belgium or france?
of course, just as i was sure i wanted to stay in northern france somewhere relatively close to paris, the option of belgium opened up to me. im a high school student and i want to study abroad in a european country, and i decided since i know some french already, a french speaking country. ive made a list of all the pros and cons of going to france vs. belgium, but i still can't decide. both the experiences seem great. tell me anything you know about your experience in france or belgium. if possible, about high school there. or give me a link to what someone wrote about it. i dont care. i just need info to make my decision.
Studying Abroad - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
France is obviously a bigger country, extremely nationalistic, and a major player in European politics and economics. Its history is important to European history and world history (it was the dominant country in the 18th century as England was in the 19th and America in the 20th). It is a geographically various, with different parts (Breton, Paris, Norman, Gascony, etc.) each a study in itself. It's inexhaustible. Some French (e. g., Baudelaire, who should have known better) look down on Belgians as dumb lovers of "frites" and little else, but at its best it's a reasonable, intelligent place. Belgium is friendlier, more masterable as a country, culturally very various to the point of having two languages (Walloon and French) so that it is almost riven, and in some ways more open than France. Les francais sont tres "chez eux." The Musee des Beaux Arts is not the Louvre, but since it takes a year of going to a world class museum to start to know it, there's not much practical difference. The pleasures of the table are equal in both, although there's more variety in France because it's bigger. It's easier to get from Belgium to some other countries such as Holland (any of the Benelux countries) and Germany. If you've never been to either, I'd guess I'd go to France because having been there opens more doors socially, culturally, and economically, but I've had good times in both places.
2 :
Roger's got point. You should take his advice. After all, he's a top contributer.
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