For me, this trip puts the brain thing squarely behind me (I do hope to continue writing about it for both the humor and history).
Before I left I worried that going on this trip was somehow kicking my health in the face.
But really, this adventure gave me a good kick in the pants.
Before I left I had been feeling cautious. A reasonable response to injury and recovery but the cautiousness was pervasive.
I return from Africa feeling a little less scared, somehow.
It also confirmed that I'm happiest when I'm doing research in the field with a view towards some type of intervention, action, change to the environment - doing something! I view my work as an extension of theoretical and lab work - not simply an the application of Behavioral Economics.
Someone from the lab will likely come after me to write a post for the official work blog. So, more on what I was actually doing in Africa instead of all this personal and professional reflection nonsense.
In the meantime, here's a picture of me training Research Assistants. The team was extremely sophisticated and experienced and they certainly kept me on my toes. As usual, the learning ran deep both ways.
