Traveling can be hard. Traveling to another country for the first time can be harder if I don’t say so myself. But with the challenges I faced when traveling to and later from Turkey for this archeological internship, I wouldn’t say it’s impossible. Rather, you get to learn the mistakes being made while traveling and as well being able to identify what to do and not to do when traveling to another country. For example, re-reading the necessary items listed in the internship syllabus more than 2 times or even printing out the full list is a must to bring these necessary items to be used inside or even outside your time digging for artifacts. Even though I have most of the things listed on the list on me, however, I have missed a few items such as tweezers, an antibacterial cream, any sort of medical equipment (doesn’t have to be big, travel size should do the trick), an extra slipper for going outside, and of course a trowel. To some, it doesn’t sound like a big deal, however, it affects not only the process and results of the workplace you will be digging into but also how your health and body process changes like dietary restrictions, injuries, and of course dealing with the heat almost 24/7(and trust me you might but not as deadly). Yes, air conditioning still exists in Turkey and most likely you will have shade in your digging site, but that doesn’t mean you are automatically safe from being injured, dehydrated, or at least not being used to understanding what your body needs and what you should do. LEARN YOUR BODY. Learn what it needs, eat, avoid, and do when it comes to working hard and yes you will be digging, throwing, cutting, carrying, and breathing for almost 6-7 hours for 5 days a week (but the good news is it’s gonna get easier as your body process to adapt this change and becomes stronger even than you ever become). So in short, printing a list and crossing out what you need while emailing your professor for the items you need if you can afford is a must to be able to take care of your body and yourself in these types of situations in another country. So in short, should I return for another season of hard work and labor? Well, of course! Let me tell you what I learned and why I want to come back (hope the professor can give me a promotion for my return ._.).
I think one crucial thing I learned from this internship rather than learning about the ancient city ruins that was Antiochia, under the Roman Empire rule and one of the main producers of wine and form of Christianity, is the people. Now this may be different for most of you as an Anthropology major and future Anthropologist myself whose job is understanding people, but to be able to live in another country, culture, and environment, I believe that communicating as much as possible is a must. One thing I regret not being able to master before coming to Antiochia was Turkish. Yes, it was a difficult language but only being able to speak only two phrases (Hello and Thank You) isn’t much I can do to build a relationship with the people in Antiochia and of course Gazipaşa. But that isn’t always the case for the people of Turkey. Yes, understanding their language and how they communicate is a must to build a relationship with them, but what matters is your actions. Are you a hard-working good person who cares about people? Are you doing at least your job right? Are you following orders? Are you even trying to learn what they are saying in their original language? Yes, all of these things sound competitive so let me break it down. The importance of remaining humble, disciplined, and kind not only to the people of Turkey but most importantly to your peers and professors who will be working alongside you during your time in Turkey. Not disclaimer, always have boundaries and limits to how people around you (even the Turks) treat you but do it most maturely and respectfully as possible such as walking out, telling a supervisor/professor, and/or dont talking to them if you dont feel comfortable around them. Having limits is a must for the safety of not only yourself but also others. Being able to communicate with the Turks through my actions is a way to show I am a go-getting respectful kind of person being able to help as much as I can and this is why I want to come back. To not only learn what I already know about the ancient city and the Roman Empire but to learn to be disciplined, respectful, hardworking, and outgoing to people from another country and to my peers who would later become people I enjoy hanging out with after the dig.
In Conclusion, learn what you want to learn and learn what you need to learn. Is something that humans should do to not only become professionals in their respective fields but also become what people need around them, hope. And I want to say to all the people, professors, supervisors, volunteers, and locals that I have worked with or communicated with, thank you.