It's all happening so fast! I've been doing this for 20 years and you'd think that I would have this process down to an art. In some ways I do. I don't really need to pack much and I pretty much just pick up and go to the airport with a small carry on...
Nevertheless, leaving my family (Jacqueline and Nicolò) behind for two months has always been hard and it's getting harder rather than easier as time goes by. I get to see my parents (Cino and Wilma), my sister Barbara and her husband Alberto and my cute nephews Samuele and Barnaba, but on the whole the process has always been somewhat bittersweet all these years. I wish my loved ones could all travel with me when I go overseas, but school and other obligations conspire to keep us separate, which is one of the real impediments to widespread faculty participation in the global program. It's great to be able to go back to my hometown every year, but it also has its drawbacks. Anyway, off I go...Next post will be from Venice!
