'D' Minus One

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Good Morning.

Tomorrow will begin what, for me, will be something of an adventure. I will be departing my university in the United States for Cairo, Egypt, where I will spend the summer.

To begin with, a little about myself. I am a graduate student studying Middle East history. Specifically, the focus of my program is the modern ME - say, from 1914 until the present - although my personal interests include history slightly more ancient, such as the Greek and Roman influence in the region. I will make this disclaimer up front, Ancient Egyptology is not a strong suit of mine, nor is it of significant interest to me. Don't get me wrong, there are definately some fascinating aspects of ancient Egypt, but pyramids, pharaohs, and the pantheon of gods just don't quite do it for me. Perhaps this experience will change my mind. Bottom line, though, if I don't go straight for the Sphinx, or I don't spend enough time writing about Ra the sun god, please don't hold it against me.

The purpose of this blog is multi-fasceted. First and foremost, it is a means of me keeping in contact with friends and family back home, so that I don't have to retell the same story over and over again. Second, and equally as important, it will serve me as a travel journal, to jog my own memory and organize my thoughts as I go. Later, I can collect all my postings and have them for reference. Finally, it is for others who are interested to read. Some posts might read as a travel blog, others as a history lesson. Whatever the case, perhaps there is some other budding, young historian out there who can glean something from my experiences. You are welcome to do so.

So, as we cross the '24 hours until departure' point, there is much yet to do, and not a moment to lose.

-MG

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