To be a rock and not to roll

Okay, you know things are problematic when I'm quoting Led Zeppelin. Lima has never been one of my favorite places. It's something about the combination of incessant car horns, smog, traffic, and grey skies.... The food is tasty though. I suppose there's always that. Oh, and coffee. It does exist here. There's even a Starbucks, although I haven't sunk to the point of taking a cab there yet. Maybe tomorrow.

So, I am a stubborn person. This has been pointed out to me in the past. It usually works for me - in the "sticking with things until they turn out the way I want them to" sense - but this time I think I may have 'stubborned' myself into a corner. Getting permits for export of samples in Lima is problematic - everyone says so. Somehow, I thought I'd beat the odds - or at least be able to finesse something within a couple of months (I have back-up plans, friends who've offered to courier for me, all the way through the end of October). This morning, I was told by the woman who's been helping me at the INC that the process is backed up for at least 3 to 6 months. This is a problem. I don't have a friend that I know of who can pick up the samples in Lima in January-February (or whenever they're approved). I also can't start my research until the samples make it to the states, which will put my thesis behind schedule for at least half of a school year. BOTHER. This is not what I wanted.

Of course, I could have taken an easier route. Many encouraged me to do so. But noooo, I love Peru. Yep, that's right. I really like my project idea. I really like the culture group that it's based on and the theoretical basis and the lab techniques I plan to use and the other people who have been involved with this collection in the past. I really wanted to put it all together. Sigh.

So now, I'm just trying to complete my application for export so that I can get out of here. This is not easy either. The only thing I lack at the moment is copies of the official permits to excavate at the site from the 1987, 1995, 2002, and 2005 projects. These should be easy to get, don't you think? The museum should have them on file (they're still looking). The INC should have them on file (they can't find them). What to do? Come back on tuesday, says the INC.

My flight home is a scheduled for a week from tonight. I don't know if I can change it, but for some family reasons, I'd really like to get home sooner. It would seem possible, since I'm so close to completing my application and there's apparently no reason to wait around for approval. But, then again, things here are not always what they seem.

Thanks for listening. I'll see if I can scare up some adventure in the time that remains. (But honestly, I might spend a lot of time watching the Olympics too).

Hope y'all are well. Enjoy the games.

Karen