Day 12: The Dig...Continues

We have dug for three days, and we have begun to develop a rhythm on the site. This rhythm that has developed however, is one of flexibility. When we feel assured with our abilitywith one task, we are given a new one to learn. There is an ongoing atmosphere and learning and adapting to knew stimuli. There is never a boring moment.

Today, I spent a majority of my time diagraming and graphing an artifact along with another student. We thought the job would require no more than an hour--it took the entire six hours. A lesson in patience is never wanted; but it is eventually appreciated.

That is all I will write about the dig for today. There seems only so much you can say about digging in sand. Or maybe it is that I can only put so much into words. A lot of it is hard to describe and must be experienced. If you missed it, that was my plug to get you over to the Middle East on a dig.

The last bit I will write is on the perception of the Middle East around the world. It seems as if our news networks have become facinated with portraying Islam in a sleazy and violent fashion. It is hard to argue against without being exposed to the way true Islam functions, but I am beginning to respect the religion more and more. The national religion of Jordan is Islam, and the calls to prayer can be heard five times a day from the minarets. Many of the shops around around town have live broadcasts of Mecca and worship in conjunction to its call to prayer (which is synonymous with the other mosques in Jordan, as far as I can tell). The religion is one of peace, patience and virtue.

One story that sticks out is when one of our dig leaders accidentally broke her ankle (as if the breaking of an ankle can be anything but accidental). We asked for help from the front desk to get her up a ladder from a hike that we did, and in response an ambulance, a fire truck and nine army men appeared within fifteen minutes. After helping her up the ladder, one of the army men turned to another one of our dig leaders and said: "Praise be to God that we were able to help." All the glory, all the thanks, and all the praise was intentionally direceted away from those who helped and given to one held higher. Islam is not a simple Sabbath based religion (although they do hold a Sabbath). Islam is a lifestyle lived in reverence before God. No matter what you believe, the dedication and humility of Islam's practitioners is one to be respected. Thanks for reading. Sorry for breaking from the outline of our adventures, but I thought a change of pace may be appreciated.

Brad