Pieter told me that he sees Americans and Irish as cold people compared to Belgians. He complained that a handshake seems to cut off contact and build a wall when compared to the more typical kiss on the cheek that is common in Belgium. He complained about how hard it is to find friendship in a new place and that many people seem to be ok with surface friendships. This seems like a common complaint among millennials, so I'm not sure if it's telling of the culture here in Belgium or if it's just a feature of people in their late 20s.
Two ways Pieter has found to make friends has been going to the pub with people and through Lindy Hop groups. He saw music and dancing as ways to connect with others, even though it was hard to develop friendships from those things, since often people already have their friendships set by the time there in their late 20s and it's hard for new people to break in.
I learned an idiom from Pieter as we chatted. I don't remember the context, but he said something along the lines of still standing in children's shoes. The idiom means that there is a need for maturing and growing. I don't remember the context, but I like idioms, so the idiom stuck with me.
It was interesting talking to Pieter because he is also living in another culture, so he has been considering differences in culture, too. For example, he was amazed at how many different ways Irish people say hello to each other. He said that he's keeping a list because he's heard so many different greetings.