I grabbed my bag and began rushing out of my apartment when I heard a screech. I turned the corner to see what my flatmates were facing. There she was; a beautiful creature sat upon the stairs watching over us. She looked uncertain, yet curious as to who we are. Our land lord had told us about the cat that roams around our courtyard, but this was the first time we had officially met. Reached out to her, and she bolted.
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| Courtyard kitty on the stairs |
The next time we met, I was more prepared. I brought out some cat treats and we sat together. She let me pet her for a few moments, and then scurried off.
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| Becoming more acquainted |
With a morning free of classes, I opened the door to see if my new friend could be found. I tip-toed to the door and peaked my head to see her sitting in the middle of the courtyard. I pulled out a treat and she slowly walked over to me.
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| Gazing out from the garden |
A week later, I was coming home alone from class with the weight of the day on my shoulders. I shut the main door and walked past the stairs while the feelings of missing home began to set. As I went to grab my keys, I saw her eyes looking at me. I smiled and stuck my hand out to her as she ran over to me. Suddenly, the weight on my chest lessened and as we sat for an hour she reminded me where I was doing my daily life, in France.
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| Relieving stress and bonding |
Antibes and many other cities in Europe are full of cats that roam around. One of the ladies in my program staff told me that the cats are homeless, but everyone takes care them. It is normal to walk up to any given corner and be able to pet a cat.
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| "Pay attention to the cat" A sign in Italy |
Studying away from home is a challenge and I found myself missing my cats a lot. However, in my few weeks studying abroad, I have found so much comfort in being able to pet the city's cats and even have a close relationship with the courtyard kitty.
Gaby G. is the Spring 2017 MOJO Blogger in the FrenchRiviera, France. She is currently a Sophomore studying Communications at Vanguard University
