Heading back to Peru

At the moment, I'm back on a plane bound for Lima. Passed over Cuba an
hour or two ago, and it looks like we're about ready to cross the
Panamanian isthmus. I'll arrive at about 11PM in Lima, then leave again
at about 4AM for Pucallpa, down in the jungle, after spending a night in
the airport. Not my preferred way to spend the evening, but all in all,
it's hard to imagine a nicer place to sit awake through the night--if I
had more time, I would be tempted to get a hotel room at the airport
Ramada, which is right across the parking lot from the ticketing area,
but there simply isn't enough time to get any sleep, even if I only have
to walk right across the street.

I had a great visit at home--just a couple of days, really, but it's
always hard to head back to the field after a visit with Emily. This
flight back to South America is made easier, though, by the fact that
I'm really in the home stretch now. Just a couple more months, and I'll
be done and back home.

I shouldn't imply that I'm not happy to be doing this fieldwork--it has
been fantastic, and a really excellent edumacational experience, but
it's hard to to away for so long. From beginning to end, this fieldwork
experience will have been over a year. The fieldwork, I've really
enjoyed, but not having to be apart from Emily.

Met with Krister twice, which was productive. He seems to be pretty
satisfied with the way my fieldwork is going, which is a pleasant change
from the way I felt things went at my prospectus defense a couple of
months ago. Doing the defense over my cell phone was just weird. Poor
connection and all, plus all of the weirdness of trying to read people
without the benefit of body language.

Anyways, sounds like Krister has some further ideas for papers to put
together for the ISNIE conference at Berkeley in June, which he wants me
to attend. I believe I'll go--and I may figure out a way for me to get
a visit with Emily in while I'm there, though that's still pretty up in
the air.

In the meantime, enjoying the sunset over the Caribbean, and the (not
terrible) airline food. Pretty impressed by their service in general,
though their preflight safety video is terrible.