It's time for a re-dedication of The Great Blue Erin. I've made it through my first three years of graduate school: coursework, gross anatomy, conferences, three months in the field, five semesters of teaching. I've submitted a lot of unsuccessful grant applications, and a few successful ones. I took my candidacy exams, I defended my dissertation proposal, and now - here I am! It's May 7, and I leave for a year of nothing but primates in 37 days. Of course, this is generally an occasion for celebration, but I thought I'd be leaving on my own with not even a satellite phone to connect me to the world outside of Tai National Park.
Fortunately (!!), it turns out this isn't the case! With the help of nearly-ubiquitous mobile coverage across sub-Saharan Africa, I will apparently be able to access the internet just a short half-hour walk from camp! Expect occasional dispatches from the middle of the rain forest of southwestern Cote d'Ivoire ...
