After a long reprieve...

Faithful followers of my blog,

I am relieved and saddened to say that my semester in the Middle East is over. The last 2 papers - on how to diagnose and solve the Arab-Israeli conflict (ha!) - were handed in Friday, leading towards these awkward 5 days of sitting around. It really is strange to enter a time in which I am obligated to do absolutely nothing, after the almost hellish 2 weeks of endless paper writing. Alas, I have found ways to occupy my time. Yesterday, I went and visited my host family one last time, to say our goodbyes. I also have found the time to read, watch the Office, walk around town... all those things I love to do but just never found the time to do so in the midst of academic crunch.

It hardly seems real that my time in Egypt has come to a close. I realize there is so much to look back and reflect upon, from time spent hand-in-hand with my Egyptian friend to visits of the Western Wall and Temple Mount. Never could I have expected to see so much in one block of time. What I learned about Islam, politics in the region, and Arabic was great, but the even greater measure of my time here is what I learned about myself. And that is yet to be determined. Last weekend, on a quick 2-day retreat, we discussed the challenges of re-entry to America. One of the problems lies in determining what to do with the loads upon loads of information that has been thrown upon us. What role do I play, in the United States, in effecting change in United States' policy towards Israel, which I now perceive to be a blatantly unfair amount in billions directed towards maintaining a military which arguably contributes most to the Middle East feud? How do I trigger the awareness of others about the true plight of Palestinians, an image that is not only of suicide bombings and rocket attacks? Further, I find myself thinking about the personal changes that must take effect in order for me to maintain a consistent position on these issues. I have yet to find the proper answers.

OK... awkward transition to 3 days ahead, when I will be in glorious Germany with my lovely fiance! It would be an understatement to say I'm excited about these 8 days that I get to spend reuniting and sharing with Court. We both happened to have flight connections in Frankfurt, per our programs' flight iteneraries, so we thought there would be no better way to conclude our semester than to meet each other and hang in Germany. So we will be departing on the 15th for Heidelberg, followed by Munich, Nuremberg, and Berlin (+ one other city that I now forget). Everything's kinda tentative, so if anyone has any suggestions or must-sees, let me know!

Salaam,

Tony