Ok, so after a short and great 2 hours journey with my parents we arrived to Córdoba. As the sessions started on Tuesday, I had the whole Monday to spend with my parents after I checked in at the Congress. We had lunch together and then they left to continue their journey.
I stayed at a veryawfull hotel, but as I was with two more funny girls, the quality of it was anecdotic.
I was prettynervouss considering that I was presenting my work, not in an oral session but in a poster. Somehow if someone came over to ask for it, I'd had to explain it, and it is known my rejection to speak in public!!.
Here I am, smilingnervouslyy besides my poster.
A friend staring at it
To those who are still curious of what I do exactly, I thought this would be a good moment to explain a little bit of my work.
As most of you know I earned a grant to perform my PhD thesis at the University of Buenos Aires. I must say that I was kind of lucky (not to say that I worked that much!!),becausee the combination of this particular grant and the place of work it is the best combination possible for someone who wants to do research here in Argentina.
My research main theme is to record the palynoflora of the Devonian period here in the North of Argentina and South of Bolivia.
The palynoflora is the remains of spores;pollenn; microscopic ancient algae; fungus; and things with non actual affinities like the chitinozooans. It is amazing how these things can tolerate diageneticprocessess such presion and high heat during 300 my and still be extracted from the rock with a cocktail of acids.
After we process the rock, we mount the extracted material on microscope slides and my job basically is to sit and photography what I see.
With the specific literature I recongize the elements and then the association which it would give me an approximate age.
The fun part is to put all the information together: the palynomorphs found; the geology setting and try to reconstruct the environment of those times!!.
I hope this gives you a more accurate clue of what is what I do!.
The rest of the week was OK. I was inside the University, where the Congress took place, for 12 hours straight.
There were a couple of interesting Conferences (to specific to refer) of some people from the UK; Australia and the US.
OK, it is true that it was not all about that. I had the chance to try thishugee ice cream covered with chocolate and to try some regional food with some of mycolleaguess!!.
Thursday night my parents came over to pick me up and we departured to Montes Grandes and then in the next morning we came all the way to Buenos Aires with my mom to assist to my cousin's wedding.
