u/Exciting-Echo-536

I'm 27F, and I'm looking for advice from the men here.

A few months ago, I met a guy while he was on holiday in my town. He lives in another country, and we spent almost a month together. It was honestly amazing. The chemistry felt real, we had a great time, and before he left, he said he wanted to stay in touch.

We still talk, usually about once a week, but if I'm being honest, I'm the one who initiates most of the conversations.

Here's the thing: I'm not someone who chases men or forces things. I have a full life. I work full-time, have hobbies, and I'm building a small business. But I also don't believe every good thing in life is supposed to just happen. If I want to build a business or get fit, I put in the work. So I wonder whether relationships are any different.

From a man's perspective, what kind of effort from a woman is attractive, and what starts to feel like chasing? Is there anything a woman can genuinely do to help a relationship grow without looking desperate or sacrificing her self-respect, especially when distance is involved? Or is matching his level of effort always the right approach?

I'm looking for practical advice, not just "if he wanted to, he would."

I’m 27F, working full-time and living alone about 40 minutes away from my parents. I love my family and they’ve supported me a lot growing up, but honestly I’m getting fed up.

My mom comes to stay with me very often, like almost every other weekend. Whenever she has a doctor’s appointment or wants to go shopping in my city, she comes to my place. The thing is, it’s kind of automatically expected that I’ll spend the whole day with her, go shopping, hang out, etc.

After a stressful week at work, by Friday all I want is to be alone, rest, watch something, scroll on my phone, do nothing. Instead I feel like I have to entertain someone all weekend.

I’m not antisocial. I like people, I have friends, I can socialize just fine. But being around my parents for long periods really drains me and puts me in a bad mood. I try to hide it, but I’m terrible at hiding my feelings. I become quiet and irritated, and sometimes I say things I regret.
Then my mom notices and says things like “you hate me” or “you hate your family.”

She goes through my thing and she insists that she has the right to do so. Sometimes she announces her visit last minute and has to cancel all my plans. Also if an aunt is visiting, they come visiting and I’ve to stand their shit.

For context, I come from a conservative culture where family is a huge deal and daughters are expected to be very available for their parents. So saying “I want to spend the weekend alone” feels almost selfish.

I feel guilty. My family has done a lot for me. I do love them. I just also feel suffocated sometimes and want my own space.

Lately I’ve even been thinking about moving much farther away, not because I don’t love them, but because it feels like the only way I’d get real boundaries.

Hello everyone,
I’m currently living outside the European Union and I’m interested in moving to Belgium. I’ve started looking for jobs there and I see that salaries are usually around €2,000–€2,500 net.

I’d really appreciate some honest opinions or insights from people living there. How is life in Belgium for a single person living alone with a net salary of around €2,500? Is it possible to live comfortably on that, or is it tight?

N.B : I am looking mainly in Gembloux. And since a lot of you guys asked me to define what comfortable means to me I basically mean being able to cover rent (I’m open to shared accommodation/colocation), basic living costs like food, transport, and gym, while still having some budget left for going out occasionally and also putting something into savings each month.