We're both retired; our three children have their own families, not too far away. We love open natural beauty and old and new architecture, modern and classical art, so both city exploration and walks in nature, along rivers, lakes and sea, in plain fields and woods and in mountains. We love talking to local people and exchange cultural experiences. We've both been working in foreign language education (teaching and teacher training) and are members of several organizations of international hospitality. Our house has a modern but rural architecture (1979) with building materials uncovered inside (see pictures), wooden floors and ceilings in all rooms except in the bathrooms and kitchen. Living-room, kitchen, office, reading and open-fire areas are one large open space. The garden, some 80 m deep and 16 m wide is mainly a walking park with trees, bushes and lawns, a large (coverable) sandpit and slide, and bikes for children. We live in a quiet, rural, young neighbourhood, only 7 and 9 km away from access points to different motorways, some 500 m from a railway station and bus-stops; 15 km to Brussels international airport (with an easy direct bus connection from our village), halfway between two beautiful medieval towns, Leuven (university town) and Mechelen, and 25 km from Brussels capital area.

We are a (non-smoking) family: Josee (76) and Michael (79). The three children have left home and live with their partners and children. Josee is a retired teacher of German. Michael was a trainer of teachers of English-as-a-foreign-language at the university of Leuven, and has retired as well.
The house is built in a modern style, with inside as well as outside all building materials visible: bricks and wood and some concrete support elements. All floors and ceilings are in soft pine wood, which prefers walking on socks or slippers indoors (to avoid unnecessary scratches). No plaster or wallpaper is used. Living-room, kitchen, fire-place, reading-corner and part of the office area is in fact one integrated room-with-many-corners. The fire place is two steps down and can be (and normally is) for the larger part covered with cushions.
Central heating takes care of the colder days and of the daily hot water needs, and the smallest sun-beam is caught by large windows. The kitchen has all modern electric cooking facilities.The oval-shaped bath downstairs is large enough to contain two adults. There's a small isolated sauna garden in front of the bathroom window, and from the bathroom you have access to the sauna). There is a small bath and a shower upstairs, too (to save water!).
The garden is more of a walking and playing park, rather than a vegetable growing garden, but a good deal of berries are there for your enjoyment.
More information about us, the neighbourhood and region, and about our home exchange experience can be read from our hospitality website: https://sites.google.com/site/joseemichaelwelcomeguests/