In the course of my research in Ghana so far, I have travelled about 100,000 square km of country, had malaria three times, been robbed twice (three times if you count the police), met hundreds of people, interviewed 80 internet cafe owners, and eaten various kinds of soup with my hands. However, the most important activity has gone unblogged, unremarked… in fact even my roommate Hannah had not seen it until today.
So there it is. I can now juggle (on Thursdays when the wind is in the right direction and the moon is full). This is all part of my Plan B for if the PhD doesn’t work out. I am going to join the circus. I have already made strategic contacts with the elephant community at Mole, and incorporated clowning practice into my research methodology by falling into drains, turning up for interviews with stripes of red dust down my face, and doing comedy linguistics as I try to greet people in the correct language.
Now all that’s left is to learn acrobatics. I’m sure I can figure that out in the next few months. Then I’m ready for conference season.
Congratulations! It’s always a good idea to have a backup plan, good luck with yours