The Final Countdown

I changed the name of my blog to show a little more cultural sensitivity. I think. I might have gotten the Arabic translation wrong, I'm not sure.

This is it. The time is upon us. Tomorrow is the day we've all been waiting for. We're leaving ground. Will things ever be the same?

It's the final countdooooooown! The final countdoooooooown! Ooohh ho ohh.

Tomorrow morning at approximately 10:45, I'm taking off for Israel...err--Palestine...or, Holy...Land for almost 4 months.

Madness, you say?

Yeah, it's pretty crazy, says I. I'll let you know how the 16 hour flight goes.

Oh, and I found out today that I will have no access to Facebook for the next 3.5 months, so this blog and e-mail will be my primary means of communication from now on. Or phone. Or mail. Really, there are many avenues of communication, so we should get be able to talk just fine. My phone, e-mail, and mail information is in the sidebar.-->

So long, everyone! I'll see you on the other side.

IT'S OVER

Guh. I finally finished finals last night. Man, what an absolute freaking nightmare.

There have been weeks when I've suffered from sleep deprivation before, but this was something else. Never before have I been hit with the sudden sensation of "if I don't get more sleep right now, I am going to die. I'm going to get an infection. And die."

But it's over! It's really over!

...

I think I'm gonna take a nap.

makkah

Arabic. English translation: Mecca. Definition (as defined by dictionary.com): (1) A city and capital of Hejaz, in W. Saudi Arabia: Birthplace of Muhammad; spiritual center of Islam. (2) (often lowercase) any place that many people visit or hope to visit.

Why is my blog called makkah, you ask? Because it sounds more like "Mac" than mecca does. I suppose I could have called it "macca."

Macca--Macanese. English translation: Mecca. Definition (as defined by mactionary.com): The physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental state of E.A.M. (Mac), which many people visit or hope to visit.

Welcome to my official blog. In just 8 days I'm leaving on a semester abroad to Jerusalem, and I've created this blog expressly for the purpose of ensuring people that I am not dead. Though I guess I could also use it to report the things I see and do and experience in the Holy Land. Yeah. Yeah, I guess I could do that, too.

I'm just kidding. I'm not worried about dying, and you shouldn't worry about it either. Yes, I'm talking to you. You know who you are.

Anyway, feel free to follow along as I traipse my way through Israel. If you have any suggestions/requests/monetary contributions/whatever, please post a comment.

It's about to get real in the field. Peace to the Middle East!