And the preparations start.

In exactly fifty days, give or take, (so why did you even bother with saying exactly?), I will fly to Amman, Jordan.  The Goal: spend two months learning Arabic.  All of July and August- and I am going to head up to Syria for a good chuck of time as well.  It is going to be HOT.  And I recently learned it isn't socially acceptable to wear shorts.  Yikes.

So, how much prep have you done? um, not much.  But I have a round-trip plane ticket (thanks Mr. Rockefeller!) and a couple of Lonely Planet guides. And Team Awesome is lending me her Jordanian phone- just need to buy some minutes and it is good to go! 

So yes indeed, this is the inaugural post for Whiskey Tango Farley.  ("Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" was already taken. Dang.)  Whiskey Tango Farley will describe Alden Pyle's trip through Jordan and Syria. Who is Alden?  A graduate student in International Relations at The Best school for advanced international studies east of the Mississippi.  

Alden is a tall gringo, and will stick out because he cannot tan at all.  (He burns.)  This site will describe for the benefit of all the internets the hilarity of Alden's voyage to the Middle East, probably with some political commentary (and bad grammar- too many commas and always with the passive voice) which will haunt him when he runs for president.    

It is still being debating if this blog will speak in the first or third person.  In Alden Pyle's youth the funniest, scariest, and most memorable moments at the dinner table often involved people speaking in the third person- so indeed, the committee is leaning towards the third person.  This matter will be settled by the next post.