When you have four superstar interns, the workload is considerably less than you might think. Hailey, Doireann, Nicole & Bryan have hit our required benchmark of 90% inter-observer reliability, which now allows them to collect behavioral observations on their own. They have certainly put in the hours that are needed to reach our difficult threshold, but it couldn’t have come at a better time.

In the morning, Hailey and I will begin trailblazing over to Dujiangyan. She will be spending a month in the hormone research lab, training and then beginning the analysis on our collection of fecal samples. Given that this will be our first extended stay in DJY, there are quite a few unknowns. First and foremost, we have secured a place to stay but have absolutely no idea of what to expect. Second… I’m not sure of where it’s located. All I know that it’s near the panda base. Lost in translation is the only excuse I have.

These unknown factors are largely a common experience for non-native speakers in China. They can tend to be a bit stressful, but this is why we chose Hailey as the fecal analysis intern (refer to the photo above). When we interviewed her for the position we could tell right away that she would be perfect. She was well spoken, calm, and most importantly, gave us the feeling that she could handle any circumstance that we might get her into. To ease the process, we will be doing this together for the first week until I return home to Portland. Wish us luck as we travel into the unknown.