by John McDaniel | Jul 15, 2018 | Research Blog
You may be surprised, as I was, to hear that it was common people assumed my time in Turkey would be leisurely. Conversely, you may be one of those who think what we’re doing in Gaziapasa is nothing more than a glorified vacation. I’m not sure where this perception...
by John McDaniel | Jul 14, 2018 | Research Blog
Before arriving in Gazipasa people always asked me how I felt about traveling to Turkey. Truth be told, I never knew how to respond to them. I didn’t exactly feel scared, but I didn’t exactly feel excited either. To put it simply, the whole situation felt so surreal...
by Gabrielle Lattery | Jul 14, 2018 | Research Blog
I arrived at the dig house on July 1, 2018 at 2am. Most of the American team arrived later in the afternoon, so I was able to spend the first day at the beach with the Turkish students and a couple of fellow Oles. One Turkish student brought a guitar and played music...
by | Jul 8, 2018 | Research Blog
The first week in Turkey has exceeded all expectation. With a layover to go sight seeing, I was able to explore with a friend and immerse in Turkish culture and history. While exploring, we experienced the brutal friendliness of shop keep after shop keep, this same...
by | Jul 8, 2018 | Research Blog
We just finished our first week in Turkey and it was a whirlwind of new learning and interesting experiences. I now know that I can get up at 5 am and dig in the hot sun for seven hours without too much of an problem, Turkish tea is very very good, and bread never...
by | Jul 8, 2018 | Research Blog
I should preface my first blog post by emphasizing just how much I have been looking forward to this project. I can remember my interview with the St. Olaf admissions officer (I even remember that his name is DJ) where he brought up the dig when I had mentioned that I...
by | Jul 8, 2018 | Research Blog
This first week has been an eye-opening experience in a number of ways, some expected, some completely unexpected. The intensive labor and the hot Turkish sun were things that I came into this opportunity completely prepared for. The tight living quarters and...
by | Jul 8, 2018 | Research Blog
When I first landed in Gazipasa I had no idea what to expect from the project as a whole, but with the exception of the heat, all my worries were put to rest soon after as I have been nothing but pleasantly surprised by everything. Overall, Turkish culture is way more...
by | Jul 8, 2018 | Research Blog
I have been away from home for six months now… hopping from one study abroad program to another. So you can perhaps imagine my relief when, after preparing myself for another month of the tiring “Unknown,” I arrive in Turkey to find a warm welcome and excitement for...
by | Jul 8, 2018 | Research Blog
Since I got off the plane into Gazipaşa, this week has been all about adjustments and adapting to conditions. One the most obvious adjustments that everyone had to make was the time change, especially coming from the west coast of the United States. I had not mentally...
