One month to go and counting

Spring has sprung and preparations for my departure are well under way. I have received my plane tickets and visa from the Italian Consulate in Chicago. (For those interested in fleeing this country, it's not that easy moving to another. In the case of Italy and most other members of the European Union, there are a dozen ways or more to obtain a long-stay visa but most entail either marriage, a large bank account or working for the CIA—see the 1948 elections— So start saving for that Tuscan villa now.)

There is so much to do from selling my car to thinning out old clothes and piles of Christmas ornaments in the basement. I figure that now is as good a time as any to do some spring cleaning and simplify my life. I'll put a third of my things in storage, sell a third and give a third to charity. I'll pack what's left in a couple of hockey bags to take with me. Shipping two 18" x 18" boxes costs about $200, so I won't be sending more than one salvo of packages towards "Old Europe."

Contrary to what a certain someone thinks, my two cats, Sasha and Mimi, will be enjoying a nice 24-hour voyage to Bologna courtesy of American Airlines. They might find their new digs in Italy to be a bit cramped, but I'm sure they would prefer this to being left behind. So they had better start learning Italian cat and not bite the hand that feeds them.

Every night when I go home I pore over my Italian books, cramming as much vocabulary as I can. Moreover, since I'm not yet in Italy, I promptly forget it the next day. I'm steeling myself for the inevitable realization that I will have to swallow my pride and scale back my linguistic ambitions for a while. My Italian is passable but leaves a bit to be desired when one considers what it takes to actually work and live there and be able to hold intelligent conversations on a wide range of subjects. Stefania and I have always spoken our own dialect; a mixture of English, Italian and Bolognese dialect. Therefore, whenever I'm in Italy I'm always searching for the words that I would just say in English back home.

I'm feeling sad to leave my home and friends but looking forward to seeing my other set of friends and family in Italy. Right now, I'm stocking up on my favorite junk food and ice cold beverages. Ice in drinks is a delicacy yet to be discovered on the Continent. I'm sure I'll be writing home for care packages of chips and salsa and Crustix pancake mix. So stay tuned with your Price Chopper cards at the ready.

Ciao until next time.