How lovely it is...

The trees in the Quad are in bloom. They are so pretty for that one or two weeks in the year. There are so many photographers out. So with the campus being so pretty, I invited my parents down to see the campus (My father has been bugging me to give them my version of a tour of campus since I've been here 3 years now). My Dad happily accepted. So I cleaned my room the day before they got there and my roommates remarked that they had never seen it that clean. But when my parents got there they were not impressed. I got the "it looks half-way decent in here" and lectured about not doing my dishes because my mother recognized a dish of mine in the sink. Then we went to lunch and I told them about my plans. They already knew about the Ireland trip and still wonder why I am doing it. But I have new more extensive plans for the rest of my school year. I am applying to the Paris in the Fall program and want to do a Brussels program for Spring semester. I laid the news on them before we were even seated in the restaurant. I thought my Dad would be happy and excited and my Mom weary of it. Instead I got a "hmm..." and my mom didn't talk until we sat down at the table and asked if this was why I had invited them down. And I'll tell you that that wasn't the reason it was the pretty campus and Dad asking me before. It wasn't till after I asked them that I thought about it. So the second question was how was I going to pay for this. I told them that I would get loans. And I would stay there from June to December and fly back and then fly out in January. I knew my Mom would be hesitant and she was and is and stayed quiet about. As you will notice with my family, we don't argue or yell, we are just quiet and calmly disapproving and then we change the subject. Speaking of which, after eating, we went on the tour and took pictures, which I will post when my dad emails them to me. The highlight was after the tour they took me grocery shopping. So that was my last Sunday. And my parents are still mulling my plans over with the brochures I gave them.