We made it...

... but to this point the internet connection is fairly intermittent.
If you don't hear from us, don't worry we're all well. You'll hear
from the person you're wondering about soon.

In Quito

We made it to Ecuador (most of us that is, good luck tomorrow Kate) and found it to be rainy and cool. It seems like a nice city. It's a pity I won't have much time to check it out, but others probably will. More tomorrow.

Happy Travels

For those of you wondering just where Mondaña is located, Google Earth is a good way to view the location. This link to a Google Earth locator should work, but if not, just type in Mondaña, Ecuador and Google Earth should take you there. For the project team, safe journeys and see you in Quito!

Welcome to new contributors

Dr. John Brett and Dr. Jean Scandlyn are the newest contributors to this blog. We look forward to their valuable insight as the project progresses.

An apocryphal Mr. Murphy once said "If something can go wrong it will". In some respects, fieldwork, and field-schools, are the quintessential examples of Murphy's law--something nearly always goes wrong. Two feet of snow and some obscure administrator deciding that the semester's over so no one is using Blackboard and therefore taking it "off line" qualify as something going wrong. One of the intriguing things about field research with humans, relative to other kinds of research, is the simple fact that there is much one cannot control; life (and the environment) moves on around us largely independent of our noble goals and desires.

While this is a frustrating bump in our road, no one is holding me at gunpoint (Guatemala), or telling me I can't come back to the community to finish my work (Mexico, for failing to pay a bribe). There will be other bumps--several of us will get sick, all of our careful planning will not match the reality of the field site, and given an airline system in chaos, there's a fair to even chance someone will miss a flight. Field work is, in many respects, all about flexibility--in a steadily changing environment how does one still get the work done in and around the bumps, deviations, and occasional stoppages with which we're confronted.

JB

Snow days

Hopefully everyone is making the most of the snow. I know my dog and my little girl Stella are having fun with it. Whenever something like this occurs it always reminds me of the simpler and in many ways better life of people in other cultures where the drive to work and to occupy every waking moment in a productive capacity is not as prevalent as it is here. Already today I've been involved in community building with my neighbors in the mutual effort to clear sidewalks and driveways. I live in the suburbs where such face to face interaction is rare. It's good for people with different ideas of the world to find common ground and to identify as humans. Any other realizations going on out there?

Postings for Thursday

This is a technological MacGyver challenge. Please use the comments section of this post in the interim while the Blackboard site is down. Stay warm.

Blackboard still down?

I'm able to see my courses from fall semester, but not for the Ecuador class still. Is anyone else still experiencing this problem?

Ecological Footprint

This is an interesting link to demonstrate the amount of resources your lifestyle requires. It is an insight into sustainability in that most of us in the US do not live anywhere close to sustainably.

http://www.myfootprint.org/

Day 1 is under our belts

Following a successful and informative first day of the project, are there any issues or questions that come to mind? Is there anyone out there reading this? Please use the comments section.

Still looking for gear?

If you haven't found all the stuff that you need for the trip yet and are on a budget, you might consider Army Surplus on South Broadway just north of Hampden. It has a lot of useful items for less than you might spend at a more traditional outdoor store.

Have you gotten a malaria prophylaxis?

Although I haven't experienced it myself, a malaria attack doesn't sound like much fun. In light of that, Perry-Elena left a comment in a previous post that seems valuable enough to make into a post of its own, so here it is:

Perry-Elena said...

If you still haven't gotten your malaria prophylaxis, you can get doxycycline at the student health center on campus. It's $36 for the whole course, which is decidedly cheaper than all the other options. If you're enrolled as a UCD student, you've already paid the health center fees and the appointment to get the prescription is free.

Flickr Photostream

There is now a Flickr photostream for our project. For those of you unaware of Flickr, it is a great web-based public photo display tool. You can view the photostream by going to this address: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anthrodenver/ or you can see images from the photostream at the right side of this blog. Not much in the way of photos yet, but that should soon change.

You too can sign up for your own free flickr account by visiting:
http://www.flickr.com

Brief Update

The following is an update from John...

Well, it’s gettin’ close…So, a few update things:

1) We have a Blackboard shell and we should get the syllabus and basic readings up by Tues. of next week so you’ll have a few days to read ahead. Along that line, we’d appreciate it greatly if you could have the readings assigned for Monday read before you arrive in class so we can build on them.

2) I know OIE emailed you all about picking up your travel ID and Insurance cards. If you’re going to be on campus, go ahead and pick them up, but it won’t be necessary to make a special trip; I’ll pick up any that remain and have them available for you in class day one. (Dawn, I have yours.)

3) The class meets from one to five (1-5) Monday to Friday, December 18-22. Remember, please that there is no option to miss class short of severed limbs or life-threatening illness.

4) We spoke with Douglas, the owner/manager of the lodge where we’ll be staying and from which we’ll be working so a few clarifications:

a. They do in fact have wireless internet across the whole campus; we used Skype to call him yesterday and it worked beautifully, so maybe we won’t be as isolated as originally advertised. Still no cell phone coverage though.

b. Sheets, blankets, towels, soap, shampoo, etc. will be provided so no need to bring much of that sort of stuff.

c. They are in need to laptop computers, digital cameras and memory sticks (a.k.a. jump drives, thumb drives, etc.), if any one has something to donate.

d. We’ll probably have one community work day with the community so be sure to bring a pair of leather work gloves (perhaps contrary to my commentary on the original list).

5) We will have a very comprehensive first aid kit and there is a clinic in the community so you won’t need to pack an abundance of those sorts of things—just bring the basics—band aids, Pepto-Bismol, etc.

6) We confirmed that there is in fact malaria in the area and that it is probably chloroquine resistant so the alternate options should be adhered to—I’ve pasted in the original notes from the information sheet we sent out earlier as a reminder of the necessary shots, etc. We’ll follow up a bit more on the malaria issue but I’m pretty sure, these will remain the recommendations.

7) Andy has set up a project blog site and a flickr site that we can make available to anyone interested in following along with our adventures (Thank you, Andy); we’ll do a brief demonstration sometime before we leave.



I think that’s it for the moment, John for Jean and Sharry

UCD Anthropology in Ecuador

This blog is intended to serve as a communication center for the University of Colorado at Denver Department of Anthropology in relation to the field school in Mondaña, Ecuador.