I'm from Belgium and I left when I was 21, 15 years ago. As much as I love my country and will never deny the fact that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for it,

I'm from Belgium and I left when I was 21, 15 years ago. As much as I love my country and will never deny the fact that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for it, its laws and its freedom; I too am puzzled by it. The whole thing always felt like "here is a piece of land, no one really wants it, let's just make a country, and then divide it in half " (in thirds really, as Brussels thinks it's above it). I love Belgium for not being France, not Holland and not Germany, but its identity is in constant crisis. For too long it's been trashed by the other countries. Its biggest demise is trying to compete with them, to be like them. Half the country pretend it's dutch, while most dutch can't understand them well. The other half pretends its french, but only for the good parts, and has a funny accent. And a large town thinks it's German (Eupen). Then in the center, you got this weird beast that is Brussels, that would like to pretend that it's more European than Belgian. These are my feelings and each to their own. But one thing is for sure, Belgium is defined by its dysfunctional history. This culture I grew up in is unique. It's a melting pot of social laws, acceptance and embracing cultures. Sadly, it's been abused and walked over from every corner. If anything good came out of it, it's probably Europe. But that's arguable, because the Euro screwed everyone up.