It was an expedition at the site Antiochia ad Cragum, at a former residential area. Being on a month-long archaeological dig in Türkiye helped me sharpen a lot of my skills, such as analysis and communications. Finding artifacts and antiquities helped me to more heavily scrutinize my performance in the field, and properly labeling everything and communicating my findings both on site and in larger group discussions allowed me to communicate my thoughts to others.
The work certainly wasn’t easy. Not many people are itching to go do manual labor for 8 hours a day in the Turkish summer heat, but I knew it would provide a lot of great experience for both field work and for the development of my own work ethic. Out there, the work only gets done if you’re directly contributing to the ends; there’s no pawning it off on someone else or sitting on your hands until it’s taken care of for you. In doing this level of work for myself, it helped me gain a better grasp of my character, and I came out the other end more assured of my own work ethic and capabilities.
I am an international relations student, so I’m always excited at the prospect of being able to work, or at least visit, other countries. In working with Turkish students on a Turkish archaeological site, I found myself immersed in the culture and stylings of Türkiye. I don’t know where I’ll end up in 5, 10, 20 years, but the fact that I’ve been given the opportunity to immerse myself and learn in a foreign country has only let my interest in global affairs blossom. This, combined with the sharpening of my communication and leadership skills, puts me in a decent position for a future in global relations. Maybe as an advisor, maybe as an analyst, or maybe I could even be an ambassador of sorts some day. Whatever happens, doing the work at Antiochia has only made me a better worker and a more dedicated patron of history and international relations.