It's pretty late right now, almost midnight. It's the eve of my flight to Washington D.C and I have everything packed, weighed, printed out, and set to go. As soon as I arrive at the airport at around 11am, all I have to do is wait, enjoy a few hours of flying, and I will be in my hotel for the night. My plan is to take video and move to a digital media type blog as well as text. Hopefully I'll be able to upload as soon as I finish recording if not once I reach my hotel at Dulles. Then after my night in Dulles, I return to the airport to meet up with my group and set off on British Airways to Heathrow then to Seeb! 

As the days fly by in a slow but steady stream of time, I begin to remember how I got here. What placed me here in this maybe once in a lifetime moment? I was always told at a young age to always believe in your dreams and set goals for the future. I'll admit, I was a bit optimistic and overreaching as a child. I had the dream and passion to travel ever since I picked up my first Egyptology book back in 3rd grade, about 10 years ago. I would skip recess just to study and scribble down ancient hieroglyphics on a piece of lined paper. My focus has changed just slightly, but my dream has not. I had a thing for languages, even if back in 6th grade I could only say one phrase in several languages. I told everyone that one day I'd fly off and travel the world, hopefully visiting the Middle East. There was even a short period in my life where I went through hard times and felt that my dreams would never come true, and that I'd be stuck where I was. But somehow, fate opened so many side doors for me, taking me from my hometown in Fife, Washington to Haslet, Texas, having a small but vibrant light shining out from Arkansas, and a single email that would changed everything. This trip isn't just a future resume filler, or credit hours towards graduation, or even a way to get away from home. This trip symbolizes my strength to hold onto an age old dream, to get through all the hard times and see that there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel. It's an exciting opportunity to see the world as it is, meet new people from different cultures, and learn something new. It's truly an opportunity I don't think anyone should take for granted. Also, I want to thank my family and everyone who have supported me. My Nana for helping me so much get to college and have the chance to be here, my Grandmother for teaching me so much about our family's culture and being extremely supportive, my siblings for standing by me, and of course my parents who have gone through everything to ensure I stay on the right path towards success.

To be honest, I never really believed those "you can do it" stories. I never felt I could see my dream come true, but time and dedication sure did show me. If I could go back in time, I'd tell my 3rd grade self to keep that dream going, because it will come true.

Dreams really do come true.

-Brendan

Scheduled locations being visited inside Oman:
Muscat
Manah (University and studies in Manah, about 2 hours West of Muscat)
Nizwa
North & South Sharqiyah
Batinah
Al Jabal Al Akhdar
Sohar
Sur
Bahla

(Majority of these cities are in the North East and not far from Manah)

Also, outside activities include Arabic calligraphy, cultural lectures, linguistics partners, and shopping at souqs

So everything is forming up and I have my flight itinerary.

May 13th
Depart from Fayetteville, AR XNA 1:02 PM
Arrive in Chicago ORD 2:41 PM
Depart from Chicago ORD 6:20 PM
Arrive in Washington D.C IAD 9:08 PM

Spend the night in D.C and return back to the airport the following morning to meet up with everyone.

May 14th
Depart from Washington D.C. IAD 6:35 PM

May 15th
Arrive in London, England Heathrow 6:40 AM
Depart from London, England Heathrow 9:30 AM
Arrive in Muscat, Oman Seeb 9:30 PM

After studying on Muscat for six-seven weeks, I repeat the process!

July 6th
Depart from Muscat Seeb 12:01 AM
Arrive in London, England Heathrow 6:50 AM (And prepare for an 8 hour layover of epic proportions!)
Depart from London, England Heathrow 2:30 PM
Arrive in Washington D.C IAD 6:00 PM


I'm excited for the trip, but the longest I've even been on a plane is six hours. Thankfully it'll give me time to read, listen to music, write, watch a movie, etc.