The Single Thing
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
– John Muir
My life has been a journey in and of itself, traveling the world, learning, listening, and absorbing all I can with those who walk similar paths. This trip has multiple facets I have experienced before, yet not altogether like this. The early mornings, gear checks, manual labor, and even the Middle Eastern weather. Tel Akko has taught me more though, and left me with curious questions that I do not plan on leaving unanswered. I started this blog with a quote and believe it to be true with Akko. Everything we uncover in this ancient soil lets us put together a query, to which no one is quite surety have a perfect answer. But each artifact shows us that Akko is indeed attached to the rest of the world in so many ways. I remember the first few days. I was a little hesitant towards liking this area, exploring my new temporary home. When I arrived here, I knew no one except some staff from Penn State University and I knew even less about the country or detailed history. Now as I plan to depart, I leave with friends, acquaintances, and a new perspective on the people and region of Akko and Israel. I am glad I tugged on that single thing, and I am even more humbled to see it attached to not only the excavation but the people on this amazing journey. They have come from all over and are willing to share their knowledge with each other. As a non-archaeologist on this dig, I feel I have also found a greater love for archaeology being in the field; not only seeing the history of it, but feeling it physically and metaphorically. I hope to return one day to this country, it’s people, and get more questions and fewer answers (as life has), which would only drive me more and more to follow through again and again. I hope I will be able to tug again at that single thing and learn how it is attached to the rest of the world here at Tel Akko.