Frantisek and I will be going to New Guinea for a conference in August (http://email.eva.mpg.de/~gil/wlp/). He, in particular, is very happy about it. Partly because he thinks this is a symbolic move, indicating that I am one step closer to agreeing to accompany him to Alor where he would be doing fieldwork later.
I am only half tempted. Being shallow and all, my concerns of going there are rather trivial in many people's eyes. My first worry is getting sick. He caught malaria and dengue fever at the same time the first time he went there. I am more allergic to insect bites than he does. I am not sure if this translates at all to the possibility of catching nasty mosquito-related diseases. I don't really fancy looking all yellow. I mean more yellow. My second concern is food. Whenever he went there, he lost tons of weight. I have to eat all the time. I have a really high metabolic rate. From what he said, he only had red rice and coffee for food when he lived there. I have an image in my head that I would get so hungry in Alor that I need to go out and shoot animals with a bow. Edward Wilson talks about ascending to nature, I wonder if I should take his advice so literally.
On the other hand, Alor seems to be a very beautiful place, quiet and away from civilization. It would be a nice place for me to do my routine daydreaming. It would, of course, be much nicer for him if I would be there, which is the main reason why I am even contemplating the idea of leaving civilization and start wiping my ass with banana leaves (or was he kidding me?). He also mentioned that if I go there, I can help in Sister Gisela's orphanage and maybe teach local kids English. These are all nice things to do, would be a nice break from sitting in my officer pondering why most modifiers in Chinese need to be nominalized first before modifying a noun phrase. Or is it? I am in fact quite addicted to the Chinese noun phrase. I hate making decisions. Frantisek, you are to be strangled.
I am only half tempted. Being shallow and all, my concerns of going there are rather trivial in many people's eyes. My first worry is getting sick. He caught malaria and dengue fever at the same time the first time he went there. I am more allergic to insect bites than he does. I am not sure if this translates at all to the possibility of catching nasty mosquito-related diseases. I don't really fancy looking all yellow. I mean more yellow. My second concern is food. Whenever he went there, he lost tons of weight. I have to eat all the time. I have a really high metabolic rate. From what he said, he only had red rice and coffee for food when he lived there. I have an image in my head that I would get so hungry in Alor that I need to go out and shoot animals with a bow. Edward Wilson talks about ascending to nature, I wonder if I should take his advice so literally.
On the other hand, Alor seems to be a very beautiful place, quiet and away from civilization. It would be a nice place for me to do my routine daydreaming. It would, of course, be much nicer for him if I would be there, which is the main reason why I am even contemplating the idea of leaving civilization and start wiping my ass with banana leaves (or was he kidding me?). He also mentioned that if I go there, I can help in Sister Gisela's orphanage and maybe teach local kids English. These are all nice things to do, would be a nice break from sitting in my officer pondering why most modifiers in Chinese need to be nominalized first before modifying a noun phrase. Or is it? I am in fact quite addicted to the Chinese noun phrase. I hate making decisions. Frantisek, you are to be strangled.
Joanno
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