That’s my nephew Jagger.  This 20-year-old from Western Canada is seeing Europe for the first time.  He’s spent the last ten days with me in Gent and Barcelona.  And now he’s sitting in Brussels Airport, waiting for his flight to Rome.

Good for him!

There are lots of people who’ve influenced him … including mom, dad, his two brothers and me.  That’s good.  We all need to learn from others.  But this guy has soared beyond.

I had a few questions for Jagger:

Do you want to visit some churches?  >  Yes

Shall we do a lot of walking?  >  Yes

Do you want to meet local people?  >  Yes

Do you want to go to a playreading?  >  Yes

There you have it – the ultimate “yes” man.  Last night Jagger sat in a circle of us playreaders.  He took a part in “The Seagull”, written by Anton Chekhov, and gave ‘er.  My friends loved him being there and participating.

And in the spirit of not being joined at the hip to a 75-year-old, one afternoon Jagger played soccer with Baziel and his friends, with a lot of guy talk at McDonald’s after.

The coolest for me is his six-day journey in Italy.  He’s figuring out the transportation and accommodations for Roma, Pompeii, Napoli and the Amalfi Coast.  I know he’ll be spontaneous, curious to see what’s around the next corner.  And not knowing Italian will not faze him.

Jagger comes back to Gent on May 25.  That night we’re going to watch KAA Gent play football (soccer) in Ghelamco Arena.  We’ll have fun … and he’ll have Italian stories to tell.

I’m proud of Jagger

He’ll have a great life