right, feels like awhile since i was typing on here. i am in the computer lab where i will probably be spending a great deal of my time writing my thesis later in the year... not yet though right?!! still too much fun and adventures to be had i believe!

so finally i have had a class. environmental geomorphology which was good but very introductory-like and will be much better once we get into it properly. but it doesn't sound too complicated at the moment, though i seem to be very fortunate, having a geography major, as no one else in my course has studied this sort of thing and seemed to hold very blank faces when he was talking about plate tectonics and climatology and tsunamis. the lecturer seems nice enough and is fairly easy to understand. plus he has the brilliant habit of repeating what he says, so if his accent confuses me the first time, i pick it up the second time through. very thoughtful of him i must say!

the people in my course are great. there's 14 of us i think and everyone is very friendly and i think we will have a good year together. a combination of french speaking belgians, dutch speaking belgians, greeks, kiwis (okay there is just one of me) and norweigians. a nice combination with very different backgrounds.

so far i have tuesday and wednesdays off, though later in november another class will begin on tuesday. and then i have two classes on thursday and one i think on friday. it is all very relaxed. and seems very easy - but i think they will expect a lot of reading to be done and a lot of work to be done outside of the classroom. i presume anyway. plus i will have to start my thesis. i need a topic by the start of november so have to start thinking about that soon.

i am yet to leave belgium and explore other countries though there is a good possibility i will either be in munich for october fest or else might head to amsterdam this weekend. all depending on whether we get in contact with people from either city. it has been great meeting people here - there is a solid group of 10 of us that meet nearly every second night, and another 10 on top of that, that we would see over the weekends or on thursday nights. there seems to constantly be international parties and meetings here, even though orientation is over, but it is fantastic because everyone is willing to sit and chat with you and then because we all have cell phones; numbers are exchanged and we'll all meet up at the park to listen to a live band the next day. very lively and exceptionally friendly town.

today i bought a coat. not because it is cold or rainy just yet, but just because i found one that i love for 46 euros - kind of expensive but definitely a necessity that i will probably end up wearing every day over winter. it was from a second hand store and is actually very cheap compared to most of the clothes here in leuven.

speaking of which - you would think; or at least i would think, that a university town would be all about second hand stores - bookshops and clothes shops... you know, cheap things. but no. i think people in europe are quite content not to search for bargins, which is definitely a west auckland way of doing things. living over here is more expensive than i had imagined and while i have not run out of money, i think it will be very necessary for me to search for a partime job. which is a bit annoying because it might cut back on how much i will be able to travel around, but there will be no travelling around at the rate i am going. never mind, i am also aware that the first month in a new place away from home, is bound to be the most expensive - because you need to buy things like a lamp and sheets and a towel and olive oil and salt. hopefully all of these items have now been bought and i can actually keep to my budget in future months to come.

my birthday is fast approaching. my first birthday away from home. next thursday (9th) in fact. but the people here are incredible and some of the friends i have made have become like best friends that i feel like i have known for years. the three canadian girls - morna, desiree and sandra are the loveliest girls and have become awesome friends with me. just last night we sat at this little cafe/bar called amadee and drank tea as we played scrabble and boggle and listened to classical music. it is the cutest little place and the owner is very funny and laughs at us when we try and play english scrabble with spanish or dutch letters.

more than anything i want a white christmas this year and i am thinking about the idea of austria at the moment... or perhaps switzerland though morna knows people in austria, which could be helpful. i'll see, as long as it snows and i am with friends i will be content. as of course it would be highly impossible to return home for christmas - though numerous people have asked me this with no knowledge of just where in the world new zealand is situated!!

i have been inside this computer lab for far too long, but thanks to rachel for texting me which was extremely exciting to get at 11:30 at night when a group of us were walking along the street. for those that don't know, 11:30pm in leuven, is 9:30am in new zealand - until the whole daylight savings thing happens.

take care; love bex.