I have arrived in smalltown USA, once again. Everything appears to be as I left it. Made it to school to meet with my people, get the updates... turns out nothing happened while I was gone... yup that sounds about right :) Still settling in, just got some groceries... NEW SHOES ARRIVED, and they are FANTASTICO. Still need to unpack, put things back into place, and then back to the grindstone with writing and training.
All too often students begin fieldwork full of anticipation and high hopes for big adventure, only to end up burned out and on their way home within a month. This has inspired me to write a post about what it takes to survive primate behavioural research for people who may be considering taking this "road less traveled by" in the future. I won't water it down for you; primate research is not for everyone. Fieldwork is an uphill road, overloaded with obstacles that will test your personal strength every step of the way. (Perhaps there's a reason we opted to leave the forest and culture up our lives, oh so many years ago :). But if you've got what it takes to push yourself beyond the comforts of the average everyday world, and you're interested in finding out just how strong an individual you really are, then studying primates is one of the most inspirational and rewarding jobs available! Think you've got what it takes? Here are my tips for what it...
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