Upon hearing that you would be studying abroad in Italy this summer, I thought only two things.
1. Oh man, I’m so jealous. She’s going to have such a great time.
And
2. What on earth am I going to do without her?
It’s true, I’m insanely jealous you’ll be spending most of your summer in Italy. However, it’s more than just jealousy, it’s excitement — for you. For as long as I’ve known you, Italy has been a dream of yours. Now, you’re only a few days away from spending two months living your dream.
Just a few weeks ago, I overheard a conversation between you, your mom and her friends. They were discussing how there is going to be “so many Italian men” and “all the alcohol and bars” you could ever want, but of course, leave it to you to separate yourself from the pack. All you cared about was that there was going to be rows and rows of restaurants serving authentic Italian food.
You are truly your mother’s daughter.
There are going to be tons of new people for you to meet, meals to try, sights to see, and pictures to take.
You are going to love Italy. I just hope you don’t forget about the rest of us back home waiting for you to return — I know we’ll be stuck here wishing we were there. Believe me, if I thought I could actually fit myself into your suitcase, I would be right there with you.
Here are some things to remember:
Stay safe
Seriously, this is priority No. 1. I may be strong, but I’m definitely not equipped to pull a Liam Neeson and come save you from any kidnappers. Watch out for pickpockets and don’t go anywhere sketchy or abandoned with strange people. Keep an eye out for your drinks and make friends so you never have to go anywhere alone.
We love you and desperately would like it if you returned home to us.
Eat food
Do not — and I repeat — do not pass up the opportunity to try anything (provided it’s not given to you by any of the aforementioned sketchy people). You’re in Italy, eat as much as you can and never feel bad about it. I only wish it were possible for you to electronically send me back some samples, but technology hasn’t quite figured that out yet.
Make friends
I’m sure you’re going to love the other students in your class — don’t be afraid to be yourself and show them what a great person you are. If they’re smart people, they’ll love you just as much as we do back home.
Explore
Go see as much as you can. You’re only taking one class, and you’re spending an entire two months in Italy. That leaves plenty of time for exploration — Italy has no limits. Take lots of pictures for us back home, but don’t be afraid to really live in the moment. Not everything can be captured with a photograph — take in the beauty of it all.
Who knows when you’ll get this chance again? See everything.
But of course, last but not least, remember we love you.
