15 Ocak 2016, Cuma
saat: 21:59
The conference part of my recent trip was not so exciting: They combined two panels in mine, in which there were 5 speakers and only 10-minutes to summarize your research, which obviously didn't leave any room for questions or discussion, let alone any useful feedback. In the other panels I attended, everyone was so eager to outsmart each other that all Q&A sessions went like, "Why is the thing you research not exactly the thing I study? Here’s a 5-minute soliloquy about that. What do you think? Come to my panel and see how it is done!" Despite that, I met really nice and smart people in between the panels or during the reception *on the beach*.. Okay, so if you're wondering why anyone would enjoy the conference experience (other than the most evident reason: adding another line on your resume), here is the story: They held this conference in Puerto Rico (where they should hold more conferences, if you ask me!), as everything was so, so nice! We were staying in Condado, but we could walk to Old San Juan when we felt like it (read: when we stopped going to the conference hotel) or spend the day on the beach and drink our pina coladas, as the weather didn't feel like the winter at all! The island was a joy to explore, the food was delicious (mofongo w/churrasco, I'm looking at you!), Old San Juan was truly beautiful with its cobblestone streets, brightly painted Spanish colonial architecture, and, of course, with the massive fortification of El Morro. For our last night there, conference organizers were nice enough to put together a "Rums of Puerto Rico" event on the beach, and we got to try the finest variety of drinks in a friendly atmosphere! Huh, hard to believe we got paid for this, right?
Of course after such a nice business trip/vacation, coming back home was not something I looked forward to. Especially because taking care of the critters is a full-time responsibility now, and on top of that, I have to revise my chapters and start a new one. Ugh. Can we go back to the sandy beaches of Condado again and not have any worry about the work we're supposed to be doing?
