Van de sporttribune naar de schoolbanken
Marius Huțu navigates between two worlds. By day, he closely follows international sports competitions for Romanian media; by night, he delves into French and Dutch vocabulary and grammar at Crescendo CVO in Tervuren. Together with his wife and two sons, he chose to settle in Belgium.
Marius Huțu: “My English is fairly good, but when you live here, you need to know the local languages to fully integrate into society. We decided to move to Belgium to offer our children better future prospects. Our sons, aged 9 and 11, have both found schools where they feel comfortable. Soon, our eldest will enter secondary school, hopefully in Zaventem, where we live. Learning French and Dutch is essential to help our children find their way and prepare them for the future.”
Caught the sports bug
“I've been working as a sports journalist for 24 years: football, handball, tennis—you name it. I travel extensively, conduct interviews, write articles, and cover sports events. Two years ago, I was at the World Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp; soon, I'll cover handball in Cologne and Rotterdam, and next year, the Winter Games in Milan. I used to play a lot of football, and now I run with my wife, who did athletics for a long time. Our sons have also caught the sports bug: they both play football in Haren, and it's up to them to decide if they want to continue. For us, it's important that they enjoy it. We also follow matches of Genk, Bruges, and Antwerp together.”
Taking time to learn a language
“For me, direct contact with other students and the teacher is essential. You can immediately see your mistakes and correct them. That's why I prefer attending classes in person at the Tervuren campus: Monday evenings for French, and on Wednesday evenings, my wife and I attend Dutch classes together. We deliberately chose to take classes once a week, as intensive courses are hard to combine with work and family. Learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint.”
“I believe that reaching level B1 or B2 in both French and Dutch is achievable. The teachers are very supportive and patient. They constantly correct us and revisit the material we struggle with. After about five months, the teacher provided a general review, which really helped. Grammar and conjugations are still challenging for me; I don't always have the time to practice everything thoroughly. But step by step, we're getting there—and who knows what the future holds?”