I'm getting used to being back in the countryside. I've regained my skill at lighting the yak-dung stoves (using just enough gasoline to ensure ignition and avoid explosion). I'm starting to find the outhouse a little more comfortable. I had my first bath in a bowl- though I was very happy to find a shower house in town that charges about 60 cents for piping hot, long-as-you-want showers. And even the guard dogs are not barking at me quite so much. Today I settled into my little mud room and unpacked my things for the first time since arriving in China.
It seems like a long time- 18 days to get to the office and get settled in to start work. In reality we've been working the whole way- sending e-mails, pricing and gathering equipment, repairing and maintaining vehicles, hiring new personnel, meeting with many different individuals from partnering organizations, setting up research plans, reading background material, etc. But the highlight is always the field work in the project area where we get to interact with the community, monitor ongoing projects, and work on first-hand research. The trip tomorrow should be very fruitful and I'm excited about getting back into water monitoring- something I've enjoyed since eleventh grade but haven't done much of since college.
I apologize for the long time between posts- the internet is quite spotty, so I can't update as often as I'd like.
