Good Morning!
First, I want to thank all of you for your prayers and support for our trip.
Second, a quick update on my ankle, I have consulted with some American doctors and although they have not seen the x-rays, everyone I've talked to has come to the same conclusion: stress fracture. What that means is that I will not be digging the rest of my time here. Rocks and sandbags stairs are not good for an unstable ankle. So in the meantime while everyone else is digging I will be doing odd jobs. Right now I am in "the lab" a house that has been turned into an archeological learning library. I am currently by myself and scanning drawings, not super fun, but at least they gave me the internet!
I am hoping to get crutches soon, I would love a wheelchair (so would my arms) but Israel is not super handicap friendly, so with crutches I can at least be mobile and with other people.
Third, I will be giving Tyler the camera, so you can follow his progress at the dig. They are uncovering some cool things from what I hear.
Please continue to pray for a quick recovery, thank you again for your support!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
PICTURES!! (Start from the Bottom and work up)
Tyler brought me up dinner after a hard day. I have such a great husband!!!
The ankle...I am feeling much better today! I ventured down to the lounge on my cane to get more ice, and I was able to put a little pressure on my ankle. I am staying in today, but will go out this afternoon to help wash pottery. I will be on pottery washing duty the rest of the week, not the most exciting, but it will be the most helpful for a full and quick recovery!!
Pottery, lots and lots of pottery!
Pottery compound -Where everything collected (pottery, bones, glass, beads, etc. goes
View of my grid
Glazed Pottery!
Straight Wall!!
Working to make a the wall straight; collecting pottery, bones and glass that we find
Early morning, getting ready to be an archeologist!
The old Basilica, the front of my dig site!
Ready to go to the airport!
Getting planning done before our big trip!
(I am learning how to use pictures with the blog, the most recent pictures at the top).
The ankle...I am feeling much better today! I ventured down to the lounge on my cane to get more ice, and I was able to put a little pressure on my ankle. I am staying in today, but will go out this afternoon to help wash pottery. I will be on pottery washing duty the rest of the week, not the most exciting, but it will be the most helpful for a full and quick recovery!!
Pottery, lots and lots of pottery!
Pottery compound -Where everything collected (pottery, bones, glass, beads, etc. goes
View of my grid
Glazed Pottery!
Straight Wall!!
Working to make a the wall straight; collecting pottery, bones and glass that we find
Early morning, getting ready to be an archeologist!
The old Basilica, the front of my dig site!
Ready to go to the airport!
Getting planning done before our big trip!(I am learning how to use pictures with the blog, the most recent pictures at the top).
Monday, June 29, 2009
Ouch!
Day 3, June 29, 2009
I got to my dig site and was assigned a new square, same grid, different section. (Imagine graph paper. Each square on the paper is a 10m by 10 m that is a “square,” then a grid is made up of those squares). So, I am in a new section and about 30 minutes into being there I am bringing back more gufas (buckets) to fill with dirt and I slip off the rocks aka stairs.
Gufas go flying and my ankle goes twisting! Ouch! I immediately start to sob out of frustration, embarrassment and pain. As I mentioned before, everyone is so nice, in a minute I had people help me up and sit in a place where I could elevate my ankle. One girl told me stories of her clumsy moments to lighten my mood (it helped), because of the quick swelling and bruising I was taken to the hospital.
Let’s just say as mentioned before Israel and America have different standards of cleanliness. After waking the hospital staff we got in to see the doctor. He told us (me and Laura aptly named “dig mom” to go to x-ray room, which according to his directions, “take a right then a left.” As if we frequent this hospital often. The x-rays came back and the doctor said when I sprained my ankle the ligaments came away from one bone and pulled another bone with them…to me that sounds bad, to him he didn’t seem bothered, a nurse lightly wrapped it and the doctor instructed us to get an ankle brace.
We spent the next two hours running back and forth between pharmacies looking for an ankle brace. One pharmacy had a left foot brace (my sprain is on the right), one had a small brace (for a size 6-7 shoe) and the rest had the compression socks (no support). We ended up with a cane and an ace wrap. I cannot walk on it and am in the process of sending the x-rays to my doctor in the states for a second opinion. There is lots of bruising, but the swelling has gone down.
So for the rest of the day I am stuck in my room watching Israeli TV and reading/blogging. I am praying for a quick recovery, we have a field trip on Friday and I really hope I am able to walk by then. Please pray for a good attitude, I am frustrated now and never realized how inconvenient being immobilized can be for a person. Tyler is wonderful, he brought me lunch and slept next to me during his break. I hope tomorrow is a better day.
I will post pictures tomorrow: my book bag with my camera was left at the dig site, so I cannot upload pictures yet.
I got to my dig site and was assigned a new square, same grid, different section. (Imagine graph paper. Each square on the paper is a 10m by 10 m that is a “square,” then a grid is made up of those squares). So, I am in a new section and about 30 minutes into being there I am bringing back more gufas (buckets) to fill with dirt and I slip off the rocks aka stairs.
Gufas go flying and my ankle goes twisting! Ouch! I immediately start to sob out of frustration, embarrassment and pain. As I mentioned before, everyone is so nice, in a minute I had people help me up and sit in a place where I could elevate my ankle. One girl told me stories of her clumsy moments to lighten my mood (it helped), because of the quick swelling and bruising I was taken to the hospital.
Let’s just say as mentioned before Israel and America have different standards of cleanliness. After waking the hospital staff we got in to see the doctor. He told us (me and Laura aptly named “dig mom” to go to x-ray room, which according to his directions, “take a right then a left.” As if we frequent this hospital often. The x-rays came back and the doctor said when I sprained my ankle the ligaments came away from one bone and pulled another bone with them…to me that sounds bad, to him he didn’t seem bothered, a nurse lightly wrapped it and the doctor instructed us to get an ankle brace.
We spent the next two hours running back and forth between pharmacies looking for an ankle brace. One pharmacy had a left foot brace (my sprain is on the right), one had a small brace (for a size 6-7 shoe) and the rest had the compression socks (no support). We ended up with a cane and an ace wrap. I cannot walk on it and am in the process of sending the x-rays to my doctor in the states for a second opinion. There is lots of bruising, but the swelling has gone down.
So for the rest of the day I am stuck in my room watching Israeli TV and reading/blogging. I am praying for a quick recovery, we have a field trip on Friday and I really hope I am able to walk by then. Please pray for a good attitude, I am frustrated now and never realized how inconvenient being immobilized can be for a person. Tyler is wonderful, he brought me lunch and slept next to me during his break. I hope tomorrow is a better day.
I will post pictures tomorrow: my book bag with my camera was left at the dig site, so I cannot upload pictures yet.
Safe and Sound and Ready to DIG!!
Day 1, June 27, 2009: Saturday
Arrived in Tel Aviv around 5:30! The airport was really easy and not at all scary (I had imagined men with machine guns). Everything went smoothly! We got ourselves a taxi and headed toward our hotel in Ashkelon (Ashqelon). The drive was pretty quite, Tyler and I were still shocked from everything going so well and taking in the scenery, when our driver said, so, Jackson died!” Luckily Tyler caught on quicker than I did to what the driver was talking about. ☺ Tyler of course got into a short political discussion with the driver, quite interesting, but I will let him tell you about it later.
When we arrived at the hotel Emily Masters, Dr. Masters’s wife, greeted us right away, friendly faces are so inviting!! Soon Katie and Tim (the TIU couple we’re traveling with) met us down in the lobby and took us to our rooms, lets just say Israel and America have a different standard of cleanliness. After a quick dinner we settled into our rooms and tried to sleep in preparation for our 4:30 wake up call…Neither of us got what you would call a good night’s rest, I think it’s because we were anxious for the next day, we laid awake all night wishing for sleep. When 4:15 came around I couldn’t take it anymore and got ready.
Day 2 June 28, 2009 Sunday
4:45 We met our group for bread and jam (our pre-breakfast). All but five of us have been digging already for three weeks, so they are all friendly toward each other, but they welcomed us and everyone seems really friendly!
5:00 When we arrived at the tel (dig site) it was like something out of the movies, columns from an old basilica lined my way to my square. Tyler and I are working in two different squares. My work consisted of smoothing out a baulk (it looks like a wall) and digging a trench using what looks a big hoe and pick axe. I think being an archeologist would be frustrating, because there is a big marble slab sticking out of our ditch, but we have to do 10 cm passes, we dig 10 cm at a time, so we dig 10 cm, put the dirt in the gufas (buckets) carry buckets to be dumped and repeat the process. It is cool, however when you find something, I found a Israeli horseshoe and our site has lots of broken pottery pieces.
9:00: Breakfast and the first time I see Tyler since arriving at the dig! Breakfast consists of cheese, tuna, some veggies and fruit, yogurt hardboiled eggs and bread. Tyler feels a little frustrated because while his major may say Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Biblical Archeology, there is very, very little about practical archeology. The supervisors at his site gave him very little direction and assumed that he already knew what to do, not much of a confidence boost, but Archeology is very much a hands on training and after a day of it, you feel pretty confident.
After lunch more digging, I knew by lunch that the next day I would be sore. Imagine a day of hoeing a garden and shoveling all the dirt you knock loose and then hoeing some more and shoveling the dirt to carry it off to be dumped in another location…needless to say my back and hands are experiencing pain.
1:00 - 4:00: Back to hotel for lunch, clean up and rest.
4:00-6:00 Pottery washing – washing the pottery we find each day (not the most exciting thing, but a good chance to talk with people).
6:00 Lecture (we were fighting our eyes to stay open, so I can’t really say what it was about).
7:00 Dinner
7:30 showers and get ready for bed. I slept much better this night, but Tyler needed some help from Nyquil.
Pictures coming soon..
Arrived in Tel Aviv around 5:30! The airport was really easy and not at all scary (I had imagined men with machine guns). Everything went smoothly! We got ourselves a taxi and headed toward our hotel in Ashkelon (Ashqelon). The drive was pretty quite, Tyler and I were still shocked from everything going so well and taking in the scenery, when our driver said, so, Jackson died!” Luckily Tyler caught on quicker than I did to what the driver was talking about. ☺ Tyler of course got into a short political discussion with the driver, quite interesting, but I will let him tell you about it later.
When we arrived at the hotel Emily Masters, Dr. Masters’s wife, greeted us right away, friendly faces are so inviting!! Soon Katie and Tim (the TIU couple we’re traveling with) met us down in the lobby and took us to our rooms, lets just say Israel and America have a different standard of cleanliness. After a quick dinner we settled into our rooms and tried to sleep in preparation for our 4:30 wake up call…Neither of us got what you would call a good night’s rest, I think it’s because we were anxious for the next day, we laid awake all night wishing for sleep. When 4:15 came around I couldn’t take it anymore and got ready.
Day 2 June 28, 2009 Sunday
4:45 We met our group for bread and jam (our pre-breakfast). All but five of us have been digging already for three weeks, so they are all friendly toward each other, but they welcomed us and everyone seems really friendly!
5:00 When we arrived at the tel (dig site) it was like something out of the movies, columns from an old basilica lined my way to my square. Tyler and I are working in two different squares. My work consisted of smoothing out a baulk (it looks like a wall) and digging a trench using what looks a big hoe and pick axe. I think being an archeologist would be frustrating, because there is a big marble slab sticking out of our ditch, but we have to do 10 cm passes, we dig 10 cm at a time, so we dig 10 cm, put the dirt in the gufas (buckets) carry buckets to be dumped and repeat the process. It is cool, however when you find something, I found a Israeli horseshoe and our site has lots of broken pottery pieces.
9:00: Breakfast and the first time I see Tyler since arriving at the dig! Breakfast consists of cheese, tuna, some veggies and fruit, yogurt hardboiled eggs and bread. Tyler feels a little frustrated because while his major may say Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Biblical Archeology, there is very, very little about practical archeology. The supervisors at his site gave him very little direction and assumed that he already knew what to do, not much of a confidence boost, but Archeology is very much a hands on training and after a day of it, you feel pretty confident.
After lunch more digging, I knew by lunch that the next day I would be sore. Imagine a day of hoeing a garden and shoveling all the dirt you knock loose and then hoeing some more and shoveling the dirt to carry it off to be dumped in another location…needless to say my back and hands are experiencing pain.
1:00 - 4:00: Back to hotel for lunch, clean up and rest.
4:00-6:00 Pottery washing – washing the pottery we find each day (not the most exciting thing, but a good chance to talk with people).
6:00 Lecture (we were fighting our eyes to stay open, so I can’t really say what it was about).
7:00 Dinner
7:30 showers and get ready for bed. I slept much better this night, but Tyler needed some help from Nyquil.
Pictures coming soon..
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Packed
We are all packed! (Guess which bag is mine? No, it is not the blue
one, but in his defense mine weighs more). I rolled all my clothes just the way I was taught (Thanks Rich!) We have a few more things to check off the list before we leave the country, but it is coming together well.
We appreciate all your prayers and ask for continues prayers as we have a long flight ahead of us. We get into Tel Aviv on Saturday around 5:30 Israel time and have to go through customs, get a taxi, get to our hotel and try to sleep before our 4:30 wake up call for our first day of digging! Needless to say we have an adventure ahead of us tomorrow.
Thank you for your love and support,
Cathy and Tyler
Also, during our first three weeks, while we are on the dig, we will not be able to update the blog as often due to internet expenses, but we hope to update at least once a week.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Three Days and Counting
Friday is the big day, and while we get our bags packed (thanks to Jack and Chris for the backpacks!) our house is marked by lists of things to do before we go, but in the craziness of these last few days, we are reminded that life is fleeting and temporary.
Today we celebrate the life of Darwin Daniels. He was a loving and caring Husband
(62 years of marriage!), Dad, Brother, Grandpa and Great Grandpa, who was cherished by all his family. I would ask that you pray for my Grandma as she is coping with his death. While we praise God that Grandpa is home with our Lord, we also pray for peace and hope for those who continue on without him.
I love you Grandpa and I am so glad we will see each other again.
Please pray for us and our families as we are not able to make it home for the services.
Cathy and Tyler
Today we celebrate the life of Darwin Daniels. He was a loving and caring Husband
(62 years of marriage!), Dad, Brother, Grandpa and Great Grandpa, who was cherished by all his family. I would ask that you pray for my Grandma as she is coping with his death. While we praise God that Grandpa is home with our Lord, we also pray for peace and hope for those who continue on without him.
I love you Grandpa and I am so glad we will see each other again.
Please pray for us and our families as we are not able to make it home for the services.
Cathy and Tyler
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Hotels Hotels Hotels
Turns out we have a new and better hotel for about a quarter of the price!
Here is the website:
http://www.elariaresort.com/
We have all of our hotels booked and are beginning the packing process, I think we have everything it is just a matter of organizing it. Please continue to pray for us as we still have things to get ready here before we can focus on getting there! :)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Three Weeks
After the Dig
So, we have found a place to stay while in Jerusalem. We are blessed to be traveling with another couple from Trinity, Tim and Katie Barker! It has been so nice bouncing ideas off each other and planning together. I know it makes me feel more at peace about the trip!
So to ease all of your curiosity, I will post our tentative itinerary thus far...
Friday July 17th
Leave Ashkelon after Dig clean up
head to Jerusalem before Schabbat (Sabbath)
Head to our Bed and Breakfast for little rest and relaxation
Saturday July 18th - Tuesday July July 21st
Touring around Jerusalemof
** Pictures of our Bed and
Breakfast
More details later
Wednesday July 22nd and Thursday Juy 23rd
Touring around Jericho, Galilee and Nazareth perhaps others. These two dates are still up in the air as to what we want to see and of course if it is safe to travel there on those days.
Friday July 24th
Traveling to Nuweiba, Egypt!
To go snorkeling and relax at the beach for a few days!
We are in the process of finalizing a stay at the Swisscare Nuweiba Resort Hotel
http://www.swisscare-hotels.com/
Here are some pictures:
Monday July 27th - Friday July 31st
Head to Alexandria to meet up with Clint and Vivian Smith (cousins of Tyler's family)
They are going to show us around Alexandria and Ciaro! Being with family is a wonderful way to end the trip!
So, we have found a place to stay while in Jerusalem. We are blessed to be traveling with another couple from Trinity, Tim and Katie Barker! It has been so nice bouncing ideas off each other and planning together. I know it makes me feel more at peace about the trip!
So to ease all of your curiosity, I will post our tentative itinerary thus far...
Friday July 17th
Leave Ashkelon after Dig clean up
head to Jerusalem before Schabbat (Sabbath)Head to our Bed and Breakfast for little rest and relaxation
Saturday July 18th - Tuesday July July 21st
Touring around Jerusalemof
** Pictures of our Bed and
BreakfastMore details later
Wednesday July 22nd and Thursday Juy 23rd
Touring around Jericho, Galilee and Nazareth perhaps others. These two dates are still up in the air as to what we want to see and of course if it is safe to travel there on those days.
Friday July 24th
Traveling to Nuweiba, Egypt!
To go snorkeling and relax at the beach for a few days!
We are in the process of finalizing a stay at the Swisscare Nuweiba Resort Hotel
http://www.swisscare-hotels.com/
Here are some pictures:
Monday July 27th - Friday July 31st
Head to Alexandria to meet up with Clint and Vivian Smith (cousins of Tyler's family)
They are going to show us around Alexandria and Ciaro! Being with family is a wonderful way to end the trip!
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