Off to Turkey

Well, I've made it through security for my first flight! Over the next 24 hours I will be making my way to the town of Gazipasa, Turkey to begin my summer of archaeological research. Basically, I'm Bridget from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. I doubt my dig will be quite as glamorous as Bridget's, so thankfully I'm fully prepared to be working on walls instead of skeletons. (I'll still be holding out hope for a Hollywood-worthy find though!)

What makes this dig even more exciting for me is that I have a bit of a family background in archaeology. After graduating with degrees in English and Anthropology, my mom set off on an archaeological dig in Tunisia, just across the Mediterranean from where I will be working. The sites themselves are similar too; both are Roman provincial sites with early Christian influences. Below you can see our trowels side by side! I grew up hearing stories about her time on the dig, so I can't wait to experience it for myself.

My first few days on the dig site will certainly be an adventure. Our professor is joining us several days after I arrive with the rest of the research assistants, so we have instructions to support the rest of the dig staff and start scouting the site for where we'll excavate this summer. The first days of almost totally independence on the site will definitely get me ready for whatever the rest of the summer throws at me. I hope. That's the plan at least.

Anyways, my flight is about to board, so now seems as good a time as any to sign off! Be sure to sign up with your email to get notified when I post to hear about more adventures to come.

Thanks for reading!

-GMH