Day 25: 6/16

It was my last day in Madaba…in Jordan. I feel bittersweet about leaving. Although I'm ready to see my family and friends, I am really going to miss the culture, the people, hospitality, food, and the experiences that I had here in Jordan. It has been an amazing opportunity to live in Jordan even if just for a few weeks. I have gotten to know some of the local community members, families, and even met some amazing people from my university that I hadn't met before. I can't wait to share my experience with my close friends and families, all the pictures, videos, and stories. This trip has definitely inspired me in many ways and has motivated my career path. I will be back in Jordan soon, enshallah!

Farewell Jordan!

Day 24: 6/15

Our journey back from Petra to Madaba was a road trip with stops at tourist sites we hadn't seen yet such as Kerak. Being exhausted from touring around Petra for two days, many of us were extremely exhausted. The places we visited seemed very extravagant, well preserved, and interesting, but I regret how tired I was because I couldn't fully enjoy the sites as I would have liked. Nonetheless, I took pictures for memory, when I did get out the bus at some of the sites. When we arrived back at the hotel,  my friends and I went to our friend Mohammad's home to have one last visit with him and his family. Before dropping us off back at the hotel, he took us to the nice sweet shop around the corner.



I tried this delicious sweet pastry called canava. When he told me it had cheese I was very skeptical, but I actually really enjoyed the desert.

Day 23: 6/14

Petra was definitely my favorite tour. The buildings are amazing. I spent most of my time there in awe of the way these structures are carved into these huge rocks, the placement, the grandeur, and the intricate details were overwhelming in itself. There were many incredible views to climb up to, whether on foot or by help. We rented donkeys to go to the most high place, and also to the monastery. Climbing to the highest points was definitely worth it for the view. When I go back to Petra I do want to conquer the hundreds of steps that lead up to these popular areas. Most importantly, I want to see the all the sites that I didn't get to see this first time around. After going up to the high place and the monastery I was completely exhausted, more physically exhausted than I have ever been before, but it was all so worth it.  

Not a typical Petra photo, but I had to show one of the friends I made in Petra!

Day 22 : 6/13

Our tour of Petra began this evening with Little Petra. I really enjoyed Little Petra, though I did not get to visit the Neolithic exhibit of the park, I did enjoy hiking up to the “Best view in the world” to take pictures. I also encountered a man playing the rababa and singing, who also was charging one dinar to take his photo or a video. There were two men playing the flute-like instrument in one of the caves where we stopped to take photos. They invited us to Bedouin cave party, as many of them do. That is one thing I wanted to do that I didn't get chance to. It would be nice to experience the music and other Bedouin traditions but hopefully another time.

Little Petra. 

  

Day 21: 6/12

In celebration of my friend Jeison's last day, a group of us took the local bus to Taj Mall in Amman. Somehow we always end up arriving to the bus stop right when the bus is pulling up. This time we rode a different bus into Amman, it was slightly bigger and it took us farther into Amman, very close to the mall. The mall was huge, even bigger than most of the malls in Maryland. There were a lot of nice clothing stores that I would definitely shop at. According to my friend from Russia, the stores are mostly European. I was most excited about the Starbucks. I bought two pastries and a drink, after being separated so long from Starbucks I couldn't help myself. The pastries were much bigger than the ones in America from what I remember. Starbucks was easily the best part of my day.

The entrance of Taj Mall. 

  

Day 20: 6/11

It was a wonderful celebration for the end of the season with zataar bread, sweets, tea, music, and dancing. I made sure to try and take pictures with as many friends as I could. Not only was it a great experience to connect with the local workers, but also with those outside of Andrews University from various backgrounds and universities. I've really enjoyed my time working with many of the people on the tell, getting to know different cultures, and trying to communicate with those who speak other languages. Getting to know new people was definitely one of the best parts of the trip. 

Field O's excavation team minus a couple! 

  

Day 19: 6/10

Last minute excavation, cleaning, and paperwork was in full effect today. The day on the tell was very busy this morning because tomorrow is the “wrap-up” party. It's bittersweet to end the season, though I am tired I really am going to miss excavation. Though we got very far along in our newly opened square, I want to continue digging to see what we find, and to see what our area becomes. I observed the very detailed process of documenting the squares, in terms of completing final drawings. The measuring is so precise, and mapping the square is much harder than it sounds.

After lunch, some of the girls and I went to a belly dancing class to meet some of the women in Madaba but mostly just for our own enjoyment!

Day 18: 6/9

Today was our last day in digging in our square and we discovered a distinct earth floor. We also found a lot of large charcoal pieces, this was an exciting end to the excavation in our square for the season. It was amazing to see how deep we had gotten in just 2 weeks of digging. I also went on a house visit today to Mohammad's Awauda's home. It was interesting to observe all of the cultural differences and also the family-oriented environment. His brothers all live very close to him in the same neighborhood. While sitting with Mohammad at his mother's home, three of his brothers stopped by with their wives to come spend time with each other. After Mohammad's house, we went to his brother's house which was about a 3 minute walk. There we met the younger children of the families, who sat in the living room with all of us. We were served tea and coffee, and talked with each other for a long time.

Today, our workers in Field O brought us food for second breakfast. My favorite! Golia, hummus, and bread. 

  

Day 17: 6/8

 This was the beginning of the last work week, but also the first work week for some of the people who just came, so we had a lot of extra hands to help. Instead of working our square today we worked in the other square in Field O to help the process go more quickly. It was fun to work with a bigger group and also in an area where we found many walls and divisions. Tonight was also the last lecture where we learned about the photography, water source research, and the objectives of the project. The presentation on the research that's being done on the reservoir was one of the most creative lectures that I've heard. It was in the form of a poem throughout the whole lecture, making it enjoyable and interesting for everyone.

Field O, Square 10

  

Day 16: 6/7

It was another wonderful day in the city of Amman. I got the chance to really see all of the shops (or most) in the Souk to buy the bulk of my souvenirs. After walking around for awhile you start to see all the same type of souvenirs. I finally found a place that does customized small gifts. I bought many keychains that had names carved into them, including one for myself because I love Arabic writing. I also bought several pashminas, spices, bracelets, and necklaces for many of my friends and family. After shopping, my group of friends and I wanted to ride up to Rainbow Street instead of walking (though it seems more like hiking). The taxis seemed to be either already driving a passenger or taking breaks. We decided to ride the bus instead since we thought we had started to get the hang of the local bus system. What we discovered was that a lot of the transportation services (taxis and buses) don't recognized the English words for the major streets or attractions such as “citadel” or “Rainbow street” long story short, the bus driver didn't know where we wanted to go when we mentioned “Rainbow street”, so we headed back to Madaba. Even though the day was cut short it was definitely a successful shopping day for souvenirs.

Souvenirs from Amman.

 

Day 15: 6/6

Swimming in the Dead Sea was an amazing experience! At first, I was nervous about going out too deep and not floating, but for some scientific reason that I have yet to understand, you automatically float no matter what. The obstacle that is very difficult to avoid is getting salt water in your eyes which is what happened with me. I also spent the evening in Amman, eating on the rooftop that overlooks the city, shopping in the Souk, and watching street dancing on Rainbow street. On Rainbow Street there are many shops/eateries of interest, but one of the most interesting places was the Nutella crepe shop. This was my first time trying a crepe which I did not expect to happen in the Middle East, but it was very good!

Nutella crepe from "Nut&More" 

Day 14: 6/5

Our square got closed for the day. Instead of digging in my square today we helped the other square in my field to get the work done more quickly. In their square they were getting rid of a lot of bulk, however during this bulk trim we found something very interesting. It wasn't until after second breakfast that we discovered that there was a second wall, not only is there a second wall but there is a cross wall. It was very interesting to see because it's different from the other houses that have been excavated so far on the site. It was definitely a lot of fun working with everyone in the other square because we had all of the workers in the same area, laughing, talking, and dancing. Also, it was exciting to get invited in

to a wedding party! We danced with the groom's family and enjoyed watching them dance and make their own music. It was definitely a great cultural experience.

Day 13 : 6/4

Today I was supposed to have a house visit with he same performing family as before, the son (Raad) who performs with his father. It is really strange that this is the third time they have scheduled to meet and haven't shown up. In class, we learned that “Jordanian time” is a little different than what we're used to in America. Appointments outside of work are often times not very definite. For example 4:30pm could mean maybe 5pm. One time, Yousef was translating what time Raad's father would come to pick us up he said “maybe 3:30, maybe 4:30”. Missing appointments or being late is not uncommon apparently.  

Day 12: 6/3

Our square has been coming up with some interesting artifacts such as glass bracelets and nice, glazed pottery. We've also found a few more large bones that have also been exciting to find. The MOST satisfying detail of our progress is how deep we've gotten in our square since we've opened it. We've also found some large stones that seem to be in line which may have been a subdivision in this area that may be a courtyard. I was also happy about our worker that finally spoke to me. Usually he only tries to communicate with Anna, who speaks Arabic pretty well. It was fun to try to talk to each other though we both understand very little of each other's languages. The conversation was very simple and hard to decipher at times but it's definitely worth trying to communicate.

Large jaw bone found in Square 11. 

  

Day 11: 6/2

Today I had an interesting and very informational conversation with a friend we made at the nearby ice-cream shop. It was an informal type of interview for my ethnography project that really helped me to think about what I want to focus on for my ethnography project. Based on our conversation, I want to focus on a comparison between the musical culture in America and the Arabic musical culture. The themes of some of the songs that are commonly known in this area talk about political issues, national pride, and the Jordanian king. It is interesting also that these types of songs are sung by famous artists, and are recognized by the Jordanian youth.

Gelato at the ice cream shop, Farwala Cake. 

Day 10 : 6/1

First day of the work week! It's still hard to get used to Sunday being what Monday is to us who live in America. Today seemed to be going slow with digging, however to others it seemed like we made a lot of progress. I have to say the manual labor is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It is however satisfying to find things such as black glass, large bones. I hope to get down deep enough in the square to help Dr. Walker visualize/analyze the role our area plays in the village plan. The ethnography projects are definitely a challenge for a few reasons. The main obstacle is the language barrier makes it difficult to communicate with the locals, especially the older generation. It forces us to be dependent on translators for many of the questions we need answers to. However, I was excited to make a house visit today and just do some observation, until this interview fell through (for the second time). Hopefully tomorrow will bring more opportunities and interesting encounters!  

O11, at locus 2. 

Day 9 : 5/31

Touring Amman was very enjoyable today. The walking around not so much, but only because I really don't like the heat. However, I enjoy walking around cities. I had a wonderful time seeing all of the different shops, souvenirs, and the people. It had a “chinatown” type of feel. Lunch was a delicious pizza and an amazing mango beverage enjoyed on the rooftop of one of the restaurants that overlooked the city. The driving is even more intense and busy compared to Madaba. It's interesting because at home, a narrow road is usually not used as much, if it was, it is only a one way street. Somehow, the drivers here make these narrow roads a two-way street.

A slightly quieter street in Amman. 

Day 8: 5/30

First week of digging is done! Today we visited many different attractions. Though the heat was intense it was exciting to “walk through history” and imagine what these great cities were like.

As I look back on the week and the tours so far, I'm leaning towards more applied anthropology or international relations maybe? As far as careers and higher studying goes, I don't think I would focus on archaeological anthropology. I'm much more interested in the culture and the local people. Taking the ethnography course has definitely forced (in a good way) me to interact with the locals and really “participate” in the culture.

The ancient city of Jerash. 

 Bagpipe players in Jerash, as part of the tourism. 

Day 7: 5/29

We're still peeling off the top soil of the square I'm working in, still digging until we do not see roots. We found more large animal bones so that was an interesting site to see. The best part of the day was going to Yousef's shop. I planned to have an interview/house visit with some local musicians however it fell through. We decided to go to Yousef's shop instead and it turned out to be a great idea because I enjoyed conversation with him and I also got his help with my ethnography project. I asked him a few questions and found out some interesting details relating to Arabic music, and also music in Madaba specifically. He directed us to a music store that had an extensive collection, where I purchased two CDs.

Holding Al-Rababa at Yousef's Shop. It is one of the oldest instruments in Middle Eastern culture.

Day 6: 5/28

The most interesting part of today was sitting with the Shabob (workers) during second breakfast. Two of my other friends from my ethnography class also joined me as an attempt to observe and get to interact with the Jordanians better. It was definitely a success. As always, they offered such kind hospitality by offering us to share their lunch (definitely very tasty). Amer, a wonderful teacher taught us a few Arabic words and even wrote some phrases down for us. Later on, I tried using some of these phrases with the shabob which made the work experience more enjoyable, getting to interact with them.

Day 5: 5/27

Today was an exciting first day of excavation! We began digging in our square, peeling back top soil. We completed digging half of locus 1 so far, and hope to finish that locus tomorrow, and begin a new locus. I realized that there are many technical “behind the scenes” procedures when digging. The measurements, records, organizing, readings, they all have specific protocol. Everybody loves digging and discovering objects, areas, architecture, however, as square supervisor I've gotten the opportunity to see other aspects of excavating. For example, the locus sheets are very detailed and specific. In order to make sure everything is organized and in the proper context, the sheets have to be filled out very accurately. I also witnessed Dr. Walker doing the pottery reading, how quickly she can identify pottery, especially identifying it solely by touching it. It's amazing that she could close her eyes and identify the pottery sherd by how it feels (the time period etc. ).

My work partner, Anna and I halfway through excavating locus 1. (She's smiling behind that mask)

Day 4: 5/26

We went back to work on our square to finish up the cleaning. It was a bit of a struggle because the boundaries of our square changed so we still had quite a bit of cleaning left to do. Today cleaning also included removing huge stones from two areas near our square that are believed to be cisterns. We had to take precautions in removing stones and plants from this area so that it wouldn't collapse. By the end of the day we did make a lot of progress and are set to begin digging tomorrow. I am really excited to start excavating our square. I also ran into a piece of pottery that seemed to be quite different from the rest.

Field O, Square 11

Standing in front of our square during a quick break!

  

Day 3: 5/25

Today was the first work day! Waking up at 5AM was the biggest struggle of the day. However, once I was up I was up and ready to work. We arrived at the work site and took a tour of Hesban. It was incredible to see all of the work that had been done already, such as the massive pits of the water reservoir. However, it was a bit discouraging to see our square in comparison to those that were already “works in progress”. My assigned square was untouched waiting to be opened. Nevertheless, it was still very exciting to get to work. Today was all about cleaning the square from weeds, grass, stone, and collecting any surface pottery. I took a before and after picture to show our progress of the day.

Before cleanup: 

And after: