Can you believe that this is my last post? In just a few hours I will be leaving the place that I have called home for the last nine months of my life. It is quite sad to say good-bye to this phase of my life.
There are several things I need to mention in this post. First of all, I want to say thank you to all of you who have been so faithful in following my journey to the Middle East. Over the span of 9 months, as of today, there have been 4,774 visitors to my site from 22 countries and from 6 continents (thank you Google Analytics)! I am so grateful for all of your support and your interest in what I've been experiencing over here; it's been very encouraging and has kept me motivate to regularly update you with pictures and videos and my random thoughts. I hope that I have entertained you. And maybe you learned something. And maybe your perception of the Middle East has changed slightly--I know mine has.
Yesterday I ate with some friends at the Cairo Hard Rock Cafe. On one of the walls, in huge lettering I noticed the phrase "Love All. Serve All." as we were discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I thought it was an excellent phrase, and I hope that those who go into the restaurant think about it. At the same time, I remembered hearing an astronaut describe his view from the space shuttle of our planet. He noted that in outer space you cannot see borders among all the countries of the world. We are all here together. This one of the most important things I've learned while I've been here.
For those of you who are able, if your in college or still in high school, I have to say that studying abroad was absolutely, unequivocally, one of the best decisions I've made in my life. And definitely the best decision that I've made while in college. If you're beyond "study abroad age," I highly recommend taking a vacation to the Middle East. And if you do decide to come here, please feel free to ask me for more pictures or advice or Arabic survival phrases!
Now that I have tasted what it is like to travel and live in another country, don't be surprised if in the future there is another "Ben's ________ Adventure!" blog that you can read...I'm pretty sure travel is contagious. For now, it's time to get back to Purdue to finish my degree. And where do I go from there? Your guess is as good as mine.
Sincerely,
Ben
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