michael see, monkey do

Ben (Photo by Chris)

It's my first (healthy) day off while Chris and Dave are in the forest. It's nice to have the apartment to myself for the day and to have enough time to check some things off of my to-do list. I took a small walk this morning to a part of town Chris told us was the 'touristy' bit. While it's a nice part of town and it looks like there are a few good places to eat, at the first sight of tourists I turned tail and walked quickly back the way I came. For some reason they made me supremely uncomfortable, and I was happy when I made it back to our small section of Azrou, which isn't included in Lonely Planet's description of town, and so for the most part is blissfully free of anyone else who stands out like a sore thumb. I'm not sure what this behavior indicates, but it worries me.

We've started collecting fecal samples. While one would think it would be a straightforward and simple task, it's actually added a lot of pressure and difficulty to our day-to-day operations. Fecal collection for the purpose of hormone analysis is absolutely integral to Chris's project, and a lot hinges on collecting an adequate number of samples every day. There are 7 females in the group, and in a perfect world, we would collect one sample from them every day, along with one from each of the 9 males every few days. In reality, we've been lucky to get 4 of the females and 2 of the males every day. I'd like to go into exactly what is involved in this madness, but I think it may deserve its own post (you've been warned).

The homesickness has been coming on in progressively stronger waves, and at times is honestly a little unbearable. I've been told to expect this around the 2 - 3 month period, and I knew it was going to happen. But knowing you're going to get hit by a cement truck doesn't make it hurt any less. Needless to say I'm missing the crap out of every single one of you, and if you're among those who have been waiting for an e-mail from me, I apologize. I'm uncertain of what to write about, and my head lately has felt like it's in a thousand places at once. Hopefully I get my act together soon and become more communicative, but in the meantime please don't let my silence discourage you from writing. Every e-mail or letter lifts my spirits a thousand times, and is very, very much appreciated.

My next day off is on Thursday, so expect an exciting update around that time.


Soundtrack: John Lee Hooker