By Rachel Strohl

Silver Lining Playbook

The Silver Lining Playbook. This little book has gotten me through many a stressful situations, and it came through again here in Akko. When I was preparing to come to Israel, I had come up with a research project for my scholarship grant. I worked for months with my professor, coming up with a plan that included me working with the archaeometallurgist here at Tel Akko. Archaeometallurgy, or the study of ancient metals and metal working techniques, has intrigued me for years, and I was so excited to come and work on a subject I was so passionate about.

However, when I stepped off the plane at Tel Aviv, my entire project fell upon its head. The specialist who was supposed to be working at Tel Akko was unexpectedly called off the dig, and would be in Jerusalem the entire project. I was freaking out. However, I pulled out my book of tricks and decided not to let the stress of my project get me down. I was here to learn, and I could still do that while not knowing what my project would be. So I threw myself into learning whatever I could. And in doing so, I was given amazing opportunities to talk to specialists, and I got first-hand experience in field archaeometallurgy. Due to this, when my amazing professors and I finally figured out a project, I felt completely and totally prepared for the academic challenge. This was my silver lining. I had become an amateur expert because instead of focusing on one project, I was absorbing as much information as I possibly could.

Despite learning all of this amazing information about archaeometallurgical practices here in Akko, I feel like I learned an even greater lesson. I learned how to adapt to situations I never thought I would be in. I learned to find the silver lining in a seemingly endless dark sky.

By Rachel Strohl

Dear Younger Me

Dear Rachel from Four Weeks Ago,

Rachel, you are about to have the craziest, most extravagant adventure you have ever embarked upon. You are traveling further than you have ever gone, staying in a foreign country longer than you ever have before, and you are going to be doing it on your own. In my wiser, four-week-older state, here are a few things I wish I had known when I left, and some of the amazing things we will do.

  1. It’s okay to eat when you fly; in fact it makes the entire situation way more pleasant.
  2. Take out all of the cash that you want to spend beforehand. Credit cards are a great back up, but cash is best.
  3. You are finally going to excavate! And trust me, you are going to find some really cool things.
  4. You should try all the foods. You’re going to eat whole sardines. Embrace the crazy girl.
  5. When your ankles swell up, just stick them straight up in the air for about 5 minutes. You didn’t twist your ankle, I promise you’re all good.
  6. Make new friends, but don’t forget about the old ones. They still miss you!
  7. You are going to feel overwhelmed in the square sometimes. Don’t shut down, but rise above. The adrenaline high from doing so is amazing!
  8. Patience is a virtue, and you are going to develop some.
  9. People may mess with you because of where you come from, but its okay. Again, rise above.
  10. Tel breakfast is the best breakfast. Pita and hummus with a view of the ocean, nothing is better than that.
  11. If you go swimming for more than 30 minutes, please reapply sunscreen. Burns and salt water don’t mix so well!
  12. Embrace travel within Israel! You are going to some really amazing places, so soak up the history and the amazement.
  13. Don’t forget to call your older sister! She misses you so much, and you never know when a simple phone call could brighten her whole day!
  14. Bring nail clippers. Please. Just do.
  15. Learn to embrace instant coffee. It will be your ally on the days that your 4:30am wake up call wants to kill you.
  16. Learn all that you can, from whoever you can. Maybe it’s what actually makes someone British, or the difference between a slag cake and a really cool rock. Learn it all.
  17. Make an appointment for a manicure/pedicure and a massage for when you get back. You are really going to need them.
  18. Last, but not least, ask questions. Ask lots and lots of questions about everything. Questions are the key to the doors of knowledge.

 

I know that your trip seems really daunting right now. But you are going to be just fine, I promise. You’re going to fall in love with this country, the people, and archaeology. So embrace the adventure!

All my love,

Rachel[/vc_row]

By Rachel Strohl

The Joy of Understanding

Its 11:30 up on the Tel and you have found nothing all day. You’ve been beating at the ground only to be stopped by nothing but rocks and soil dumped by another archaeologist years ago, making anything found unusable for contextual information. And then it happens. You find something, perhaps an amphora jar handle, or some ivory carved piece. They say that there is no better feeling than this, uncovering an artefact in the field. However, I would counter that argument. To this amateur archaeologist, there is no better joy than the joy of understanding.

The joy of understanding comes from understanding what you are finding in the field. It’s the joy that comes from correctly identifying the type of vessel that a particular pottery sherd is from, or being able to tell slag, a byproduct of metal production, from plain rocks. Because when you understand, it means that you are starting to gain more and more knowledge in your field. You move from the grunt laborer to a respected person of knowledge.

I have wanted to teach for a long time now. I love academia and school more than anyone else I know. So when people started coming up to me with questions about what they were finding, I was delightfully surprised. People were coming to recognize my ability to identify objects in the field, and I was starting to realize my career dream. To me, there is nothing better than finally achieving something you have worked so hard for. And I believe that I am starting to see the fruits of my labor in school. My love for learning and understanding what is going on around me has come to manifest itself in the field, and my dream of being able to teach others has become a reality. So here I make the argument that the true joy of archaeology is not digging up some long-lost artefact, but being able to be a source of knowledge to those you dig with. The true joy is the joy of understanding.

Church at Tabgha

By Rachel Strohl

Bridging the Gap

Walking through a historical site, it is easy to romanticize the past. You see a temple where Jesus worshipped, or a site that was the birthplace of a key character in the past, and you want to imagine a time that is nothing like where we live now.

Silver Lining Playbook
Dear Younger Me
The Joy of Understanding
Church at Tabgha
Bridging the Gap