Belgium - Culture Smart!

Mandy Macdonald is an Australian writer, researcher, editor, and translator living in Scotland. A graduate of Sydney and Cambridge universities, she specializes in international cooperation with developing countries, with particular emphasis on the EU, Latin America, labour rights and gender equality. She has lived and worked in Cuba as a translator and has spent time in Central America as a worker on human and gender rights, and has written articles and books on Cuba and Central America. Her work on European development cooperation took her to Brussels in the 1990s, and she continues to visit Belgium, among other European countries, as an amateur musician and performer of Renaissance music. After a long career spent working for international and European governmental and nongovernmental organizations, Mandy is now an occasional freelance editor and writer, particularly on music. A new venture is poetry, and since 2011 her poems have appeared from time to time online and in print. Her experiences in many countries, and especially her own country, Australia, form a rich source of material for her poetry. Mandy continues to travel as often as possible, and believes that travelling with open eyes and mind and a sensitive attitude towards local cultures and customs is the best possible kind of globalization.

Brief History Politics - Economic Life Traditions - Friendships & Family Relationships Bureaucracy Religion Humour - Local Holidays Taboos Invitations Gifts Dress - Business etiquette - Punctuality & Appointments - Team working Communication Negotiating - Women in Society Tips - Eating Out - Traditional Food - Dos and Don t - Making Friends