home again
My first impression after getting back from West Africa:
Berkeley is really, really quiet!
My second impression:
I'm really sick!
Yes, rather than disappearing on arrival, the cold from Cameroon managed to morph into something just short of the plague. It has now been 2 weeks since my return, and I'm STILL sick! Even worse, I don't seem to be improving; I just get a change in symptoms every 72 hours. A doctor's visit confirmed that it's not malaria, just a head cold. But, it's persistent.
I'm assuming the severity is the result of me being so exhausted from the 6 weeks of fieldwork. Plus, going camping the weekend after reentry might not have been the best of ideas...lovely socially, but a damp, cold coastal night was not so great for physical recovery.
Since I've been back, I've also been reassessing just how challenging the trip was. I knew it was hard at the time, but now I'm realizing it was REALLY hard. The reason Berkeley seems so quiet is that I was constantly walking in traffic, talking, translating, being yelled at, honked at, hissed at, etc. It never stopped. And combining that with constant physical, personal, and professional uncertainty for for 41 days...well, I can see why it would have left my body a little traumatized.
Still, as much as I would love to spend another week sleeping and watching old Scrubs episodes, I need to climb back on the academic horse and start writing. The dissertation, that is. So, the blog will be largely decommissioned until the next out of town sojourn rolls around. In the meantime, l can be found on the Facebook. Or, you know, via email and phones.
Berkeley is really, really quiet!
My second impression:
I'm really sick!
Yes, rather than disappearing on arrival, the cold from Cameroon managed to morph into something just short of the plague. It has now been 2 weeks since my return, and I'm STILL sick! Even worse, I don't seem to be improving; I just get a change in symptoms every 72 hours. A doctor's visit confirmed that it's not malaria, just a head cold. But, it's persistent.
I'm assuming the severity is the result of me being so exhausted from the 6 weeks of fieldwork. Plus, going camping the weekend after reentry might not have been the best of ideas...lovely socially, but a damp, cold coastal night was not so great for physical recovery.
Since I've been back, I've also been reassessing just how challenging the trip was. I knew it was hard at the time, but now I'm realizing it was REALLY hard. The reason Berkeley seems so quiet is that I was constantly walking in traffic, talking, translating, being yelled at, honked at, hissed at, etc. It never stopped. And combining that with constant physical, personal, and professional uncertainty for for 41 days...well, I can see why it would have left my body a little traumatized.
Still, as much as I would love to spend another week sleeping and watching old Scrubs episodes, I need to climb back on the academic horse and start writing. The dissertation, that is. So, the blog will be largely decommissioned until the next out of town sojourn rolls around. In the meantime, l can be found on the Facebook. Or, you know, via email and phones.
posted by Emily at 8:03 PM
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