This month in a nutshell: 13 young Americans, dozens of Turks, two semi-reliable busses, one cramped dig house, one washing machine, three pairs of dig shorts, six hours of sleep, one ever-changing acropolis, and me, hanging out somewhere in that dynamic, trying to figure out how to navigate it all. I knew coming to Turkey this summer would open my eyes to more culture and history, but I didn’t really think about the personal implications. Here I am now, half a week away from saying goodbye to the whole experience, and I think it’s probably safe to say that Turkey has taught me a thing or two about myself as well.
I definitely discovered just how determined and headstrong I can be. I will push myself to get the job done, and a significant component in this has been goal-setting. When I have a specific area to focus on or number of centimeters to go down at the site, I feel so much more productive and want to keep working well into lunch. This resilience has been great in the face of difficult archeological work, but it also comes with some negative implications. Pushing your body can be rewarding, but ignoring what your body is trying to tell you is another thing entirely. I discovered this quite unpleasantly on Tuesday when I had to stay home from the site in order to recover from heat exhaustion. (I hear you now, body. No longer will I disregard your persistent desire for water and salt.)
Another multifaceted characteristic I have continued developing in Turkey is my social malleability. I tend to adapt my energy to compensate for that which I perceive around me. This manifests itself on the dig site when I work to pick up the slack of my unit partner on an off day, but it also applies to other contexts. I’ll often be quieter around more extroverted people, or vice versa, in an effort to maintain a sort of social balance. I think this awareness of balance can be really beneficial, particularly in a collaborative work context, but I am afraid it can also interfere with my ability to stay in tune with myself, particularly here when alone time is nonexistent. I know I will continue to pay attention to how I respond in different situations, and I am certainly grateful for this internship for presenting me with such an experience from which to learn and grow.
