Sensei: Blah blah blah… international collaboration project… blah blah blah… grant submission accepted… blah blah blah… Five year budget.

Dave: Great. But, huh, how does it affect me?

Sensei: How would you feel about going to Berlin or Boston for three months? All expenses paid, of course.

Dave: Sure, what’s the schedule and which project would I be working on?

Sensei: Oh, it’s entirely up to you, just pick the faculty and project you’d like to work on and a time during this fiscal year you’d like to go. Where would you prefer: Berlin or Boston?

Dave: Dunno. Both are nice. Does either include daily spa and massage, by any chance?

Sensei: If you want, you can do one country this year and the other next year.

Dave: You don’t say.

Sensei: We’ll also send you to their workshop in Boston this Summer anyway.

Dave: Recession hasn’t hit our lab yet, has it…