Hello internet! As you have probably read the blog title by now (unless you clicked randomly and got here somehow, in which case, good for you), you know that my name is Ben Rickin-Marks. I am a freshman in the Swanson School of Engineering, and planning to major in Computer Engineering. So far, I have been enjoying myself at the University of Pittsburgh.

Now, there may be some questions you have about me. I do not know exactly what you may ask because I am not a mind reader, but I’ll try to answer them anyways. I am from the suburbs of Pittsburgh. I am nerd. I’ve been meaning to read more of the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, but with school taking up a lot of time, I’ve only gotten through three of them (There are 41 books. I don’t expect to read all of them in a school year, just more than three of them). I also like to play Dungeons and Dragons.

I am on the Cyprus study abroad trip which focuses on supply chains. I chose to go to Cyprus because I was exposed to Greco-Roman mythology as a child, and now as an older person, I still really like it. I am hoping to learn more about supply chains and how they’ll affect me as a computer engineer. I also want to appreciate the culture by experiencing its history firsthand, eating some of its dishes, and maybe pick up a little bit of Greek and maybe Turkish depending on how much time we spend on that side of the island.

Anyways, as we have to blog during our trip, I hope that some of you decide to keep reading my blog to hear of my “adventures” or any of the other kids going to Cyprus.