The hot climes have become a distant memory after less than a week - going from 25-30 Celsius to 12 Celsius and wet, rainy is a huge difference (to put it mildly). I've started working a bit, more focused on seeing lovely people that I've missed over the past few months, and preparing for the next move (more later on that).
The last weeks of excavation/cleaning up paperwork blur together as time did so often there. Mike and I traveled to see Ekin at her excavation (outside a small town on the way to Adana) for a break that turned out to be more harrowing than normal dig life, but it was good to get out of the compound, see Ekin again, and be on another adventure. It involved being dropped off at a highway intersection (the road goes to the town) and waiting by a gas station, fervently hoping that we were in the right place. Ceyhan (the town - pronouned Jay-han) was much greener than Antakya, it's on a river that still flows mightily (unlike the Orontes) with parks and actual cafes. Very exciting. The team was a mix of Germans and Turks, much smaller than Atchana's team, and we made a welcome diversion (at least that was my impression). I was even able to do a proofreading job for a professor I've worked for here in Belgrade. We stayed at the house of the watchman (where Ekin and her little girl Lale were as well since the excavation house was full up). Battles with mosquitoes lead to trying to sleep through the call to prayer (quite loud since it was Ramadan), roosters crowing and Lale practicing to be an opera singer... exhausting stuff. But one survives. And even enjoys.
I have photos up now of time in Turkey - just to put some faces with names and all that I suppose. For some reason I really like being on top of mountains looking down - apparently the ancients (or at least people in the past) had a similar view since so much is high up. There aren't many photos of our site because not allowed to post unpublished material. When I see you in person I can show those, but not publicly.
Good news too is that both Mike and I have been invited back to the dig for next year, it's nice to be loved. And useful - I find that is hugely important to my state of well-being, the feeling of utility. Darn American values. So assuming all goes well we have an idea for next summer already - talk about long-term planning!
Next adventure is moving to San Francisco. I'm excited about it, looking to get my ticket in the next few days to head there mid-October or so. Hopefully I'll find work with books or food (two of my loves), enjoy seeing folks I've not seen in awhile, and travel up to Seattle/Portland in the not too distant future as well. Mike will be there too (how fun!) and applying to grad schools for next year. Good times. Let me know if you're there, plan to be there - once I have an address I'll be sending it out once again. And you'll be welcome to come and visit (naturally).
Showing posts with label Turkey 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Turkey 2008. Show all posts
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Photo!
So I'm worried about McCain's VP choice - apparently she wants to kill polar bears. And had foreign policy experience because you can see Russia on a clear day from where she is. Hmmm. And then New Orleans will be hit with a hurricane in 12 hours or so. It's a scary world.
I wanted to put up this photo (taken by Hakki, the most relaxed and chill human I've ever met) from the Syria trip because it's actually a decent one and Mum always fusses that there are never any photos of me (there's the original and then what I cropped below). I'm still working on posting the trip itself when I become unmired from entering Bike's locus sheets and edit Maria's senior thesis so she can finally get her hands on her B.S. The compound's beginning to empty too - season really is winding down. But I think we still have enough to try and play volleyball, so that's a good thing.
I wanted to put up this photo (taken by Hakki, the most relaxed and chill human I've ever met) from the Syria trip because it's actually a decent one and Mum always fusses that there are never any photos of me (there's the original and then what I cropped below). I'm still working on posting the trip itself when I become unmired from entering Bike's locus sheets and edit Maria's senior thesis so she can finally get her hands on her B.S. The compound's beginning to empty too - season really is winding down. But I think we still have enough to try and play volleyball, so that's a good thing.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
An incredible food experience
Mike's pretty sick - it seems that the infection he's had for awhile has spread to his hip joint or something, causing a bunch of hospital visits yesterday and then a MRI (among other things) to get a real diagnosis today. In the afternoon I went back with him to the hospital mostly to be a handholder and distraction; it was a long and tiring time with people saying conflicting things in Turkish in the heat. He also hadn't really slept the night before because the pain was so bad, so exhaustion was kicking in.
Thus we stopped to pick up some kebab on the way back home so that he could take the pain-killers doctor gave us. Hanefi took us to a place along the highway towards our village where he seemed to know not only the owner but the men sitting around their drinks at the "kafeteria". So we order, guy asked if wanted garlic, spicey pepper - sure thing, I figure they'll make a sauce to order or something. Then he opens a refrigerator with what seems to be a dead cow or two hanging there, slices off a chunk of meat, weighs it, and then puts it in the meat grinder right in front of me. It looked like one of those old hand grinders but was motorized. So that passes through a bit, then goes into the food processor with the pepper and garlic (this will be Adana kebap that's a bit spicey it seems). Takes it out, throws it on the wooden counter in front of me and proceeds to chop, mash and then form two meat circles the size of dinner plates on pieces of paper. Some tomatoes are thrown on top and a little boy runs them out the door and down the street a ways, presumably to be cooked.
Meanwhile another little boy brings us cola, comes out to talk with Mike and I in the dolmus (since Mike's not supposed to walk and standing hurts). We have a funny English and Turkish conversation involving places we've been, where we're from, and the boys trying to sell us Ali, the Arab boy who's somewhere between6 and 8. Terribly cute, but we resist (they were concerned that I didn't have children I think). Finally after almost too much time the boys appear with giant newspaper packets - the meat circles are on huge ovals of fresh-baked flatbread and too hot to touch. Incredible stuff. And way yummy.
Today we just got back from the private hospital (my blogging is half digging, half medical issues it seems this summer). It was a long time and lots of doctors, but they squeezed him into the MRI and found liquid in his hip but seemingly no infection there. So days of rest are in order - since digging ends tomorrow and then people just stick around for a week or however long it takes to get their paperwork and final reports done, that's pretty ok. The best part was probably being in air conditioning for more than 2 seconds... huzzah! Gotta love those silver linings.
Thus we stopped to pick up some kebab on the way back home so that he could take the pain-killers doctor gave us. Hanefi took us to a place along the highway towards our village where he seemed to know not only the owner but the men sitting around their drinks at the "kafeteria". So we order, guy asked if wanted garlic, spicey pepper - sure thing, I figure they'll make a sauce to order or something. Then he opens a refrigerator with what seems to be a dead cow or two hanging there, slices off a chunk of meat, weighs it, and then puts it in the meat grinder right in front of me. It looked like one of those old hand grinders but was motorized. So that passes through a bit, then goes into the food processor with the pepper and garlic (this will be Adana kebap that's a bit spicey it seems). Takes it out, throws it on the wooden counter in front of me and proceeds to chop, mash and then form two meat circles the size of dinner plates on pieces of paper. Some tomatoes are thrown on top and a little boy runs them out the door and down the street a ways, presumably to be cooked.
Meanwhile another little boy brings us cola, comes out to talk with Mike and I in the dolmus (since Mike's not supposed to walk and standing hurts). We have a funny English and Turkish conversation involving places we've been, where we're from, and the boys trying to sell us Ali, the Arab boy who's somewhere between6 and 8. Terribly cute, but we resist (they were concerned that I didn't have children I think). Finally after almost too much time the boys appear with giant newspaper packets - the meat circles are on huge ovals of fresh-baked flatbread and too hot to touch. Incredible stuff. And way yummy.
Today we just got back from the private hospital (my blogging is half digging, half medical issues it seems this summer). It was a long time and lots of doctors, but they squeezed him into the MRI and found liquid in his hip but seemingly no infection there. So days of rest are in order - since digging ends tomorrow and then people just stick around for a week or however long it takes to get their paperwork and final reports done, that's pretty ok. The best part was probably being in air conditioning for more than 2 seconds... huzzah! Gotta love those silver linings.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Stormy weather
I've seen something I never imagined I'd see- rain here on the compound. Yesterday field crew had to stay home because of the wet, in the evening what promised to be a huge storm turned out to be a whole bunch of nothing. But playing volleyball in the sprinkling rain with it actually being cool was a lovely time. And we won a bunch -wooha!
Time here is winding down, digging ends Friday (and Ramadan begins!), people will be leaving right and left come 2/3rd Sept. Folks hold on in their own ways. I realized I never got to watch any Olympics - it makes me sad. And also that I keep not downloading photos, it's on the list to do I swear! (Although because of publication rights I can't post any of the site itself, so you'll have to see them in person if you're interested).
One cool project also mostly completed was my looking at over 40 pages of references to make them stylistically consistent. A big editing job, but I'm glad to have it done (I'm always wary these things will make their way back to me somehow - dealing with 2003-04 objects taught me that lesson already). I also learned the word for "publisher" in a couple languages, for example 'verlag' is German. Just to add to the bag of tricks I suppose.
Two days ago a girl here asked me "Are you really an English teacher?", her voice incredulous. I assured her that I'm just as, if not more so, goofy in class as I am often here. Can't believe I'll be going back to that in just a few weeks, although the plan to head back stateside is still going strong.
Other news of note was that I made some incredible brownies too - rich and gooey. Was proud considering I approximated some things and made other parts up. Chocolate helps when tension mounts.
That could become a peace-keeping strategy.
Time here is winding down, digging ends Friday (and Ramadan begins!), people will be leaving right and left come 2/3rd Sept. Folks hold on in their own ways. I realized I never got to watch any Olympics - it makes me sad. And also that I keep not downloading photos, it's on the list to do I swear! (Although because of publication rights I can't post any of the site itself, so you'll have to see them in person if you're interested).
One cool project also mostly completed was my looking at over 40 pages of references to make them stylistically consistent. A big editing job, but I'm glad to have it done (I'm always wary these things will make their way back to me somehow - dealing with 2003-04 objects taught me that lesson already). I also learned the word for "publisher" in a couple languages, for example 'verlag' is German. Just to add to the bag of tricks I suppose.
Two days ago a girl here asked me "Are you really an English teacher?", her voice incredulous. I assured her that I'm just as, if not more so, goofy in class as I am often here. Can't believe I'll be going back to that in just a few weeks, although the plan to head back stateside is still going strong.
Other news of note was that I made some incredible brownies too - rich and gooey. Was proud considering I approximated some things and made other parts up. Chocolate helps when tension mounts.
That could become a peace-keeping strategy.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Syria? Yeah, I've been there.
Last Friday we escaped the compound (an intrepid group of 15) on a bus to Syria that we've gotten in what seemed to be a sweet deal with a tour company. The deal soured quickly, much to everyone's chagrin, as what was supposed to be included kept magically disappearing. Lesson learned - get mega-specific details BEFORE crossing borders.
Still, we went to Ebla (HUMONGOUS site) that was the seat of a big empire back in the day(yes, I should be better about dates and all that stuff I'm learning. It's late though). And Aleppo, a wonderful city. Mike and I got dinner on the street for what turned out to be perhaps 2 dollars for us both - incredible ice cream for dessert and everything. Our hotel was gorgeous old complex house with courtyards and roof terrace that was perhaps for an evening drink and narguile with some of the crew. The next morning we went to the incredible National Museum (so many artifacts to see) where I found figurines that look like fragments I've been seeing here at Atchana (very cool). Afterwards Mike and I wandered the bazaar with Stella (she and I tried to bargain up a storm, she got some great deals too) and looked at the outside of the citadel (the problem with group things is the time limits). Then another loooong bus ride to the temple of Ain Dara (where there were huge footprints in the rock). And finally back over the border (the way to Syria we sat there a few hours, the way back was quicker).
Thus there were maybe 18 hours of real vacation involved in the two day break we had. Exhausting. To top things off, we're having a heat wave with no wind (terrible) and it saps motivation to do much of anything. Thus my lack of photos online... I'll get there. Eventually. My current job is editing/proofreading a massive manuscript and spending lots of time in front of the computer - I hope to get out to site before excavation ends next week! (Where does the time go?). Meanwhile sickness runs rampant and the quest for cool continues.
Still, we went to Ebla (HUMONGOUS site) that was the seat of a big empire back in the day(yes, I should be better about dates and all that stuff I'm learning. It's late though). And Aleppo, a wonderful city. Mike and I got dinner on the street for what turned out to be perhaps 2 dollars for us both - incredible ice cream for dessert and everything. Our hotel was gorgeous old complex house with courtyards and roof terrace that was perhaps for an evening drink and narguile with some of the crew. The next morning we went to the incredible National Museum (so many artifacts to see) where I found figurines that look like fragments I've been seeing here at Atchana (very cool). Afterwards Mike and I wandered the bazaar with Stella (she and I tried to bargain up a storm, she got some great deals too) and looked at the outside of the citadel (the problem with group things is the time limits). Then another loooong bus ride to the temple of Ain Dara (where there were huge footprints in the rock). And finally back over the border (the way to Syria we sat there a few hours, the way back was quicker).
Thus there were maybe 18 hours of real vacation involved in the two day break we had. Exhausting. To top things off, we're having a heat wave with no wind (terrible) and it saps motivation to do much of anything. Thus my lack of photos online... I'll get there. Eventually. My current job is editing/proofreading a massive manuscript and spending lots of time in front of the computer - I hope to get out to site before excavation ends next week! (Where does the time go?). Meanwhile sickness runs rampant and the quest for cool continues.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Shot in the...
Somehow it's Saturday again. Saturdays mean sleeping in to 9 a.m. or even later - sheer decadence. Since I spend way too much time in front of the computer during working hours, I'm fighting my aversion now for another update.
Last Saturday I went into Antakya with Ferhat and Guzin for late afternoon. We went for food, wandered around the mysterious twistings of an older section and then ate Kunefe, this incredibly rich dessert that Hatay is known for. It's very good but I shouldn't have eaten a whole one - on top of our awesomely good dinner I was sick as a dog (literally and figuratively) afterwards. Even more thrilling was when we went to get the dolmush back to our village they'd stopped running - there was a bunch of our team members who'd also been in town for the day/evening there too, the company actually called another one to come and get us all half hour later - but an unfun ride for me trying not to vomit along the way (I was successful in that endeavor at least).
Monday Bike (pronounced Bee-kay) was going to see an eye doctor and I went along because my ear was getting worse again. After she did her thing at the eye clinic/hospital we went along to the private hospital of Antakya where all the girls who work the desks and assist the doctors wear green and white striped shirts and lots of makeup as well as look vaguely similar. The doctor there sent a camera down my ear, then a vacuum tube and water, then stuffed it full of gauze drenched in iodine. All in the space of 2 minutes. Ouch.
Apparently it was serious - not gravely but almost. The pharmacy provided me with a bunch of drugs including shots - yikes. Bike's dad is an ear, nose and throat specialist so she talked to him that evening to get a second opinion on what seemed an extreme treatment. He agreed and so I began the fun of shots twice a day of antibiotics for five days. That first night Mara on our team wielded the needle, but the following day and since I've had Barrati, the village handyman, as my shot-giver. He inoculates the village children and obviously knows what he's doing, which is a relief. 500 ml of antibiotic twice a day along with two kinds of ear drops and painkiller seem to be doing the trick, I have 2 shots left and then my hope is that this ear will actually stay open instead of teasing as it's been doing. I've been striving to take care of myself and get lots of sleep, all that jazz... I'm not a patient patient.
What's nice though is that so many people care. And are entertained by my injections (which is silly). A little tiny bit of gold has been discovered on site, squares are fighting to find features in some, others to make sense of the seeming mess they have in front of them. I've learned about Cypriot pottery from Ekin, our expert, as I helped her enter data and proof-read a paper she'd written. Drama continues but at a minimum (seemingly), now I'm here wondering what to do with the swiftly disappearing free hours I have left for today. Perhaps I'll venture to the museum in Antakya, work up the energy for farther afield once I'm whole again. At least the Turkish is coming along bit by bit - the young ladies that wash bones and pottery chatter with us in the mornings in a mix of English and Turkish, so that's helping a bunch too. Once again one has to be an utter fool to survive.
Last Saturday I went into Antakya with Ferhat and Guzin for late afternoon. We went for food, wandered around the mysterious twistings of an older section and then ate Kunefe, this incredibly rich dessert that Hatay is known for. It's very good but I shouldn't have eaten a whole one - on top of our awesomely good dinner I was sick as a dog (literally and figuratively) afterwards. Even more thrilling was when we went to get the dolmush back to our village they'd stopped running - there was a bunch of our team members who'd also been in town for the day/evening there too, the company actually called another one to come and get us all half hour later - but an unfun ride for me trying not to vomit along the way (I was successful in that endeavor at least).
Monday Bike (pronounced Bee-kay) was going to see an eye doctor and I went along because my ear was getting worse again. After she did her thing at the eye clinic/hospital we went along to the private hospital of Antakya where all the girls who work the desks and assist the doctors wear green and white striped shirts and lots of makeup as well as look vaguely similar. The doctor there sent a camera down my ear, then a vacuum tube and water, then stuffed it full of gauze drenched in iodine. All in the space of 2 minutes. Ouch.
Apparently it was serious - not gravely but almost. The pharmacy provided me with a bunch of drugs including shots - yikes. Bike's dad is an ear, nose and throat specialist so she talked to him that evening to get a second opinion on what seemed an extreme treatment. He agreed and so I began the fun of shots twice a day of antibiotics for five days. That first night Mara on our team wielded the needle, but the following day and since I've had Barrati, the village handyman, as my shot-giver. He inoculates the village children and obviously knows what he's doing, which is a relief. 500 ml of antibiotic twice a day along with two kinds of ear drops and painkiller seem to be doing the trick, I have 2 shots left and then my hope is that this ear will actually stay open instead of teasing as it's been doing. I've been striving to take care of myself and get lots of sleep, all that jazz... I'm not a patient patient.
What's nice though is that so many people care. And are entertained by my injections (which is silly). A little tiny bit of gold has been discovered on site, squares are fighting to find features in some, others to make sense of the seeming mess they have in front of them. I've learned about Cypriot pottery from Ekin, our expert, as I helped her enter data and proof-read a paper she'd written. Drama continues but at a minimum (seemingly), now I'm here wondering what to do with the swiftly disappearing free hours I have left for today. Perhaps I'll venture to the museum in Antakya, work up the energy for farther afield once I'm whole again. At least the Turkish is coming along bit by bit - the young ladies that wash bones and pottery chatter with us in the mornings in a mix of English and Turkish, so that's helping a bunch too. Once again one has to be an utter fool to survive.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Some photos
I had a mini-break, here are some photos from the dig camera to give some ambiance - a little on site, our compound during last Friday's fiesta. I'll take more soon, promise.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Now that's an earful!
It's been a week now - where has the time gone? Friday we visited neighboring Tayinat site (our site is cooler and we could totally take them in a fight even if there are more of them. Adam said "There's a great view of Atchana" when Mike asked how our visit had been.) Their crew came over to our compound for a cookout/fiesta. Yummy burritos and chili and grill - here's Ferhat on the right (my boss man) setting things up with Murat, our fiercely competent site manager.
On Saturday we had an excursion to the seaside after visiting the beginnings of a new site (it was on what was the coast and start of a river delta). Our lunch of yummy salads and grilled fish was the very thing before going to play in the water. It was dirty but the sea looked so appealing I and several others decided what the hey and jumped in anyway - totally fabulous. Just nice to float for awhile and I didn't even get that sunburned! (Just a little, not a surprise).
But on Sunday I awoke with my ear pounding and it got worse throughout the day. So a trip to the local emergency room made it on the agenda for Monday (since a trip to town was planned for then anyway). I had the lovely Guzen to translate for me as well as Ezgi (our conservator who was also sick) and away we went after lunch, some others along for other errands as well. Got to the hospital and found man behind the glass who checks people in. I don't have a health card so had to show my passport. And explain my name, give my parents' names as well. When we got the printout it showed they'd taken away my last name - I'm now Bethan Erin - and Turkified "Andrew" into something else. Another window let us pay (since I'm not a citizen don't have free meds) and then we went to wait. The doctors would be there at 4 we'd been told (it was about five till). At 4:15 we're contemplating breaking people's legs in order to get to a place to be served. Ezgi went in and got looked at, then I get called.
The doctor picks up probe to look in my ear and it falls apart when he tries to attach the plastic piece that will go into the canal. So we have to go out of curtained cubicle #1 to wait and see if can get into another one. #3 has an already broken instrument as well. And #2 has a large man sprawled across a bed but they rouse him after awhile, put him in #1 and there I am now with a new doctor. I get asked for the second time if I have a fever - I don't know - but they don't take my temp. After the pain of having my ear probed, twisted and torqued I'm told I have an outer ear infection. We make sure there's no penicillin in the prescription meds, then leave to find a nearby pharmacy. The man there marks my boxes of drugs with slashes and lines to indicate frequency and dosage before or after eating. Pretty cool. The adventure rounds out by finding the menfolk we'd dropped for personal shopping, going to a big supermarket for the general supplies as well as getting personal items (I now own Priates of the Caribbean flip flops since the puppies (guard dogs in training) here chewed on my others). Chocolate with pistachios inside fueled our trip home. And the craziest part - my hospital visit AND drugs was under $30.
Now I'm feeling more human and hope to hear properly soon. Yesterday Ferhat and I went to site and I finally got to see where all these things I've been recording come from. We started out in a far square, were shown around and then got to help out picking away a thin layer as the workers went to the next level. Hot work in the sun (yay for longer sleeves) and I found bones, pottery sherds. And flint! Nuri, the supervisor who's a bit of a clown, regularly came over and yelled "work! work!" at me. We were there two hours, I'd no idea of time passing. The workers didn't want us to leave but we rambled up and around to all the squares seeing what's going on. There's a lot of dirt. And some very cool things - I'll take my camera next time and post more photos. The set up for a square is a supervisor and usually an assistant, then 5 or so local workers. I want to know more Turkish - now that my brain seems to be settled I can work on that a bit more. I think that Ferhat just wanted to keep me sane after two days of entering in records from 2004 - today I attached photos to some of them. I'm developing a grudge against Access, but you work with what you've got. Here's hoping my ears decide to become normal soon!
On Saturday we had an excursion to the seaside after visiting the beginnings of a new site (it was on what was the coast and start of a river delta). Our lunch of yummy salads and grilled fish was the very thing before going to play in the water. It was dirty but the sea looked so appealing I and several others decided what the hey and jumped in anyway - totally fabulous. Just nice to float for awhile and I didn't even get that sunburned! (Just a little, not a surprise).
But on Sunday I awoke with my ear pounding and it got worse throughout the day. So a trip to the local emergency room made it on the agenda for Monday (since a trip to town was planned for then anyway). I had the lovely Guzen to translate for me as well as Ezgi (our conservator who was also sick) and away we went after lunch, some others along for other errands as well. Got to the hospital and found man behind the glass who checks people in. I don't have a health card so had to show my passport. And explain my name, give my parents' names as well. When we got the printout it showed they'd taken away my last name - I'm now Bethan Erin - and Turkified "Andrew" into something else. Another window let us pay (since I'm not a citizen don't have free meds) and then we went to wait. The doctors would be there at 4 we'd been told (it was about five till). At 4:15 we're contemplating breaking people's legs in order to get to a place to be served. Ezgi went in and got looked at, then I get called.
The doctor picks up probe to look in my ear and it falls apart when he tries to attach the plastic piece that will go into the canal. So we have to go out of curtained cubicle #1 to wait and see if can get into another one. #3 has an already broken instrument as well. And #2 has a large man sprawled across a bed but they rouse him after awhile, put him in #1 and there I am now with a new doctor. I get asked for the second time if I have a fever - I don't know - but they don't take my temp. After the pain of having my ear probed, twisted and torqued I'm told I have an outer ear infection. We make sure there's no penicillin in the prescription meds, then leave to find a nearby pharmacy. The man there marks my boxes of drugs with slashes and lines to indicate frequency and dosage before or after eating. Pretty cool. The adventure rounds out by finding the menfolk we'd dropped for personal shopping, going to a big supermarket for the general supplies as well as getting personal items (I now own Priates of the Caribbean flip flops since the puppies (guard dogs in training) here chewed on my others). Chocolate with pistachios inside fueled our trip home. And the craziest part - my hospital visit AND drugs was under $30.
Now I'm feeling more human and hope to hear properly soon. Yesterday Ferhat and I went to site and I finally got to see where all these things I've been recording come from. We started out in a far square, were shown around and then got to help out picking away a thin layer as the workers went to the next level. Hot work in the sun (yay for longer sleeves) and I found bones, pottery sherds. And flint! Nuri, the supervisor who's a bit of a clown, regularly came over and yelled "work! work!" at me. We were there two hours, I'd no idea of time passing. The workers didn't want us to leave but we rambled up and around to all the squares seeing what's going on. There's a lot of dirt. And some very cool things - I'll take my camera next time and post more photos. The set up for a square is a supervisor and usually an assistant, then 5 or so local workers. I want to know more Turkish - now that my brain seems to be settled I can work on that a bit more. I think that Ferhat just wanted to keep me sane after two days of entering in records from 2004 - today I attached photos to some of them. I'm developing a grudge against Access, but you work with what you've got. Here's hoping my ears decide to become normal soon!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Look ma there's Syria or I'm in Turkey!
I made it to the Alalakh dig in the weesmalls of Tuesday morning. Leaving Belgrade went ok except that I felt gross with stuffy head and general achey-ness. Hung out for many hours in the domestic terminal of Istanbul airport reading during my layover before 22:55 flight to Hatay. I wasn't sure if there'd be anyone there since never got a confirmation to my emails, but after helping a Ecuadorian film-maker with her bags and chatting with a police officer in English I saw a man with my name on a sign. Huzzah! We drove down the deserted roads out into the middle of nowhere Turkey speaking a mix of Turkish, English, and German as he told me about where we were going, asked me questions and tried to answer mine. We arrived to the dig compound at 2 a.m. and I was shown a bed, quickly got into it.
People were up and moving to go to site at 5 a.m. so I got up with them, looked for someone in charge to tell me what the heck I was supposed to do. Murat, our general man with a plan, told me to sleep more and not worry. Easy enough. Mike was also sick with heatstroke, so got to chat with him a bit as well (he's better now). Found Aslihan (our fearless director, she hides out in this little office that wasn't too hard to find) and she told me what was going on, gave me the grand tour of the compound, and then handed me over to Ferhat, my new leader.
My job here is assisting (or being a minion) to Ferhat, the recorder of the excavation. That means that he looks at all the objects and writes up what they are, then I type the sheets into the database. He's into heavy metal, has long black ponytail down his back, studied American Lit for his BA, is totally fearsome and laughs at things I say. We get on well. Except that I type too fast and keep finishing up the little amount of work they have for me (there's this database backlog project that looms but we're running into technical glitches that I can't fix so I keep not having it to do). Thus I made coffee yesterday in the morning, today entered all the conservator's data from this season... and am writing this as he looks at more objects so I can enter them soon. He even let me switch the music from metal to a mix on my ipod - apparently I'm liked and accepted. Which is awesome.
The tone of the dig is relaxed and long. Field crew leaves about 5:15-30 in the morning, we house crew (since stay at the dig house compound here where we also all sleep and eat) start around 6 (or so). There's first breakfast then, 2nd breakfast at 8:30 (which reminds me of hobbits), we're working all morning with official coffeebreak at 11ish. Field crew gets back and we all lunch at 13:30, chill out until tea at 4ish, then back to work (others sort pottery, enter their data for the day or what have you - I do same kind of stuff regardless). Dinner is at 7:30, we've watched some cartoons one night, there are a bunch of movies that will debut soon too. People wander to bed starting around 10 and it begins again. I got my own bed yesterday - been using someone else's who was sleeping on the roof until some people left (their season had started way earlier), so now settled for real I suppose.
You can see Syria from the roof of the dig house - it's a mountain right there (20 km) after a heavily guarded border. The sky at night is gorgeous and starry as is watching the sunset over the mountains. I've not made it into Antakya yet (the city nearby), there's no reason yet and the massive amount of sun means this girl stays in the shade a whole bunch.
Speaking of which, I should go and get those records recorded before lunch (to justify my "slacking" right now). It's a good place and I'm glad to be here (and already making jokes like the box that contains "non-artifacts" (a response to the pottery expert's box of artifacts which are pieces of stone that are worked but have no context because they come from the gravel in the compound, thus are no good for us)). Look at me learning.
People were up and moving to go to site at 5 a.m. so I got up with them, looked for someone in charge to tell me what the heck I was supposed to do. Murat, our general man with a plan, told me to sleep more and not worry. Easy enough. Mike was also sick with heatstroke, so got to chat with him a bit as well (he's better now). Found Aslihan (our fearless director, she hides out in this little office that wasn't too hard to find) and she told me what was going on, gave me the grand tour of the compound, and then handed me over to Ferhat, my new leader.
My job here is assisting (or being a minion) to Ferhat, the recorder of the excavation. That means that he looks at all the objects and writes up what they are, then I type the sheets into the database. He's into heavy metal, has long black ponytail down his back, studied American Lit for his BA, is totally fearsome and laughs at things I say. We get on well. Except that I type too fast and keep finishing up the little amount of work they have for me (there's this database backlog project that looms but we're running into technical glitches that I can't fix so I keep not having it to do). Thus I made coffee yesterday in the morning, today entered all the conservator's data from this season... and am writing this as he looks at more objects so I can enter them soon. He even let me switch the music from metal to a mix on my ipod - apparently I'm liked and accepted. Which is awesome.
The tone of the dig is relaxed and long. Field crew leaves about 5:15-30 in the morning, we house crew (since stay at the dig house compound here where we also all sleep and eat) start around 6 (or so). There's first breakfast then, 2nd breakfast at 8:30 (which reminds me of hobbits), we're working all morning with official coffeebreak at 11ish. Field crew gets back and we all lunch at 13:30, chill out until tea at 4ish, then back to work (others sort pottery, enter their data for the day or what have you - I do same kind of stuff regardless). Dinner is at 7:30, we've watched some cartoons one night, there are a bunch of movies that will debut soon too. People wander to bed starting around 10 and it begins again. I got my own bed yesterday - been using someone else's who was sleeping on the roof until some people left (their season had started way earlier), so now settled for real I suppose.
You can see Syria from the roof of the dig house - it's a mountain right there (20 km) after a heavily guarded border. The sky at night is gorgeous and starry as is watching the sunset over the mountains. I've not made it into Antakya yet (the city nearby), there's no reason yet and the massive amount of sun means this girl stays in the shade a whole bunch.
Speaking of which, I should go and get those records recorded before lunch (to justify my "slacking" right now). It's a good place and I'm glad to be here (and already making jokes like the box that contains "non-artifacts" (a response to the pottery expert's box of artifacts which are pieces of stone that are worked but have no context because they come from the gravel in the compound, thus are no good for us)). Look at me learning.
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