Here’s a student blog post by Alyssa, who has some reflections on her field school experience so far! — Kate
I can hardly believe it, but we’re already at the halfway mark of the field school. The days have been going by so incredibly fast, I’m now convinced that the next time I blink, it’ll be time to say goodbye. And so, before that happens and this course becomes a distant memory, I would like to take the time to reflect on and discuss with you a few things that I have found to be most rewarding during the past two weeks:
1. The people I’ve met
I have always had the opinion that a course is nothing if it is not taught properly. Well, I can say with absolute certainty that this course is not lacking in that department. Not only are the professors extremely knowledgeable, but everyone else involved with both teaching and supervising us is also very approachable and delivers the content in engaging and interesting ways. This has made the experience so far not only highly informative but hugely enjoyable. In addition to the professors, I have also loved meeting the fellow students in my class. I find myself learning a lot from them as well, and it’s a joy to hear about their different backgrounds and career aspirations.
2. Working outside
While this may seem like a small thing, for me it’s possibly my favourite aspect of this course. Spending my days working in a beautiful field and then coming home tired in the best way possible is so rewarding but unfortunately not something that I get to do very often in my usual day-to-day life.
3. Learning archaeology and finding artifacts!!
Last but definitely not least, I think the content learned in this course is very valuable. I believe the in-class learning about dating practices for different artifacts coupled with hands-on learning about field methods offer a fantastic, well-rounded knowledge base to use in a future career in archaeology.
As for artifacts, every single discovery has been very exciting for me. It’s so interesting and rewarding when I’m able to find artifacts that help explain the history of the site, such as the sewing scissors pictured below, and I still do an inner happy dance whenever we find even the smallest piece of ceramic.
While these are the things that have stood out to me the most from the experience so far, I have no doubt that my list will grow as the remaining weeks pass.
I want to finish this by saying that if you have an interest in or are studying archaeology, I highly recommend you consider participating in a field school. I have a feeling you wouldn’t regret it!
— Alyssa Fleury
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