Nighttime cityscapes
There’s a book by an author that I like that starts with the following line: “Rain drums its fingers on the garden shed…” That sentence has been playing through my head throughout the whole PIRE experience. Here in San Juan, it rains while I’m on the train; and it rains while I’m in the lab; and it rains while I’m curled up in bed, providing the perfect soundtrack for sleep. But I don’t want this observation to be misconstrued as a complaint. To me, there could have been no better backdrop for the PIRE experience, especially during this penultimate week. No garden sheds here, but the rainfall—and everything else about Puerto Rico—has been lovely either way.
The Research
Jin and me strolling to the lab
I ran five participants this week, and so far, I’m scheduled to have five participants next week too! While I’ve only run 10 people in all, I’ve noticed that I have gained great comfort with my study’s task order and timing. During week 1, I was often referring to a session script, as I wasn’t confident in my ability to run the experiment—but now, during week 7, I don’t use the script as a crutch anymore. With my nose no longer half-buried in that packet, I find myself more alert, presentable, and approachable for my participants. It took eight trials, but I even ran my first perfect participant, finally: no persistent EEG issues, and all tasks completed within the allotted 2.5 hours. I wonder if the last week will boast more perfect sessions. After everything I’ve faced since arriving in San Juan two months ago, I think I deserve that hot streak (no pun intended).
The Rest
Making friends at Panchi
This week welcomed lots of rainstorms, laughter, and tears. Gabriella, Jin, and I had to say goodbye to our favorite barista (Jamie!) from our favorite café (Panchi!), who will not be in Puerto Rico during week 8. She would love for us to come back to San Juan during the winter holiday season, so I suppose we’ll have to wait and see what December brings. On a happier note, there were so many beach trips this week (including one solo adventure to Escambrón Beach, which I adored, and should have done sooner) that I wore all the bathing suits I packed for the trip! I never come across such luck at home, so it was quite the privilege to have those frequent getaways. At the end of the week, Jin and I rode to Condado, one of the touristy communities in San Juan, for LED kayaking and cold piña coladas. The atmosphere was awesome! Sometimes it’s refreshing to feel less like a student researcher, and more like a face in the vibrant, bustling crowd. Hopefully the feeling will return once more next week, before it’s officially time to say goodbye.
💤