I’ve lived in Brussels for 43 years
I speak English, French and some Spanish, Portuguese
I am a tour guide
Born in Brussels, a city I love (and some days, not so much, as anyone in their hometown I guess :-) and where I have almost always lived - a couple of years, out of the capital, near Waterloo; as well as in London, UK, for about 2 years. I did high school in the Latin-Greek section, then social communication in college. I had planned to study marketing communication (i.e. advertising), but quickly realized it wasn't my cup of tea. My first job experience was on national television (co-hosting a show for the 15-30 years old); then for about 10 years in the Language Animation Centre. This was a non-profit organization whose motto was "dare speak!" : basically, workshops and activities to practice a foreign language "out of the classroom" - with a focus on body language, communication, and... well, fun! That's when I had my first experience with "guiding": I conceived a kind of treasure hunt in Brussels, that I also facilitated, with riddles and challenges in the target language of the learners. At the same time, they would (re)discover the city and interact with locals to get clues for the game. The NPO had to shut down, unfortunately; that's when I moved to London. And it is there that I had my first real experience as a tour guide: "street art in East London". English is not my mother tongue and I didn't even know that much about street art (learned on the spot); still, it was a great and successful experience! So when I returned to Brussels, I thought "hey, why not be a guide in my hometown?!?". So since 2017, I've been working as a walking tour guide ("free" walking tours, private ones, medieval Brussels, E.U., etc.). Until the end of the pandemic, this was an activity on the side, next to a part-time employee job (as an entrepreneurial coach). But now it's my only job, so I have more time and I would love to develop this activity I love and for which I have great feedback!