Yay! I have a new adventure!
Just found out last week that somewhere, the fates and gods and planets have aligned to make an awesome opportunity for Mallory come true! For 6 weeks this summer, I'll be at an archaeological field school in Fiji! Ahhh!!!!
Still don't know all the details yet, but I do know that it'll span June and July. I know we'll be on the small island of Nayau in the remote Lau group. Nayau is only 4 miles across at its widest point, and there is no electricy or running water! So for 6 weeks, the rain will be my shower, the ocean will be my toilet, and I won't be able to communicate with anyone in the outside world. :-)
Except for being a very cool experience and an awesome addition to my CV, the best thing about this trip is that it's free! Seriously! By being accepted to the project, I've been granted a fellowship with the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). This pays for all transportation and lodging costs, as well as meals! And there's a stipend on top of that! So not only do I get to go to a whole new part of the world for me and do intensive archaeological work that I'm beginning to realize I love, but I'm actually getting paid to do it! It doesn't get any better than this!
Another high point of this trip already is that several of the people going are already friends! Betsy (provided she finds a cat sitter...anyone interested?!), Anna, Caitlin, and Anne have all been invited to participate. And Catherine, my favorite anthropology graduate student :-), is going as a graduate assistant. And THEN, the two professors from UAB who are leading the group are Drs. Jones and Cormier...the awesome duo who crack me up whenever they're together and always make for interesting discussions on cannibalism, pet monkeys, and cheese. I can already tell it's gonna be a great experience!
As I said, I don't really have all the details yet...like the exact dates, specific info on living conditions, how much the stipend is, etc. But as soon as I do, you'd better believe that info will be up on this blog!
