The Countdown! (Four more days!)

In four days I'll be leaving on a flight to England. :) I've never travelled by plane; I've never left the country! I'm excited. There's a lot of effort that goes into studying abroad--much more than I had thought. But it will all be worth it. Right now I'm sitting at Peet's Coffee UCI, researching traveling tips and things to do in Europe. I definitely plan to visit museums while I'm there. I hope to visit a few nearby countries, too. But I'm mostly excited just to enjoy the English countryside--taking walks, looking at the different architecture, enjoying the landscape... Perhaps my trip will be just that. Perhaps it won't. Either way, I hope for a time of restoration and rejuvenation.

So, many people have asked me why I chose England (especially since I'm a Spanish major). Well, it was actually my last choice! Not saying I didn't want to go there, but I had other countries in mind. I wanted to study abroad this summer and since I couldn't find a Spanish program that suit me, I decided to look at other countries that offered courses that would count toward graduation. At Cambridge, I'll be taking three arts and humanities courses--one philosophy class and two art classes. The philosophy class, called "Truth," will be about whether truth is relative or not. It will address the relation between truth and beliefs. One of the art classes, called "The Marriage of Spirit and Matter through the Study of Drawing and Painting," is an art studio class about combining thought/intellect with feelings/passion. The second art class, called "Privilege, pleasure and the picturesque: Painting in England from Van Dyck to Turner," is an art history class about the influences of old English art. For this course, we will be going to Fitzwilliam Museum as well as the Tate Britain art gallery in London to see different artworks. That should be fun. :) As many of you know, I love art!

If any of you have recommendations on things for me to do while I'm away, please let me know! God bless.