I underestimated how much physical labor goes into archaeology. I was warned that it would be hard work, but I had no clue how much it would entail. However, it is rewarding work. I never thought that I would get so excited over digging in the ground and finding a wall, or a bone, or a shard of pottery. While being here, I have pushed myself physically. I’ve learned that I can carry really heavy rocks. I’ve also learned that I bruise really easily because of those really heavy rocks. Unfortunately it did take me two weeks to figure out how to properly lift with my legs, but I can proudly say that I know how to do so now. I have never done such hard work in my life, and I am sure that I will never do work this difficult ever again in my life. Being here has also made me much more aware of my body and I feel as though I’m learning really interesting things about how to take care of my body. I don’t actually fact check anything that people tell me, but I believe the advice that they give me. Apparently drinking the hot tea at chai time is really good for you even though you feel hot and want to drink something cold. I’ve learned that eating a lot of salt will ensure that your muscles don’t cramp. The craziest thing that I’ve learned, however, is that your body sweats so much here that you eon’t have to pee. I really did not believe that when I was told that, but strangely it is true. I’m learning so much about so many different things that I did not know I would learn about here, and everything is always really interesting. I do enjoy the work and I find everything here be so fascinating.
I have found it difficult sometimes to shift my focus off of myself and acknowledge that we are uncovering an ancient city. I am aware that this sounds very selfish, and it is. It is easy to complain about having to wake up at 5:00 AM. It is easy to focus on how hot, sweaty, and disgusting you constantly are while on site. It’s really easy to be sucked into the archaeology drama at lunch. It feels so self centered to admit, but it is difficult to remove oneself from all of these things and acknowledge that we are a part of something so much bigger than these monotonous, mundane activities. As we have all discussed many times, real people used to live in the place that we are excavating. When I do take the time to acknowledge that we are uncovering the ancient city of Antiochia, it reminds me of the purpose of why I wanted to come here. Archaeology has always been really interesting to me, though I never thought I would do archaeology myself. I had never been outside of the country before this (besides Canada, but that feels like it doesn’t count). I am a Sociology/Anthropology and Political Science double major that has never experienced culture beyond the U.S. I applied to this dig because I wanted to experience culture and learn about archaeology and the history behind Antiochia. Truthfully, I applied to this dig because I wanted to build my resume and I really did not want to work my customer service job in my hometown that none of my friends live in anymore. There were so many reasons that went into my applying for this internship, and I feel really grateful to be here. I continue to remind myself of the weight of being allowed to dig in a land that is not my home and that I have no cultural ties to. This is a crazy experience and I feel very privileged.