the end is in sight

I've been on the road since early May, hence all the empty space. In the meantime, however, a few chips have landed, and I think I have a rough date for my departure/return (depending on how one looks at it). In other words, it looks like my fieldwork has an end. I know I need to be here for a conference at the end of October, and I know I need to be in the US by mid-November. Now it's time to look for a ticket home -- wherever 'home' is.

In other news, I have (at least marginally) gainful employment at my home institution for the first two terms of 2009.

It's all kind of exciting, but I have really mixed feelings about it. So much for making my own schedule. So much for this relaxed pace of life. So much for metronomic sunshine, and porcupines wandering onto the veranda, and cheap, high-quality wine. I'll have to adjust my vocabulary and spelling. I'll have to drive on the right side of the road. I won't get that kick I get from watching and listening to Botswana go about its business every day.

I tell myself that leaving is part of my job. And I truly don't think I could write my dissertation from here. But at the moment, it feels like cold comfort. I'll be fine, I know, but that doesn't mean I'm not frustrated with my inability to be in multiple places, living multiple lives, at once.