When entering a new place, especially a new country, I try to keep my mind as open as possible to the culture, food, and language. This is no exception. In preparation for my time living in Gazipaşa, most of my information about the place has been from Prof. Howe. I tend to be cautious when looking online, so I don’t overthink and come to false conclusions. Most of my expectations have been correct, and if not, I can’t fully recall a scenario where I have been shocked or surprised by it. In the town specifically, I expected it to look more like my family’s hometown of Mola in Italy. This place has more greenery, and it’s much more difficult to walk to the center of the town than wherever my family stayed while in Italy. I would love to learn more about Turkish culture.
A week ago, I assumed I was prepared to work in the dig site. I had spent the summer picking up large, heavy boxes in a hot and stuffy warehouse. Turns out I was completely, utterly, and very loudly WRONG. I’ve learned that it’s easy to push limits when you’re not covered in dirt with the sun down your back, but with those two factors, it’s a bit harder. I’ve learned not to push myself past my limits, and instead work with them and pace myself. Being around the Turkish students has helped. They set an example of how I should work, which I’m grateful for. I’ve learned that working in such a large space is very much a “trust the process” situation. I’m told that I’ve worked hard, but it doesn’t feel that way. Also, I think I’ve become more comfortable in asking questions and trying to not overthink before I ask. People are forgiving because I’m learning, and I have been remembering that more and more.
As I’m learning more about archaeological work, I should’ve expected more glorified gardening. Which, in my defense, I did! Just not so much, especially the roots of plants being so deep under the ground. It makes me wonder how long they’ve been there and how much they’ve seen. Are they under every building? Waiting for civilization to die? Working on the room with the burned beam has made me nervous about destroying something important. When I was working on a wall near it, I was scared to encounter pieces of charcoal. This ties back to my other point of having the time to learn, but I can’t help being afraid to get in trouble for something I didn’t know. Archaeology takes time, especially uncovering the past before it can even be understood.
While I’ve only been working for a week, my thoughts of Antiochia have changed from not knowing much to wanting to learn more. I’ve become excited for what may be in the storage room or why there’s charcoal in it. I’m excited to learn what my friends/teammates/classmates discover. I feel honored to be able to pick up ancient trash pottery and hold it in my hands, knowing no one has done that for thousands of years. It makes me feel like Antiochia is still a living city, maybe just in our discoveris of its past.
Also, I really was hoping the side storage room was a garden with a tree because there’s nothing I love more than glazing anceint China. Who doesn’t want a ming dynasty garden??
Anyway, I’m grateful to the friends and teammates I’ve made and hgave been able to learn from. In our group, I’ve learned that when something goes wrong, I tend to be the first to stand up or say something. It’s not like I want to, I honestly was hoping to stay on the sidelines of big group things. But I just can’t. It seems I’ll do anything to help others, especially the people on my team. (Which obviously isn’t a problem, it just happened before I started thinking about it)