Belgium Life

Belgium Life Sharing my experience as newbie in Belgium,after spending 7 years in China, originally from Pakistan.

01/07/2026

If you're an expat parent of a child with autism or a disability โ€” this might be the most important reel you save today. ๐Ÿ“Œ

Back home in Pakistan, India, or many Asian & Middle Eastern countries, families with special needs children often carry this journey alone. Limited resources. Limited awareness. A lot of judgment. ๐Ÿ’”

Then you move to Belgiumโ€ฆ and discover a whole system existed that nobody told you about. ๐Ÿ˜ฎ

๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช Here's what Belgium actually offers:

Your child can either attend a specialised school OR stay in a regular school with:
โœ… Adapted learning
โœ… A personal classroom assistant
โœ… Therapy & professional guidance
โœ… Regular assessments tailored to YOUR child
And it doesn't stop at school.

There are official bodies that support families financially and practically โ€” even outside the classroom. This isn't charity. This is a structured, government-backed system. ๐Ÿ™Œ

๐Ÿ“Œ Where to start:
๐Ÿ”น Flanders? โ†’ Contact your CLB (it's free, it's local, and they guide everything)
๐Ÿ”น Brussels/Wallonia? โ†’ Look into PMS Centres & Enseignement spรฉcialisรฉ
๐Ÿ”น Need disability support beyond school? โ†’ VAPH (Flanders), AVIQ (Wallonia), PHARE (Brussels)

Most families only find this out years after moving. ๐Ÿ˜”
Don't let that be you.

Save this. Share it with every expat parent you know. Because every child deserves support โ€” and in Belgium, that support actually exists. ๐Ÿ’›

Follow for more real expat truths about life in Belgium ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ชโœจ

Check my highlights "BE FunFacts" for more! ๐Ÿ‘†

30/06/2026

To our growing family of 6.7K...thank you! Let me reintroduce myself: I'm a PhD holder and expat mom, originally from Pakistan, now based in Belgium. I love sharing real, unfiltered moments from my life abroad.

Having spent 7 years in China completing my PhD, I often compare everyday life across China, Pakistan, and Belgium ...the small cultural differences that shape an expat's journey.

Some of my most loved content includes Fun Facts About Moving to Belgium as an Expat and my Umrah Diaries, where I shared my honest, first-time Umrah experience....a series that so many of you connected with. I also document the everyday moments of raising Muslim kids abroad, sharing my little efforts as a mom trying to do right by my family.

And speaking of real moments ...today's 'aesthetic boat video' got photobombed by my favorite little disruption. ๐Ÿšฃโ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ‘ง This is content creation as a mom: equal parts planning and beautiful chaos.

If any of these topics resonate with you, I'd love for you to follow along. ๐Ÿ˜Š

P.S. ksi ne meri awaz to nai suni video me ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‰


29/06/2026

Where I come from, a woman's age is practically classified information. ๐Ÿคซ

In Pakistanโ€” you simply do not ask a woman her age. It's rude. It's taboo. Women will dodge that question like a pro. Some women have been "29" for the past 15 years and nobody bats an eye. ๐Ÿ˜‚

Then I moved to Belgium and walked into a hospital.

"What is your date of birth?"
Day and month. Done. Right?
WRONG.
"AND THE YEAR?!" โ€” loud enough for the whole waiting room to hear. ๐Ÿ˜ญ

No shame. No hesitation. Just pure Belgian efficiency.

Bank account? Full birth date. Health insurance? Birth date. Library card? You guessed it โ€” birth date. ๐Ÿ“‹

Here your age isn't something you whisper โ€” it's literally your identity, asked loudly and proudly everywhere you go.

And honestly? After the initial shockโ€ฆ it's kind of liberating. ๐Ÿ™Œ

Can you relate? Where are you from and is age a taboo topic there? ๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿ˜„

Tag, Save and share it with someone who loves to hide age, but is eager to come to europe ๐Ÿ˜‰

28/06/2026

Belgium fun fact that isn't fun at all.
Europe is in the middle of its second deadly heatwave in just two months โ€” and Belgium is feeling it hard. ๐ŸŒก๏ธ

Temperatures soared between 32ยฐC and 39ยฐC this week. The annual Battle of Waterloo re-enactment? Cancelled. A hospital in Ghent? Had to cancel scheduled surgeries after their server system crashed from overheating โ€” emergency patients were transferred to other hospitals. This is real life.

Oh, and electricity prices hit over โ‚ฌ1 per kWh in a single evening โ€” because the entire country was running AC at the same time and the power grid couldn't keep up.

And if you're trying to grab a fan, ice cream, or anything to cool down? Good luck โ€” shelves are being stripped bare as people bulk-buy everything cold they can find. ๐Ÿฆ

Across Europe, 327 heat-related deaths were registered in just 5 days. The WHO has called it a health emergency. And here's the wild part โ€” only 20% of European homes have air conditioning. Northern European buildings were literally designed to keep heat in, not let it out.

This isn't just a hot summer. This is climate change showing up at the door. ๐ŸŒ

Drop a ๐Ÿ”ฅ if you're currently suffering in this heat too.

27/06/2026

One of the funniest (and most unexpected) things about moving to Belgium? ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ชโ˜€๏ธ

Our kids spend just a few sunny days outside and suddenly look like they've been on a month-long beach vacation! ๐Ÿ˜‚ Meanwhile, European kids somehow come back with that perfect golden tan. How is that even fair? ๐Ÿ˜ญ

Honestly, during summer you can spot Desi kids from a mile awayโ€”they're rocking those iconic sandal marks, half-sleeve tan lines, and that extra summer glow. ๐Ÿ˜…

Forget expensive tanning salonsโ€”the European summer does the job for free... just not the way we expected! ๐Ÿคฃ Sandals, half sleeves, and outdoor picnics also mean some legendary tan lines for us Desis.

No complaints thoughโ€”we're just soaking up every bit of sunshine after those long grey winters! โค๏ธ

Can any fellow Desis living in Europe relate? specially from Pakistan and India??

Which European country are you in, and is this happening there too? Drop your country flag! ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ด๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ˜‚

26/06/2026

I moved from Pakistan ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ to Belgium ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช thinking I was finally escaping the brutal heat back homeโ€ฆ

And then Belgium decided to rewrite its own history. ๐Ÿ˜‚

This country is 190 years old. For nearly two centuries it was known for grey skies, mild summers, chocolate, and rain โ˜๏ธ๐Ÿซ โ€” NOT heatwaves.

Then in 2019, Belgium shattered its all-time temperature record โ€” a record that had stood for over 75 years โ€” hitting above 41ยฐC. ๐ŸŒก๏ธ
And just when everyone thought that was a fluke?

They broke it again. ๐Ÿ˜ณ

As someone from Pakistan where heat is justโ€ฆ life โ€” this hit differently. Because back home we BUILD for heat. AC everywhere, airflow in architecture, cold drinks on every street corner. โ˜•๐Ÿฅค

Belgium? Built for cold. Stone houses, no AC culture, heavy curtains โ€” suddenly functioning as ovens. ๐Ÿงฑ๐Ÿ”ฅ

The scary part isn't just the temperature. It's that a country with no heat infrastructure is now regularly hitting temperatures it was never designed to handle.

Climate change isn't coming. For Belgium, it already arrived. ๐ŸŒ

Did your country also experience record-breaking heat recently? Tell me below ๐Ÿ‘‡

Drop ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช if you live in Belgium

Drop ๐ŸŒก๏ธ if your country is getting hotter every year

25/06/2026

๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ”ฅ Living in Belgium during a heatwave as someone from Pakistan/China is a whole different kind of suffering โ€” and no one talks about it enough.

Back home, 40ยฐC+ was normal. You had ceiling fans in every room, AC, open ventilation, and architecture designed for heat. Here? The buildings are sealed tight to keep winter cold OUT โ€” which means in summer, the heat has nowhere to go. You literally sleep in a greenhouse.

Fun fact: Belgium set a record electricity price of over โ‚ฌ1 per kWh just this week because everyone was maxing out power trying to cope โ€” because AC here is rare, not standard. ๐Ÿ˜…

I've been waking up with headaches every morning and it makes complete sense โ€” overnight temperatures are the hottest since records began, and our bodies never evolved for this kind of trapped, humid, suffocating European heat.

This isn't just "a warm day." Belgium issued a national heatwave alert with temps forecast up to 38ยฐC this week. The WHO has warned it's a direct risk to health across Europe.

So if you're here from South Asia or East Asia and feeling unusually exhausted, dizzy, or getting morning headaches โ€” you're not being dramatic. This heat is genuinely different. Stay hydrated, wet your curtains, sleep with windows open at night, and check on your neighbours. ๐ŸงŠ๐Ÿ’ง

Drop a comment if you're feeling it too ๐Ÿ‘‡

Save and share with people planning to come to europe/ belgium

24/06/2026

When you first see the Kaaba, your heart races and your mind fills with a hundred duas you memorized โ€” but which one do you make?
After reflecting on it, I realized we only truly need one.

Ya Allah, forgive me on the Day of Judgement and grant me Jannah.

That's it. That's the whole purpose of this life.
If that dua is accepted โ€” your family, your rizq, your peace, your future โ€” all of it gets sorted. Because Jannah means you won. Completely.
We stress so much about dunya, but the real ask? Is the akhirah.

So when you stand in front of the Kaaba for the first time, don't panic. Don't rush. Just pour your heart into that one thing that actually matters forever.

๐Ÿ’ฌ Drop your dua in the comments โ€” what did you or what would you ask for when you first see the Kaaba? Let's inspire each other. ๐Ÿ•‹๐Ÿค
Ameen ya Rabb.

Save and share with anyone who need it.

Nothing just wanted to explore...multiple caption option ๐Ÿ˜‰and found out you can add 5 hashtags with each caption ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‰Boy m...
23/06/2026

Nothing just wanted to explore...multiple caption option ๐Ÿ˜‰

and found out you can add 5 hashtags with each caption ๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜‰

Boy mom, for the love of cars and dinosaur...

but this one is done by dad ๐Ÿคฃ



And this one by sister ๐Ÿ˜Š

Now which is your favourite, let me know ๐Ÿ˜‰

23/06/2026

WE HEARD THIS IN SAUDIโ€ฆ BUT REALITY IS DIFFERENT

During our Umrah trip, a local person told us something very interesting:

๐ŸŒ• A full circle on a mosque means Prophet Muhammad ๏ทบ prayed there
๐ŸŒ™ A crescent means He did not pray there

And honestly โ€” we believed it at that time.

Because it sounds meaningfulโ€ฆ and many people repeat it with confidence.

But later, when we looked deeper into authentic sources and historical explanations, we found:

โŒ There is no verified hadith
โŒ No official Saudi marking system
โŒ No scholarly evidence supporting this claim

In fact, crescent and dome symbols appear on mosques all over the world, including in:

Turkey (Ottoman-era mosques)

Pakistan

India

Many parts of Europe

These architectural symbols spread mainly through Ottoman and later Islamic design traditions, not as authenticated indicators of where the Prophet ๏ทบ prayed.

If the circle vs crescent truly meant this, the system would be consistent and historically documented across the Haramain โ€” but it is not.

โœจ The lesson?

Islam teaches us to verify before sharing.

So next time someone lovingly tells you this โ€” donโ€™t argue harshly โ€” but gently share the correct information.

May Allah accept our Umrah and keep us among those who seek truth with sincerity ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ•‹

Save this so you donโ€™t accidentally spread a common Umrah myth.

Adres

Ghent
9000

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