This first week in Turkey was first in many regards. It marked the first week of digging on the site doing academic work fundamentally unlike any other work that I had done before. It was my first week in Turkey, a country of which I have little more than a cursory knowledge. It was my first week abroad, and with that came a long list of firsts: First international flight, first time in a foreign airport, first time in a country where my own language was not the primary mode of communication. So to say that much of my experience was surprising, shocking or unexpected is something of an understatement. However, I will try to pull what I believe to be key experiences from the past 5 days.
First and foremost, one of the biggest points of surprise and shock was the difference in cleanliness. This is at all levels. I was somewhat surprised to see how accustomed I became to the casual dirtiness that comes with working in the dirt all day. On top of that, there were many cultural differences between my own upbringing and Turkey that I oftentimes considered dirty before reflection. The squatting toilets, for example were not my cup of tea. However, one enjoyable part of the trip was indeed the tea, as I found myself drinking it despite the hot weather. In addition, the food here is some of the best that I have ever had. I was also surprised to find out how much I enjoyed the day to day work on the site. I was not expecting to be as enamored by rock formations as I have come to be. The first day, in which we weeded, filled me with no small dread regarding the future work for the site, but these fears were quickly assuaged by the simple joy of finding something significant in the ground for the first time.
In summation, this trip is markedly different than any experience that I have had to date. The geography is antithetical to my Nebraska heritage, the work is patently different to the austere school work that I am used to, and through this I have broadened my perspective on many aspects of my life that I take for granted.