Reflecting back on my time in Turkey, I’m flooded by a seemingly endless tide of memories. Seriously, I’m not just posturing; I honestly believe my time in Turkey was the most incredible five weeks of my life. Privileging a single memory above all the others seems impossible, they’re all special in very different ways. Keeping that in mind, I don’t think anything can beat the all encompassing awe I felt during my first experience on top of the acropolis. The first time I climbed the jagged path ascending to our excavation site I couldn’t believe my eyes, pictures truly don’t do the view justice. I cast my gaze towards the sea, and found myself staring at something extraordinary, something a midwestern kid like myself had only dreamed about. As I peered out over the crags of Antiochia, I saw a pure sapphire sea extending through the horizon. When I pictured the Mediterranean I imagined something like the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans, the only awe-inspiring bodies of water I’d ever had the good grace to see. But the Mediterranean was so different. The defiant and powerful waves crashing crashing against resolute beaches of smooth stone that I had been expecting couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Instead I was met with ultimate natural serenity; the waves and beaches worked in a harmonious rhythmical ebb and flow, as if the never ending battle between land and sea that I assumed raged everywhere found a lasting peace on the shores of Antiochia. Seeing that view for the first time made the trip worth it alone, and I got to work alongside it for the preceding five weeks. While those weeks also held countless stories of joy with friends and endless funny anecdotes, nothing matches the feeling of being in the presence of the Sublime that first day. Now, onto some more practical reflection as I discuss how this internship changed my perspective. As for my career and the possibility of being an archaeologist, I still don’t really know. In my last blog post I talked about the trouble I had connecting with history through archaeology–and that’s still true. That being said, my last day on the digsite, as I looked out over everything my team and I had accomplished, some twinge hit my heart. I felt so sad to be forever leaving behind something I had put so much work into. Something that I had uncovered that no one had seen or thought about for centuries and would have remained that way if not in part for my work. That twinge of longing has made me rethink what I thought previously was no future for myself in archaeology. Perhaps the most striking conclusion I reached during this internship was how globally isolated I had been before. I was so focused on all things America. American history, American politics, American studies were all huge areas of study for me. Being in Turkey for as long as I was, coupled with working alongside many Turks opened my eyes to the fact that my life could be filled with adventures everywhere outside of the US. I learned that it’s not hard to work and live with people who you have limited communication with, that humour is pretty universal, and that it’s good to leave your borders behind every now and again. I want to thank everyone who made my addition to this team a possibility, to all the professors, supervisors, financial sponsors or administrators thank you for five of the greatest weeks I’ve experienced up to this point in my life.
