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English speakers life in Liege
Dear Admins and all, Please excuse me if its a redundant query. My work place has been changed to Liege. Hence, I seek a typical English speaker's life in liege. Specifically following: communicating with utility or electric company, mobile phone or internet service provider, city hall officials, hospitals, insurance/mutual officials and other necessities. I had come across few discussions advising to move to nearest dutch speaking region to be able to accommodate English communication. In that case, is Sint-truident a good place for all the above listed and other necessities? It is bluntely impossible to appoint a translator for all the necessities. p.s. Of course I am gonna attend french classes. But it takes times. I can stay in neary by dutch region and learn french. Later move to Liege to have a smooth transition while exercising my french. Please throw your comments, experiences and concerns. Thanks in advance.
You are over thinking this. Just move to Liège.
For one thing, there's no guarantee whatsoever that you will find Gemeen
tehuis employees ready to do business with you in English in Sint-Truiden, they may be required to speak in Dutch.
Council office workers. Some Dutch speaking communes have strict language laws that do not allow them to speak anything other than Dutch at work.
Given that some Liège schools, by definition francophone, actually have English immersion streams (i.e. subjects other than English taught in English), I suspect that you will find things easier in francophone Liège than in nearby Flanders.
Francophone officials have none of the hang-ups of their Flemish colleagues about communicating with those who speak a different language, they will do their very best to help. Even Dutch speakers are treated kindly.
I think you will find that some of the must speak only in Dutch rules are because the Flemish communes are close to French speaking ones and worry about that. My experience is google translate app a willing smile and giving it a go help enormously when not fluent
A.so not clear if your already in Belgium or not, if mot a good relocation agent worth their weight in gold as far as hooking up your phone electric gas etc
If you are simply looking for a Flemish commune near to Liege then Tongeren is as good a bet as Sint-Truiden. It's much nearer to Liege and Tongeren and Sint-Truiden are pretty similar in size.
I've been here well over 20 years in different small towns in Flanders and have never had any problems with language in the Gemeentehuizen. The main thing is that you do not go in and start speaking French - which, it seems, you are not going to do anyway! Act helpless and ask for details of Dutch language classes - if not free they will certainly be very cheap.
It is a generalisation based on my own experience but I have always found that Flemish people who speak English - all professionals and everyone under 40 - are very happy to do so whereas French speakers are not. And I stress again that my comment is based on my own experience.
Indian food stores:
in Liège:
Kausar Ethnic Market
rue de la Cathédral 7
4000 Liège
04 221 36 35
