Good flight price = trip anxiety!

Even though I haven't officially stopped traveling in the 2007 year yet (YAY for trip with Ry to VA to visit friends and Best-Christmas-Ever in Buffalo) ...

I booked a flight to Costa Rica for January 2008!!!

Yikes!

The fish I really work with (i.e., those that are part of my dissertation and not just other fishes that my advisor does projects on) live in Central America. And I am "required" by my advisor to study them in the wild. Which I can't complain about. Someday I will be presenting some lab data and someone will ask "Is this really how it happens in the wild?" and I will be able to say "Yes, I have seen these fish in nature".

But, that means I will be away again. And for this trip it will be for 6 whole weeks! In a Spanish speaking country (umm... cervesa, tequilla, yo tengo que ir). Lucky (very lucky) for me, my labmate who is now an expert in the field and in Costa Rica will be there to help me. As well as my super awesome outside committee member who is THE fish guy and who invited me along to work on a study with him (can you say "academic crush"?). But I am still nervous about this trip a little bit.

And I hate being away for so long. Next year I plan on being in the field for almost 12 weeks total (CR, Jamaica, TX), working on non-dissertation projects. And being away from my home and family and friends and Ry for 3 whole months! Am I crazy?

Oh well. Even if I am crazy, I already booked the flight, so I'll be crazy in Costa Rica in just 4.5 months!