Diana (left) is pictured with her cousin Lauren (right), one of my dear friends from UCLA and a fellow travel study-er! I was very fortunte to be invited for dinner with Diana and her husband - afterwards they showed us around the entire city in one evening! 

 

1. What brought you to Brussels?

Diana grew up in Romania, and moved to Brussels when she married her husband Flavius. Flavius is also from Romania, and when they were younger Flavius's friends would go to Brussels over the summer to work and always returned to show off their hard earned money. 

 

2. How did you find your current job?

Currently working at the Malaysian Embassy. Previously worked at the European Commission. Her abilility to speak multiple languages, particularly English, helped her in her career (she speaks Romanian, English, and French fluently). She was able to use her English language skills as an advantage because generally in Brussels, the Flemish learn French and vice versa due to the divided nature of the city between Flemish and French population. Because of this, not everyone learns English as their second language.  

 

3. What is your ideal Saturday afternoon?

Diana responded lightheartedly, "In the city by myself in the shops, alone with my thoughts. While Flavius is with the kids..." with a chuckle, "when you have kids you will understand!" 

 

4. If you had 24 hours left in Brussels, what would you do?

"Go to the café at Lake Genval - it's a very nice area."

 

 

This interview was unique. Both Diana and Lauren speak Romanian, French, and English. It was a fascinating experience to sit around a dinner table with Lauren, Flavius, and Diana. Diana and Lauren are both trilingual and Flavius is bilingual (speaking only French and Romanian). They most often switched between speaking Romanian and English, but occasionally spoke some French. Diana told most of her stories in English to accomodate me, but the more comfortable family moments were communicated in Romanian. Lauren was my translator when I missed out on the conversation, particularly when Flavius joined in Romanian. After listening awhile I found I was able to occasionally follow what was being said. Sometimes Diana would tell us a story in English, and Flavius would later try to tell the same story (in Romanian of course, as he didn’t realize the story had already been told!) and she would quickly and jokingly tell him he already missed his shot at storyteller! Their warmth and generosity felt a bit like home despite the difference in languages. They were incredibly generous and welcoming – it was certainly the highlight of Brussels. I felt like I was sitting around the table with family of my own! Our cultures and background are very different, there even existed a language barrier, yet I was still able to find common ground with this couple. Their strong faith and generosity made me feel at home in a strange city! And I'm now more dedicated than ever to learn another language.