It’s crazy to think that I’ve only been here a week because of how much I now know about myself and have grown in this short period of time. One of the biggest things that I’ve learned is that I can do this. I can go to a new country with people I don’t know very well, leave my family, dog, and everything I’m used to, and not just survive, but thrive in a totally new environment. I have been surprised by how much I have loved it here even though it is so different than my home. On my first day at the site I wasn’t sure what I was doing and was worried I was going to break ancient artifacts or mess up the dirt. I have broken pottery and messed up dirt, but I am no longer concerned with wrecking things because I’ve learned so much from just being on the site and feel way more comfortable digging. I know that there is still a world I don’t know about archaeology, but I’m starting to slowly become a part of that world.
Something else that I know about myself now is how much history interests me. In high school my history classes were never very interesting or fun. My teachers weren’t engaging and didn’t make the content come to life, and so I always thought history wasn’t for me. Working on an archaeological dig sounded amazing from the moment I heard about it, but the history aspect wasn’t the part that drew me in. As I work on the dig, I can actually physically hold history in my hands and be the first one to find things that haven’t been seen in years. There is an excitement to know about the past I have developed that I’d never experienced before this trip. I am excited to go to back to school and have a new perspective as I go into history classes and learn about the world. Learning hands on is one of the ways my brain works best, and I love that I get to do that every day while I’m here.
This trip is both what I expected and what I didn’t expect at the same time. I am learning a lot about the world around me and about myself and I am ready for what’s to come in the upcoming weeks. It feels like I’ve been here for a long time but also like I got here yesterday. I don’t want this to end and I know this is an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life.