Mindset Disclaimer

So before we go on any further, I just want to introduce myself and the way I'm viewing this trip.

Apparently my distaste for these museums comes across as whining, and for that I am sorry. That is not the impression I meant to convey, even though I do understand why some of you may have reached that conclusion. I'm not whining about the trip or anything of the sort; I had no disillusions going into the trip, I knew I would not be too fond of the first half of things (traveling around Europe). I've never been a travel sort of guy, I've always enjoyed spending my days relaxing at home, wherever that 'home' may be. For example, my family went on a cruise a couple years ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed it because the ship was home and I was free to just relax or go and do things when I wanted to.
That is not the case with the travel portion of this trip. We have virtually every hour of every day planned out for us in advance, which strikes me as rather stressful and really seems to take a lot of the fun out of it. Furthermore, we don't really have a 'home' or days where I can relax, and so it all feels rather tiring after a while. On top of that, I have never been a big fan of art or architecture, and so while I do understand why so many people enjoy it, I do not, and I was aware of that distaste at the onset of this trip.

I am grateful that my parents have given me the opportunity to take this trip though. It has been a wonderful learning experience, even if I have not enjoyed everything I am learning about, and I am confident that it will continue to teach me many new things. I am grateful for the world experience this trip will give me and the credit I will earn towards my degree(s) because of it. So no, I am not miserable, and to those of you that worried as much I would like to apologize and tell you otherwise. This part of the program is just very...uncomfortable for me. That's not the right word, but I think you may understand.

These places are places that I should see, but I am looking forward to being able to see home again. So, once again, I am sorry if my dissatisfaction with our museum visits has come across to all of you as whining and ungratefulness. I am very grateful for this trip and I hope my parents know this. I also hope they (and all my friends) know I miss them very much.

So, to my parents and everyone else who made this trip possible for me, thank you very much.