of customer services. Its almost like that they do you a favor by taking your money and giving you an internet connection etc.
6. Overpaid pensioners

In summary, Belgium is a great country if you are:

1. A Belgian: so that your mommy and papa can give you money to buy a house and you can just buy groceries with your meagre salary
2. A student: who can enjoy the great beer, nice friendly people and parties

Its the worst country if you are a self-made person looking to make a life on your own without the generous handout from mommy and papa.

I have to say, that service is a real problem in Belgium. I am a self employed consultant dealing with businesses in the service industry. I am shocked at how poor a majority of the Belgian communities sense of service is. I have lived here for a very long time - so I am almost a Belgian myself. Most things in Belgium would improve if service and value for money would creep up the list of priorities. I accept that this is very general and there are pockets of good service - but they are limited to the odd pocket and when it happens you are shocked as hell!

I agree that the bureaucracy is slow in Belgium and I also agree with the comment about lack of customer service. I dont think rents in Belgium are a great deal more than in my hometown (Ottawa, Canada), but they are a lot less than many other EU capitals (like London or Paris for example). As for salaries, in my experience this depends on job function, level within an organization, employer, employee qualifications, and the supply/demand for a specific type of skill. I could never make as much in Canada as I get in Belgium, and the fringe benefits (like vacation days, car) here are also much better than in Canada. The problem with Belgian salaries is that income tax is much too high, resulting in a huge difference between gross and net pay.

For what it's worth; I have lived in belgium for about two years after living in the Uk my whole life. despite poor roads and a love of paperwork (but real cyclepaths!) I have found Belgium to be a great place to live. The taxes appear to be similar to the UK and yet I can buy far more with whats left. I find my life easier here as an unskilled worker than I did in the Uk as a social worker. Many english guys I speak to here call Belgium 'an undiscovered gem' due to good food, beer, music and the ease of life. I live in in a rural area and I can leave my car and bike unlocked. Infact outside my door I have just counted two cars with expensive sat nav systems just sitting there unattended. Very different to my experience of the Uk which is if it aint nailed down it's nicked! I'd recommend belgium to all but I also think that you need to 'get' Belgium. Not to rush things and try a bit of the language...

Saskatchewan is part of Canada? The only province that doesnt march in step with Daylight savings time if remember right and damm right Saskatoon is cold in the winter. Its cold everywhere on the prairies in the winter. But southern Ontario (most populated area in Canada), the southern BC coastline (Vancouver area) and Atlantic Canada are no where near that cold. It appears that weather had very little (if any) effect on the UN rankings which is as it should be. Most of Canada is a pretty good place to live overall. Other than that, i agree with your comments about Belgian bureaucracy, wages/benefits and high income taxes....

I totally agree with you on this. If you are unskilled, then Belgium is a great place to be. Unskilled people make much more money than high-skilled people here. I remember talking to a bartender in Leuven who was making more money than most of my collegues/friends (and me) who were working in one the biggest Belgian banks, all had PhDs in Engineering/Finance/Maths. But having said that, it is a fair system and if unskilled people are getting more money, they probably are adding more value to the system.