Farewell of Nicablogua

When I began this so long ago, I had no idea what all would take place within these pages. There were so many unknowns, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle everything that came my way. It is hard for me to believe that it is finally over—after years of planning and grant-writing, after 1285 hours in the forest watching the monkeys, after episodes of Vortex and loneliness, after meeting people from all over the world who I will remember forever. I still wake up in the night not knowing where I am and wondering why I do not hear frogs or roosters or barking dogs or the lapping of the lake. In many ways I feel like a stranger or visitor here, and that maybe when I blink, the buildings and walls will fade away and I will be in the forest again.

The blog has been such an important part of the whole thing. Staying connected with everyone back home was crucial for maintaining my sanity during the long hours of doubt and mosquitoes. I don’t know if I can adequately express how much it helped me to write about everything that happened, and then to receive such an outpouring of support and encouragement from people (some of whom I’ve never even met) who read the things I had to say. The next adventure I am about to embark upon—putting all of this data into a dissertation—will in many ways be more difficult than the first. If I am able to make it all the way through, to that golden PhD at the end of the tunnel, it will be because of all of you, who shared the journey with me.

I’ve always written, it is like second nature to me. After so many months of pouring my heart and soul into Nicablogua, it might be too much shock to my system to give it up all at once. Plus, all the comments and emails I got from people who encouraged me to keep writing, made me feel inspired to give it a try. So I am going to continue; at least, I am going to try to continue as long as I have something to say and the time to say it. I thought it would be wise to end Nicablogua here though; this blog has gotten me there and back, and it is time to move on to the next adventure. A million thank you’s to everyone who read the blog, and especially for all the comments, emails and general well-wishes that motivated me to do this project to the best of my abilities. If you would like to continue the journey, please visit the website for my new blog, Almost PhD. I plan to have it up and running at some point this weekend.

Again, thank you all so much for your support and encouragement over the past year. And as always, thanks for reading.