the most wonderful furry creature I know.

I had a long conversation with a fellow study abroad student today at lunch. We discussed various topics and somewhere in there, there was talk of my cat. For so many reasons, I love Fuzzy. How badly I miss him!

expectations

I think it is nearing that point in the trip where I miss little things about home. I still love it here but traveling in a group has its pros and cons; lately the cons are more prevalent. However, these classes are intense so the plan is to immerse myself in my work and make the most of it. It is called a study abroad program, after all, not “socialize abroad.” I take comfort in little things such as the nectarines I bought today at the mercado or hearing a certain song or being able to peacefully fall asleep. From what I’ve heard of my early years, I was a “self-soother,” it seems that that habit remains. Also, I wrote my cat a postcard today and I intend to send it out with the ones going to the rest of the family.

madrid

I feel like this cat’s expression accurately portrays my feelings about Madrid. It wasn’t bad, we went to two museums, the Prado and the Reina Sofia, both interesting in different ways but I wasn’t crazy about the city. It almost seemed similar to a large American city, just from my first impressions anyway. The leader of this study abroad trip is very knowledgeable about Picasso’s painting Guernica so we visited that first at the Reina Sofia after a guided tour of the Prado from a very colorful tour guide. I think the reason that the program director feels so strongly about the painting is because it displays the raw emotions of the tragic event with more clarity than even a photograph can provide… this is not the art that is meant to be beautiful, it is the art that is made to be meaningful.