Here goes!

Having been in Egypt for the better part of a month already there is much news to catch up on, and many stories to share. I hope to make a number of posts from my journal in the coming days, and will hopefully become a regular ‘blogger’ during the remainder of my six months. If you haven’t already done so, and you’re interested in PPIC-Work, Egypt, my travels, MEDA or anything in between, please check out the blog of my new MEDA friends, Bob and Joyce (see pic below), at http://www.medaegypt.blogspot.com/. We shared a number of experiences and met many interesting people during the two weeks we were together, and they have many, many interesting stories of their own to share. There are also a number of PPIC-Work staff profiles on their blog, so you can see who I am working with here in Aswan (Aswan is the city where I will be based, and is an overnight train ride south of Cairo). Bob and Joyce have made their way back to Cairo now, and I am almost settled into my new life and new apartment here in Aswan (Apartment hunting - a whole other story!)

In advance, please forgive me when I don’t post regularly or if I post too often. If I subject you to many minute details without sharing the background of the experience I do hope you’ll forgive me. Also, you will probably notice the text will be formal at times, and informal at other times depending on the type of day I am having and the time available. My personal thoughts or interpretations of a myriad of issues are frequently being challenged and sometimes changing, so please bear with me as I continue this journey in the coming months. I will do my best to make this interesting, and honest, and hope to hear your thoughts, experiences and interpretations of what is happening here and in your part of the world.

Without further adieu, in the words of a friend, “Let’s bloggity blog!”