by Amalie Coles
At some point, I saw a bus park next to ours and a group of tourists exit. The guide took them straight to the site. For a second, I wondered if I could become a tour guide someday. I would take tourists through archaeological parks and entertain them with stories. At the back of my mind, I already knew it was just a dream.
The meeting was concluded with a brief tour of the site. We were taken around the classical and medieval areas, as well as the part of the site dating to the Iron Age. We got to see the famous marketplace, the mud brick towers mentioned in the Bible, and what was presumably the world’s earliest arch, which dated to the nineteenth century BC. I could already tell the season would be exciting. Once the meeting was over, we were free until the next morning when the dig would officially start.
I spotted Rachel several times during the meeting and lunchtime but tried to avoid her as much as possible. If I wanted a drama-free stay, I had to get my act together. So I went to the lobby immediately after lunch and asked a receptionist to put me in a different room. I hoped the process would be quick and painless. The lady was quite surprised by my request.
“Why do you want to change your room?” she asked me in a strong Israeli accent.
“Um, personal reasons,” I quickly replied, not knowing what else to say.
“Well, we would need to get the other person’s consent. We can’t just move people around. It’s against our hotel policy.” She sounded a bit angry.
“No chance at all?” I still wanted to believe there was a slight possibility.
“Sorry, motek.” She smiled a second after raising her voice.
I walked back to the room feeling disappointed. My best choice was to ignore the situation altogether and to enjoy my stay as much as possible. So I decided to check out the beach.
“Hey, where are you going?” Madeline asked me as I was exiting the room, carrying a bag stuffed with towels and a sunscreen. She and Janice were returning from a short meeting with their instructor.
“To the beach.”
“Really? Janice and I are also going to the beach!”
“Then maybe we should all go together,” Janice suggested.
“Sure.” Although I wanted to spend time at the sea by myself, I couldn’t exclude them. I had to get along at least with someone.
“Let’s do that,” Madeline said, beaming.
“Let’s wait for Rachel,” Janice insisted. “She’ll be back in a second.”
“By the way, don’t pay attention to her,” Madeline noted. “She’s been grumpy since her arrival.”
“Do you, by chance, know why?” I asked.
“I heard she had a hard time at the airport yesterday. You know how tough the customs can be.”
“Oh yes! Last time, my husband and I travelled to Israel, someone at the airport flatly asked us if we were carrying a bomb.”
“Wait! Are you married?” Madeline asked, looking surprised.
“Four years,” I replied, smiling.
“Cool.” Janice shrugged.
Every time someone noticed my ring, I would receive comments like, “Oh, you are so young!” or “That’s so great!” or “When is the baby coming?” With time, I became immune to these remarks.
The waiting was a drag, especially since I was feeling so jumpy. At last, Rachel entered the room.
“We are heading to the beach,” I announced, unable to contain my excitement.
She didn’t say a word.
“Let’s hurry up,” Madeline said. “You don’t want to miss out on the afternoon sunshine!”
“Are you kidding me? It’s blazing hot outside!” Rachel exclaimed.
“Well, you don’t have to go if you don’t feel like it,” I said.
“OK, I’m going.” She sounded more annoyed than ever.
It took around twenty minutes for everyone to get ready. When we finally exited the hotel, Janice realized that she forgot her water bottle.
“I’m sure you can buy one at the beach,” Madeline said.
“No! I can’t. It’s expensive.”
“Maybe we could keep on walking to save time,” I suggested. “You could catch up with us.”
“Please wait for me. I promise to be quick.” She disappeared for another ten minutes.
As much as I wanted to be friends with everyone, I was feeling beyond annoyed. Living with three other people for the entire three weeks would definitely be a big challenge.
***
“I heard there’s a cool party happening tonight,” Madeline told us while laying her towel down on the sand.
“We should all go out and meet cool boys!” Janice exclaimed while applying her sunscreen. “Oh, look at that guy! He’s so hot!” She pointed at a tall, muscular guy walking out from the sea.
“Go talk to him.” Madeline nudged her. “Maybe he’ll be at the party.”
“I’m going for a swim,” I announced, unable hold off my simultaneous irritation and excitement for any longer. I couldn’t care less about the boys or their damn party.
As I entered the sea, warm, salty waves enveloped me and carried me back to four years ago. Last time we were in Israel, Jason and I got to swim in the Mediterranean only once. We arrived in Tel Aviv for an overnight stay and were taken to a kibbutz in the north the very next morning. It was already close to evening, so we didn’t have much time. Oblivious to sleep deprivation and jetlag, we grabbed our towels and ran to the beach and later went for a walk as well.
Although I wasn’t a very good swimmer, I could float in the water quite well. With the sun shining brightly on my face, I swam around, feeling happy and carefree. The entire time I was swimming, the girls were on the beach, talking to a group of guys they met shortly after I left. For them, this trip was probably an opportunity to escape home and meet new people. I could bet that some of the participants would meet new partners by the end of the dig. I was sure it wouldn’t happen to me as I was completely happy with Jason and was already missing him.
***
During dinnertime, I sat with a random group of young people. Luke, one of the Harvard students, was sharing stories about his early university years with the rest.
“So one time, I handed in my paper and went straight to the bar,” he began. “Then I got so drunk that I fell asleep on the floor. They had to kick me out next morning. This was some crazy shit.”
The rest of us laughed.
“You bet,” Karen noted.
I tried to come up with a similar story but couldn’t think of anything impressive. I was a good girl through my high school and university years, and I hardly ever got into trouble. The only time something similar happened to me was when Jason and I went to a dance party, and I decided to try my first shot. I fell asleep on a couch reserved for bottle service, and Jason had to carry me on our way home.
“I had even worse incidents,” Vincent, another summer abroad student, said. “I’m not sure you want to hear my story.”
“Tell them.” Luke nudged him.
“OK. One time, me and my buddy decided to go for a drink after an exam. We were still new to the city, so we went to the first club we found.”
“So what?” Karen asked.
“It turned out to be a gay club.”
We laughed again, and this time even louder. More crazy stories were passed around the table. This group was definitely fun to talk to. With them, I could loosen up and laugh a little, even if I had nothing to say.
After dinner, I spent a few hours browsing the Internet on my laptop in the lobby. Then I went back to the room, ready to fall asleep. I couldn’t imagine anyone going out after such a long and exhausting day.
“Hey, are you coming along?” Madeline asked. She was wearing a bathrobe and drying her long hair with a towel.
“You don’t have to go with us,” Rachel said, while flattening her black dress with an iron.
I gave it a thought. Perhaps I could go just to annoy this chick and teach her a lesson. I could even practice my Hebrew with bartenders an
d enjoy music. After all, I was the only one familiar with the local entertainment scene. But then I remembered we would have to be ready by five o’clock tomorrow morning and decided against going. I would still have plenty of chances to go out on Friday and Saturday nights.
“It’s OK. I’ll probably just go to sleep. You all have fun.”
“Hey, girl! You don’t have to be single to have a great time here!” Janice protested.
“It’s not that,” I tried to explain. “I’m still tired after the flight, and we have to be up early tomorrow.”
“Have a good night then,” Madeline said.
“Don’t forget to put your alarm on for four o’clock,” Rachel commanded. “I don’t want to wake you up.”
We’ll see who will wake up whom, I thought to myself, wondering how they were planning to survive through the dig tomorrow.
After the girls had left, I took out my pyjamas and went straight to the shower. Then I arranged my clothes for the next day, filled my water bottle, and plopped on the bed, ready for some good sleep. This time, I didn’t wake up when they returned. I decided that as long as I didn’t hear any gossip about me, I would be fine.
Chapter 8
When I rose at four-thirty sharp, my roommates were still asleep, and I couldn’t blame them. Had I gone out last night, I would be sleeping, too. Having looked around, I saw evening dresses and shoes scattered all over the room. I tiptoed to the bathroom, tripping on a stiletto, and splashed cold water on my face. My eyes felt crusty, but my mind was sharp. Then I quickly got ready for a new day, double-checking I had water and a sun hat—the two essentials.
“Good morning,” I said.
The girls moved a little.
“What time is it?” Madeline asked, stretching.
“Almost five,” I replied.
“Shoot, we are late for the first breakfast!” Janice bolted up.
“Should I wait for you downstairs?” I asked, unable to hide my smile.
“Wow, you are ready!” Madeline exclaimed, staring at my backpack in disbelief.
“Yes, I am,” I said, hoping that Rachel heard me too.
“OK, we’ll meet at the cafeteria. Tell the bus driver not to leave without us.”
“Twenty-five cents,” I joked while leaving the room.
To be honest, I wasn’t hungry at all. I never ate at such an early hour, except for a few times when I absolutely needed a cup of coffee while crunching in some last-minute paper. In Ashkelon, however, I had no choice but to follow everyone’s schedule. The breakfast was quick and quiet, as many volunteers were still too sleepy. To my surprise, I wasn’t feeling tired in the least. Having finished my bowl of cereal, I went straight to the bus.
At the site, we were directed towards the storage room to fetch our tools. After loading our wheelbarrows with shovels and axes, we proceeded to the inner parts of the site. All volunteers were asked to choose from different excavation grids, each of which was loosely connected to a particular historical period. Grid 51 was mostly a Persian area; Grid 20, Islamic and Crusader; Grid 47, Hellenistic; and Grid 38, Philistine. I chose the latter.
My best memory of university all-nighters was linked to the Sea Peoples. I was studying for the archaeology final, trying to memorize all the names. The Philistines weren’t the only group I had to remember. Weshesh, Djekker, Sherden, Pelest, my mind went on. It was in the middle of spring, and the sun had just started rising earlier. Just as I finished preparing for the exam, birds started singing outside, and the sun came up. The morning sun that was shining above our tent reminded me of this final.
We were asked to fill up our buckets with as much earth as possible, to carry them to the sifter, and then slowly empty them out. Anything that resembled an artefact had to be collected into a bucket labeled with the name of the grid. Having emptied my first bucket, I slowly began to sift through the sand in hopes of finding something extraordinary. However, all I could see for the first three hours was plain rocks and shards of undecorated pottery that looked like pure rubbish. I began to feel frustrated. My constant kneeling and crouching weren’t producing the results I expected.
Around nine o’clock, we had our second breakfast, and by that time, I was definitely hungry. Some volunteers helped to set up the table and lay out different foods, which included traditional pita, labaneh cheese, some cold cuts, cereals, and fruits.
I sat with Claire and a few Harvard girls, with whom I hadn’t talked earlier. We chatted for a while about our studies and our plans for the future. I was surprised to discover that most of them still had no idea what they were planning to do after graduation. You’d think that Harvard students would have it all figured out.
“May I join you?” George asked, carrying a huge sandwich and a cup of coffee. From the corner of my eye, I saw Rachel standing by the buffet table, staring at him.
“Sure, come in.” Claire offered him an empty seat next to her.
“How do you like it so far?” he asked us.
“Well, it’s not too bad at all,” I replied. “Except for the fact that I haven’t found any gold yet.”
We all laughed. No one really expected to find anything tremendously exciting on the first day. However, I was hoping for at least a Byzantine coin or an Egyptian scarab seal.
“Don’t expect to find any, or you’ll set yourself up for a major disappointment,” George said.
“What are you studying?” I asked. Although I already knew he was in archaeology, I wanted to learn more about his field.
“I’m working with Dr. Master, researching about the Philistine houses during the Late Bronze Age and Iron I.”
“Wow, that’s interesting!” I exclaimed, secretly wishing I could do something that fascinating in my life.
“I’m also teaching a course on ancient Israel this year,” he added. “How about yourself? What do you do?”
“I finished the University of Toronto a few years ago.”
“What did you study?” He looked genuinely interested.
“I majored in anthropology with a special focus on the Ancient Near East.”
“Oh, nice! We’re in the same field.” He smirked.
Whenever I talked about my major to strangers, I would be bombarded with questions on what I was planning to do with my degree. At some point in time, I decided to avoid the topic altogether, and it saved me a lot of hassle during interviews. It was nice to talk to my fellow humanities majors without worrying what they would think.
After breakfast, came the time to do the lab work, which mostly involved organizing pottery and labelling it according to different archaeological periods. I must admit that making chronological distinctions between different sets of shards is a daunting task. It takes time and skill to learn how to differentiate between different shapes, clay composition, and color. However, I had some background in the subject and could easily tell the difference between, say, Cypriot Monochrome and Bichrome Wares. I enjoyed every single minute of this activity, and whenever a familiar term came up, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
Time went by fast, and by eleven, we had our fruit break. As we were munching our strawberries, grapes, and pieces of watermelon, I heard a heavy sound coming from above.
“I’ll be back in a second,” I told the rest of the group and ran outside. Two menacing-looking airplanes were circling around the site.
What is it? I asked myself, trying to remember anything similar from my last trip to Israel. Suddenly, I recalled our tour guide telling us about special planes that patrol the country to make sure nothing bad is happening. I took a deep breath and stepped back into the lab.
“Is everything OK?” Gloria asked.
“Yeah, I just saw a scary plane. That’s all.”
“Get used to it. You’ll see them very often here. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong.”
“I know. I was told about those planes during our last visit. It’s just unusual to hear such loud noises.”
“Believe me, it’s nor
mal in Ashkelon.”
We worked in the lab for a few more hours after the break, and at one o’clock, we headed back to the hotel. On my way to the room, I met Janice and Madeline, who were talking about boys.
“Vince is really cute,” Janice said.
“I like Luke better. He’s so darn funny,” Madeline argued.
“I liked the one we met at the beach yesterday. I think he’s from New Jersey.”
“The one who’s studying MBA?”
“Yep. He’s gorgeous. I mean, look at those biceps!”
Rachel was standing next to them looking sulky. I began to wonder if she was having some personal issues and needed help. Well, I was not the one to talk to, especially after everything she had said about me.
***
“Hamas is firing rockets again,” I heard someone say in the cafeteria.
“They might start a war in Gaza,” another voice said.
I looked around and saw an elderly couple sitting at one of the tables. What they were talking about was scary. However, from what I had heard, the Iron Dome was highly effective in protecting cities, and half the time, the rockets fell into open areas. Perhaps there was a chance we wouldn’t even notice the conflict.
I chose to sit with Karen, Madeline, and another girl named Lara. We chatted about our first impressions of the digging session.
“I excavated before,” Karen declared.
“Where?” I asked, feeling my curiosity rise.
“Many places. Costa Rica, for example. I even swam underwater.”
“What made you switch into nursing?” Lara asked.
“Better money,” Karen admitted. “I don’t regret my decision in the least because I like being a nurse.”
“That’s great. I wish I could say the same thing about my job,” I confessed.
“You don’t like your job?” Lara asked.
“Not really.” I sighed.