Preparation for the Preparation: Getting Ready to Get Ready

As silly as this title may sound, this is exactly the point in the game that I am at right now. Officially, the project that Professor Harrison-Buck of the Anthropology Department here at UNH and I have come up with doesn't start until May 15th. That means that I won't be doing my preliminary research until then. That  doesn't mean (sadly) that I have nothing to do. On the contrary, I have never been busier! First of all, I am very busy with school (I'm actually procrastinating as we speak by avoiding an essay) and have a lot to do in the academic department. Luckily everything is over on May 13th. Also, I have so much paperwork to fill out that I can't even comprehend it. The problem lies in the fact that I am technically going to Belize for two separate projects through the school. First, I am participating in the first ever UNH field school to Belize that Professor Harrison-Buck is heading up. This is a for credit program that will train me in the field methods of the archaeologist. The field school will be a great way for me to experience an excavation, and because there will only be three of us in the field school, we will get a lot of one on one experience. The other project that I am involved with in Belize is the REAP Fellowship through the Hammel Center for Undergraduate Research at UNH. The Research Education and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) is designed for freshman undergraduate honors students to get a first hand experience with undergraduate research, but to work closely with a mentor on developing said project. With this, I will be working on interpreting the findings we come across at 17th century British slave labor logging camps located on Professor Harrison-Buck's excavation area. Professor Harrison-Buck specializes on Maya archaeology, and that is what her study in Belize is focused on. Because of this, she would normally have not been able to fully look at these logging sites located on her excavation area. The Fellowship allows these sites to be fully analyzed and given the attention they deserve (mainly by yours truly!). Anyway, to get back to my point, because I am doing both of these projects at once, the amount of paperwork needed is enormous! Also, I just found out that my doctors office needs a special itinerary detailing the location of my stay and what I will be doing. Because a document like this doesn't exist, it looks like I'm going to have to write it (yay...). But minor complaints aside, I have never been more excited for anything! This is going to be one of the best experiences of my life, and it will be the determining factor of my career choice. I know I'm going to love it, and I am so excited to begin! I'll keep you all posted through the preparation process as I start my preliminary research on Belize.

Thanks!

John