Hey look, we’re almost to comics actually in Egypt! Those will FINALLY start next week.
In the days leading up to my departure, I naturally tried to cram in as much time with friends and family as I could. FYI, in Panel 1, we’re playing the Widow’s Walk expansion of Betrayal at House on the Hill. You get a random scenario each time you play. It’s pretty awesome, and often ridiculous. That same day, I also wound up trying to assemble all the monsters to accurately put on the Monster Mash. And yes, Joshua is who Jorocks was originally modeled after (although I took steps to separate the two, including giving Jorocks a beard…which then Joshua promptly grew).
Meagan also gets all the awesome points (as usual). I am a decent packer, but she spent a significant chunk of her life when she worked for ΑΦΩ traveling and is thus a WHIZ at packing, and she did it willingly! This help was greatly appreciated!
Now, a bit of REAL TALK. This comic was scripted before I left, and reality hit a lot harder than this comic shows. If you are a teacher looking to teach abroad (or really, anyone looking to move far away), I highly recommend talking to your doctor about getting some anti-anxiety medicine before you leave. I did not, and didn’t think anything of it as I was surprisingly calm leading into my departure. And then I was sitting in the airport in Istanbul and unexpectedly had a full-blown panic attack, to the point where I needed medical attention. (Thankfully, I had an 8 hour layover, so I had the two and a half hours to spare for that without missing my flight.) I was still coming off of that when I got to my apartment in Egypt, and it turns out that one of the only medicines you CAN’T buy over the counter is most anti-anxiety meds. Luckily, after a couple tries and some help, I was able to get some medicine, and after a few days the anxiety wore off and I haven’t had any problems since (and no more meds needed!). But yeah, talking to your doctor about some preventative medicine is a good idea.
On a lighter note, there’s a Firefly reference hidden in the comic somewhere.
Last Saturday’s sketchbook was the last I have queued up, but if you want to see more on a regular basis, don’t forget to subscribe to Patreon! If I can raise $20/month, you will get weekly sketchbooks!