A River in Egypt

So. I'm actually, really doing this. My flight is technically today. I've looked at my booking information. I've made plans to meet up with friends at the airport in Frankfurt. I'm packed to the gills, and probably still forgetting something crucial and not available in the Middle East. And I still don't really believe that I'm going. Denial is a beautiful thing.

I'm not really nervous about going to Egypt in the way most people would assume. A typical conversation with your average friendly neighbor/family friend/bank teller goes something like this:

Them: oh study abroad that's wonderful enjoy europe
Me: I'm going to Egypt.
Them: sweet baby jesus why are you doing that you're going to get killed at least i hope you speak the language
Me: Define "speak."
Them: (eyes widen) Aren't you worried?
Me: Well, at least it's not Iraq.
Them: (disconcerted)

The act of going to Egypt or being in a foreign, third-world country doesn't really bother me in and of itself. I'm not scared or worried about my health or safety; travelers make it there and back safely all the time. I guess I'm more concerned about the culture shock than anything else.

My cell phone gets shut off tomorrow. That makes me nervous. What will I do with my hands now, if not to send witty and equally useless texts to my friends? Will AUC's definition of high speed internet be congruent with mine? I have to check my mail every 3 minutes; Georgetown's Office of the Provost might have sent out another innane email since I last refreshed Thunderbird. How well will I adjust to a society described in my International Student Handbook as lazy, slow and "inefficient"? And, most importantly, what the heck am I going to eat? I'm going to have to wean myself off my diet of Luna Bars and Kashi.

Maybe Egypt will seem real when I get on the plane in Portland tomorrow. But I've got a sneaky feeling that it's not going to hit me until I get off the plane in Cairo at 6:30 in the evening (Sunday!) and take my first look at my home for the next five months.

And realize I can't understand a damn thing they're saying.

Here's to it, and through it, to do it again.