Ringing in the New Year...

This past year I have visited/livedthe most places. I have experienced the good and bad, but very thankful for evert experience. I have become humbled and appreciative for every minute of my life. 2009 was very eventful, I pushed myself to accomplish COLLEGE and now looking forward to new things in store for my future. Thank you all for supporting me through this research project, called life. I will continue to embrace uncertainty with open arms and travel whenever I get the opportunity. Cheers to 2010!

Reflection on living in another country

So after a day and a half of rest from the jet lag and the broken storytelling to friends and family. I am now able to reflect on my last two months in Jordan. First off there are little things that are difficult adjusting back to in America, variety of food restaurants, the toilets aren't just a whole in the middle of the floor, and women around (I can actually talk to women and see their faces).
Now everyone has heard the good and the bad from my trip, because I don't want to give the wrong idea. It was difficult and not just the pretty pictures I post all the time. We compare it to bootcamp. The last night at camp, we had a bonfire and everyone at camp asked each other, would you do it again? Most of the answers were the same, "HELL NO",followed by a "if it was less time" or "better food" or "I've grown alot, so maybe". I agree with all of these statements, I learned alot of history, the Middle Eastern culture, Arabic and most importantly about myself.
I feel like Jordan was a counseling experience, it made all my thoughts, fears, desires surface and I tackled them head on. I have some new goals and organized my priorities. I know my limits from this trip, which seemed alot like Survivor, it tested me and I made it through. I read about 5 books on this trip. One has circulated in my closet since High School, I never read but a few pages. I contemplated giving it away or selling it. But I am so glad I threw it in my suitcase and gave it another try on this trip. I base alot of my positive outlook, due to this book. Wild at Heart, it gave me direction and made me see everything around me differently. There is a quote in the book "Don't ask yourself what the world needs . Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who come alive." Living in the desert, in what seems like solitude, without interuptions has surfaced the questions I have neglected to address. I have reached a new spiritual level, through this mental/physical challenge. I feel alive and will now tackle my uncertainty with a smile, because it should no longer be wired as a negative word in my vocabulary. It will now be welcomed with breathless expectation. Live Today.
I got bit by the travel bug years ago and now I Thank You to all those who supported me. I will try my best to make this blog a frequent travel entry, not only as a personal journal for me, but an escape reading for you as well. I'll share my sights and stories. It's one of the only things I am good at sharing. Ma'salama

It's the little things...

i'll miss. The camel crossing as we return to camp after a long work day. The once a week shai tea and arbut meetings with the Azasme tribe when we sneak away during siesta. Now it is time to pack up and head home. I will continue to blog my travels on here as frequently as I can. In 24 hours I will be stopping in New York, where I will be reintroduced to American culture/lifestyle. This should be interesting. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this experience. It has been rewarding and has given me a new perspective on life as a whole. I will leave one last blog, when I return to California and reflect on my last two months in the desert. Ma'salama

Mice, Rainstorms and Special finds

This week was very eventful/stressful. After returning from Amman we had a small uninvited visitor who was roaming in our tent. I wouldn't stop standing on my cot in horror. We found another scarab at site W (Tuesday), which equals Awesome. We experienced our first flash flood in the Wadi and had to leave site early to finish our work day at the lab. And I learned how to make site top plans all week. Anyways, Wednesday I was screening in the a.m. at site and found an oval shaped copper earing, it was so delicate. Nat Geo came the last two days and filmed although I don't think I was in it, booo. I am still learning my Arabic from my bff Ouda, who told me this week that 'Ali America Jordan sad'. I thought it was adorable. Okay so finishing off our last weekend trip here in Aqaba, our home away from home. Partied at an apartment suite in the Movenpick and karaoked with everyone at the Golden Tullip. We now prep for a 9 day work week, which involves completing a newly started excavation of a building and packing up everything at camp/lab. I might need a couple Red Bulls. Bye Everyone. I will finish up one last blog before my departure from Amman. Ma'salama

We Saw, We Ate, We Shopped

Today we woke up early and got started on our new adventure, conquering downtown Amman. Last night we gorged ourselves with nachos, margaritas and fries, oh American style cooking. So we worked some of it off by visiting the Citadel and seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls. Pretty cool. We shopped downtown, very good deals, and now made our way back to ACOR prepping for departure soon. My body is exhausted, but I am loading up on city goodies to get me through another week. Next week Aqaba, for the Scorpio's birthday. This should be interesting. Until then, Ma'salama

Thank you!!!

Jorge and Tu for the package, I just received it my first day in Amman and I was sooo happy I ate half the candy goods already. They starve me here :(. Thank you two for thinking about me and I am sending out a postcard tomorrow. Miss you guys.

Idiom mafi shogal- today no work

So this last week we got hit with food poisoning from our cooks, 9 people were absent from site, it was rough. I fought with it and was out for half day, but recovered thank God. 'Cause no food intake in the desert is deadly.

We got the figurine dated that we found the previous week, it is from 3rd intermediate period. It is one of the Egyptian gods, Pytykos(sp?), similar to Bes.

I made good friends with the bedouin from the Azasme tribe at site, mostly Ouda- we have choppy convos in Arabic and sand picture drawings. I found I have a sense of humor even with the language barrier. I've been learning animals names this week. By the end of the trip I hope to advance to a child's level of Arabic, inshallah.

Oh! Also, there were two helicopters that went over site this week freaked me out, but I guess that's King Abdullah, so I waved like all the bedouin did. The Israeli army also decided to do some artillery practice in the Wadi I forgot how close we were to Israel until I heard the loud booms, scary. I think that is about it, two more weeks left. I wish I could tell you they are going to fly, but chances are I will be drained, because the pressure is on to finish excavation. This is gonna be rough. Miss you. Ma'salama

Day 3 Petra

Finishing up our Petra weekend, I finally got the dirt out of my ears and my hair back to life..wish this feeling could last longer.
Today we went off the beaten path of tourists on a mission to find some Roman temple. The trail involved climbing and weaving through the sandstone maize, which looked like a Gaudi dream. After our wandering adventure me and ash stopped for one last meal at the Movenpick, pina colada and a burger..it feels weird to live in Jordan deprived of all American culture, cuisine and lifestyle. Being at the Movenpick makes me enjoy a little civilization with a capital C.
I am not looking forward to being back at camp and the routine. We have like 3 weeks left and people are getting a little crazy, it's hard not to when we are around the same people, the sandstorms and the routine makes everyone cranky. But there are times where we snap out of this mode, such as watching the sunrise at site or watching the sunset on the rooftop of the lab or seeing 47 camels herded through the wadi and now I can add the Petra sights. Everything is so different here, I am starting to babel Arabic in my sleep. Next week is Amman, I can't wait for shopping and more real food.

Past week, aka Halloween

Hope everyone's last week was Awesome! Halloween actually was entertaining, it was our 2nd day into the work week and my crazy tent mate Ash, made decorations to our tent very Halloweenie. One of the guys from camp saved a watermelon from the day off and carved an Indiana Jones silhouette as a pumpkin design. I'm upset I didn't take a picture, but nothing too exciting happened. The weather at camp is changing we are now wearing beanies to site and we found a small woman figurine that is still being dated. Moving on to the 2nd month here in Jordan, days are blurring together.

Okay so I'll leave you with this hillarious story..My guy friends from the adjacent site Area R learn Arabic daily from the
bedouin, they are in my mind fluent in Arabic, because of their extensive vocabulary and vulgar slang. I never bother asking what they are talking about unless another kid throws a rock at me and a cuss word might come in handy. So that's the backstory...the other day we had a huge sandstorm during our siesta time at camp and a baby kitten snuck in to their tent (the boys). I hate cats and often make jokes with the other hungry campers of cooking them if I found one. But this kitten was adorable, white blue eyes and so helpless. We argued with each other about keeping it or letting it go. Then Johnny the sentimental one gave it a name, the first sign of ownership..Zebe...Kam fed it and called it Optimus Prime..Zebe sounded cuter to me. So I silently agreed. They only kept the kitten for a day and was forced to let it go. The next day at site my supervisor who loves to gossip was telling the story of the boys and the kitten on our site. I chimed in and commented "oh my pet kitten Zebe", everyone bursts out into laughter. Zebe means my penis in arabic. FML. Thank god the bedouin weren't around or I'd get some serious strange looks. This story has now circled the camp and a good story among the staff. Moral of the story don't trust the boys and their arabic. Have a good week.

Quais Katir-very good

Greetings from Petra, I am so exhausted, had a blast last night met the clan at the bar and today we hiked through Petra - seeing most of the monuments. Petra is a city carved out of the surrounding sandstone mountainous rock. Their is detailed architecture high and low..hidden tombs and caves. I rode a horse and a camel throughout the day...I decided to splurge. Our big hike was to the Monastery, a rough hour hike dodging the donkeys and bedouin salesman. It was worth it to see the flawless Monastery that was seen in Transformers 2. We had snacks for lunch, so now I am looking forward to a big buffet at the Movenpick. We have one more day here, I plan to see more hikes tomorrow and take more pictures. I miss everyone, Have a great day. Ma' salam

salamalacum

So catching up on last weekends trip to Mt. Nebo and the Dead Sea.. It was amazing. After Mt. Nebo, headed down the hill we paid to enter the Dead Sea beach through an awesome hotel. Everyone was smiling once they entered what was like an oasis in the desert. We played for hours in the Dead Sea floating on the water, then almost drowning in the pools. We ate ice cream and smoked hookah, until it was time to leave. The next day at camp. Tom(director) had some exciting news about our scarab. It dates to the Late Bronze age and says" The one who tramples foreign land". It sounded like something straight from Indiana Jones. The camp plague has been going around I caught it a couple days ago- sucks to have a fever in the desert. I am currently missing Mexican food, condiments, sushi, ice, and any normal food I have eaten in the last 21 years. The foods been rough, meat(chicken) is a once a week luxury. In Aqaba again resting, eating and prepping for Petra next weekend. Oh and I miss you Daniel!

WE FOUND A SCARAB!!!!!!

So finally the weekend, We are currently in Madaba, known for their Byzantine Mosaics. We will make our way to Mt. Nebo, Biblical site, and then head to the Dead Sea to uh, float. Yesterday in the first hour of our digging we found a Scarab!! It's no bigger than a dime, perfect hieroglyphs and the best part about it, it was headed for the trash pile of dirt. We caught it at the screening section and just like that we have text to support our tenth century fortress. During our off time at the camp we have a nightly ritual swapping travel stories with music and hookah. It's a really chill group and I enjoy them. Our hotel this weekend is Awesome it has a pool which I drunkenly decided to go swimming in last night along with some others I recruited during our hotel party. It felt like swimming in snow, but can't take advantage of any amenity when you live in the desert. Oh yeah and I'm getting better with my arabic by the day, thanks to my bedouin friends. Oh yeah and I almost forgot My pictures were published in my good friend Ashley Richter's article, check out the link...http://archive.cyark.org/ruins-of-jerash-field-report-conservation-and-tourism-blog
And we are doing a weird duo of vlog-ing for her company Cyark, this should be interesting. Miss you all, masalama.

Kwais-good

This week has been pretty routine-excavate, lab work, food and reading..Our site is AWESOME! I'm in a corridor of the building and so far have found pottery, shells, bones, and today a human tooth! This past week we have encountered our first snake at site and a scorpion in someone's tent . This is a tough job, rewarding, but tough. Don't think I could do this with my life, but on the upside my tent roomie works for a historical archaeology firm dealing with photo imagery of famous archaeological sites and she wants some of my photos to publish with her research project for Jordan...meaning my photo will be in an archaeology journal with credit to meee! I'm stoked, leaning towards a jornalism/photography side of anthropology possibly, in my process of narrowing down for a master's. The food here is getting OLD and the constant heat from wearing modest clothing is hard to adjust to. I like Jordan, the bedouin, the roaming camels in the Wadi, just could never live here. Next week we are going to Madaba, Mt. Nebo, and the Dead Sea. I don't plan on updating until the week after next, since I will be so busy. But after that is Petra for 3 days! Currently I am in Aquaba again, enjoying my day off. Until next time, Shokran.

First Weekend off

Currently in Aquaba, a city near the Red Sea, it's like a beach town, but everyone is still modest in their dress. Lesson number one never take beach, food, and civilization for granted. I miss San Diego.

I am a magnet for odd experiences

Second day of lab, We again wait for our daily outdoor seminar, when our bedouin friend Solomon (neighbor lives next door to lab), kindly greets us as his kids run around playing soccer through tree brush, streets, and concrete. Very sweet kids, unlike the devil ones down the street aiming for ankles. I met Solomon earlier in the lab, he offered me tea as I tried to tell him the story of my braced foot in broken Arabic. Anyways, back to the story we were sitting on the wooden benches wasting time, as he came over and introduced his 5 month old, I didn't catch her name. He walks right up to me and plops her down on my lap says " No mommy or daddy, you". I laugh as everyone did, he's a jokster. Then he walks away, here's a mental picture, me carrying this big baby, it starts crying he goes inside his house, which sets in the very uncomfortable joke. LOL. I was first honored, then as he left I started to wonder how in the hell will I get through customs with a baby. After he came back with her I was finally able to see the humor in his joke. But can't help but wonder, Why do these things always happen to me?

I can dig it

Finally able to connect to the internet, currently here in Aquaba on our day off, but thought I'd catch you up on some of my first days and the whole camp experience. Site is located 30 minutes away, all offroading in the Wadi...I feel so adventurous. It's so serene leaving at 6 am the moonlight lights up the desert just enough for our 4 FULL trucks including people in the bed race throught the Wadi. It's hard acclimating to dirt surrounding me, but I am adjusting. Our tents are like the Israeli tents,lined with bedouin mats and 4 cots. Every morning around 5am, the donkey wakes up along with the the Mosque's call to prayers on loud speaker. We DO have bathrooms, although we enter the stalls with a bucket of water to flush. :) It's funny seeing camels laying down out on bedouin farms amongst the desert hills, it all blends, their humps and the hills. I now can draw a camel for the first time in my life. We work with a handful of Bedouin men and learn some arabic during water breaks. At the field, we began excavation on site W, it began with heavy lifting of massive boulders, but now we are able to see walls and a terrace. Still waiting for some inscription finds. The first day at the lab, a big group walked to the market around the block to buy a pepsi, everything is pretty desolate. On our way back, some devil child threw a rock and nailed me in the achilles tendon, I reacted with some loud gestures and words. This spread throughout camp, next morning it was swollen and I had to stay back. FML.
I would post pictures from site, but I have been informed that I am not allowed to quite yet, since National Geographic owns it. boo.

Headed to no man's land, the desert

Okay, so I've had a quick trip around Amman and my opinion so far is Jordan...very nice country and friendly people. It is noted, when looking for a cheap ride just talk loudly to a taxi cab driver and out of no where 4 other taxi drivers will offer you a better price. Even if you turn them all down, everyone you encounter will end with a sincere "Welcome to Jordan" goodbye. Men here don't usually talk to women and women aren't supposed look them in the eye, it's just the culture. So it's nice traveling in big groups with males present. I've been in cabs in Mexico, San Francisco, Spain, New York..etc and they all share something in common with Amman, they are crazy. The cab drivers make a middle lane for themselves, wasting no time, this is how we ended up getting into an accident. No car insurance exchanged needed just a few words, I imagine vulgar words and a slight wave and they both go their separate ways.
The people in our group are majority of UCSD students, not all archaeology and not all studying in the U.S. It's nice to hear of other's travels, some were just in Peru, Belize, Ireland, etc. on other excavation trips. I guess that's the life of archaeology. It's been really cool and helpful learning different focus' of archaeology. I feel if this is something I'm interested and want to pursue, I will be doing a dig a year if possible and could get paid for doing it. What's that called traveling and getting paid to do it? OH yeah, my dream!

I'm heading off to the dig site this afternoon, where I'll be located south of Dead Sea..Faynan or Khirbat en-Nahas...You can see the description of our excavation here http://www.anthro.ucsd.edu/~tlevy/Archaeology_in_the_Levant/ELRAP_Jordan_Field_School.html
I will be able to receive fed exes...Here's the exact address..
Alejandra Gonzalez c/o ACOR, 8 Rashid al Abadla, Tla' al Ali, Amman, 1181 JORDAN
(just found out we will rarely be visiting here to pick up the items so if you are sending things send quick)Please send me addresses so I can send you cute postcards of camels and things, lol.
While on site I will have no internet access, once a week we will travel different cities, so I'll accumulate an assortment of pictures and writtings. Thanks for reading, Ali.


Just found out that National Geographic not only will be watching us, but documenting our WHOLE DIG!! I should've brought more clothes, hopefully they don't notice I wear the same clothes every day. AWESOME :)

Jerash, the adventure

Day 1 Amman:
At the breakfast table we all talked about the day's agenda, swapping ideas of nearby sites to visit. We gathered a couple people for a trip to Jerash in the early afternoon to see the Roman ruins. As the morning went on we picked up a few more tag a longs, with hopes of having a UCSD graduate student to guide us, we were soon set with reality. At 1030 a.m., we began to walk to the street to catch a cab: 10 Jordan newbies, non-Arabic speakers and 2 Lonely Planet guide books. This was mistake number one. Clearly we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, because of the number of people we were forced to take 3 taxis, mistake number two. We instructed for all of them to head towards the main Abu-dali bus station. On our way there I notice our taxi cab driver is a tad bit reckless and as one of the passengers is discussing a statistic of the accident rate between America and Jordan...Boom we get hit, how's that for timing. We rough it all the way to the station, even gave a tip, mistake number three. After looking lost waiting for the other taxis, we soon realize we were at the old Abu-dali station, clearly not stated in Lonely Planet, remind me to bitch them out later for not revising their information. We should have been dropped off at the North Abu-dali station, the brand new one. Without delay and slight concern of the others we dodge traffic to find a taxi headed to the other end of Amman. Did I mention my wallet was in a friend's backpack who was in the other taxi? Long story short we get to the station no sign of the others, hop on a bus for 45 minutes, 2 JD later, we arrived at our destination. We made it to Jerash, with help from a local Jordanian who was chatty and very interested in Americans lives. We walk amongst miles of ruins, sad we lost everyone, happy we made it and exhausted from the delay. Then I spotted a big group across the site it was our friends we see them and say ...Emillliiio, just kidding, but really it was the rest of our group..reunited, again. We held it together throughout the day with sight seeing of all the ruins and were able to all get a bus home together. Long story, Happy ending, thanks Jerash, you made this one hell of an adventure.

The feeling of traveling

As I arrive at SFO International AIrport, it finally hits me that nervous energy that I felt on my first trip to Europe as a 16 year old. Back then the jet lag, weather and culture shock of France in February made me slightly ill. That was the pivotal moment of this relationship I began with travel. It was brutal at times acclimating to the environment, but rewarding once I figured out how to order a decent meal in the native language. That is as much as I can compare for what's come next....Jordan, Im aware of the area, purpose, and lengthy time of this trip. It takes my 2-3 week multiple stays in Europe look like an exploration of the Holiday Inn. Not that it didn't have culture or didn't exceed the expectation I had of a foreign country, but let's be honest this is the Middle East, no real comparison.

I will be living there for two months excavating a monumental site...crazy and staying at a camping site for 6 out of the 7 days a week, even crazier. After hearing the concerns from family and friends, I can't hold up the brave face anymore...that distracting thought crosses my mind, What am I getting myself into? This is a personal challenge and when I come back after this I hope to gain experience and reward myself with a nice pat on the back.
There is a million adjectives I could summarize my current state right now... nervous, anxious, excited, happy, sad, curious, and I guess restless.

Prepping for Jordan

Hi everyone,

So I'm headed off to Jordan on Monday, for two months on an archaeological dig. I have been busy these last three months: graduated from UCSD, traveled Spain in July and took a little time off to prepare for this upcoming dig. I'll miss everyone so please send me updates on what's new, also I'm going to get around to sending postcards so email me your mailing address. Adiiiiooss.

P.S.

If anyone wishes to contact me email me at afg002@ucsd.edu or check up on my updates here. Also just found out my address to receive letters is...

American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR)

c/o Edom Lowlands Regional Archaeology Project

P.O. Box 2470

Amman 11181, Jordan

No parcels please :), unless its fed ex then I need to figure out my exact address.