La terra e bassa

The ground is low.

You don't really think about it until you have to, but the ground is very low. Bending, kneeling, crouching, and crawling: I've done it all. I climb into bed with sore knees and an aching back and fall fast asleep, only to be woken up too early the next morning. 

With a low ground also comes fresh air and homemade meals. I guess there is some give and take. 

I have arrived at my second farm (still in Bologna) called Il Cavicchio. It is an agriturismo located just north of Bologna in a little valley covered in sunflowers. The owner makes his own wine and grows his own vegetables that he uses in the dinners for the guests. I've been put to work weedwacking...pretty much the entire farm. I get to choose my own hours, though, which gives me the freedom to see parts of the town during the day and work in the mornings and evenings when it is cooler.  He has a piano and a bass. We've put together a little musical group where I try to bang out the melody on the piano and he tries to figure out the notes on the bass. It's just great music; however, I wouldn't recommend that either of us quit our day jobs. 

My first introduction to WWOOFing

I finally made it to my first farm, Angirelle, in Monterenzio, Bologna. It took 3 buses, 2 trains, and 1 flight. The farm is tucked away in the rolling hills of the Appenine mountains and it has an amazing views. Everything could be the picture on a postcard.

The farm is run two families, have two children each. All under the age of five. It makes for a very loud household. Stella, 4, and Flavio, 2, belong to Ester and Fabrizio. Sara ,3, and Elia, 11 months, belong to Corrado and Francesca. I'm starting to learn a little bit of Italian, mostly from reading the kids' books.

As for work, I work in the vegetable garden weeding or watering or harvesting for about 3 hours in the morning. After lunch and siesta time, I help out Fabrizio set up his irrigation system for the entire farm. It's a big task to accomplish but after we are finished, we no longer have to water each individual plant. We can just flip a switch and watch it do our work for us. I've only been working a few days, but I've already grown (pun intended) a new appreciation for everything eat.

Become an Archaeologist? Check.

Today was the last day of excavation and I do not want to leave Pylos tomorrow. Three weeks is definitely not enough time to spend in this wonderful place. I have learned so much on this trip. Hands on experience and Responsibility are the best teachers. It's hard to think that three weeks ago I had no idea the difference between a stone and a sherd or Munsell codes and soil textures. 

Yesterday and today I worked in the lab cleaning, sorting, and analyzing pottery sherds and bone fragments. I can now tell the difference between Late Mycenaean fine ware and Early Mycenaean gray orange plain ware simply by the feel of the dust off the pottery. Similarly, I've learned to recognize pathologies in certain bones of domesticated animals and can identify different modifications within species and between species of animals. I love zooarchaeology (the excavation and interpretation of animal remains). Maybe my new specialization?! Although I do find it a little strange, being a vegetarian and yet still enjoying playing with ancient animal bones.

We have a send-off party tonight and there will be Greek dancing and the works, which means throwing plates and shouting a lot. And why am I'm leaving this place again? Yasas (goodbye in Greek) for now, Caio tomorrow! I'm setting out for Italia!

A Gaggle of Archaeologists Go Beach Hopping

This week we spent our free time in the afternoons beach hopping all around Pylos and Messenia. 

We visited Methoni, which has an amazing Venetian fort and lighthouse.It’s menacing, scary, and bold but nonetheless beautiful. Fun Fact: it looks remarkably like Helm’s Deep. A little intimidating, but we managed to conquer it. 

By conquering it, I mean we did a little trespassing and climbed to the very top of the fort. No one was hurt and no one got arrested…or at least held over night, only fingerprinted. Just kidding Mom! 

From the peak we had a priceless view of the ocean and coastline. The water is almost too blue.

Tuesday we went on a boat trip all around Navarino Bay (the bay in which Pylos is located). We went to Delikli Baba and Sphakteria, two islands with absolutely no current human settlements and extreme cliffs. I’m talking sheer 200 feet high…and no guardrails. 

From the islands we had a great view of Pylos across the bay. Looking out over the water, it is no wonder why there were constant battles and conflicts over this area. It’s fertile, beautiful and almost magical. 

After visiting the islands we went to what is called “The Golden Beach,” and it definitely lived up to its name. Priceless.

On Wednesday, Yeleva was our destination! A quant little coastal village with water you wade in for 100 meters before it reached your waist. There, we invented a game called Water-Kickball. Needless to say, we were the entertainment for the locals eating at the coastal cafes. A lot of falling, splashing and laughing, with few points actually being scored.

We also traveled to Voidkilia, which is a partially enclosed beach that resembles the shape of a shell. It is said that it’s the most beautiful beach in all of Greece, and I cannot refute that in the least. At the opening of the inlet, there are some crazy cliffs that are perfect for jumping off into the water. It was about a 15-minute swim to get there, but it was worth it! From the top of the cliffs you can see how the water refracts the sunlight, making a rainbow in the water, following the coastline of the beach. While archaeology does not pay very well, we sure get to work in a great office.

Dirt is my friend: life on an archaeological dig

We have been digging for a few days now, and the best way to describe it is dirty. Even after I shower, the towel is still covered in reddish-brown clay. However, I wouldn't have it any other way.

We wake up at 5. I'm beginning to like early mornings. The site is about 30 minutes by bus from our hotel. The bus drops us off at a dirt road where the Greek workers on the site pick us up in pick-up trucks and drive for about 5 minutes until we reach our site of Iklaina. Sitting on the edge of the back of a truck, I have definitely had my fair share of whacks to the face with an olive branch. Let me just say, they are not so peaceful. 

On the site, we are excavating a palatial complex that we think may be a district palace of King Nestor. If we are right, we have uncovered a new dimension of government and politics in the Late Bronze Age Mycenaean period which shows sub-rulers beyond the state level. To corroborate this, a Linear B tablet was found at the site. Linear B is the script/language used in the Mycenaean period for tax purposes or other federal documentation, and therefore only found in important palatial complexes. There are only 5 places on Earth where Linear B is found. Iklaina makes 6. We're officially on the map. (roaring applause) 

In the trench I am working on we have uncovered a drain, a wall, and part of a floor. I am learning a lot, getting very dirty, and have developed a few blisters. I do thank RISE for teaching me how to use a pick axe, because no one else knew how to do it. However, I now have to do all the pick axe work. At least I'm getting strong arm muscles!

I'm picking up a little bit of Modern Greek, but I don't know how useful it will be when I'm back in Athens. So far I know the words for please, thank you, hello, goodbye, shovel, brush, hammer, tarp, pottery, and rock. I think that can get me through the metro, right?

All settled in at Pylos!

I have finally reached my destination of Pylos, Greece, after a combined total of 28 hours of travel time, all of which on no sleep. But it is worth it. The flight to Athens was delayed an hour while we were on the plane and I had the great pleasure of sitting the row in front of a family of 5 kids, all under the age of 6. Who was right behind me? A screaming two-year-old, who, when he was not crying his eyes out, was pounding away at the back of my chair. At least he was cute. We came to a compromise by the end of the flight: I played with him and he stopped kicking my chair. 

On arriving in Athens, we boarded a charter bus that drove us to Pylos (on the west coast of the Peloponnese). While all of us were massively jet-lagged, no one could sleep on the 6 hour drive, the scenery was just too gorgeous.  

We curved around the edged of mountains, through tunnels and across massive expanses of olive groves. This place is beautiful. I tried to get as many pictures as one could through a tinted bus window.

We got to Pylos and settled into our rooms. Because of a rooming mixup, I got a double room all to myself, which I am not complaining about at all. It has a balcony that overlooks the bay, over which the sun sets. 

Can you get any better than this? Oh wait, I forgot it's a single room. It can get better. 

For dinner, we ate a four course meal at a tavern across the street under a canopy. There I got to know a lot of the people working on the dig with me. They all seem extremely nice and excited to have this opportunity. After dinner a few of us walked down to the town square (literally about 100 meters away) and watched part of the Mexico v. France soccer game at an outside pub. 

We have orientation and visit another archaeological excavation tomorrow, then on Saturday we get to start digging. I can't wait!

Home (bitter)Sweet Home

As I write this I am snuggled up, warm in my bed from my childhood in my parents' house, and settling into a good night's rest. We finally made it home to New Jersey after a long day's drive. At one point, it took Karen and I over 2 hours to go 30 miles...let's just say DC traffic is ridiculous.

It's definitely an intense time right now. Emotionally, it's been crazy. Excitement, fear, anxiety, loneliness, longing, anticipation, sadness and joy are just a few emotions that pass through my mind at any given point. While I dreaded leaving Chapel Hill, I wait in anticipation for my journey to come. Yesterday evening I walked through the campus. At dusk, the light filters through the leaves in McCorkle Place, littering the grass with patches of dimming sunshine. I will miss that. I will miss the calm echo of the bell tower and the constant excitement that surrounds the Pit, even when no one is there. It is as if the bricks hold onto the conversations, arguments, SBP campaigns, and service announcements, simply waiting for someone to listen. I will miss the intriguing debates and surprising authenticity of original thought that can only come from a college campus. The people, the places, the memories are all comfortable and broken in. I'm leaving this to start something which completely lacks any sort of recognizable comfort. And I like it.

"Hold your own, know your name, go your own way, and everything will be fine."