I have a broken wrist. On May 4th, while visiting Scotland with some friends, I fell off the National Monument and landed on my right wrist. My third thought, after “that hurts way more than anything else I have experienced” and “should my wrist look like that,” was “how can I dig with a broken wrist?”

The word “dig” stuck out in my mind because digging requires shovels and shovels require two hands. However, I have since learned that rarely do we use shovels at Omrit because they displace the dirt too much to catch all that may be hiding within it. Despite my attempts, the hoe is also not for me because in order to get the full benefit of the tool, some wrist movement is needed. And as much as I wanted to try, I am not allowed to use a pick axe.

My approved tools are all geared towards smaller-scale and detail work, such as a trowel or a hand pick. Because of this, I am often given smaller loci to level out or asked to articulate and clean the walls and balks to avoid contamination. Up in Y8, the square is too low for me to get safely in and out so I work on sifting the dirt buckets to find artifacts. Honestly, I love this job because it feels a bit like a treasure hunt and I was always that kid who kept her head down and looked for cool rocks or coins on the ground. Also, the artifacts are an important part of the dig and being able to pick around for them makes me feel like I am being helpful despite my injury. While I am not doing as much heavy lifting or pulling back as much dirt as most people, I have a job that allows me to contribute to the efforts of the team while not risking further damage to my wrist.

I fear this trip, and this injury, may have given me a new nickname: Bag Lady. Initially, I wore a bag out into the field, as I would when showering, to avoid getting dirt on and in my cast. Realizing how soon I’d run out of the bags I had packed, I requested people give me their spare bags, figuring two or three people may give me bags after trips to the kibbutz store or into town. Instead, I have become the final resting place for most people’s bags, with my room slowly becoming a pile of bags. Unfortunately, at this point in the dig, I have opted to wear a sling to relieve the strain on my atrophied muscle and now have an ever-growing pile of bags which will never see the dirt of Omrit.

I’d like to say that being in the cast takes away all my pain and the broken wrist is more of an inconvenience than an injury. But, as is to be expected, my time digging has caused some significant pain to my wrist. There were a few days where the pain was bad enough that Professor Rubin wanted me to go to the hospital or at least contact my doctor back home. It was decided, after assessing the painful areas and consulting with my doctor, that the pain was caused from the use of the muscle which had become atrophied after a month and a half of disuse. This episode prompted me to get a sling to stop the temptation I constantly felt to use my right hand and take the strain of supporting the weight of the cast off the muscles in my wrist. While the sling does not solve all the problems, the pain has greatly decreased and I have to spend less time worrying about my wrist and more time focusing on the dig.

Every day, I have moments of frustration because I cannot do all the tasks everyone else can. After months of building excitement over this dig and the implications it held for my future, to have something holding me back is definitely not ideal. Despite these feelings, I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity and to be treated like a valuable member of my square even if I only have one hand to use.