My first week in Gazipasa– chaotic, in an awesome way. Before the work on site even started, the first few days here were tough; we were trying to get acclimated to a new country, new people, and new culture all while coming off of a long-haul international flight. We made the best of it though, and enjoyed some good times exploring shops and restaurants around town. On day three, we started work on-site. So far, it’s been some of the most challenging work I, and most others on my team, have ever done. This first week of work has been a bit of a shock to the system. I swear, that 5:00 wake-up time came earlier and earlier every morning. But you know what, we all got up, we all got out there, and we all worked ourselves to the bone with smiles on our faces. It really has been an amazing experience. I wasn’t expecting us to become a team so quickly, but there’s a sense of camaraderie and trust between us St. Olaf folks that has made work so much easier and more enjoyable. Most of us didn’t know each other before we came here, but five days together and, at risk of sounding cheesy, I have to say we’re working like a well-oiled machine. Of course, no team is perfect– we’ve had some upsets this week and there’s been tension and frustration along the way; but all-in-all, I love and trust my team, and am incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made in every sense.
I didn’t have many set expectations coming into this month, but Gazipasa has surprised and delighted me. I was expecting the hot, humid climate (it’s constant sweat,) but what surprised me was the culture here. The way people live life in Gazipasa is so cool to me, and so different from anything I have ever experienced. A friend of mine summed it up really nicely; she said “I wouldn’t say this place is beautiful, but I would say the people here know what beauty is.” It’s true, this place doesn’t necessarily fit into the Western beauty ideal, but the people here know what’s beautiful– they know what matters. From what I’ve seen this week, what matters is hard work, family, good friends, and good time spent doing the things that help the community. I’ve noticed it’s very much a work hard play hard culture here; people spend the day working as hard as possible, but then restaurants and bars are open and filled with people until the early morning hours. People know how to work and want to work, but they also know how to relax and keep themselves feeling fulfilled. I feel like we’ve started to adopt that mentality; we work our tails off at the site, moving rock, cleaning brush, and defining walls, and then spend the evenings in town or at the dig house relaxing with the people we’ve come to know and love this past week. We take every opportunity to get out and explore, going to the beach, new restaurants and shops, and this weekend taking a field trip to the most beautiful national park in Alanya. We put in the work, but man we know how to have fun. Living in this culture for a week has been wonderful– I’m starting to learn that I really like to live life this way.
