“The name Amal is primarily a female name of Arabic origin that means hope, expectation.”

Perfect for what my morning has been about.  Weeks ago I received a letter from “Amal”, including an English version.  Was this an organization?  A company?  They were welcoming me to Ghent and Belgium, offering Dutch language classes and an integration course.

England and Senegal intervened and my curiosity faded away.

But now I’m back.  Googling Amal gave me a raft of rave reviews.  Amal is an organization funded by the Flanders Government that offers free services to newcomers.  Wow!

After breakfast at nearby Franz Gustav, I sauntered down the Kongostraat and soon came to an open gate … and this entrance:

A lovely green welcome, complete with flowers, old brick and cobblestones. And then a sweet smile from the receptionist.

Wonder of wonders, one of the counsellors just had a cancelled appointment and I could walk right into her office. Samra treated me like her best friend.

Part of the requirement for my visa continuing past February, 2024 is that I take steps to integrate into Belgian society. Amal is going to help me do that.

From late September to early November, I’ll be taking an in-person Dutch course. For six hours a week, I’ll grapple with Level One of the language. Finally I’ll get a glimpse of what all these Flemish folks are saying! The welcome program requires me to complete Level Two as well in order to stay registered with them. There are ten levels. I wonder how far this old fart will go?

Starting in January, I’m in another course: being introduced to the nuances of integrating into Belgium. Three three-hour sessions a week for five weeks. How the government works all the way to how garbage collection works. These lessons will take place right in the Amal office, in this room:

It’ll become familiar.

The other orientation stream is doing forty hours of volunteer work. I wonder where. I vote for some place with kids.

I’m being given a support person to help me wade through these various waters. And the best news? I’m getting wet!

Sitting beside all these “becoming Belgian” experiences is my enrollment in the Kunstacademie Gent de Poel for September. It’s my music school! Every week I’ll have a one-hour group cello lesson and a two-hour music theory class. That last one will be taught in Dutch. So bring on the Amal language lessons!

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There’s a huge potential bonus here. The next love of my life may be hanging out at Amal or Poel

My eyes are open