Look, I'm wearing a Lancaster University Glee Club hoodie do you really think I can give you directions around Brussels?

Today it has become clear to me that I must walk around with some sort of air that makes people think I know where I'm going, which generally is because I do, but I don't know the way to where they want to be!  The previous episode of this caused me to get caught in the rain after being helpful and sharing my map.  Today however someone pulled over in their car to ask me for directions, my helpful hints includes "c'est Rue General Jaques" *point* and "ca, c'est Rue Juliette Wytsman" *point* "Je suis desolee!" I was even wearing my Lancaster Glee hoody, it shoud've been a hint to him that I wasn't exactly a local!

Coffee. Something I've never exactly been the worlds biggest fan of but round here you're some sort of alein if you don't drink it!  I survived Valencia without touching the stuff but I don't think I'll get through the next year without being thought of as some kind of stange person without drinking it.  Step one- McDonalds cappuccino I actually quite liked it.  Maybe I can get into this coffee lark after all....

I also had my first class that I might actually be able to say was successful after yesterday with the useless lesson and the lesson where class and tutor were in different parts of the building!  Despite having said I had no intention of doing any literature classes I appear to have signed myself up for 2 but the tutor is good and his classes are enjoyable so I reckon it might have been a good move.  After queueing like a propper British person for my student card I appear to have purchased a blank card...I think it means I can top it up with cash and buy things but nothing useful like sign up for classes, use the internet or get on their version of LUVLE- helpful.  Especially as I got back to an email saying my real card is ready to collect but because of some funny rule I think I can only get it on Thursday afternoon?

I went to Carrefour and got some supplies for my cordon bleu cooking... after a year of cooking well with the girls I am back on my own and cooking for one isn't that much fun, I'm back to student style pasta and frozen delights.  I did have to take a bit of a guess at what nail varnish remover is too, its got the word ongles in it though so it's a good start I guess!

"Je suis anglaise...."

After my first night in my new home I met Mum and Dad to go to ISTI to get proof that I'm a student there- so I can get 50% off my travel card, well worth doing!  On the way there a girl tried asking Mum for directions, Mum of course said to her "Je suis anglaise", it's a standard way of getting out of helping someone! I told the girl that I spoke a bit of French but she said not to worry and went on her way.  We continued to ISTI, saying that actually, even if we had said we could help her where could we really direct her to? McDonalds? Carrefour? ISTI?  That is about the sum of what we knew about the area.  Having decided it probably wasn't any of those places that she wanted (bearing in mind we'd been standing outside 2 of them) we were unlikely to be able to help her.  How wrong could we be?  When I was at reception at ISTI, who should I see but the girl!  She'd found her way there and found the situation just as funny as I did.  She is from Italy, I guess she is on Erasmus too.  Met my first non-English ISTI student then.

After our first little adventure for the day we went off to Carrefour to fill up my cupboards a little bit, beginning to feel more and more like home, at least for the next few months anyway.

We spent the rest of the afternoon queueing to get my travel pass and going on the sight-seeing bus.  Picked the wrong time to go though, a 1.5 hour trip took just over 2 in the rush hour traffic...