A day in square 7K23

We continue removing the east balk to reveal a diagonal stone wall. Anita, and I (Rebecca), worked steadily with our local assistants, 15-year old K'sigh and 23-year old Aboud.
Meaningful employment fosters good morale and with this in mind we rotate duties so that all four of us take a turn at digging, sweeping, hauling quffas with dirt or rocks, and sifting.

While we work K'sigh and Aboud help us learn the Arabic words for our tools and other important things. We write the phonetic English equivalent on a tatty paper that we keep close as we dig. (Rolling the r sound required).

broom: furshya
dust pan: mudroot
pick: mukoosh
trowel: mustrayah
large pick: fas
large: kabeer
small: zarear
pottery fkhar
bone: ahdam
rock: hajar
break: straha
watery: maya
sun: shemps
hot: har

In other news, our team broke through the topsoil (may it be cursed) and began a new locus today. Digging now is much easier. My right wrist, elbow and shoulder celebrate. This layer of dirt is crumbly and full of larger rocks. Before we began work on locus 6, our supervisor Lizzy showed us how to draw a top plan. Thinking I'm artsy and this will be fun, I took on the task with some enthusiasm. Ugh. I do not like drawing the tops of rocks to scale on dicey graph paper. Art, it seems, has nothing to do with it.

Final notes for today: field M brought back a total of 10 pottery pails today, five from each square. That made for a lengthy pottery washing session and one can only guess how tomorrow's reading will go. In pottery reading today, our collection from yesterday yielded three stoppers and one unfinished spindle whorl: our first objects.
Ken and the kids went to the souq with a group and I'm enjoying a bit of quiet. Our next door neighbor, Monique Vincent, and I did a 20 minute yoga session to help stay limber after spending the day hunched over pick and quffa. This post is done so now I'm ready for bed. It's 8:37 local time. Good night.

June 29, 2010

Today i am sick! digging with diarrhea is really shitty (haha) and i'm not about to let my body do that to me again. i forgot to say in a previous post that on the way back to amman from aqaba i got to hold the cutest baby boy!

Pottery Pails

The wake up bell sounds at 4:15 am and breakfast is at 4:30. The buses leave for the site at 5:00 and we're beside our squares by 5:30. Second breakfast is at 9:30, so far, however, this time has been fluid. At 12:ish field supervisors meet with square supervisors to write the day's reports. At 12:30 we return to "camp" and lunch at 1:00. But the day is not over yet. Quiet time follows lunch from 2:00-4:00 with pottery reading at 4:00. Tip top archeologists find their way to the pottery tables before 4:00 to count and arrange their finds. Then Kent Bramlett, the chief archeologist, moves along the tables determining the period represented by the finds. "Distinguished" pieces matter for this, these include rims, any signs of paint, handles, or bases. Based on his experience and training he then identifies and counts these pieces for record. Today, my square included lamps, bowls, and jars from Early Iron 2 and Early Iron.

While pottery readings are in session, soaked pottery from the previous day is scrubbed and sorted. This takes quite some time due to the ubiquity of pottery pieces. After just three days I'm developing pottery pail hands!

Along with pottery we sort bones, teeth, and objects. Jillian found a hammer stone that pleased our chert-focused student, Nikki.

How did the Seven Dwarfs do It?

All together now:
"We dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig in a mine (or a square) the whole day through! We dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, that's what we like to do."

According to the Wheeler-Kenyon archeological method, fields are dived into squares and each square is surrounded by a "balk" or one meter wide wall. In field M, balk removal began for squares K723 and K724; supervisors: Rainbow and Rebecca respectively. Kneeling and picking away at packed topsoil for about seven hours leaves the arm rather shaky. If it weren't for the amazing battery charge we experienced in Aqaba, this might be discouraging.



Local workers helped us make real progress. Shaaker took the pick for some time while I, Rebecca, kept loose rubble swept away from the edge of the balk in an effort to keep the neighboring square from "contamination". Because squares have already revealed much, balk removal goes a bit faster than regular digging. However, Anita and I removed each 10 centimeter "peel" with care, while Aboud (rhymes with Dude) carried and sifted the contents of 68 quffas. We kept very busy.

Jun28 Justin
This past weekend in aqaba was so perfect, truly! I’d never stayed in a five star hotel before and I felt kind of guilty surrounded by so much finery and everyone was so kind. On the bus ride to aqaba, we sat by like three little boys but I only remember that two of their names were yousef and daood. It was basically impossible to communicate with them and their little sister but we gave it our best shot. I feel a little depressed here just because not many funny people decided to come this season and I saw at least four huge spiders today which is bad, bad. It helps to have a few jokesters around when you work for seven hours each day in the desert because the time passes more smoothly, the rocks you lift become lighter, and you don’t notice so much the dirt settling inside your lungs. I’m acutely aware of what an amazing experience this is, but I would really like to go home soon. Complaining isn’t usually my thing so I apologize and it won’t happen again :)

A Perfect Day, Aqaba #2

Once in a while, a day shines and sparkles with perfection. We experienced just such a day in Aqaba. Aside from aching muscles from the kneeling and bending of our first day on site, we had a magical Saturday when time seemed to move just a bit slower so that we could revel in each moment.

Sleeping late on comfy beds, a long, leisurely breakfast, time beside the clear blue pool, and an afternoon cruise aboard a glass bottom boat. We sailed south to coral, drifted above various formations and a sunken ship, then pulled on snorkeling gear for a swim. Stunning.

The dive was like a metaphor for our, Ken & Rebecca's, relationship. Almost 24 years ago we hired a taxi to drive us to the coral, used equipment we'd packed in, and had little idea where to look for coral and fish. The water was murky and cold in September. If you think about life as facing the past, because that is what you can see, we had very little history together in 1986 and didn't really understand much of what we "saw". But this time we were taken to the best spot, the water was clear and cool, and we saw wondrous coral formations and a huge variety of fish. (Sorry, no underwater camera. ) Today, almost 24 years later, we still don't know much; however, we "see" the history we've made together with a little clarity and much delight.

On the return cruise we feasted on a barbeque meal, including hummus, baba ganosh, and salad.

After a dip in the pool, showers, and a trip to the hotel spa for Graeme, we walked toward downtown and found Italian ice.

Aaaah, Aqaba 1

Friday afternoon the campus steward, Mohammed, took us to the downtown Jett Bus station. True to form, no travel with Ken and Rebecca is flawless. Just as we pulled into the Jett station, Ken asked, "Does everyone have their passport?" Rebecca's face and heart sank. "I don't have mine," I confessed, feeling non-plussed and a tad peeved. Graeme didn't have his passport either, after all, we weren't leaving the country. Mohammed assured us that everything would work out. But the niggling thought that we'd run into difficulty made the trip just a bit more uncomfortable that it might have been.

Tickets in hand, we boarded a bus that was a huge improvement over the one Ken and Rebecca took almost 24 years ago when heading to Aqaba. Still a very local mode of transport, we climbed to the top of the double-decker and found our assigned seats. Four young boys, about nine to 14, sat in front of us. Soon they struck up conversation with Justin, Graeme and Ken, exchanging names, laughing at our attempts at Arabic and trying their English. The four-hour journey included tea service and two or thee hours of an Egyptian television series. The plot seemed to feature a wealthy family served by the star of the show, a clever, sometimes slapstick butler. Not exactly sure, but that's what we gathered. The other bus riders seemed to enjoy it in spite of dicey production value – the set was like a theatre stage and microphones were visible on the lapels of the actors' clothes. The boys continued to communicate, especially with Justin, drawing pictures and figuring out words from the small Arabic for Archeologists book she had from her dig information.

Just before we began our descent into Aqaba, the bus stopped and a guard boarded to see ID's and check luggage. It was a bit tense for me, but Ken presented his document and Justin hers, and that was enough. Whew! After the checkpoint, the highway steadily dropped between the rugged mountains guarding the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea. With passport worries behind us, I, Rebecca, enjoyed the dramatic shadows that the declining light created on the craggy mountains. Our first view of Aqaba was in twilight as the glow of the day gave way to evening lights. At the bus station several eager taxi drivers offered their services but we easily walked the block or so to our destination, the Intercontinental Hotel.

We've never stayed in a five-star hotel before. Let me tell you, we'll never forget this one. You'd have thought we'd been roughing it for a month rather than five days the way we swooned over our lux accommodations – two rooms – each with a balcony and partial sea view, sumptuous beds, western bathrooms, unlimited water. The hotel also offered private beach access, an amazing swimming pool, breakfast buffet, and lightening fast internet. We all agreed we could get used to it.

Ken and I left our things along with our sleepy children in the rooms and went for a stroll on the beach. The almost-full moon was so bright that our shadows fell on the sand as we stood facing the sea. Lights glowed from the surrounding hotels as well as from boats anchored in the quiet water. We could also see the lights from the town on the Israeli side of the gulf. A breeze rose off the water. We claimed two lounge chairs on the beach and sat gazing out to sea, enjoying the salt air. After our first full day digging and our long bus ride the tranquility of the place seemed like a drug. We realized the wisdom of Justin and Graeme, and headed for bed ourselves.

Catching up!

Friday we rose before the sun, ate and boarded a bus headed to the site. Who knew we’d travel all this way to sweep and pull weeds? But that describes most of our first day as archeologists. Indiana Jones never mentioned this. Field M, marked out beforehand with rebar and heavy string, required steady attention with brooms, dust pans, and the occasional trowel to remove stubborn grass. Graeme and Rebecca, along with the field M team, swept loose dirt and debris blown in since last season (2008), collected it in quffas (pronounced goofas) – wide, shallow buckets made of old tire rubber, and carried it all to the sift stations set up for each square. Before housekeeping, we drove long pipes into sift heaps created near the edge of the mound last season and hung mesh sifts (I feel tempted to call them sieves, however, this term is not used) from nylon rope. Anita, an Australian student attending Canadian University College, taught me two clever knots in the process.

Once the contents of a quffa is dumped onto the mesh tray, it’s given a vigorous shake sending a cloud of fine dust into the breeze, generally away from the sifter, but even with favorable winds a share blows back into the face etc. (This makes for muddy nose blowing later.) What rubble remains is searched for bits of pottery, bone or chert (rock used as tools). These are placed in the potter bucket (bearing a label with pertinent information for accurate data) or bone bag and cleaned later. Even clean-up produced a few interesting things such as a camel tooth, several pieces of bone, and about half a bucket of pottery pieces.

After what seemed like half the day, I checked my watch – 7:45. The 5:30 start distorts one’s sense of time. Lizzy Brown, field M supervisor, called a water break and told the team that a digging lesson would follow second breakfast. Second breakfast! Local workers busied themselves setting up 10 foot wood poles, ropes and a huge black blanket for the eating tent. Mats made of woven nylon covered the ground. The shelter was up but not all the mats installed when breakfast arrived – a bit later than the usual 9:30. No one minded and we all eagerly devoured the shwarma or falafel sandwiches, hummus, and small local pasteries that tasted like annis. Cold watermelon, slaughtered by Kent Bramlet, featured as dessert.

Intro to Archeological digging followed lunch. A group of us stood by the line Doug Clark drew in the sand. After a demonstration we fell to our knees with pick and trowel and tried our skill outside the marked squares. Everyone passed. After a bit more clean up, Lizzy sat between her square supervisors, Rebecca and Rainbow, and carefully reviewed the paperwork for end of day reporting.

Around noon we returned brooms, dust pans and quffas to the supply tent, collected our pottery pails and personal equipment, and climbed back on our bus, dusty and weary. Back at camp we showered and ate lunch or ate lunch then showered. It was such an exhausting first day that we decided to take a weekend trip to Aqaba for rest and relaxation. Really, we made the trip now because Justin returns to the States after week three and every weekend between now and then is already planned with trips and outings for the group. Graeme was a bit reluctant to leave as he's just getting to know his fellow diggers. But now that we're in Aqaba, he's happy he came along.

Fieldtrip!

Click on slideshow to enlarge!

After breakfast this morning we boarded two small buses and headed out to see three sites, or talls, that make up the Madaba Plains Project. First we stopped at Hesban, where Sigfriend Horn began excavating in the 1960's. A fence surrounds the tall and signs mark or explain important finds. Then on the the vast Tall Jalul. Not as much work has been done here. Audrey stood beside a field she worked on several seasons. Dig seasons for Jalul are on odd years while Umayri digs take place even numbered years. This explains how Audrey has logged in so many digs! She calls this a vacation every summer. Finally on to Umayri, our site for the next few weeks beginning tomorrow at 5:00 AM. Breakfast at 4:30, so all for now.

Wednesday ramblings

Pictures from our flight – seating and meals – as well as our first meal and finding rooms at the Training Center.

Digs, or seasons, occur every other year. During off years leaders/academics write up their findings with the goal of publication. The five week dig, shortened from seven weeks historically, produces information of such quantity and variety that archeologists with different areas of interest have plenty to keep them busy between seasons.

This morning the group met for orientation. Everyone introduced themselves and said a bit about why they're on the dig. Audrey pronounced herself the oldest among us with over 30 years experience on different digs, guessing her age...maybe 70. David is the youngest of the group at 13, he's here with his dad. More women than men on the team this year and the field supervisors and chief archeologist lower the average age of leaders compared with past seasons.

At lunch the chief archeologist, Kent Barmlett, asked us, Ken and Rebecca, to work as square supervisors. Times must be tough if they want us.

Better job staying awake today, but this afternoon we all nodded a bit during Kent's session explaining "Earth Locus Sheets". Completing these sheets each day is the main job of a square supervisor, so we hope that we didn't zone out during any crucial bits. If we did, does this jeopardize the validity/success of the whole endeavor? We're not sure if the added responsibility of square supervisor is such a good thing.

Now almost time for supper. Ken is out with a small group using GPS to mark off squares at the site. Each field is divided into squares that must be aligned with positions from the 2008 season. This season our group will work on four fields. I, Rebecca, have been assigned a square in field M, the "newest" field, according to Lizzy Brown, field M supervisor. Lizzy is jazzed that this field, only started last season, is full of unknowns and located right at the top of the tall right between two well-established fields. See pictures of last seasons squares (by loci) click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

How do the already-excavated fields connect? Stay tuned.

Body Clock

Moving ten hours ahead in time does funny things to sleep patterns. Last night each of us got more sleep – Graeme managed to stay awake all day yesterday, so may have been the king sleeper. However, the stiff west wind brought cooler temps and made it easier for all of us to get our zzzz's. Another help for adjusting, a brisk morning shower. I, Rebecca, feel refreshed after my one gallon wash. We may be on Jordanian time.

The sun shines, breakfast awaits and then we head to our first session of orientation.

Woo Hoo Wireless!

Yesterday (the 20th-21st) we were on a flight with lots of babies. The Royal Jordanian Airline flight staff were wonderful. Food was good, but we arrived thirsty.

On the road from the airport to Amman Training Center, passed Bedouin Tents and sheep, camels, and followed a Prius.

We are staying at the Amman Training Center, a vocaltional school established and run by the UN Relief and Works Program, for Palestinian refugees. Our room is normally a dorm where 16 girls stay. (Ken posting)

k

The air smells like cedar here I think! (Justin posting) I’m not supposed to sleep during the day but I failed my task of staying awake and passed out on my parents’ bunks. Last night I woke up at around two in the morning and stayed awake until everyone else got up. I’m super terrible with jet lag, and I detest the feeling of being constantly sleepy. The cool thing is it is Graeme’s birthday today and he is seventeen! He is still a pubey little pubert, but he is more ripe now and more equipped for manhood. As his sister, I have it as my duty to protect him from the continuous stream of naysayers, bullies, and overly enthusiastic female puberts, but this past year he didn’t need my help as much, and took some initiative by “texting” other “girls” and standing up for himself in the face of vicious enemies. I am so proud to call him my brother, in private that is, and I am so glad we’re on this trip together or I would only have myself to rely on for a decent sense of humor. Yippee!

j

Happy Birthday, Graeme! (Reb posting) Because of your special day we had ice cream for supper and now celebrate internet connection. Thanks for helping the techies do their thing!

Logging on to blog was tricky; the prompts appear in Arabic. Like Justin, my struggle to stay awake has had mixed results. I feel a bit woozie and am thankful that the major tasks of the day involved little brain work. We prepared tags for excavated objects/pottery and helped organize some of the plastic crates that square supervisors need once we start digging.

Almost all the group members have arrived. Interesting, friendly people – some veterans, many, like us, rookies – foster a collegiate atmosphere. I think we're gonna like it here.

r

1...A close shave

Keeping it light, Ken and Rebecca shave one last time and look to the Bedouin for inspiration in personal grooming regarding the use of razors for the duration of the trip.

Graeme talks of shedding hair as well, perhaps several inches. Watch future photos for confirmation. Blowing dirt, limited water for washing, heat...who knows what might serve as motivation for having it buzzed off, or not?

2...Royal packing

We fly Royal Jordanian Air into Amman. Luggage limits are outlined in detail on their site:

Economy Class Passengers (That would be us)
Checked Baggage: The sum of the three dimensions of one piece does not exceed (1568 cms) or 62 inches, weight of pieces maximum (20 kgs) or (44 lbs).
One piece of carry-on baggage is allowed per person according to the set size, weight and shape. Small sized handbag / briefcase: Depth: 23cm; Height: 41cm; Width: 51cm
Weight not to exceed 7 kgs (13 lbs).

Piles of stuff collected in our guest room. Ken sorting through paperwork the dig director asked him to carry.

Our goal: pack light. Each of us carefully checks the What to Bring list included beside the Information tab on the official Dig Site. Our empty suitcases meet the dimension restrictions and today we fill them up, borrow a scale and check on baggage weight.

Once upon a time Ken and Rebecca packed to live in Khartoum, Sudan. Ken packed camping gear and Rebecca insisted on bringing sundries like bed linens, a shower curtain, and baking powder. We went camping in Sudan and slept on cool sheets, took showers and ate baking powder biscuits. It all mattered. We feel confident that the insect spray, trowels, clothes pins, and smooth-soled shoes all matter. Our activity today is also freighted with flexibility, curiosity and expectation of adventure with no size or weight restrictions.

3...

Hullo reader!

today was a pretty sick day. i am not any more prepared for the trip than i was yesterday, but i did scrub my bathroom toilet which is just good healthy fun if nothing else. jack and i went to his house and played music for a little and then we decided to go to chipotle and laguna beach. laguna spelled backwards sounds like 'a new gal' so that's pretty cool..uhh i have never been to jordan before so i don't really know what to be excited for except the unknown. okay so at chipotle i had the most satisfying burrito bowl with lots of salsa, corn, and guac which reeeeeaaalllyy got the job done but now my belly looks very round and like a watermelon. i will miss jack my boyfriend very much while i am gone so we came up with the idea to write 21 letters to each other beforehand and exchange them right before i leave and open one each day we are apart! basically the best idea you have ever heard admit it! okay bye bye!

4...Swallows

"To far off lands the swallow now is speeding

To warmer climes and sundrenched foreign shores..."

I first heard La Golandrina, "The Swallow", performed by my friend Estella Mendez in the town of Santiago Capitiro, Mexico. The swallow is a metaphor for migration, and Estella knew all about that. Today in the town associated with swallows, Capistrano, a requiem mass was said for my cousin John Lear at San Felipe de Jesus Catholic church. In the midst of the miasma of trip prep I, Ken, could not be there. But I want to take a moment to remember my cousin John Lear.

from left to right, me (Ken), my cousin John Lear, my sister Diane, and John's brother, Bret

John, my Uncle Robert's oldest son, grew up in the Imperial Valley, where my mother also spent her childhood. He was only a few years older than myself, a sobering thought. My fondest memory of John involves shooting pellet guns behind Grandpa Lear's house in Holtville. John pointed the gun at his brother Bret and said "Dance." Bret got mad and grabbed the gun from John. John ran and Bret shot him in the rear cheek.

Well, as an adult John migrated around the country and it took him awhile to settle down, but he spent the last few years married and living peacefully in Capistrano.

4...Arabic lessons

Now playing on Ken's ipod: Greetings and Personal Information in Arabic. Just click the link to start speaking like a Jordanian.

"It's a bottle o' hair," with the reply, "It's a bottle newer." The instructor tells us this means "Good morning," and "Good morning."

Thanks, Peace Corps Arabic in Jordan! This helpful site now part of our Links list.

5...Climate conditioning

Veterans of the archaeological dig tell us that the climate in Amman is much like that of Riverside, CA., where we live. Riverside high today: 92º in the shade. Does blood thin after prolonged exposure to temperatures over 90º? Just wondering. Whatever the case, our family seems well conditioned.

While we may be ready for the dry heat of Jordan after living in the semi-desert of the Inland Empire of Southern California, we suspect we'll miss the comparative abundance of water. (We are careful with water and Ken and Graeme are installing a drip irrigation system in our garden.) As those of you who carefully read through the information on the Official Dig Site know, beyond boiling all drinking water, rationing takes on new meaning in Jordan. For showers, please use as little water as humanly possible: 1) turn water on to get wet, 2) turn water off and suds up, 3) turn water on to rinse, 4) turn water off. One can learn to take a shower with a gallon of water or less and feel rather smug about it! Maybe even clean, too.

Smug? After five weeks, we'll feel downright righteous!

I, Rebecca, consider water one of my favorite things. Ever. Watching Graeme's water polo practice this afternoon confirmed it. The boys glistened, like so many silver sharks, and chased, coddled, and flung the ball over the shimmering blue. I sat entranced, gazing at my favorite boy surrounded by my favorite blue: aqua. I love drinking water (at least eight glasses a day), showering, washing my hands and face, and swimming. I'm also fond of watercolor paintings. In fact, I need a glass of water right now!

Maybe we're not that conditioned.

6...Are we having fun yet?

Round up knee pads, toothpaste, mosquito nets, multivitamins, sharpies, shampoo, notebooks, sunscreen, insect repellent. Submit grades, write student loan checks, create and mail birthday card, clean out the fridge, meet with house-sitter. Choose books, games, DVD's for trip. Keep up with laundry and menu for this week. (And these represent partial lists.) Smile.

7...Early Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day early with a cookout (the last hotdogs?) and a hike near Forest Falls as Ken requested. What a perfect day! Wild flowers dotted the trail and the mountain air carried the scent of pine. For future reference and a study in contrasts, enjoy a few pictures.

Before we leave home we intentionally savor what we appreciate here and anticipate the excitement of discovering new delights in Jordan together.

Thanks, Ken, for being the dad you are! And thanks for including all of us on this trip.

8..."Ordinary Amazing" - inspired by Nelly Montoya

Yesterday I, Ken, was profoundly moved by the words of a student I've had the privilege to know, and who makes teaching at La Sierra so great--Nelly Montoya, Global Studies major and Honors student. She spent a year in India, and for her honors presentation she read passages from the journal she kept. I have met few people in my life who have experienced the world so profoundly, and have been able to talk about this from deep places in both the heart and head. Here are some of Nelly's words:

"Sometimes we get to a place in life when we think things are predictable, we know how we can feel. But I saw that life is unpredictable, taking you from heaven to hell in seconds...and allowing you to feel so deeply ... as if the hole in your chest is a bottomless abyss and there is no finding the end of it...

I went to India hoping to find the amazing stories of ordinary people. The ordinary amazing story I found was my own. I believe that everyone has a story that's ordinary amazing. I believe that, whether this is really idealistic or not, we can become a more peaceful society, a more caring society, if we stop referring to people as the other, as someone that we can't understand, we have nothing in common with, so it is my hope by baring everything out in the open for you guys that you'll be able to see something of yourself in my story and that you will realize that the power of your story is something that no one can take away from you...you own that, I'm owning mine...what will you do?"

Nelly's words inspired me to listen more carefully to your stories, and to continue telling you mine...

9...

Confession: Today the thought of taking this trip tires me out. I, Rebecca, will get over it. The combination of ending a school term and year, celebrating Justin's high school graduation, and outfitting all of us for a trek to the Middle East leaves me exhausted. Encouraging comments welcome.

But a bit of good news energizes; close friends we've known for years plan on joining the dig for a week. We'll all take the weekend tour of Petra together! Hurrah!! I imagine what it will be like to get a picture of all of us here:

and I cheer right up!

Count Down - 10

In the early hours of Father's Day, just ten days from now, we rendezvous with a group of fellow volunteers/travelers to catch a flight from LAX to Chicago and from there we fly Royal Jordanian Air directly to Amman.Today Ken and Rebecca gave final final exams and bid non-graduating students farewell. We're almost ready to decide on house-sitter arrangements and give more attention to our travel prep list. Justin will receive college credit for her experience on the dig and that means completing some registration details. Oh, and three of us got tetanus boosters today. Yay! Progress.

More about Tall al-'Umayri

Near Eastern Archaeology (Vol. 72, No. 2) published an extensive report on the work we'll be joining this summer. The article From the Stone Age to the Middle Ages in Jordan: Digging upTall al-'Umayri, includes a wealth of information and photos. The title here is linked to the online version available through EBSCOhost if you're research-inclined. Douglas Clark, a co-author, teaches at La Sierra and coordinates the volunteer group we're a part of. He holds another title at the dig site, but right now we're not sure what that is. Must research that.

If the link doesn't work for you or if you'd like a summary, here's what the editors of the magazine write:

"The authors present the results of twelve seasons of excavation at Tall al-'Umayri, one of several excavations working under the auspices of the Madaba Plains Project, a consortium that has played a key role in the archaeological investigation of the central Jordanian plateau. More than two decades of excavations at 'Umayri have uncovered twenty-one strata of occupation that span the Early Bronze through Islamic periods. Among the noteworthy findings are significant archaeological remains dating to the Late Bronze/Iron Age transitional period - discoveries that are transforming our understanding of this pivotal period and are providing new insights into the early Iron Age in the highland regions on both sides of the Jordan River."

Hospitality

Walking to the banks of the Nile was one of our favorite evening activities while living in Khartoum. Our interest in boating may have mystified these lounging men, but they welcomed us on board their stout, hand-made vessel beside their nets.
The unrelenting kindness and hospitality of the Sudanese, both friends and strangers alike, lighten our memories of that dark, difficult year. And the kindness and hospitality, like the Nile, flowed constantly. We hear that Jordanian hospitality parallels this.

Arabist Dreams

Not long after our Aqabah honeymoon, we landed in Khartoum, Sudan. The honeymoon was over but our sojourn in the Arab world just beginning. Ken, working for the non-government agency (NGO) ADRA/Sudan, settled into the culture with excitement. His dream: live in a village close to the people, learn Arabic, in short become an Arabist.

Our experience in Khartoum was uneven. As newlyweds, we struggled with adjustments to married life after a brief courtship and whirlwind wedding as well as adapting to our new work and living arrangements. The Sudanese were welcoming and friendly while key members of the ADRA ex patriot staff were not. We enjoyed marketing at the souq but the cleaning process for every piece of food grew tiresome. The extroverted Ken loved visiting Sudanese friends in their homes for evening tea while the introverted Rebecca spent many evening wishing her life away. Instead of working as a project director, conducting baseline surveys and field training, Ken found himself thrust into the job of ADRA director with the headaches and stress of administration. We transfered to ADRA/Kenya after one year and Ken's dream of becoming an Arabist withered.

Almost 24 years later, a glimmer of that dream appears with the invitation to join the archaeological dig in Jordan. Ken and Rebeccan return to the Arab world. Who knows what might happen?

A glimpse of the shared past

As part of our honeymoon trip in 1986 we visited the resort town of Aqabah, Jordan. Getting there involved boarding a bus in Cairo, Egypt, crossing the Sinai Peninsula by night, and finally taking a ferry across the Gulf of Aqabah to the resort town on the Jordanian coast. The ferry sailed from a small coastal town, we think it was called Nuweiba, Egypt, pictured above. (Searching for pictures, Ken found these never-before-published slides from our trip.) The crossing of the gulf was invigorating, in contrast to the rather crowded bus through the Sinai. On arriving at the port in Aqabah we walked the short distance into town and found a hotel near the beach.
View from the ferry looking back on the Sinai.

Venturing out in the evening we found a delightful outdoor restaurant with a friendly host, the food was simple and delicious, and we became regulars. We had one bit of unpleasant business to finish; our plane tickets disappeared somewhere along the way, probably not in Jordan, but we had to file a police report in order to get replacements from KLM.

Wandering through town we asked a young man, perhaps age 15, for help finding the station. With our rudimentary Arabic and his limited English it wasn't clear if he understood our request. But we walked along with him, hopeful of reaching our goal, Ken trying to make conversation. Things got strange when the boy put his arm around Rebecca's shoulders. Questions like "Why isn't Ken stepping in? Does he think this is okay?" raced through her mind. Removing the boy's arm herself and sending furious thoughts and blistering looks to the passive new husband, Rebecca considered 1) the message that American movies send the Arab world regarding interaction with western women 2) a lifetime with Ken.

Nothing more eventful happened and we found the police station. We explained our plight to several uniformed men behind desks and eventually got a typed document. More on procuring tickets and getting out of Aqabah in a later post.

A glimpse of the past

I was the quintessential lonely college student with backpack, hitchhiking from Turkey through Syria, then arriving in Amman. That was my first visit to Jordan, circa 1977. While full of interesting people and places, I was tired of traveling by myself and my feet stank. The spontaneous and warm hospitality of the Jordanians was my lifeline. I still remember getting a ride with a lorry driver wearing a red kefiyyah, who offered me a steady round of cokes from his cooler. Pre-internet era, I did manage to put a letter in the mail to tell my parents of my whereabouts.

A glimpse of the future

Today Ken and Rebecca teach the last classes of the quarter with finals next week. Justin finishes her high school career, and Graeme completes his last Friday as a sophomore. The sense of transition and closure permeates our lives. The present fully consumes us, but it's exciting to look ahead.

We now have two travel-worthy suitcases for the journey, one large enough for mosquitoes nets. Small step, but tiny moves keep hyperventilation at bay.

Scattered Countdown

The Waring Cranes prepare for adventure. We're glad you're joining us! Welcome.

So far Canada is the extent of our "international" travel as a family since Ken and Rebecca bid farewell to overseas work and wandering life back in 1992. Each of us is kinda stoked. Our passport photos capture this excitement with varied success:

Ken Rebecca

Justin Graeme

We fly to Amman, Jordan 20 June as part of the volunteer teem for the Madaba Plans archaeological dig. As of today, 3 June, our family of four holds valid passports, flight information and electronic tickets, along with multiple (mental) lists of things to pack and purchase: four mosquito nets, smooth-soled shoes, shade hats, shampoo and toothpaste for five weeks...