♫ I left my heart in San Francisco ♫

So I didn't leave my heart in San Francisco, I've never been there, but I do feel like I have left a significant portion of my brain in England and another part of it has already packed and left for Granada, not hugely helpful when I could do with a generous portion of brain remaining here to get me through these exams!

I realise this is my first post for 2012 and the first post since I have been back out here, but I've not really had anything interesting to talk about, anyone that is following my 365 project certainly knows that nothing has been going on in my life that doesn't either involve revision, cough "potion" or anadin!

Being as this is my last weekend here I guess I could be spending it doing exciting things, but why change the way I've spent all my time out here?  I've enjoyed my few months in Brussels but there are some things that I wish I'd done differently that I will be trying to learn from in Granada.

1) Speak the lingo!  It is what I've come out here to do and I've hardly done it.  I've been too easily pushed into just speaking English because that's the language other people insist on speaking to me in.  Well I should've just kept replying in French until they got the hint.  Granada change 1: Speak Spanish as much as possible (living with 3 Spanish girls this should presumably be achievable...) and make some French friends to make up for lack of practise here.


2) Get out and see things.  When I got picked up in the taxi to go to the station before Christmas it dawned on me how little of my own area I know.  I know the area around me if I turn right from my flat, the route to ISTI and the supermarket, how to get into the centre and where the public transport can take you but what if you turn left?  It became quickly evident that I didn't have a clue!  There were shops and all sorts that I'd never seen before.  Granada change 2: Wander round the area, get to know where I'm living, take it all in!


3) Get a social life.  One of the hardest parts of being out here has been the lack of social life.  In Lancaster I do plenty to keep me busy and meeting people all the time, last year I was doing something most evenings whether it was work, LUSU, Swing Band, Glee etc I was meeting people and I had a social life.  This concept became alien here, I didn't just instantly make friends and for some reason gave up really easy.  I've also managed to build this image of myself as someone that never goes out, which actually isn't true and I'm not sure how I've managed it.  At the start I think I was too worried about spending too much time with English people, well now I've just ended up spending loads of time on my own instead so that was a silly decision! Granada change 3: Socialise with people,  if invited out for the stereotypical tapas and sangria go for it and enjoy the chance to meet new people.


But despite the changes I want to make in Granada I don't regret the way I have spent my time here, I have still seen plenty of what Brussels has to offer, as well as making the most of being able to travel to other places by visiting Lille and Luxembourg and flying to Madrid to see Ellie.

As much as this appears to be a bit of a round up of my time in Brussels I am sure there will be another post right at the very end/once I'm back at home next week preparing for that next chapter!