So far, my time in turkey has been a great experience, being able to meet new people and enjoy being in turkey and working there. Right away I was surprised by how receptive most of the places and stores in Gazapasa are, along with the people in the town. A major and predicted difference is the large language barrier between most of the people in town, but luckily with google translate and them being prepared for this barrier it is only a minor inconvenience. Though what is similar is the multitude of shops offering nearly everything you may need from a nice meal to even an electric scooter, though I would discourage getting one as the driving here can be quite hectic, also like back in Minneapolis. From these first experiences I have grown bit of a fondness for Turkey, with its beautiful landscapes and great food and people. I’ve always been bit of a picky eater so at first, I was hesitant to trying the foods here, but since getting here much of the food has been quite good and I am happy to try more of it.
Along with this I was surprised by how large the actual dig site area is, at first, I thought it would be a single ruin or buried structure when it is a large site with multiple discoveries and fascinating places. As for the workload at the site it has varied. For the Olaf site at a ruined nobles house there has been a large amount of labor required to clear it of rocks, roots, and other debris to prepare it for excavation, taking up much longer than expected. Though now that it is out of the way the workload should become less physically straining, becoming more focused on excavating the site. This work has also allowed me to meet many people from various backgrounds and future goals, some fellow students and others coming from elsewhere to also be a part of the excavation of the site. Each person has been a delight to be around, with different stories of their life and plans for future studies or work, showing the wide variety of people doing archaeology. So overall, coming to Turkey to work at Gazipasa has proven to be a blessing, being able to work with great people in a breathtaking landscape to uncover ancient history long buried.
