Because I arrived late on Tuesday evening, today marked the end of my first week of work at Omrit. It’s amazing to me – less than a week ago, I didn’t know the difference between a pick and a hoe (let alone how to use them), I had never worn a bug net, and I thought bandanas were worn primarily as a fashion statement. It did not take long to learn that picks are for picking while hoes are for hoeing, despite my best efforts to conflate the tasks. And on the particularly windless days my bug net is my new best friend, with perhaps the exception of my loaned Carhartts, which are so thick and durable they will survive any amount of dirt and rocks I throw at them. The gnats here can be unreal – I’ve never seen so many and never imagined they could be so aggravating. They have become my biggest test of patience and source of paranoia. Some even sneak through the bug net even when I think I’ve secured its bottom edges in my shirt’s neck hole, finding their way to my ears, eyes, and nose. And regarding the beloved bandana, it turns out they win the award for greatest versatility and creativity. They simultaneously act as a bug guard, sun protector, dust blocker, and hair restrainer, in addition to their use as a fashion statement. Everyone has their own unique purpose for a bandana.

In the past week I have learned so many new things, it is actually remarkable to think about. I’m catching on to the jargon of the field. For example, if someone directed me to, “find a patiche and trim the balk on the east side of H16,” I know exactly what to do. Katie of one week ago said, “what’s a patiche?” Put me at a sifter and I can identify pottery, bones, shells, tessera, glass, and nails in 37 seconds per bucket. Give me pottery to wash and I can sit down for six hours scrubbing away because I now have the blister-turned-callous in just the right spot on my thumb from washing the never-ending supply of pottery. Monday was my group’s pottery washing day when we did just this and in the afternoon had a lesson in pottery reading. It provided more purpose and context for understanding what we are doing in the field. So far, the project is off to a good start and looking forward to the coming weeks.