ABC of the Brussels student

A l’aise pé– Brussels dialect for ‘take it easy, buddy’. In 90 per cent of situations, it’s another way of saying ‘chill’.

Brol– Brussels has a huge range of second-hand items, from clothes and furniture to home décor and books. You’ll find them in shops, charity stores and all sorts of markets. You might just stumble across a few hidden gems among the bric-a-brac!

Credits – The balance of your study points is your learning credit. You’ll find it at studentenportaal.vlaanderen.be. Please note: the eternal student no longer exists. When your learning credit is up, you may be refused further enrolment. So please take your studies seriously.

D’office – Brussels dialect for ‘for sure’. It’s used appropriately, and particularly inappropriately, so learn to pronounce it properly: joined together and all at once, usually in combination with ‘ket’ at the end.

Erasmus – The European exchange programme that allows you to do part of your studies in a different country.

Fieu – Typical stop word in Brussels dialect. It basically means ‘old’, but you can throw it into a sentence after every random swear word.

Geuze – Or ‘lambic’. It’s a regional beer with spontaneous fermentation and a very specific taste. It comes from the Zennevallei.

Half-en-half– A typical drink in Brussels that was invented in Café Cirio on the Beurs. It’s a mixture of white wine and champagne. It’s also known as champagne for poor people.

Iris – The iris flower is the emblem of the Brussels–Capital Region. Why? Brussels is built on swamps. The iris is a bulbous plant with large, pretty flowers that thrives in swampy areas.

Jeugdhuis – There are a number of jeugdhuizen spread about Brussels. They’re associated with wild parties, workshops and quizzes.

Ket– A word used to refer to someone from Brussels—a Brusselaar.

LGBTQIA+ – An abbreviation that stands for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, intersex and asexual. Every year, the Belgian Pride parade takes place in Brussels. All year long, you’ll also find rainbow zebra-crossings at various places throughout the city.

MyKot – The Brussels student house-hunter. On mykot.be, you’ll find more than 4,500 student rooms, studios and flats in Brussels.

Nachtwinkel – Obligatory stop during a night out. In Brussels, you’ll find night shops or nachtwinkels on pretty much every corner.

Open huis– That’s Brik! Always welcome for a chat, whether you have a question or you’re looking for a room to hire.

Pilar – The artistic laboratory at the VUB campus in Elsene. Young artists from all disciplines work on their creations and are given a stage to present them.

Quel klet ce pey – A juicy expression that says someone is irresistible.

RITCS Café – Student café with stand-up comedy, lectures, concerts, a cinema and great parties.

Saint-Vé – The annual celebration of ULB and VUB students. Saint-Vé refers to the founder of the ULB, Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen. The festival is on the list of intangible cultural heritage in Brussels.

Thé vert à la menthe– The best fresh mint tea is found in Brussels. Or make it yourself with a bushel of mint that you buy at any of the very many markets.

Union Saint-Gilloise – A football club with a rich Brussels history. Its home stadium is the heritage-listed Joseph Marien Stadium in Vorst.

Villo! – Villo! is the bike-share organisation in Brussels. It has about 360 stations spread across the entire city. For a membership, you usually pay 42 euro a year. However, thanks to Brik, students pay half as much for their first year.

Warandepark – The oldest park in the city of Brussels, close to the Royal Palace. You’ll find Kiosk Radio here: a radio station with a bar where you can dance under the trees.

XL Air – Radio for and by students. Direct from the studio under the RITCS Café.

Yes – The answer when tourists ask you if you know the way. Give them a map, point to a few random points, pat them on the shoulder and walk away confidently.

Zinneke – A mongrel dog. The name refers to the history of Brussels as well as the many zinnekes that live in the city. You’ll find a statue of a zinneke in the Kartuizersstraat.

54 – Code word for the meeting place on the Sint-Katelijneplein. Shorten the name and say it in a French accent and you have ‘Saint-Kat’. This sounds just like cinq-quatre—5-4— or 54.