On Wednesday I leave for a 10-day trip to Cairo.

Right now I'm more than a little nervous; I'm hoping to be inspired and not intimidated by what I find. I've been somewhat cloistered here in Pittsburgh, keeping mostly to myself and trying to learn as much as I can about foreign policy and nation-building, especially as relates to the Middle East. My post-college job experience working for an environmental non-profit has been disappointing, so I'm looking for a completely different experience: an opportunity to learn something new every day just by walking outside my door, to be utterly challenged by my very surroundings. So I'm heading to Egypt both because I've always wanted to visit and because I'm strongly considering taking leave of these United States in order to begin studying Arabic at the American University of Cairo in January. This is more than a standard tourist trip: it's a test.

Assuming I can find an Internet Cafe, I'll try to post my impressions here in my Egypt Diary, and some photos in the associated gallery.

I can't promise anything profound, but I do promise I'll write something.