Monday, December 20, 2010

Labwork: A necessary evil for a field Anthropologist

Being an Anthropologist means that you take on many different roles. Sometimes you are a field worker, other times a teacher, then others a writer or even a lab worker. All of these roles have their particular purpose and importance, however after coming off of 7 months in the jungle, seeing exciting and amazing things every day, it can be a challenge to change roles and buckle down on your work. Some call this culture shock...personally I call it the shock of the mundane. While you are away in the field you experience so many things that change you, but nothing back home changes at all. Everything is pretty much just as you left it, which almost makes you feel like you never left at all! It is confusing and strange, but is something everyone goes through.

The one thing that you will always have though are those experiences, and at least you can recall those memories at any time to get you through the day. Earlier today as I sat forcing myself to look through the microscope, I was brought back to a time recently when I was in the forest watching an adult female and her male infant foraging on some of the remaining fruit in the forest after the hurricane. The clouds had rolled in and the forest had grown dark, but it didnt matter, I could still see them just fine. After a few minutes I heard the light roar of rain quickly creeping its way through the forest. So reacting as fast as possible I grabbed a small flexible vine hanging from a nearby tree, cut it with my machete, and used it to tie 3 giant palm fronds growing from the ground together to make an umbrella. Typically in the rain, you can lose the monkeys easily, but thanks to the immediate availability of this palm, I was able to stay with them for the next 2 hours as it poured, perfectly dry and comfortable.

It is memories like this that keep me going, because although the lab work is necessary and important, I know that eventually I will be right back in the forest doing the part of the job I love the most.

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