When my flight touched down in Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport seven days ago, I had no idea that in one week’s time, my knowledge and perspective would have evolved so drastically. My experience here has been nothing but laughter, learning, and of course dirt (and soils!). I discovered, and am continuing to discover, just how resilient my body is. Excavation is not easy, and the heat and long days exhaust even the most robust, but I am doing it. I can heave rocks, chop roots, and scale the sometimes inconceivable ascent to the acropolis day after day. My swift adaptation to the work and the area amazes me; I already feel like an archeologist though I know I still have much to learn. I think a large part of this quick transition stems from the almost unbearably long days. Because a shower, change of clothes, and nap, break up the morning excavation and afternoon pottery, this mid-day reset feels like the transition to a completely new day. These bonus days, if you will, certainly contribute to my exhaustion at the actual end of the day, but they also succeed in expanding my familiarity and knowledge of the work.
On top of that, the connections I have formed with the other students (both Turkish and American) and my exposure to this slice of Turkish culture have been nearly effortless. I now know how to say spinach and hazelnut in Turkish (ispanak and findik respectively—I’m pretty much fluent; it’s chill), but I have also had the amazing opportunity to better understand the Turkish students’ perspective on school, travel, and entertainment. The language barrier is a factor, but communication is certainly achievable. The other night, a bunch of us decided to go to Konrad’s to celebrate the 4th of July. I was anticipating a relaxed, yet patriotic, Wednesday evening with my fellow Americans, but because some of the Turkish students accepted our invitation to come along, I ended up spending most of my time talking with a couple of Turkish guys who knew very little English. We whipped out our phones and took to Google Translate, and I ended up learning so much more than I thought possible through an app. Finding common ground with the Turkish students is fun and far from difficult; everyone wants to communicate and learn about each others’ cultures. Although we certainly have different perspectives, the overlap in thinking is also apparent, and I am excited to continue this social and intellectual adventure in Gazipaşa, Turkey!