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.