Okay, here we go! The first post on this blog, and I warn you now, this is certainly going to be an experiment. I have to admit that even though I came into this course aware of the focus on middle eastern literature, I was not prepared for the amount of involvement that cultural study would have in this course. My first thought: "I'm so confused...". After some thinking: "This could be kinda fun." Now: "How awesome is this class?!" I realize now that I have always been interested in world literature and the culture it introduces, but that there has always been a gap when I think of the middle east. It's like the world is a puzzle and the middle east is that piece that got dropped on the floor, rolled under the table, and will never quite be reached by the broom, so that there is always a gaping hole in the picture. I know so little about this region and its people, and I find myself eager to learn more. As Tamaki Suoh of Ouran High School Host Club would say, "Experiences of all kinds!" May my classmates and I have many of them in this intriguing course.