Day 5

Same routine this morning . . . up at 4:00 am, bizarre 1st breakfast at 4:30, bus to dig site at 5:00 am. However, for the 3rd day in a row our bus driver was late (only 12 minutes today, 30 minutes yesterday) . . . strike one. Then as we were driving to the tel, he passed a big-rig truck on a curve using the opposite lane to pass . . . strike two. Then when we arrived near the tel, he dropped us off a mile away from the base of the tel b/c he said the terrain was too rough for the bus . . . strike three. Didn't like today's bus driver. I think they got the issue resolved with the bus owner b/c the new bus driver showed up at the appointed place to pick us up!

I haven't talked much about the rest of the folks on this dig. We have quite an interesting group. It will take me awhile to get around to meeting and conversing with everyone. My room mates our two "older guys." Most of you know me well enough to know that I'd rather be hanging out with young people . . . there is one guy, Nate, who is a pretty sharp grad-student at Abilene Christian University, I'd love to be hanging out with him and having some deep theological discussions. He also teaches Biblical studies. But, my room mates . . . a 68 year old retired guy and a late-thirties to early 40's guy who is head of school at a Houston private school. They are both pretty neat guys and we have had some great conversations, but . . . I'm here in the lounge area each night blogging and visiting with the "young folks" while my bunk mates are heading to bed by 8:30 pm!

Another interesting pair . . . Peter and Lan . . . he is German, she is Indonesian and they are missionaries that currently reside in Canada! He is 66 years old and she is 70!!!!!!! I am uploading a pic of the two, she is wielding a pick ax! They both work incredibly hard and are very sweet and pleasant to visit with!

Petra . . . or at least that's my nick name for her b/c I can't remember her real name (too many people). She is a BYU grad-student and she is about 4' 8" tall. She just arrived here having been on a previous dig site at Petra (remember that cool place on Indiana Jones . . . the 3rd one . . . where they go into that palace with the cool buildings carved directly into the walls . . . that's Petra). She has been there for 6 weeks, now she is here for 5 weeks, and then she is heading to another dig for 4-5 weeks. 3 digs in one summer! She gets back to the States one day before the next semester of school starts! She's nuts!

Kevin . . . you know that annoying guy in your college class that always has to ask a question to show how smart he is? Tha'ts Kevin. He's a nice guy, just talks too much and has too much to prove. In my years of student ministry I've encountered a lot of Kevins. I know how to handle them.

Dr. Ortiz . . . one of two top dogs here on the dig site. He is head of arch. program at Southwestern seminary. He is in charge of this operation. His 70 year old dad is on the trip working with us!

Those are a couple of the people on the trip. I'll share about more later.

Today, our work became work. It has already lost its novelty. Now it's just tough work. No breeze on the tel today and the temps were hotter. They said to prepare for a heat wave . . . going to hit 100 tomorrow!

My square was slow moving today. We are clearing the top layer which is primarily junk that has slid down the hill from a dump site used by an excavation in the '60s and '70s. Lots of shards of pottery, some handles from clay jars. It's backbreaking and kneebreaking work. I forgot to bring knee pads. It was on my to-do list and completely forgot them! My square supervisor is constantly on me to stop kneeling in the dirt b/c of the danger of scorpions coming up from under the dirt and stinging me. Oh, well!

By the way, digging up dirt means you have to put the dirt somewhere. I haven't mentioned this fun part of the dig. We have to wheelbarrow the load to the dump site. Our square is the farthest and most awkwardly positioned square in relation to the dump site . . . down a hill, up a hill, down a hill, up a hill, across a narrow path, and then up a very long and steep hill and then dump! Quite tiring. We take a trip to the dump every 5 minutes or so . . . let's see . . . roughly 6 hours of work (after removing break and breakfast time) that would be roughly 10-12 trips per hour x 6 . . . 60-72 trips per day! But it gives you a break from the kneeling and bending over.

Tomatoes and watermelons . . . I'm eating tomatoes like apples for 2nd breakfast. They are redder and sweeter than our tomatoes back home . . . and the juice is amazing. So, too the watermelons . . . I don't generally eat watermelon back home, but in the heat and work here it's is the most amazing sound when Gary calls out, "Fruuuuiiiiiittttt breaaaaaaakkkk!" Everyone immediately drops their tools and heads to the break tent up on the hill where Gary has sliced open 6 watermelons. I eat about 3-4 slices . . . sucking on the flesh of the fruit and getting all the juice out before eating it! Invigorating! (By the way, fruit break takes place at 11:00 am which is after 2nd breakfast which is at 8:30 am which is after 1st breakfast which is back at Neve Shalom at 4:30 am. Lunch is immediately served when we arrive back at Neve Shalom at 1:30 pm.

We had our first pottery washing today. They soak all the pottery in water from the previous day. Then we take little vegetable brushes and brush the dirt off and put them on drying racks. The pottery reading will take place the next day by trained professionals, not us peons/slaves. Pottery washing will take place each day at 4:00 pm, followed by that day's lectures. Today's lecture was given by Dr. Dennis Cole on the geography of Israel.

The Palestinian children left today, but before they left they went swimming. I went to see them and took some photos of them for y'all. I'll upload them today.

Well, time for bed.

Shalom

Trey