OUR FIRST WEEK IN CLICHES

There is no "I" in team. We're a team now, Jandro and me, Team A, if you will, and we're doing our best to work together on shaping our new life in Belgium. One week and two days. This is how long we've been here. And yet, it feels like it's been at least a couple of months. Looking for jobs, looking for a room, looking for words in foreign languages, looking desperately at each other, looking into the opportunities, and, finally, looking up to those who managed to get installed in this strange country... We're tired but satisfied, at least for the time being. Let me now introduce you to the beginnings of our life in Belgium.

A friend in need is a friend indeed
Cliche, yes, but how very true! For now, we have been abusing the hospitality of several amazing people. To begin with, we are based in Puurs, a small Flemish town. We are staying with D&D, who not only picked us up from the airport and gave us a comfy room, but have also been showing us the secrets of the Flanders life, including abundant portions of delicious food and field trips to other parts of the country. At the end of this week, they will have been enjoying (clearly) our company for a fortnight, for which we are very grateful.

But this is not all. During our four-day long visit to Brussels last week, we stayed with E, a friend from our African times, who offered priceless advice of a Bruxelloise, showed us around, cooked tasty soups and provided Moroccan treats. Again, we're touched.

There's no place like home
As happy as we are here with our friends, we cannot live with them forever (not if we want them to stay our friends, anyway). The squatting must end as soon as possible. And thus, on our second day in Belgium, we started searching for a room. Yes, a room, not a flat, you've read correctly. A flat is a commitment for at least a year, and we don't even know if we'll stay here this long. And so we have opted for a room, as the most economical solution. There are plenty of rooms available, too. However... nobody wants to rent them out to couples, and if they do, they demand an additional fee of 100 - 150 euros. Consequently, I have an impression that our first week in Belgium consisted entirely of walking, interspersed with bouts of exasperation. After seeing very expensive/very dirty/very smelly rooms in very posh/very dangerous/very distant neighbourhoods, we were excited to find a place for 350 euros, which is very far from perfect/very small/very basic, but which should do for now. Phew. We will start moving in tomorrow. Our first Ikea trip as a couple!

Nothing ventured, nothing gained
I'm a bit apprehensive. Even though we've managed to realise goal number one ("find a reasonably cheap yet habitable place to live"), goal number two ("find a reasonably well-paid yet not detestable job") is still very far from reality. I have sent out 25 applications (and counting), and Jandro probably twice as many. We are still waiting but... someone must start to bring home the bacon! I'm hopeful, though. Nobody said it would be a piece of cake. And I do believe we have a bright future ahead of us. In any case, we're already here. And you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, can you?

PS. How many cliches have you found in this text?