What am I doing in Mexico?!

So, you're familiar with the delightful little flick called The Three Amigos, right? In said movie, los tres amigos are beckoned to the little village of Santa Poco to rid the tormented citizens of the infamous El Guapo. All is hunkydory for the three (Ned Nederlander, Dusty Bottoms, and Lucky Day) until the moment that they realize that El Guapo and his posse are actual, factual bad guys who shoot real bullets. As the amigos are just actors, they're a little...shall we say...overwhelmed by the prospect of facing certain death.

In any case, there's this moment when Martin Short kind of scrunches his face up (they're all vas klempt...is that how you spell it?) and exclaims, "What am I doing in Mexico?!!" It's a one-liner that manages to say how-the-heck-did-I-get-here-this-scares-the-total-crap-out-of-me-help-me-Rhonda-I'd-just-like-to-go-home-and-curl-up-with-a-good-book-and-not-fight-a-crazy-Mexican-man-named-El-Guapo-today-or-anyday! (watch the clip here - it's worth a watch)

I'm having one of those how-the-heck-did-I-get-here-this-scares-the-total-crap-out-of-me-help-me-Rhonda-I'd-just-like-to-go-home-etc-you-know-the-rest moments right now. Not exactly in the sense that I'm about to face a crazy Mexican lord who has a plethora (yes...a plethora) of thugs who do his bidding.

But, I am two years into my PhD program and started my comprehensive exams yesterday. Two days down. (check. check.)

12 more to go.

A three-week exam consisting of a series of mammajamma papers on every possible topic related to speech perception. It might as well be a crazy Mexican lord accompanied by a plethora of grimy thugs.

Seriously. What am I doing in Mexico.

Wish me luck. Por favor.