Today was a somewhat uneventful day. Or as uneventful as it can be examining human remains in Butrint, Albania. We awoke and ate breakfast eagerly, because the 3 burials left at the forum were promised to our group to dig, as I had already dug I was simply going to be cleaning and analyzing bones while they went digging and hopefully reviewing enough to remind myself of what I'm actually doing. It's so odd, I remember stuff but then I can't explain it. Or I know I should remember something but I don't. I hate being ill prepared.
On the way to class we passed by what would end up being the highlight of our day, a flock of sheep being herded down the road and onto the small “ferry” that crosses the river. I say ferry loosely because it is really just a raft that is run across the river by a line and powered back and forth. All in all it probably takes less than 7 minutes to be moved from one side of the river to another. The sheep were very unhappy to be moved and protested and tried to run away quite a lot.
Sadly, we got word that the excavations were being done by the people already there and that none of us was to help. Apparently they had not only left the burials exposed to the rain storm but had also broken one by dropping part of its stone covering on top of the bones. My classmates and I were sorely disappointed and I know that Sarah and I felt bad because we had gotten to do a full day's excavation at the exclusion of the others. So we went and received a lecture as we tried to secure the remains that were from previous years that might be from both the helenistic and bronze age. We couldn't find much of those either.
After lunch we split into groups to receive a lecture on aging and sexing bones or to analyze the 2 very young skeletons we had waiting in our office. I decided to stay and help with the analysis. This turned out to be a bad idea. I was paired with Sarai, who is a difficult person to work with. She is very loudly opinionated and judgmental and really is only out to help herself. I sat down with my computer to help her take notes and was told that she was taking her own notes and didn't really need me. I helped her anyways and it was a slow and tedious process as we counted each individual bone fragment and attempted to side them. We aged the child at around 5 or 6, the little girl had her first molars growing but had yet to lose any baby teeth. All in all it was a rather unpleasant day.
After dinner we received a lecture on DMORT and their help with 9/11. It was incredible to hear from a person who had been on the scene, doing the hard work and helping the people receive identities and their families given some semblance of peace. The way he spoke made it sound like work that I would want to do. I can't say I'd really like it, because no one should like a mass fatality and recovery effort but I would feel pleased with myself by helping out in this way if my skills permit.
I also received my first odd bug bite. Don't get my wrong I've got a fair share of mosquitoes but this bug obviously had pincers and left what looks like a small vampire bite on my hip. It also hurt and was rather large. Didn't get to see too much of it though, as I flung it away quite quickly.
Did I also forget to mention that the Livia, the hotel we're staying at, has bunnies? As in, wild bunnies who live on the grounds and hop around us all the time? Because it totally does and some of them are young bunnies and all are adorable. No touching of course, they probably all have mange or something.
Looking forward to another day with bones!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Excavation (5/28/2011)
After a rather sleepless night, I was not feeling well at all we woke up and went to breakfast where we were informed that only 2 students would accompany the professor to the dig site and excavate the remains. Most people did not volunteer but around 6 of us were feeling highly competitive over those 2 coveted spots. I ended up winning the second of the 2 spots and eagerly awaited the excavation.
We followed the ethnobotanist on the site to the site, which involved climbing over the walls of the theater. This was bad because the guards for the park were very angry and whistled at us to get down off of the ruins. I was last in line because I moved slowly and so in fear I jumped down quite a distance to the bottom of the ruins and ended up spraining my ankle again. I had sprained it almost 2 years ago and it had never quite healed properly. It was fortunate that I brought my compression sock with my to the site as I ended up putting it on as soon as we got there.
It took a while to get everything sorted out but eventually Sarah and I were cleaning and excavating fill so that pictures could be taken. We had to remove a few bones but altogether leave the skeleton in-situ in the grave. It was definitely a child's body, most of the long bones were un-fused and the vertebra were mostly fused. The skull was a mess, having either exploded from moisture or crushed because it was in many pieces. The grave had obviously been disturbed at some point, by a rodent, root or something else we weren't sure what had caused all the movements because roots were present and rodent activity was evident. It took us until lunch to fully clean the remains and have them ready to be photographed and then drawn, which happened after lunch. We were worried a bit because of the fact that they bones had been moist in the soil but were exposed to direct sunlight and would dry out fast, making them easily crumble if handled without care. Fortunately when we finally did excavate the bones remained intact.
At first glance it had appeared as though most of the bones were broken, except for the femurs and innominates, it looked like everything else was in pieces but after further excavation we found a mandible and most of the ribs intact. We even found a biforcated rib, which is a nice find. We bagged everything as best as we could, trying to keep the sides separate to help us out later on when we needed to analyze and sort them. The artist on site helped us do all of the excavating and was quite excited. Sarah and I were both happy because it was our first excavation and I think we did quite well. Transporting the bones up to where the rest of the class was for cleaning and analysis ended up being quite interesting. Generally we would have brought them up in a crate but there were none so I moved things around in my backpack and we put all the bags in there. Sadly because my ankle was in such bad shape I had to walk the long path to the top where the museum was, rather than take the stairs. The path was actually quite creepy and I didn't enjoy my trek but I made it in one piece and we were able to lay out the bones on a table so they could dry from the condensation that had formed in the bags from the heat.
Cleaning was definitely needed but at that time there was no space so we decided to clean the bones the next day. All in all today was rough on my body but very rewarding to see that our work was not for nothing, as we removed the child and will now be studying him or her to see what they have to say.
We followed the ethnobotanist on the site to the site, which involved climbing over the walls of the theater. This was bad because the guards for the park were very angry and whistled at us to get down off of the ruins. I was last in line because I moved slowly and so in fear I jumped down quite a distance to the bottom of the ruins and ended up spraining my ankle again. I had sprained it almost 2 years ago and it had never quite healed properly. It was fortunate that I brought my compression sock with my to the site as I ended up putting it on as soon as we got there.
It took a while to get everything sorted out but eventually Sarah and I were cleaning and excavating fill so that pictures could be taken. We had to remove a few bones but altogether leave the skeleton in-situ in the grave. It was definitely a child's body, most of the long bones were un-fused and the vertebra were mostly fused. The skull was a mess, having either exploded from moisture or crushed because it was in many pieces. The grave had obviously been disturbed at some point, by a rodent, root or something else we weren't sure what had caused all the movements because roots were present and rodent activity was evident. It took us until lunch to fully clean the remains and have them ready to be photographed and then drawn, which happened after lunch. We were worried a bit because of the fact that they bones had been moist in the soil but were exposed to direct sunlight and would dry out fast, making them easily crumble if handled without care. Fortunately when we finally did excavate the bones remained intact.
At first glance it had appeared as though most of the bones were broken, except for the femurs and innominates, it looked like everything else was in pieces but after further excavation we found a mandible and most of the ribs intact. We even found a biforcated rib, which is a nice find. We bagged everything as best as we could, trying to keep the sides separate to help us out later on when we needed to analyze and sort them. The artist on site helped us do all of the excavating and was quite excited. Sarah and I were both happy because it was our first excavation and I think we did quite well. Transporting the bones up to where the rest of the class was for cleaning and analysis ended up being quite interesting. Generally we would have brought them up in a crate but there were none so I moved things around in my backpack and we put all the bags in there. Sadly because my ankle was in such bad shape I had to walk the long path to the top where the museum was, rather than take the stairs. The path was actually quite creepy and I didn't enjoy my trek but I made it in one piece and we were able to lay out the bones on a table so they could dry from the condensation that had formed in the bags from the heat.
Cleaning was definitely needed but at that time there was no space so we decided to clean the bones the next day. All in all today was rough on my body but very rewarding to see that our work was not for nothing, as we removed the child and will now be studying him or her to see what they have to say.
Decision! And Other Adventures (5/27/2011)
Today was an amazing day! First we woke and finally obtained the remains from the current investigation. Sadly they had been left out and exposed to bird poop and the like, or sealed tightly in a bag where condensation quickly appeared. For bones, it is bad to go from being wet to dry quite quickly, as they fall apart rather easily. Bones are also hydrophobic and can explode from too much water, so we were quite worried about the state of the remains. We laid out one of the skeletons anatomically and I realized how rusty I am with siding. We had many tourists watching us as we did our work, which was out in the open near the museum. The Albanian children are extremely curious and love to touch everything and ignore when someone tells them to stay behind a certain space. I certainly kept an eye on my bag in case thieving hands wandered its way. After that we broke for lunch and began to try and do some analysis but the bones were just too dirty, it was decided that we should start cleaning them but I had wanted to go to the internet cafe in Saranda to check my email to see if I had heard from BU.
The only other person to come to town was Caitlyn, who is the oldest of us at 24 and is a mother. She is a teacher and came on the trip for the culture and the trip, not the bones. I felt bad leaving the bones to be cleaned but I really wanted to check my email. It was mildly awkward as Caitlyn and Alex are extremely flirtatious. It is pretty evident that they will have some sort of romance before he leaves on Sunday. He told us that if we didn't mind a short time at the internet cafe, he would take us somewhere special and we agreed.
Well boy was I glad I went to check my email, I did indeed have an email waiting in my inbox that was given the subject of “Decision from the Boston University Medical School”. Gmail actually lists the subject and then the first few words of the email in its inbox and so I saw “Dear Amy, Congratulations” and my heart leapt in my chest. I opened the email to find that I had been accepted to Boston University for their MS in Forensic Anthropology! I was so excited I couldn't contain myself and Caitlyn happily shared in my excitement. I also called my parents to tell them the news but apparently the school had already called home because I had emailed them saying I would be out of the country and they didn't know if they could reach me. I was so happy that I chose to go into town and felt so at peace. I didn't realize the large weight that I had carried on my shoulders about that. I had just assumed I was rejected and was waiting for formal confirmation. I can't really describe how amazing it feels to make the cut and have my life lined up! Of course there will be much to stress about when I return home, such as housing, financial aid and a job hunt but....I'm a graduate student!!
After that I was totally happy to do anything with Caitlyn and Alex and luckily he did not disappoint us. He brought us both to The Blue Eye. And this time I had my camera. The Blue Eye is a beautiful body of water in Albania that is the purest, clearest water I have ever seen. It is a place where water comes up from an underground tunnel as well as seeps through the ground from the mountain into this river of pure clear water. The blue of the deep pool is indescribable. It is the bluest blue I have ever seen and to see water so clear it looked like it wasn't there was amazing. We also could drink the water, which was so delicious I will never taste water like that again. It was truly a great experience and I was so happy that Alex decided to bring us there, especially since we might not be able to go within the next week.
After that breathtaking sight we returned to Saranda in order to visit a dessert shop and pick up some treats for everyone, which Alex paid for by himself, much to mine and Caitlyn's dismay. He also drove around talking to people and teasing us. Then he forced Caitlyn to drive his standard BMW because she had bragged to him about how great a driver she was. She was a good driver, and Albanian roads are scary so I'm impressed that she even did that. Of course I was told to keep both our visit to the Blue Eye as well as Caitlyn's driving experience a secret, which I have but it feels weird.
We returned to the Livia, our hotel in Butrint and during dinner I informed the professor and the dean that I had been accepted to Boston University. I was not sure how he would react as we had spent a day being lectured about the difference between a terminal masters forensic anthropologist and a phD anthropologist and he had seemed pretty down on the masters workers. He was very excited for me and everyone congratulated me. It was very nice. I'm so happy.
We were informed at dinner that a few burials had been found at the forum archeological site and that they wanted us to excavate so the excitement for tomorrow is palpable.
The only other person to come to town was Caitlyn, who is the oldest of us at 24 and is a mother. She is a teacher and came on the trip for the culture and the trip, not the bones. I felt bad leaving the bones to be cleaned but I really wanted to check my email. It was mildly awkward as Caitlyn and Alex are extremely flirtatious. It is pretty evident that they will have some sort of romance before he leaves on Sunday. He told us that if we didn't mind a short time at the internet cafe, he would take us somewhere special and we agreed.
Well boy was I glad I went to check my email, I did indeed have an email waiting in my inbox that was given the subject of “Decision from the Boston University Medical School”. Gmail actually lists the subject and then the first few words of the email in its inbox and so I saw “Dear Amy, Congratulations” and my heart leapt in my chest. I opened the email to find that I had been accepted to Boston University for their MS in Forensic Anthropology! I was so excited I couldn't contain myself and Caitlyn happily shared in my excitement. I also called my parents to tell them the news but apparently the school had already called home because I had emailed them saying I would be out of the country and they didn't know if they could reach me. I was so happy that I chose to go into town and felt so at peace. I didn't realize the large weight that I had carried on my shoulders about that. I had just assumed I was rejected and was waiting for formal confirmation. I can't really describe how amazing it feels to make the cut and have my life lined up! Of course there will be much to stress about when I return home, such as housing, financial aid and a job hunt but....I'm a graduate student!!
After that I was totally happy to do anything with Caitlyn and Alex and luckily he did not disappoint us. He brought us both to The Blue Eye. And this time I had my camera. The Blue Eye is a beautiful body of water in Albania that is the purest, clearest water I have ever seen. It is a place where water comes up from an underground tunnel as well as seeps through the ground from the mountain into this river of pure clear water. The blue of the deep pool is indescribable. It is the bluest blue I have ever seen and to see water so clear it looked like it wasn't there was amazing. We also could drink the water, which was so delicious I will never taste water like that again. It was truly a great experience and I was so happy that Alex decided to bring us there, especially since we might not be able to go within the next week.
After that breathtaking sight we returned to Saranda in order to visit a dessert shop and pick up some treats for everyone, which Alex paid for by himself, much to mine and Caitlyn's dismay. He also drove around talking to people and teasing us. Then he forced Caitlyn to drive his standard BMW because she had bragged to him about how great a driver she was. She was a good driver, and Albanian roads are scary so I'm impressed that she even did that. Of course I was told to keep both our visit to the Blue Eye as well as Caitlyn's driving experience a secret, which I have but it feels weird.
We returned to the Livia, our hotel in Butrint and during dinner I informed the professor and the dean that I had been accepted to Boston University. I was not sure how he would react as we had spent a day being lectured about the difference between a terminal masters forensic anthropologist and a phD anthropologist and he had seemed pretty down on the masters workers. He was very excited for me and everyone congratulated me. It was very nice. I'm so happy.
We were informed at dinner that a few burials had been found at the forum archeological site and that they wanted us to excavate so the excitement for tomorrow is palpable.
It's all about Politics (5/26/2011)
Today was the first day of our actual field school. We spent about a day on a bus coming from Tirana to Butrint. It was a pretty tough ride because there was no air conditioning, I think everyone passed out because we were just so sweltering. Today we were supposed to start in on the human remains but politics seems to be the name of the game here as it is everywhere.
Butrint is beautiful and there is only around 8% of Albania that has been excavated and it is filled with wonderful artifacts. There are artifacts here from Greece, Rome and many more. We are near a great site and will be analyzing remains dug up from burials near the forum here. It's amazing.
But politics have caused us problems. There is a man who has come to power in the park where the site is, he will be labeled Toad Man. Toad Man controls the remains. Toad Man wants more power over the people who work in the park, specifically anthropologists/archeologists. He wants bribes. My professors don't want to pay bribes. Toad Man is powerful with many friends and so negotiations with him have been tough. But finally we were able to obtain the key to the remains. Sadly the remains had been tampered with and seemed not the way the professor had left them. We also couldn't get our hands on the newer set of remains that had been excavated recently by the people digging in the forum.
The country has so many ruins of Roman and Greek cities. It is amazing to watch the layers unfold and see where architecture changed and how so much is uncovered. As this is my first foreign country I had a much different experience with the ruins, which are mostly free to roam over, the back of the theater being the only thing that you really can't climb on.
After our long wait to obtain the bones I headed into town with Caitlyn, Sarah and Sarai. We were driven by the son of one of the owners of the hotel we are staying at, a charismatic young Albanian man named Alex. He loves to flirt but is a good person, he loves his family and his homeland, he fought in the war over government. He also is part Greek and spends much time there. He didn't just take us to Saranda so we could go on the computer in the internet cafe, he also took us to a sweets shop, to get alcohol and then drove us to a historical castle and took pictures, it was all in all very nice, I sadly neglected to bring my camera so I had no pictures of my own from that time except a picture I took on my phone.
The first rain storm happened. It was quite unusual to see. Albania's landscape is flat plains surrounded by mountains that are impossibly tall. We watched the rain approach across the plain but the amount that rained here was really quite a small amount and passed quickly, lots of lightning and thunder however.
This country is beautiful and I am so excited to be here.
Butrint is beautiful and there is only around 8% of Albania that has been excavated and it is filled with wonderful artifacts. There are artifacts here from Greece, Rome and many more. We are near a great site and will be analyzing remains dug up from burials near the forum here. It's amazing.
But politics have caused us problems. There is a man who has come to power in the park where the site is, he will be labeled Toad Man. Toad Man controls the remains. Toad Man wants more power over the people who work in the park, specifically anthropologists/archeologists. He wants bribes. My professors don't want to pay bribes. Toad Man is powerful with many friends and so negotiations with him have been tough. But finally we were able to obtain the key to the remains. Sadly the remains had been tampered with and seemed not the way the professor had left them. We also couldn't get our hands on the newer set of remains that had been excavated recently by the people digging in the forum.
The country has so many ruins of Roman and Greek cities. It is amazing to watch the layers unfold and see where architecture changed and how so much is uncovered. As this is my first foreign country I had a much different experience with the ruins, which are mostly free to roam over, the back of the theater being the only thing that you really can't climb on.
After our long wait to obtain the bones I headed into town with Caitlyn, Sarah and Sarai. We were driven by the son of one of the owners of the hotel we are staying at, a charismatic young Albanian man named Alex. He loves to flirt but is a good person, he loves his family and his homeland, he fought in the war over government. He also is part Greek and spends much time there. He didn't just take us to Saranda so we could go on the computer in the internet cafe, he also took us to a sweets shop, to get alcohol and then drove us to a historical castle and took pictures, it was all in all very nice, I sadly neglected to bring my camera so I had no pictures of my own from that time except a picture I took on my phone.
The first rain storm happened. It was quite unusual to see. Albania's landscape is flat plains surrounded by mountains that are impossibly tall. We watched the rain approach across the plain but the amount that rained here was really quite a small amount and passed quickly, lots of lightning and thunder however.
This country is beautiful and I am so excited to be here.
A String of Updates
Whoa, I haven't posted in a while but that doesn't mean I'm dead! For 2 weeks I didn't have internet and then it's been pretty whirlwind from there. I'll be doing several posts right now just to fill in the week and let me tell you, this trip never gets dull!!
So without further ado, here is what you've missed in my life!
So without further ado, here is what you've missed in my life!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Hey Look Ma, I'm in Europe!!
Well the last 48 hours for me have certainly been hectic and full of many changes. I graduated on Sunday with my BA and I am so happy. Our commencement was actually pretty good for the most part, Daniel Brooks, who works for the NYT actually gave a really good, funny, sometimes crude, inspiring and sobering commencement speech that I hope had several people pause and consider what he was saying. Yo Yo Mah also played the cello. Both of them received honorary degrees. I was so happy to toss my hat and cheer and then rip off that ridiculous cape-thing, is it a hood? and take off my robes. I swear the point of what you wear to graduation is to humiliate you.
I'd like to apologize in advance for my writing, I am now....27 hours with little to no sleep. I'm trying to not let jet-lag affect me all that much on this trip so I want to fall asleep in the evening.
Anyway, there was one thing that made the graduation not so fun, I won't go into details but someone I know and liked ended up being accused of a very heinous crime by one of my friends and that person was escorted out of my mini-commencement by the police. It was a bit hard to see and definitely ruined the joyful mood my friends and I were feeling. It was also the only thing we seemed to talk about after commencement.
In other news, nothing new on the BU front. I expect they'll email me on June 1 to let me know their decision so it's just waiting, and waiting, I never realized how suck wait-lists are.
Well Monday morning I headed out at 8:30am to catch a flight from Logan to JFK and then from JFK to Munich and from Munich to Tirana. The first flight went smoothly but the Lufthansa flight was delayed on the tarmac for over 2 hours and made us arrive a half hour late to Munich. My first flight across the ocean wasn't bad, there was pretty hefty turbulence but I didn't mind that. The only problem was my luggage was over weight. I'll just check a second bag when I go back, my suitcase is huge. (it barely fits in the hotel's elevator).
Sadly because the flight was delayed I had to rush through Munich airport and didn't even get to really try and see anything or absorb it. It seemed like a nice place, although the airport security seemed a lot more laid back and lax, which was frustrating to try and rush through security check to board my flight.
Met up with my fellow late-comer and he's a cool guy. Probably not into what I'm into in terms of entertainment but we've bonded over being the 2 who are behind.
Tirana is insane. I thought New York City or Boston was bad but this place is really awful for traffic. Everyone's bunched up, horns blaring all the time and pedestrians sure as hell better get out of the way if they want to live! Also, the way they park here is odd, some people park like we do in the US and others are half-way up the curb or trapping people in, or just parking perpendicular for some reason.
Our leader of our field school met us at the hotel (I got in a quick shower, thank goodness!) and took us to a restaurant then gave us a small walking tour of the city. I wish I could see more but I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open or spell properly. In any case tomorrow we head to Butrint where we will be for 2 weeks. Hopefully the day long bus ride won't kill us and we can all enjoy the beach side city as well as some courses in Osteology, my favorite subject.
I never expected Tirana to seem so...foreign. Which sounds stupid but I thought that streets and cars looked similar enough not to be so confusing but the streets and cars here seem so different. The look and feel is just...foreign. As well as how the people act. I was accosted by a little girl begging me for money, I obviously didn't give her any, I may be naive but I am not stupid. It's just interesting to me. I look forward to more exploration of the unfamiliar familiar.
I went out tonight with the group of people that I'm going to the field school with, they all seem pretty cool but I think I'm a bit too geeky for them. It's ok though, I just won't talk much about video games or bad movies. I hope that I can be friends with everyone. Time since sleep now: uh.......32??
Bed time.
I'd like to apologize in advance for my writing, I am now....27 hours with little to no sleep. I'm trying to not let jet-lag affect me all that much on this trip so I want to fall asleep in the evening.
Anyway, there was one thing that made the graduation not so fun, I won't go into details but someone I know and liked ended up being accused of a very heinous crime by one of my friends and that person was escorted out of my mini-commencement by the police. It was a bit hard to see and definitely ruined the joyful mood my friends and I were feeling. It was also the only thing we seemed to talk about after commencement.
In other news, nothing new on the BU front. I expect they'll email me on June 1 to let me know their decision so it's just waiting, and waiting, I never realized how suck wait-lists are.
Well Monday morning I headed out at 8:30am to catch a flight from Logan to JFK and then from JFK to Munich and from Munich to Tirana. The first flight went smoothly but the Lufthansa flight was delayed on the tarmac for over 2 hours and made us arrive a half hour late to Munich. My first flight across the ocean wasn't bad, there was pretty hefty turbulence but I didn't mind that. The only problem was my luggage was over weight. I'll just check a second bag when I go back, my suitcase is huge. (it barely fits in the hotel's elevator).
Sadly because the flight was delayed I had to rush through Munich airport and didn't even get to really try and see anything or absorb it. It seemed like a nice place, although the airport security seemed a lot more laid back and lax, which was frustrating to try and rush through security check to board my flight.
Met up with my fellow late-comer and he's a cool guy. Probably not into what I'm into in terms of entertainment but we've bonded over being the 2 who are behind.
Tirana is insane. I thought New York City or Boston was bad but this place is really awful for traffic. Everyone's bunched up, horns blaring all the time and pedestrians sure as hell better get out of the way if they want to live! Also, the way they park here is odd, some people park like we do in the US and others are half-way up the curb or trapping people in, or just parking perpendicular for some reason.
Our leader of our field school met us at the hotel (I got in a quick shower, thank goodness!) and took us to a restaurant then gave us a small walking tour of the city. I wish I could see more but I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open or spell properly. In any case tomorrow we head to Butrint where we will be for 2 weeks. Hopefully the day long bus ride won't kill us and we can all enjoy the beach side city as well as some courses in Osteology, my favorite subject.
I never expected Tirana to seem so...foreign. Which sounds stupid but I thought that streets and cars looked similar enough not to be so confusing but the streets and cars here seem so different. The look and feel is just...foreign. As well as how the people act. I was accosted by a little girl begging me for money, I obviously didn't give her any, I may be naive but I am not stupid. It's just interesting to me. I look forward to more exploration of the unfamiliar familiar.
I went out tonight with the group of people that I'm going to the field school with, they all seem pretty cool but I think I'm a bit too geeky for them. It's ok though, I just won't talk much about video games or bad movies. I hope that I can be friends with everyone. Time since sleep now: uh.......32??
Bed time.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Senior Week! Why am I still sober??
First news first: I am currently on the waitlist at BU. Found that out on Monday when I called. It's not a flat out rejection, so that makes me feel good, still wish someone had actually bothered to let me know before I spent 2 weeks calling them.
Cruel twist: The woman I spoke to on the phone told me she would email me about when I should hear the final decision on my application. Unfortunately the first email she sent me was an acceptance email, followed a minute later with a email telling me that was a mistake. Ouch. Guess I sort of know how those kids who were sent acceptance letters on accident feel. But they were actually rejected and found out hours later.
Secondly, I am now really excited to go abroad. Still worried about the plane trip but I'm meeting up with another member of the school in the Munich airport to fly to Albania and we're taking a taxi to the hotel in Butrint. I friended him on facebook and realized that he knows more about Osteology than I do, which is nice, I can learn from him.
Currently it is senior week at Brandeis but it's been raining every day. Not the pouring kind of rain either, the drizzling, halfway rain that always lingers. A bit disappointing. But I went to a nightclub/bowling/billiards place which was pretty neat, except it only had 16 lanes! Seriously? The place was huge. That's my only complaint. I also got to go to Mohegan Sun. And I suck at gambling.
Actually the coolest part of my week so far has been to find Norman Reedus on twitter, follow him, ask him a question and have him reply to me and follow me! Really cool!! Too bad I think I scared him off with my morbid knowledge. Haha. He played Lewis Powell/Payne the person who attempted to assassinate William Seward, the Secretary of State under Lincoln. I actually volunteered on a dig at the Harriet Tubman Homestead in Auburn, NY and we went to the Seward house for a day. He was a good friend of Tubman's and actually helped set her up in Auburn. Anyway Seward was a totally hoarder, the house is a museum filled with completely authentic furniture, place settings, books, sheets, curtains, rugs. Everything. Man collected a lot and kept everything. He even saved all of his clothes with notes in the pockets detailing what day he wore them and why. Anyways, the question I asked Norman was if he had been to the Seward house because, Seward was a hoarder and actually saved the bloody sheet from the assassination attempt and it is on display along with all the details of the assassination plot. I thought since he played the wannabe assassin he might have visited the house and seen where the actual attempt had taken place, as well as the cloth and evidence of the attempt. I'm making myself feel better by saying that he hasn't responded to my response (telling him about the sheets) because he's busy, not because he thinks I'm crazy. But still, first interaction with a real movie celebrity (crush). Hopefully not last.
Packing up my room is odd, mostly because I really need to make sure stuff is definitely in boxes before my parents come. I'm supposed to move out Monday some time before noon but because of my flights I have to be at the airport early Monday morning so I won't be able to move my stuff out with my parents. I also have to keep all the stuff I need for Europe separate from my other stuff to be packed. Lol. Would be easier if I actually had my suitcases, but I left them home and they got destroyed by a flood in our basement so my parents had to buy all new luggage to bring.
Still haven't really processed the idea of finality with this exodus from college. I feel like I don't have the words to properly say goodbye to all my friends. Guess I'll have to say goodbye soon though.
Also: Getting up at 6:30am for an 8am commencement does not sound like fun at all.
Cruel twist: The woman I spoke to on the phone told me she would email me about when I should hear the final decision on my application. Unfortunately the first email she sent me was an acceptance email, followed a minute later with a email telling me that was a mistake. Ouch. Guess I sort of know how those kids who were sent acceptance letters on accident feel. But they were actually rejected and found out hours later.
Secondly, I am now really excited to go abroad. Still worried about the plane trip but I'm meeting up with another member of the school in the Munich airport to fly to Albania and we're taking a taxi to the hotel in Butrint. I friended him on facebook and realized that he knows more about Osteology than I do, which is nice, I can learn from him.
Currently it is senior week at Brandeis but it's been raining every day. Not the pouring kind of rain either, the drizzling, halfway rain that always lingers. A bit disappointing. But I went to a nightclub/bowling/billiards place which was pretty neat, except it only had 16 lanes! Seriously? The place was huge. That's my only complaint. I also got to go to Mohegan Sun. And I suck at gambling.
Actually the coolest part of my week so far has been to find Norman Reedus on twitter, follow him, ask him a question and have him reply to me and follow me! Really cool!! Too bad I think I scared him off with my morbid knowledge. Haha. He played Lewis Powell/Payne the person who attempted to assassinate William Seward, the Secretary of State under Lincoln. I actually volunteered on a dig at the Harriet Tubman Homestead in Auburn, NY and we went to the Seward house for a day. He was a good friend of Tubman's and actually helped set her up in Auburn. Anyway Seward was a totally hoarder, the house is a museum filled with completely authentic furniture, place settings, books, sheets, curtains, rugs. Everything. Man collected a lot and kept everything. He even saved all of his clothes with notes in the pockets detailing what day he wore them and why. Anyways, the question I asked Norman was if he had been to the Seward house because, Seward was a hoarder and actually saved the bloody sheet from the assassination attempt and it is on display along with all the details of the assassination plot. I thought since he played the wannabe assassin he might have visited the house and seen where the actual attempt had taken place, as well as the cloth and evidence of the attempt. I'm making myself feel better by saying that he hasn't responded to my response (telling him about the sheets) because he's busy, not because he thinks I'm crazy. But still, first interaction with a real movie celebrity (crush). Hopefully not last.
Packing up my room is odd, mostly because I really need to make sure stuff is definitely in boxes before my parents come. I'm supposed to move out Monday some time before noon but because of my flights I have to be at the airport early Monday morning so I won't be able to move my stuff out with my parents. I also have to keep all the stuff I need for Europe separate from my other stuff to be packed. Lol. Would be easier if I actually had my suitcases, but I left them home and they got destroyed by a flood in our basement so my parents had to buy all new luggage to bring.
Still haven't really processed the idea of finality with this exodus from college. I feel like I don't have the words to properly say goodbye to all my friends. Guess I'll have to say goodbye soon though.
Also: Getting up at 6:30am for an 8am commencement does not sound like fun at all.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
So Melodramatic, it's all in the Questions
Jeez, I really sound melodramatic most of the time don't I? At least in this blog. It's odd because I don't think I'm so melodramatic in real life, I guess getting to express your feelings so freely online can make anyone seem dramatic.
In any case, I am done. I completed my last final and I believe I passed it, and since that's all I need since it's a pass/fail class, I'm happy.
I guess maybe I seem so negative because I feel like I don't get a chance to enjoy graduating before I'm off to do class and lab work. Not that it won't be fun, I am sure that it will be very fun and exciting. I'm just still adjusting and I'm still stressed about so much, it seems like I should just slow down and enjoy myself but new things pop up all the time. Have to register with the state department, call the credit card company to let them know it's not stolen, buy shorts and shirts and sunscreen and bug spray, pack all of that crap, make sure important stuff is on carry on, find a carry on bag, should I use a fanny pack? No, I don't want one, need a back pack, where am I going to find a backpack? Do I have time? I have a dinner for Anthropology Majors tomorrow and now I need to get my thank you notes done, but I wanted to take time to write them first. What did I leave at home that I need to have my parents bring? Passport? I need to call BU, when should I call?
And those are just things to worry about for my future career, let alone questions about living and working when I'm back from the field school, or my friends, or my boyfriend.
So I guess all the questions cover up the part of me that's excited. I guess that's a problem. I can't just live in the moment, I'm a planner. I need to have things planned. I can't say it's a better way to live, it seems to make things easier sometimes but in other times I guess it can get in the way of just enjoying life.
Well we're going out to celebrate my birthday on Friday. My birthday was last month but I wanted everyone to enjoy themselves during the outing so I waited until the end of finals week. Hopefully everyone can just let loose and have fun. And hopefully I will too.
I promise to start making these posts more upbeat. I just have to process through the negative first and then only the positive will be left. Well, before I panic about my flight. Lol, that's me, the worrier.
In any case, I am done. I completed my last final and I believe I passed it, and since that's all I need since it's a pass/fail class, I'm happy.
I guess maybe I seem so negative because I feel like I don't get a chance to enjoy graduating before I'm off to do class and lab work. Not that it won't be fun, I am sure that it will be very fun and exciting. I'm just still adjusting and I'm still stressed about so much, it seems like I should just slow down and enjoy myself but new things pop up all the time. Have to register with the state department, call the credit card company to let them know it's not stolen, buy shorts and shirts and sunscreen and bug spray, pack all of that crap, make sure important stuff is on carry on, find a carry on bag, should I use a fanny pack? No, I don't want one, need a back pack, where am I going to find a backpack? Do I have time? I have a dinner for Anthropology Majors tomorrow and now I need to get my thank you notes done, but I wanted to take time to write them first. What did I leave at home that I need to have my parents bring? Passport? I need to call BU, when should I call?
And those are just things to worry about for my future career, let alone questions about living and working when I'm back from the field school, or my friends, or my boyfriend.
So I guess all the questions cover up the part of me that's excited. I guess that's a problem. I can't just live in the moment, I'm a planner. I need to have things planned. I can't say it's a better way to live, it seems to make things easier sometimes but in other times I guess it can get in the way of just enjoying life.
Well we're going out to celebrate my birthday on Friday. My birthday was last month but I wanted everyone to enjoy themselves during the outing so I waited until the end of finals week. Hopefully everyone can just let loose and have fun. And hopefully I will too.
I promise to start making these posts more upbeat. I just have to process through the negative first and then only the positive will be left. Well, before I panic about my flight. Lol, that's me, the worrier.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Flights and Finals
Today I had my first of 2 finals before I am done done done with my undergraduate career and just drink for a whole week until I graduate.
Of course the day started out pretty awful. My stupid university, they have us on 24 hour quiet hours for people who are studying and then they mow the lawn right outside of our building at 5:30am. WTF?? My exam was at 9am so I studied until midnight and went to bed so I could wake up at 8 to do last minute studying and they wake me up 3 hours early! I was pretty pissed but went back to sleep, which I am proud of myself for doing as I am quite a light sleeper.
The test wasn't too bad, I probably could have done better but I am happy with what I wrote considering how screwed I felt after reading the questions. I also included a small thank you note and inside joke sketches at the end. This Professor is my favorite lecturer at Brandeis, hands down. I have a different favorite professor but he is just an amazing lecturer and I just had to thank him because, well, he gave me a minor. I signed up for one of his classes, got hooked on them and took another 3. I basically made a minor out of his courses. I hope he finds my note and enjoys it.
After that I booked my flight to NYC from Boston so that I can catch my flight from NYC to Albania (technically I have a lay over in Munich but I don't actually get to step out and see it so I'm ignoring its existence, for now). This is so real. My friend Colin (dubbed Big L because we have another Collin) texted and asked me when I was coming home and it felt like I really cemented the fact when I told him the date I was coming back.
I also finally got a call from BU, the woman I'd been trying to reach all week had been out sick for 10 days and called me and left a voicemail telling me that she'd call me back with the information about my application. At this point I've accepted that I was (most likely) rejected but it doesn't bother me so much because I know this field school will certainly help me get in, as well as my connection to Professor Crist that will hopefully be positive and close after those 24 days. I just want to hear it from BU. That's all.
Of course the day started out pretty awful. My stupid university, they have us on 24 hour quiet hours for people who are studying and then they mow the lawn right outside of our building at 5:30am. WTF?? My exam was at 9am so I studied until midnight and went to bed so I could wake up at 8 to do last minute studying and they wake me up 3 hours early! I was pretty pissed but went back to sleep, which I am proud of myself for doing as I am quite a light sleeper.
The test wasn't too bad, I probably could have done better but I am happy with what I wrote considering how screwed I felt after reading the questions. I also included a small thank you note and inside joke sketches at the end. This Professor is my favorite lecturer at Brandeis, hands down. I have a different favorite professor but he is just an amazing lecturer and I just had to thank him because, well, he gave me a minor. I signed up for one of his classes, got hooked on them and took another 3. I basically made a minor out of his courses. I hope he finds my note and enjoys it.
After that I booked my flight to NYC from Boston so that I can catch my flight from NYC to Albania (technically I have a lay over in Munich but I don't actually get to step out and see it so I'm ignoring its existence, for now). This is so real. My friend Colin (dubbed Big L because we have another Collin) texted and asked me when I was coming home and it felt like I really cemented the fact when I told him the date I was coming back.
I also finally got a call from BU, the woman I'd been trying to reach all week had been out sick for 10 days and called me and left a voicemail telling me that she'd call me back with the information about my application. At this point I've accepted that I was (most likely) rejected but it doesn't bother me so much because I know this field school will certainly help me get in, as well as my connection to Professor Crist that will hopefully be positive and close after those 24 days. I just want to hear it from BU. That's all.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Forward (like in a book, because I love themes)
Still no word from BU but today I really cemented the fact that I'm actually doing something really significant soon.
And no, it's not graduating, it's going abroad for a field school. Today I got all my vaccinations that I need to be able to travel.
First things first, I have never set foot outside of the United States, I have been off the continental US by going to the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Still, never gone to Europe and certainly have never traveled alone, besides a quick plane ride from Boston to Syracuse and driving myself to Boston all the time. This will be almost 11 hours on planes, by myself to meet up with a group of people I've never met in real life. And I'm very worried. My mom is a worrier and she passed that onto me. Even though I am excited all my nerves are overriding how awesome this experience will be.
-I'll be in Europe, in the Balkans, near the coast! I'll be on the beach!
-I'll be dealing with human remains, something I haven't done since my Human Osteology class
-I will be excavating human remains, something I've never done!
-I'll be working with Thomas Crist, a famous forensic anthropologist who has many of the credentials I would love to end up with in my career
-I can do a research project through this and maybe present it at a convention
-I'll be in Europe!
-it will only be for 23 days, so it's not a huge excursion.
And yet I'm so worried!
-I won't have internet and phone will be limited
-it's 23 days with people I don't know in a country where I don't speak the native language
-I'm traveling a long way by myself
-I don't know how to travel safely by myself
-I could get a disease
-This is so suddenly planned, I thought this summer would be all about hanging out with friends and getting laser eye surgery (which was going to be my present but now this field school is) And really not trying to sound super spoiled here but, I was honestly really looking forward to that too. I haven't told any of my friends from back home about this either.
-I still haven't heard from BU.
-I don't even go home after I graduate, I head straight off, I wanted to see my friends and my cat before I left.
-it's 23 days.
-I still have finals
-I have to pack some of my stuff with my mom over the phone
Granted, these fears will all seem small once I'm there and I'm sure I'll be so happy, but right now I'm not. I'm just worried.
I wish sometimes I could just switch my brain off, thinking and worrying so much makes it hard for me to sleep.
And no, it's not graduating, it's going abroad for a field school. Today I got all my vaccinations that I need to be able to travel.
First things first, I have never set foot outside of the United States, I have been off the continental US by going to the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Still, never gone to Europe and certainly have never traveled alone, besides a quick plane ride from Boston to Syracuse and driving myself to Boston all the time. This will be almost 11 hours on planes, by myself to meet up with a group of people I've never met in real life. And I'm very worried. My mom is a worrier and she passed that onto me. Even though I am excited all my nerves are overriding how awesome this experience will be.
-I'll be in Europe, in the Balkans, near the coast! I'll be on the beach!
-I'll be dealing with human remains, something I haven't done since my Human Osteology class
-I will be excavating human remains, something I've never done!
-I'll be working with Thomas Crist, a famous forensic anthropologist who has many of the credentials I would love to end up with in my career
-I can do a research project through this and maybe present it at a convention
-I'll be in Europe!
-it will only be for 23 days, so it's not a huge excursion.
And yet I'm so worried!
-I won't have internet and phone will be limited
-it's 23 days with people I don't know in a country where I don't speak the native language
-I'm traveling a long way by myself
-I don't know how to travel safely by myself
-I could get a disease
-This is so suddenly planned, I thought this summer would be all about hanging out with friends and getting laser eye surgery (which was going to be my present but now this field school is) And really not trying to sound super spoiled here but, I was honestly really looking forward to that too. I haven't told any of my friends from back home about this either.
-I still haven't heard from BU.
-I don't even go home after I graduate, I head straight off, I wanted to see my friends and my cat before I left.
-it's 23 days.
-I still have finals
-I have to pack some of my stuff with my mom over the phone
Granted, these fears will all seem small once I'm there and I'm sure I'll be so happy, but right now I'm not. I'm just worried.
I wish sometimes I could just switch my brain off, thinking and worrying so much makes it hard for me to sleep.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Intro (for lack of a better title)
Well, I am officially almost a graduate of Brandeis University.
And I'm terrified. I will be receiving my BA in Anthropology, with a focus on Physical Anthropology, in 17 days. After 4 years of struggling to find my identity and my major I'm arriving at the end of a journey with no real idea about what comes after.
Oh sure, I had plans. I applied to 5 graduate programs, 4/5 were biological anthropology and 1 was forensic anthropology and so far am 0/4 for acceptance with one still having no response. Very uplifting. Probably because I only applied for Masters programs but also needed financial aid. It bothered me more that I wasn't qualified over the fact that I didn't get into the programs. Probably because I realized after going to Boston University's open house that Forensic Anthropology is really where my passion lies, at least, I think.
Flashback: First day of Human Osteology, Spring 2010 Semester with my favorite Professor and one of the most important people I'd met at Brandeis a PhD student and TA. I only got into the class because I was an Anth major and a junior, which meant I got priority. I walked in was immediately drawn to the human bones that were part of our rather tiny collection at Brandeis. I loved learning about the bones, I wasn't all that great at memorizing every feature on the bones but somehow I was good at identifying, siding, sexing and aging bones. While people were struggling to glances through notes to identify tiny pieces I just looked and then ran through all the images in my brain until I found where that piece would best fit. Which is odd...because I suck at puzzles.
Flashforward: I've now called BU twice and emailed them and have gotten no response about my application. I'll call again tomorrow but it's frustrating because I've called at different times of the day and still gone to voicemail. I think the woman takes a long lunch and leaves early or something. I've left my name and number but don't really expect to hear back anytime soon.
If I thought going to college was nervewracking, I had no idea that life after college was going to be just a jump into the deep end of adulthood. And I don't know if I can swim that well.
And I'm terrified. I will be receiving my BA in Anthropology, with a focus on Physical Anthropology, in 17 days. After 4 years of struggling to find my identity and my major I'm arriving at the end of a journey with no real idea about what comes after.
Oh sure, I had plans. I applied to 5 graduate programs, 4/5 were biological anthropology and 1 was forensic anthropology and so far am 0/4 for acceptance with one still having no response. Very uplifting. Probably because I only applied for Masters programs but also needed financial aid. It bothered me more that I wasn't qualified over the fact that I didn't get into the programs. Probably because I realized after going to Boston University's open house that Forensic Anthropology is really where my passion lies, at least, I think.
Flashback: First day of Human Osteology, Spring 2010 Semester with my favorite Professor and one of the most important people I'd met at Brandeis a PhD student and TA. I only got into the class because I was an Anth major and a junior, which meant I got priority. I walked in was immediately drawn to the human bones that were part of our rather tiny collection at Brandeis. I loved learning about the bones, I wasn't all that great at memorizing every feature on the bones but somehow I was good at identifying, siding, sexing and aging bones. While people were struggling to glances through notes to identify tiny pieces I just looked and then ran through all the images in my brain until I found where that piece would best fit. Which is odd...because I suck at puzzles.
Flashforward: I've now called BU twice and emailed them and have gotten no response about my application. I'll call again tomorrow but it's frustrating because I've called at different times of the day and still gone to voicemail. I think the woman takes a long lunch and leaves early or something. I've left my name and number but don't really expect to hear back anytime soon.
If I thought going to college was nervewracking, I had no idea that life after college was going to be just a jump into the deep end of adulthood. And I don't know if I can swim that well.
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