Home Sweet Home

While I still have just over a month left in Europe, I do admit that I am looking forward to getting back home.    Living in Rome has been an incredible experience and I am very grateful for the time I have had over here, but it is getting to that time that I am really missing some of the things of America.  I even know that I still have a lot more to see, both in Rome and during my two weeks here after the semester (I'll be headed to France and Ireland).  But I have been thinking about these things a lot, so I thought that I would come up with a list of the things from home that I miss the most over here.

5- White Sox Baseball While I do know that they have been playing rather poorly as of late, I cannot wait to get down to the Cell for a couple of games this summer.  Nothing says America like a couple hot dogs and watching baseball at the park.  Here in Rome, it is very hard to find places that show the games and with the time difference, you have to find afternoon games if you even want a shot of the pubs having it.  (That is, of course, assuming that they will show baseball over the beloved soccer match).  But I definitely miss White Sox baseball over here, not even considering how bad they are this season.  And even if the team is playing as bad as the Cubs, this only means that ticket prices will be lower on StubHub.

4 - Chicago Food I love Italian food.  Pizza and pasta.  I could eat it all day.  But the thing is that nothing compares to some good Chicago food.  Getting some Portillo's Hot Dogs, a nice and juicy cheeseburger, Lou Malnati's Deep Dish, or even a big American Breakfast are some of the things that I dream about over here.  I cannot wait to get back to America to get some of the tasty goodness that is Chicago food.  Am I denying the awesomeness of Italian food here?  Absolutely not.  It's spectacular.  But I just cannot wait to get back to America for some good American food.

3 - St. John Vianney Seminary/Diocese of Joliet - Being away from SJV for a whole semester has been rather challenging.  While I do live with 11 other SJV guys over here, it is sad knowing that I may not see some of the guys from back at the seminary ever again.  They are my brothers and it is strange knowing that they could be moving on to different things after this semester.  And I definitely miss being in the Diocese of Joliet.  I love the parishes, the priests, and the people, and I wish that I could be back with all of them.  Also, as I am sure I will mention in a couple weeks, I will thoroughly miss not being at the Joliet Ordinations this year.  It is my favorite Mass of the whole year, and I wish I could be there to see 5 awesome guys be ordained priests.  And most notably, I miss my Joliet brothers at SJV.  They are some of my best friends and it has been tough not being around them for this long.

2 - The languages of English and Spanish While I have picked up some very basic Italian, I am looking forward to the day that I can converse with strangers with ease and not have to think intensely just to order some food at a restaurant.  So while I speak English everyday and all my classes are in English, it will be nice to just walk around and here English spoken.  And in regards to Spanish, as you may or may not know, I am almost fluent in Spanish.  At least, I was, before coming to Italy.  My Spanish has nosedived and it really saddens me that I am not as good as I was when I left.  Now, when I try to think in Spanish, random Italian phrases come to mind and it is just killing me.  And any time I do hear Spanish here, it is Spanish Spanish, not Mexican Spanish.  And while it may be more beautiful, Mexican Spanish is what is in my heart.  And my skill with the language is a pure gift from God, especially considering the number of Hispanics that need priests in Joliet, so I will thoroughly enjoy getting to Spanish Mass back in Joliet this summer.

1 - Family and Friends - Of course, this has to be number 1.  And am I doing this just because I know that the people reading this probably fall into this category?  Absolutely not.  Not having a Facebook, I have no idea what they have been up to and it has been challenging.  So I am really looking forward to just spending some solid time with all of them when I get back.  While I love all the people here at Bernardi with me, I cannot wait to hang out with a lot of my friends and my family and catch up when we get back.

So this is my list of things I miss.  And I definitely miss these things.  But at the same time, I know that it is the Lord's will for me to be here for this long, so I know that He still has more in store for me.  This means that while it may be fun to sit around and day dream about home, I need to be present and open to the people around me and the movements of the Lord.  So please continue to pray for me and all of my hosuemates as we finish off our semester well.

Sts. Peter and Paul - Pray for us!