I did not know how happy I would be here! It reminds me a lot of where I grew up in CA. The mountains, the ocean, the beautiful nature, everything. What is different than my hometown I would say is how nice people are. In CA, people are not nice. Everyone is in a hurry and very grumpy most of the time. I did not expect the Turkish people to be so welcoming towards Americans. They are so kind. I did not expect to be so happy, I have been smiling non-stop since stepping foot off of the plane in Gazipasa over a week and a half ago and seeing the gorgeous sunset. But also, listening to Abba on top of that adds to my overall happiness of being here.
I did not expect to enjoy the manual labor as much as I do. The first day was very rough. I did not want to stay, if I’m being honest. I wanted to go home asap. But with everyday that has passed, I have begun to quickly fall in love with it. My favorite parts are unearthing rocks, taking the wheelbarrow down the hill and trying to respectfully tell the story of the people who lived here. Bonding with everyone on and off site has been wonderful. I now know the most important word for an archaeologist in Turkey: “su”. Which means “water”. You will need to know this one for sure! I also did not know how much of an influence the Greeks and Romans had in this region of the world despite being separate regions but rather close in distance.
My family is part Greek so it has been so cool seeing the similarities in food and hospitality. I think the food is pretty similar: a lot of yogurt and meat. I think it is overall a more healthy culture here than in America. Here in Gazipasa we are in a more rural farming region so we are grateful to have the opportunity to eat fresh vegetables and fruits. My work and life here is amazing! I did not expect to love it as much as I do. I am so happy. I feel very connected to my ancestors who lived in this region. In a way, I am kind of living a similar life they did: eating simple foods grown locally, working hard in the hot sun to excavate where people similar to them could have lived, swimming in the Mediterranean like they did, the list goes on and on. I am extremely happy to be here!!