Getting nothing done is something

A few people have been wondering about the work I have been doing here. By definition I am a chemist working with some professors and students here who specialize in sustainable tropical agriculture. In some ways this is a bit of a stretch, in other ways the collaborations we are creating can advance the science quite dramatically. Overall I feel the work is very valuable both to me and to the researchers here.

But on a day-to-day basis it is often difficult to get things done. The professors here have a full plates and really don't need to open up too many new projects. They have classes to teach and papers to grade and office hours to hold. It is a busy life for them, no different than I would be back at St. Olaf. But more than that there are certain cultural differences here that one just need to embrace.

First, it is hot here! I mean sit at your desk and sweat hot. This is not conducive to getting a lot done. Secondly, there is the door-to-door fruit vendor who trolls the hallways of our building. What can I say, I am a sucker for a really nice mango. And if you haven't eaten a mango, freshly picked that morning, still warm from the sun - you need to get yourself to someplace tropical. There is no finer distraction than a fresh mango. Except coffee. You know the drill, just when you start making progress on a writing project and the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafts down the hall, mmmmm....coffee...and maybe one of those little pastries - the ones with the pineapple marmalade...OK, just a quick break-only to socialize though. And third are the puppies. Puppies? Cute little dogs roaming the halls looking adorable, and they smell good too. So there I am minding my own business when one of these puppies wanders into my office and begins chewing on my shoe, which happens to contain my foot at the time. Oh, well. Perhaps adopting the pura vida mentality is what we all need to make the days at the office much more appealing.

Respectfully submitted,

El jefe