“The place you are right now God circled on a map for you.” ~Hafiz

Hi! I know it’s been a while, but I have big news. I’ve started graduate school and moved to Israel, where I am living and working in Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Here’s the view from our balcony, of the Dead Sea and the mountains of Jordan:

I am working in the lab of Dr. Lee Koren (https://leekoren.wixsite.com/korenlab), studying honesty in communication using rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis) as a model. Hyraxes abound at the field school where we live, and I’ve already fallen in love with these unique, fascinating mammals. Here’s a picture of my second Ein Gedi hyrax sighting, taken from our apartment’s kitchen window (the hyrax is lying on a ledge, toward the middle of the left side of the picture):

A closer look at a hyrax:

We see many other animals here, such as ibexes:

We’ve also seen foxes, and a pack of FOUR wolves! I didn’t get pictures, so have some dead ones instead (yes, there are hyenas here too, but I have yet to see one):

In short, Ein Gedi is breathtaking, and getting to live and work here is a blessing. I am grateful to be part of this incredible research project, and excited to parse the signals of nature to figure out what we can learn from them.

This opportunity means so much to me, and I’m infinitely thrilled and thankful that my life has led me here. It truly feels like a dream come true.

I know there will be hard work and challenges along the way, but I will meet them with joy and confidence, and every day I’ll remember to say… Thank You.