Day 9: Top plan

Debbie Finch sweeping the desert.

I did not want to get up, given yesterday’s hot, hard day, but I did and it was COLD!  It had rained a little the previous night and the wind had blown a lot! So we had to re-dig much of what we had before. The work was just as strenuous, but not as hard and hot as yesterday, so it wasn’t bad.

We finished preparing part of a trench and then drew a top plan. After lunch, I finished reading “The Rowan” and took a shower.

At night we went to the club and participated in the dancing that goes on there every Monday and Thursday. Bed around 12:00.

Day 8: Back to work.

Part of what we uncovered at field KK.

The day was hotter than hell in field KK and we (now the we was down to 5 volunteers, and 2 staff) moved an incredible amount of sand. I drank about 3 gallons of water to avoid dehydration which I had suffered from earlier {2011 edit – the likely cause of the illness from the previous week}. The die-hards (or masochists, we aren’t sure) of field KK worked our butts off. When we found out that field Z had umbrellas, a stereo, and popsicles, a revolt almost occurred.  The only reason it didn’t was because we were too hot and tired to lift our bodies out of the sand dune.

We ate lunch and then I collapsed after a shower.

Dinner was at 7:00 and afterwards, Joni, Jason, and I went to the club. While there, we hung out with the divers (who have it easier than field Z!)  I went home around 11:30 and read until I fell asleep.

Day 7: Not much happening.

Basically, I read all day. The Sport Centre was crowded with tourists that I just didn’t want to have to deal with. At around 1:00, Jason and I ate lunch at Rosie’s (22 shekels). In the afternoon, I read again until dinner when I ate with Jason again. Joni got in around 9:30. We talked for about an hour and then went to bed.

Day 6: Waiting for Shabbat

My alarm clock broke, and I felt awful, so I skipped the dig and slept in until about 9:30. When I woke up, I attempted laundry again—this time doing all my clothes that were dirty. It took a little over an hour.

Statuary garden at Kibbutz Sdot Yam

I was outside when the diggers came home –which is when I found out Jason (the guy from SD) {MacFarland - my notes about names are awful! I hate that I have so few names. If you recognize anyone from pictures, let me know! Jason and Joni were my two best friends in Israel. We did most things together. Jason was a pre-med music major at USD. Not sure if he ever went on to become a singing doctor, but I seem to recall hearing that he didn't.  I made up little theme songs for everyone.  His was short, "Jaaa--son... of the North!"} didn't go to dig either. Jason, Liza (a quiet girl from Trinity College), Priscilla (short – every bit lives up to her name {I have no idea what I actually meant by this} ) and I ate lunch and intended to go to Hadera shopping (for things like an alarm clock, etc.) However, we did not realize that on Friday shops, taxis, everything (except restaurants) closes down to prepare for Shabbat.

Our plans for the day were spoiled so we each retired to our respective rooms until evening when we agreed to meet. I read all afternoon and enjoyed relaxing immensely.

At 6:00 we metand walked to Old Caesarea – through the Kibbutz- to have dinner.  After checking several restaurants, we made the unfortunate selection of “The Crusader”. The name alone should have tipped us off. I spent an enormous amount of money on a meal I barely touched.

We walked back intending to go to the club, but that too was closed. The whole day’s plans shot to hell, we all retired around 9:30.

Day 5: Sick

Looking at the Israeli bathouse dig site.

Despite a queazy stomach, I went out into the field at 5:30 per usual. We had moved from field CV to KK, and the CV people had to come help us. I could barely tolerate 2^nd breakfast and ate mostly bread.

After 2^nd breakfast, I felt very bad and extremely faint. Audrey made me leave the field and spend the rest of the day in bed.  At lunch, I ate three pieces of bread and then went back to lie down all afternoon.  Joni left weith her relatives around 4:30. {2011 - The thing which remember quite vividly, that is omitted here, is that I was shovelling sand into my bucket, and transporting it to the dump area, over and over... and then the next thing I knew I was on my side, lying down... still trying to shovel sand into my bucket. One of the directors of the area picked me up and dragged me into the shade by the CV area warehouses and started asking me simple questions and forcing me to look at him.  They then loaded me in the van and made me go back to the dorm. Not sure why that isn't included. I hand wrote all of this initially and probably didn't want to deal with the lengthy explinations.  I linked to dehydration above, because that's what it turned out the problem was}

I got dressed and went outside to write at about 6:00. I found a quiet niche where I thought no one would bother me. An Israeli man came up to me at about 6:15 and tried hitting on me until 6:45 when I excused myself for dinner.

Dinner was also sparse as I couldn’t stomach very much.

After dinner there was a lecture on the progress at Caesarea. I slept through most of it and then went to bed around 9:30.

Day 4: Human dump truck

Wake up knock was at 4:45AM. We were out in the field by 5:30. I am supposed to be in field KK, but it wasn’t ready for excavation, so we helped out group CV.  The only thing we really did is act as human back hoes and dump trucks. I was a dump truck – carrying buckets of sand, dirt, broken pottery, and such to the ocean and dumping it in.

Second breakfast came at 8:30 – it was quite good. (Joni was sick all day)

After 2^nd breakfast, wecontinued in area CV playing human back hoe and dump truck. I found the southern part of a doorway to vault 4 and began clearing sand, rocks and such out of the way to make it look like an entrance. I also found a piece of mosaic that had different colors and patterns on it, but they took it away from me. I later found one with different colors, but not as neat.{But I do still have it, unlike the bone.  It's displayed with a few of the amphora handles--referred to by the site archaeologists as "napkin rings" that were so plentiful on site} It dates to the Roman period. We stopped at around 11:00AM for a tour of the Israeli dig site. After lunch and showers, Joni and I walked to the kiosk at the amphitheatre to get water and post cards. The rest of the afternoon I spent writing post cards and sleeping.

Dinner was out on the terrace, and it was quite lovely. After dinner, Jason, Lisa, Joni, and I took a taxi to Hadera to the mall where I bought Fa (bath soap), Laundry soap, and razors. When we returned I felt sick and I went to bed early.

{Post card written to my parents:
Dear Mom + Dad, Everything is going well. I am working very hard every day from 5:30AM until 1:00PM.  Today I found one of the sides to vault 4 in sec. CV.  I spent all day digging, brushing and exposing stone. When I get home ask me what we found the first day! Joanie (sic) Jefferson is my roomie's name - she's very nice, we get along well. I'm having a great time and getting a good workout! Take care, I love you, Susanna  PS the building on the hill the citadel is where we eat 2nd breakfast every day.}

Day 3: First Dig Day

Digging in CV.

The morning came early the first day of the dig. We mostly did human dump truck work. 2^nd breakfast was at 8:30 – a meal of mostly fresh vegetables and yogurt.

After 2^nd breakfast, we kept finding bones and then all digging stopped when someone found a human vertebrae and pelvis attached. It was really neat. I found a human finger bone. {Ah... the finger bone. Such a cool thing. There is a prohibition on removing any human remains from the country, so for the trip home, I fashioned it into a necklace and wore it home. No one stopped me. The bone held a place of honor in my home until a few years ago when I brought it to Toastmasters for a speech/show and tell... and it disappeared. Not sure whether it dropped out of the bag, or somehow got thrown out, but it's gone. Makes me sad.}

After lunch, I went swimming in the ocean {sic – was actually the Mediterranean Sea… and I knew that, just was ocean-like}.  I attempted laundry in the afternoon with only marginal success. I fell asleep around 4:00 with the intention of getting up at 6:45 to go to dinner. When I woke up at 8:15 it was dark and I got disoriented. I wandered around outside, confirming that I had indeed missed dinner. Joni got in around 9:00 and we went to the club where I met Aiton, Lyon, and Matt. Lyon was trying to haze us (he’s a second year). Joni is gullible, and I’m cynical, so between the two of us, we were fine.  We went to bed around 11:30.