I feel that there are many ways this trip has helped me as an academic, worker and just as a person in general. This trip has demonstrated my and all of my peers’ work ethic, flexibility, creativity, endurance in the face of struggle and good character. We have been consistently challenged on this dig–physically, mentally, emotionally…–and some days it is difficult to wake up at 4:30 in the morning for work, yet we rise to the occasion with a smile on our faces (at least after breakfast). It’s not easy living in a country so far outside the bounds of what is “normal” to us, yet we have persevered and thrived here. Some skills I feel I have really developed are definitely focused around the archaeological process, namely thoughtful examination of points of interest, careful excavation of the sites and conscientious engagement with the finds and what the finds represent. I feel that everyone here on this trip has gained so much from the experience. We are all stronger, wiser and more caring than before we arrived. There is an infectious energy around the site that is simply intoxicating, there is always someone watching your back and looking over your shoulder and asking if you are ok, it is a lovely feeling that creates a ceaseless cycle of goodwill.
Now I want to elaborate more on what it’s been like in Turkey and how this experience has adjusted my world view. Compared to many people my age I am a very experienced traveler. Coming to Turkey I have been to twenty five other countries, far more than many people could ever dream about visiting. I know I have been incredibly lucky to visit all of these places and so I try to learn from every place I visit, not only just about the history and geography and culture of the place, but also about why people from other places act and think differently from me. It’s a difficult way to think, to try and peel away the layers of cultural difference to find how even with the superficial differences these people are the same as I and everyone else I’ve ever known. Because someone eats different food doesn’t make one cuisine better or worse, it makes the act of eating more diverse and enjoyable and only expands the ways one can enjoy food. Just because things are more sporadic and more events are decided in the moment doesn’t mean they’re being rude or inconsiderate, it’s just how different people think; it’s based on cultural norms, not American planning standards. I feel like this place has smoothed out some rough edges I didn’t even know I had, living somewhere where I notice the minutiae of things around me on a daily basis has not only given me more appreciation for their cultural practices, I also feel like I understand my own so much better. That’s what travel and exploration is about, it’s about seeing the world for how it’s different to see how it truly is, more similar than it is different.