Next fall, I will be spending the semester abroad in Florence, Italy, the home of the Renaissance and some the most breathtaking pasta in the world. Oh yeah, and the women aren’t half bad, either. I am so anxious to immerse myself into a completely different culture. I also can’t wait to stuff my face with trays of cannolis and loads of gelato. But at the same time, I can’t imagine being absent from the good old USA for almost six months. There are so many things I’m going to miss about the States.

First off, I am going to miss the English language. It’s going to be a Herculean effort just to ask someone for the nearest public bathroom. I mean, I’m not going to be able to turn on the TV without seeing a bunch of individuals running around with handlebar mustaches. I can’t even turn on the radio without hearing some “New York, New York”– loving Sinatra impression. Speaking of which, I am going to cry when I can’t see the Sox play the Yanks in the American League Championship. I am going to sob when I miss the Sox beat the Yanks en route to their first World Series ring in what seems like a million, bajillion years. I am going to miss Monday Night Football, Saturday Matinees, and Simpson Sundays. And I guess I’ll have to fill up on buffalo wings, burgers, fries and milkshakes before I depart.

Even more importantly, I’ll miss so many things about our own distinguished university, here in Villanova, Pa. I’ll be wishing I were here for Labor Day at the shore. I’m scared about an October without Halloween and those insane costume parties. I’m going to miss walking through campus late at night during the first snowfall. When you are returning from someone’s room or even the library, and the flakes start to flutter and fall, it is truly unforgettable. I’d be hard-pressed to find a scene as serene as that in Europe.

I’m going to be dying without my daily dose of soft pretzels from the Connelly Center. What about that little shack, somewhere in the ghetto, where God shines his Italian to find out her name. Arrivederci.