How it all Began

There is an old saying, and it goes, "All good things must come to an end." Unfortunately, this realization was evoked in me on June 4th at around 2:30 p.m. EST as I disembarked Egypt Air Flight 985 coming in from Cairo to New York. Reality finally set in: my month long trip around the world had come to a close. I remember between the months of November and April, the lingering anticipation I felt leaving the continental United States for the first time since I moved back from England in 2000. From my perspective, I did not count vacations to the Dominican Republic and Canada as really leaving the country even though I needed a passport to enter into both nations. After making the final payments and signing the copious amounts of paperwork, I was scheduled to leave May 8th with the first stop being Copenhagen, Denmark, followed by Brussels, Belgium, and finally Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with my European adventure coming to a close on May 22nd.

What sparked my motivation to go to Europe? Well, it was the opportunity to participate in a study tour offered by the International Business department, conveniently fulfilling one of the cores for the Sellinger Business School. More importantly, I was unable to study abroad because I changed my major three times, going from English, to Accounting, with a final settlement on Business Economics. Anyway, the purpose of this study tour was to focus on international business (obviously) with a primary emphasis on potential foreign investment opportunities in European nations. In short, what country would be best to locate an American company in and why? Although the intended purpose of the trip was school oriented, my experience in Western Europe allowed me to see these countries through the eyes of a 21 year old college student, opposed to a naive pre-teen who was moved to England with her family in 1998 because of a job opportunity my Dad took advantage off. To be honest, I did not know what I was in for or what to expect, but that is another post for another time.

Now, many may wonder, how did I end up in the Middle East from Western Europe? To begin, I have to start off by saying owning a Blackberry is a blessing and a curse. The blessing being I am the first to know everything, and a curse because it keeps me from paying attention in class. While in Cost Accounting on a Monday afternoon, I received an email addressed to students, faculty, and staff from the International Programs office stating that they were offering a study tour in Egypt and Jordan. Excited, and in slight disbelief, I turned to my friend Liz with an astounding interest to participate. One problem; however, was my existing commitment to the International Business study tour. Well, crisis averted, I scrolled down to the end of the email to learn that the tour was leaving four days after my arrival into the U.S. from Europe. Then and there my decision was made- I was going to the Middle East from May 26th to June 4th, with stops to Cairo, Alexandria, and Amman. Suddenly, Cost Accounting meant nothing to me.

So, that was how my journey around the world began. Fortunately, the story doesn't end there. There are more posts to come regarding my experiences during my trip!