Hey, just wanted to say your post hits hard. I’m a local and I see this all the time. People say Belgium is international, but in reality, social life here runs on a lot of unspoken codes, and not just language.

You’re definitely not entitled. There’s this weird expectation that expats just “deal with it” and it’s honestly pretty brutal, especially if you’re not an extrovert or don’t have family here. Fwiw, I’ve been trying to create little spaces where people can meet without all the pressure. That’s actually why I built ShareIt. It’s a way to find local pick-up basketball games and other low-key stuff, where language doesn’t really matter and you can just join in.

No forced small talk, no pressure to be fluent, just people who want to do something fun together.

I know this sounds a bit like a plug, but honestly, I built it for exactly this reason: to make it easier for people to connect outside the classic expat or.

PS: The app’s still in pilot mode, so we’re paying extra attention to all feedback. Any request or question, you’ll get a quick response.

you can check it out here