Israel and Bethlehem!

Friday we started out the day at 5:30 and headed to where we are staying in Bethlehem. We had to go through border patrol from Jordan into the State of Israel. The checkpoint was crazy and we were there for about 5 hours. There was no organization of people and everyone was pushing and shoving, at one point a couple of us started making a block wall so our group could get through and no one else. We had to show our passports about 10 times and had to have our luggage go through scanners and be searched. Once we were finally through we checked in at the hotel we are staying at in Beit Sahour, then we went and explored Bethlehem the next town over for the rest of the night. First we went the church of the milk or whatever it is called; it is where Mary supposedly spilled some breast milk when on the run to Egypt. Then we went the church of the nativity and kind of sort of snuck our way in the back to see the supposed stone Jesus was born on. Then we went shopping in Bethlehem without our professor for the rest of the evening. Then after dinner we went to the 2^nd annual Bet Lethem live festival. It was really cool there were all these booths of souvenirs and food and 2 stages that had live music with bands from both Jerusalem and the UK. It was a long but fun day.

Saturday we spent almost all day in Jerusalem in the Old City. We had to go through the check point at the partition wall which separates the Palestinians from Israel. Thankfully we were tourists and got to go through the tourist gate which was not a big deal but the Palestinians have to go through a huge ordeal every time they want to go into Israel. First we went to the western (wailing) wall and tried to go to the dome on the rock but it was closed. Then our professor went off on his own and us students spent the day in the old city shopping and walking the streets. We also hiked up the Mount of Olives and saw the garden where Jesus was betrayed by Judas. We also went to the church of the holy speclicur the church where Jesus is supposedly buried. We also went to the church where the Virgin Mary is buried. Then we headed back to Bethlehem where we went to the festival again. It was very interesting seeing the old city and looking at all the tourist shops.

Today was a little crazy. We started early and went into Jerusalem so we could see the dome on the rock (the mosque on the temple mount). When we first got in a man came up and said it was a holy place and all the girls had to cover our arms even though we had our shoulders covered. We refused because it was a trap to get us to buy shawls at the only shop, but after a scene we had to give in because they were trying to make us leave. The weird thing was none of us actually used the shawls to cover our arms but since we had bought them they didn’t care. Then when we were there we witnessed a near riot as orthodox Jews tried to enter the temple mount. As this is owned by the Muslims everything got really crazy. The police had to set a barrier shoving the Jews out while protecting them from the Muslims. The Muslims had swarmed around the cops and were chanting Allah is god over and over. After this ordeal we got separated and I spent the day with two of the boys while the other group of 5 were together. The boys and I walked around new parts of the city then we climbed a fence so we could walk around the walls of city. It was so cool seeing the city and surrounding towns from on top of the wall. Then we headed back to Bethlehem. Us girls then hung out until dinner. For dinner we went to this Arabic chuck e cheese type place. We had chicken that was cooked using olive wood smoke. The would start the fire wait until the flames die then they bury the oven with mud and let the smoke cook the chicken. It was absolutely amazing. Now I am going to bed as we have to leave for the airport at 2:30 am.

This has been an unbelievable trip and I cannot believe all of the things I have gotten to see and do.

The past couple of days we have been in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It is very neat being here. We do not have a ton of free time but I will try my best to post later. I cannot believe this is our last full day here

Last days in Umm El Jimal

The past couple of days we have been finishing paperwork and getting everything ready for our departure. Today we had a dance party with many of the workers when we said goodbye, it was a lot of fun and also very sad. Today is our last day in Umm El Jimal, tomorrow we leave for Israel. We will be in Israel until we leave on Sunday. I cannot believe how fast this trip has gone and how much I have learned

Madaba and the Dead Sea

Saturday was our last day digging in the field! I have finished completely in the field, I did all of my drawings and field paper work today; but some kids still have field paperwork to do. Then on Sunday we left early to go to Madaba and the Dead Sea. First we went to the Dead Sea, it was really cool because our professor knew where to go so we didn't have to pay and there was no one else there. The Dead Sea was really fun. It was weird how you literally could not stand because you are so buoyant. After the Dead Sea we went to some hot springs across the street. It was really hot but felt really good and we got to get all the salt residue off of us for the rest of the drive to the hotel. We made a quick stop at the hotel then we went out to some churches in Madaba to look at mosaics. After the churches our professor gave us free time to shop and hang out which was a lot of fun. We had dinner on our own and found this really nice place where we only had to pay 3JD (about 5 US dollars) for a lot of food. On Monday we got to sleep in until 8 am and then we went to Amman to go the Jordan National Museum. The museum was really nice although not finished yet, we also got to meet the head curator who showed us around for a while. After the museum we headed back to Umm El Jimal. Today we have been finishing up paperwork and because I was so ahead I just climbed around on the ruins with one of my friends. It is crazy that we leave here on Friday to go to Israel. As much as I want to come home I also really do not want to leave

Trench Digging!

The past couple of days we have been excavating. I was joined by a local Jordanian girl who has been helping me dig. She is part of the women's project which my professor's wife is working on. Today we actually finished digging my trench as we hit the bed rock. I now have a lot of paper work to do them I will help other students dig out their trenches. Last night for dinner we had a local Jordanian dish called Mensa. Mensa is a meat (we had chicken) over sticky rice, then you pour a yogurty cheese sauce over it. This dish is eaten with your hands and is extremely messy but extremely delicious. All of the food here is very good; it is prepared by the supervisor's wife. For breakfast and lunch we usually have fruit a vegetable mainly cucumbers, and bread; with the bread is usually hummus and falafel or hard boiled eggs. This weekend we will be heading to Madeba and the Dead Sea. Hopefully I will get Wi-Fi and be able to talk to people.

Petra Weekend!

The weekend was amazing and extremely exhausting. We went to Petra and some other sites in the area. We left early on Saturday morning and traveled five hours to the Dana nature preserve, where we stayed in the Rummana tent camp. The tent camp was really cool, it is situated in a valley with beautiful mountains surrounding it. The rest of the day Saturday we hiked, I completed two of the four trails and I did one of them twice. One of the trails went up on top of the tallest mountain and gave amazing views all around, this trail took about two hours to complete. The other trail I did was the trail to the caves. The caves are three stories high and you can climb all around inside them. I did this trail twice with two different groups of people because it was my favorite, this trail took about one and a half hours to complete. That night we stayed in cloth tents, and our beds were better than the ones in Umm El Jimal. The next morning we got up early to go to Petra which is about an hour and a half drive away. Petra was absolutely amazing. Our hotel was about a five minute walk away from the gate of Petra. After you enter the gate you walk through the siiq, a path through tall cliffs of sandstone. Then you see the crowning glory of Petra which is the treasury. For those who don't know Petra is an ancient city, what makes it so special is the facades of the caves. The ancient peoples carved elaborate designs and pillars on the front of their caves as well as many other free standing temples that are very well preserved. The treasury is the first façade you see and is in many movies like Indiana Jones. After visiting the Treasury we walked down the paths were there were many façade caves and a large theatre. We went through some of the churches and got special privileges because my professor knows the archaeologist working there. Then we climbed up a mountain to the monastery. The stairs to the monastery were very sketchy in some places and someone from our group 780 counted stairs. The monastery was another huge façade and we were able to go in this cave, and while we were in the cave one of my friends gave me ballet lessons. Then we climbed about 100 more steps to the viewpoint, where you not only got a very good view of the monastery but also the surrounding mountains. After we relaxed at the monastery café, myself and three other students hiked over to the high place. The high place is back near the entrance of Petra and is another climb up about 500 steps, to view the valley of Petra. The valley of Petra is where the churches and temples are. Then we hiked out and went back to the hotel. Later that night some of went to a bar in a tomb right outside the gate of Petra. Then today we got to sleep in until 7:30 the latest I have gotten up the entire trip. Then we went to little Petra and Behda. Little Petra is a smaller scale version of Petra and has less facades. We climbed up the mountain in little Petra and played around on the rocks and in the caves. Behda was an old Nabataean city that has partial reconstruction. Then we came back to Umm El Jimal after a six hour bus ride. We are all exhausted from all the hiking and have been sleeping really well in real beds. The entire time I have been feeling great. I was a little slower than everyone else climbing the steps but for everything else I was able to keep up. I had a great time this weekend, and got to see finally see Petra where I have always wanted to go

The Siiq into Petra

The caves in the Rummana tent camp

The Monastery at Petra

The treasury at Petra

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Sorry I have not posted in a few days we have had a lot of internet troubles. We are still spending our days digging and doing paperwork. It has been fun because one of my friends who is mainly a photographer has been helping me dig out my trench. We have been having a lot of fun and it is great getting to know the people on the trip with me. It has been crazy because we can sometimes hear and fell the bombs that are going off in Syria. I am still feeling great and have had no problems so far. Tonight me and some of my friends went and walked around the site and looked at the stars. I am having a great time here and do not want to go home. This weekend we will be going to Petra, one of the places I really want to go. I will try to post when I can but the internet is really spotty

Today we were digging again, and the days seem to get longer. We normally dig from 6:30 am until 1 pm with a half hour break. Today was exciting for me as I got to extend my trench by 1 meter so I now have a 1.5 by 3 meter trench. I spent almost all day clearing away the dirt from the extended portion of my trench. Auda is the biggest help ever; today he moved 10 very large, very heavy stones all by himself. He still takes care of me, at the break he went and got me some snacks and a Pepsi. He is the best, and my friend tells us we have the cutest relationship out of all the partners. We can only communicate by sign language and we have a lot of fun with it. I am continuing to feel really well, and nothing is affecting me negatively. I am having so much fun and cannot wait to see what else is in store

Auda and I

Today we went back to digging in our trenches. Thankfully today was not nearly as hot as Thursday and Friday and the sun stayed behind the clouds most of the day. We continue to do a lot of paperwork for each field day. Then we have to clean and label pottery. My trench is close to be completed so in the next couple of days I will be expanding and getting new places to dig. It is amazing at many artifacts each of us are finding, I did not realize we would get to uncover so many things. Tonight my friends and I are going back to the ruins to explore and watch the sunset. Pictures will follow.

I also wanted to apologize for all the grammar mistakes, Google is in Arabic and they write right to left so things get very mixed up.

Weekend in Amman!

This weekend was really great! We visited a lot of tourist sites in Northern Jordan and stayed the night in Amman. It was fun going to Amman as we went through the Ajlun Mountains. It was fun to see the landscape change from flat desert, to the hilly green country side. We started the day at the Roman ruins at Jerash. It was very hot but we thankfully had cloud cover almost the entire day. Jerash was amazing there were multiple roads that had pillars lining both sides, and in some places you could see where the chariots and carts wore away the road. At the ruins there were two beautiful gateways, a competition arena, a temple to Zeus, a half amphitheater, a temple to Artemis, and about 3 churches. We explored all the sites for about an hour and a half, it was so cool being in the Roman ruins. The next place we went was a medieval castle in Ajlun. The castle was very fun to explore and climb around in; I had a lot of fun finding all the different passages and secret rooftops. After the Castle we went to a monastery that was in complete ruins. There were still some beautiful mosaic tiles left, and an old tomb with about 6 burial chambers. Then we went to Amman to the American Center for Oriental Research (ACOR) where we spent the night. ACOR was very nice we had fans, real mattresses and cold water to drink, we were living in luxury. ACOR was really cool my Professor was the director for a couple years back in the 80's so they gave us a special tour. ACOR helps in research projects and supports excavations and has a conservation lab. After the tour of ACOR we went the Amman citadel which is a temple site. This particular temple was the temple of Hercules. We explored for a little while and went to the museum on site. After the citadel we went down to another half amphitheater that also has a textile museum. I went all the way to the top which was fun; my 70 year old professor even beat me and my friend to the top. We then went back to ACOR for lunch which was beef roast and mashed potatoes with chocolate cream puffs for dessert. After lunch we headed back to Umm El Jimal, it was a very fun weeken

Amphitheatre in Amman

Ajlun Castle

Gate at Jerash

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Today we were out in the field again. We continue to work on our individual squares. The man who is helping me is named Auda and he is awesome. Not only is he a good worker but he really takes care of me. Today he kept switching my equipment with other peoples so that I would have the best and newest stuff he even got in to a disagreement with another worker because of it. Also I did not bring my hat today because it kept getting in the way and he was so worried about me in the sun so during our break he went back to his house and brought me back a hat. After the dig every day we document the work and have various lectures about the site and the history of the area.

I will not be posting for the next couple of days as we are going on out first weekend trip to Amman and I will not have internet.

!This is a picture of House XVIII near the excavations

First Day of Excavation!

Today was amazing, we started the actual excavation. There are 6 of us students who are excavating who each have our own trench with a supervisor to check our work. Each of us also has a local Jordanian who is helping us, mainly with the soil removal. Today was mainly setting up our trenches and removing the top soil layer. We carefully using picks and trowels remove the soil in layers. We carefully document each layer and what we find. It is very hot in the sun as the sun is directly on us almost all day but we find shade when we can and I am drinking lots of water. The mosquitos are still very bad especially at night; one of my friends has so many bites it looks like she has chicken pox. I am having a lot of fun and the people I am working with are great. I am still feeling good and have not had any problems so far.

We have arrived!

Well we finally arrived here at Umm El Jimal Jordan, after two long days of travel. First a 9.5 hour flight from Chicago to Vienna then a 3.5 hour flight to Amman, last we had a 2 hour bus ride to the site of Umm El Jimal. The flights were very good. I felt normal the whole time we were flying which was amazing. I cannot remember the last time I felt this way for so long. So far I have not felt any long lasting side effects from the long flight. We received three meals and they were all very good. I also got to see a lot of different movies. Tell Josh I got to see the Lego movie. We are staying in a house built by an old sheik within walking distance of the site. In fact we can see the site from our bedroom window. All 6 of us girls share a large room with mattresses on the floor. After we got to the house and had dinner and went to bed. Unfortunately the mosquitos and flies are horrible here. I think we might rival Kate in Alaska with the mosquitos. Today we spent the day touring the site and getting a history lesson about all the different areas and people who have settled at the site. Tomorrow we will start the actual dig process. We have two Jordanians who have their masters in Archaeology who will be leading us over our individual dig sites. I have an area under a staircase and the purpose of my area is to see what is under the tile mosaic floor. It has been very hot here and is more humid than I expected. I am making sure to stay hydrated and stay out of the direct sunlight.