June 13, 2011
Tivoli Street
San Diego, CA
USA
To Whom It May Concern:
I never thought I’d have a blog. Of course, I never thought that at the age of twenty-one I would be packing my bags and moving to a country that is, according to the CIA, “slightly smaller than Indiana.” I never thought that my fascination with the Middle East, and my ceaseless pursuit of scholarship on the subject, would result in my leaving the safe bubble of my Western, white, upper-middle class, private Christian college and venturing into a totally different type of education. Life is full of surprises, I suppose.
So here it is. My chronicle of travel, inspired by one of the greatest female travelers in the history of Western travel to the Middle East. Like her Embassy Letters I present, for your pleasure and my sanity, a 21st century version of the classic travelogue. Writing letters to named and unmanned individuals both mirrors the style of Lady Mary, and allows me to communicate better (that is my hope, at any rate). I’ll try to keep it fun and include plenty of pictures for those who prefer images with their words, but if you find what I say boring I promise I wont be hurt if you find your info-tainment elsewhere.
This first letter is penned months before my departure. It may seem a little premature, but don’t let that fool you though- I am on my way to being gone. I have the tickets in my hand (metaphorically speaking, of course) and will be departing on 28 August 2011 from San Francisco International airport to arrive in Amman, Jordan, the next day.
The heavy-duty preparation isn’t going to start for a while. I’m going back to my parent’s house in Lincoln for a few days before I leave. Right now I’m just trying to figure everything out. Do I need to get a student visa? Where is the Jordanian consulate? Are my Arabic textbooks available on Amazon? Will SIT Study Abroad even determine me to be “mentally fit” for participation in their program? I’m sure there are answers to these, and all my other questions, and I turn to my trusty friend “Internet” to help me solve them.
All the best,
B
