Reflecting upon the past month, I believe that I’ve gained and showcased many “marketable skills”, including adaptability, perseverance, and teamwork. Living in another country with a completely different climate and working as an archaeologist for a month have been challenging at times but I’ve gotten used to it, and have adjusted my routines and habits to fit this new environment. On site in particular, the work is difficult and laborious but I’ve enjoyed this opportunity to challenge myself and see what I can do. Finally, working with my groupmates in 6B has been a fantastic experience. I’ve loved getting to know them all better personally, as well as navigating working as a team with flexible roles on site, pooling our knowledge to create our notebook entries every night, and challenging each other to analyze and interpret our findings and their greater implications.
In a more specific context, this internship has provided me with skills necessary for a future career, potentially as an archaeologist. To begin with, I’ve learned technical archaeological skills of excavation, how to identify and catalogue finds, and how to take elevation measurements, soil samples, and site photographs. The experience of having lived and worked in another (non-English speaking) country with a variety of different colleagues is also very useful, demonstrating to potential employers that I’m not limited to working in the US or other English-speaking countries, and that I can successfully navigate professional encounters with people of a variety of social and cultural backgrounds. I look forward to discovering what other skills I’ve gained from this experience and how they will come into play in future plans.
P.S. Hi Boss Lady Audrey…
