#1

Hey guys,

So, here's my solution to the mass travel email that otherwise you would all surely be getting from me over the next few months: the travel blog!  Now, as I journey from Tangier to Amman, you all can keep up with me exactly as much as you want.

A little background on the blog name, because I at least thought it was kind of cool.

-Interzone (or the International Zone) – back in the colonial era of Morocco (formally 1904-1956), Tangier(s) – yes, there is an optional s on that word, spell it as you see fit– was actually not a formal part of the French colony, nor the Spanish colony (Western Sahara).  Instead, it was an international zone (informally called the Interzone) under the joint custody of Spain, France, Britain, and eventually Italy.  From this unfortunate colonial history, I picked the name Interzone as an interesting metaphor for my upcoming journey: is an American in Morocco ever truly in Morocco, or with that American-ness, does one necessarily become permanently stuck in an Interzone of sorts?

-Philadelphia – the original city bearing this name is not, of course, in Pennsylvania, but rather in Jordan... conveniently right where modern Amman is.  Although I really wanted to put in a reference to the city's name of "brotherly love" indicating some auspicious start of international friendship and camaraderie, it's actually named for the Ptolematic emperor Philadelphus.  Let's just pretend.

So, here's to the beginning of this adventure, on which I hope all of you will follow me.  Tomorrow's the start of something big.