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Sweet sunday spleen - Belgium, 2008-2009 Economically depressed area since the closure of coal mines and the decline of the steel industry, the Belgian Province of Hainaut seemed to have recovered in recent years on the road to growth. The severe economic crisis in the second half of 2008 put an end to this improvement. The final blow was given to the Belgian steel industry. Thousands of workers are being laid off, hundreds of small family entreprises in the region are forced to declare bankrupt following the fall in consumption. I loved watching the scenery of this region scroll through the window of a Ford Focus when I was going to visit my grandparents on Sundays’ afternoon. Today, I sometimes go visit my grandfather, Achilles, in the small room of his home in Mons. I look at him trying to catch with his blind eyes the sunlight through the window. |
