Research assistants play a very instrumental role in conducting researches at the field level. In their line of duty, they encounter a myriad of challenges in hardship areas that include informal settlements, arid and semi-arid areas, etc. This has posed a challenge to research assistants who are not assertive and thus soft hearted; as compared to their counterparts who are heavy hearted to deal with the study population. From this point of view, having worked as a research assistant in the informal settlements of Kibera for a period of 10 years, the author shares field experiences and tribulations faced in the field for use by new and upcoming research assistants who plan to pursue research in informal settlements.