tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17893846130488482612024-03-13T11:19:36.286-04:00Diggin' It: Adventures in Life and ArchaeologyChronicling the adventures, trials, and tribulations of archaeology in the public sphere.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-27238837284626695172017-07-04T19:46:00.000-04:002017-07-04T19:46:45.444-04:00What We're Doing HereThis summer is a return to my dissertation field site, Buen Suceso. For those new to the blog (or who don't feel like reading the back posts), Buen Suceso is the site of an ancient village, belonging to the Valdivia culture. The site dates to around 2000 BC, which places it in the Late Valdivia period. Valdivia is the earliest agricultural, sedentary, and pottery producing culture in the region¹. It is also the period when social hierarchies first developed. Buen Suceso is unique in that the people who lived here seem to have rejected those hierarchical developments, and instead created a community that was more expressly egalitarian².<br />
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We have several specific, and hopefully attainable goals for this summer:<br />
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<ol>
<li><b>Create a topographic map of the site.</b> I did this as a grad student, but was relying on an old <a href="https://www.brunton.com/collections/navigation-professional/products/conventional-pocket-transit-0-90" target="_blank">Brunton compass</a>, a telescoping level that eventually had a stick taped to the top of it to get sufficient height, and my somewhat iffy trigonometry. This time we're using a Total Station with millimeter accuracy to more closely map the local terrain. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpjCzf93BwdfrENBfbYgAuC_NhTFzrNDhi7-rSDYAs1qZ1PMv96e0o1cKHgJq6xADJnhKsYoia3cr7EBodcA0bGi0zhXacx6mtDTwpNL_mtaPb39OsaLNfilYS8PXksXtLd-qJlEFPGQ/s1600/19453244_10158990322895594_8964372248276717055_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpjCzf93BwdfrENBfbYgAuC_NhTFzrNDhi7-rSDYAs1qZ1PMv96e0o1cKHgJq6xADJnhKsYoia3cr7EBodcA0bGi0zhXacx6mtDTwpNL_mtaPb39OsaLNfilYS8PXksXtLd-qJlEFPGQ/s320/19453244_10158990322895594_8964372248276717055_o.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The family that surveys together stays together.</td></tr>
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</li>
<li><b>Locate and excavate ancient houses.</b> We want to know if the egalitarian ethos at the site was something that existed just in communal spaces, or if it was something expressed within and between households as well. To do that we need to identify multiple houses so that we can compare them. We're starting by digging test pits in three areas of the site, so that we can get a sense of what lies below the surface. Once we see what those turn up we'll select a few additional areas for expanded excavation. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4eNa85hWDNjvJ_HZwQHZP3TlQJRgbpij_PpAcc2tsp0btYQLlTs6qVvQpgYgX2Dd_rh6ZAOtI1BYZI0gWH-8S4RjkS0RyPIfx4f1OK8eTMcjrO0y3KhaYOXrbrR_4LfhtrJjy3euwFw/s1600/19832662_10159037105090594_1529999784_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY4eNa85hWDNjvJ_HZwQHZP3TlQJRgbpij_PpAcc2tsp0btYQLlTs6qVvQpgYgX2Dd_rh6ZAOtI1BYZI0gWH-8S4RjkS0RyPIfx4f1OK8eTMcjrO0y3KhaYOXrbrR_4LfhtrJjy3euwFw/s320/19832662_10159037105090594_1529999784_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luis and Robert digging a test pit.</td></tr>
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</li>
<li><b>Work with the local community.</b> This field season is the first of two years funded by Fulbright. Next year will focus on heritage workshops and including the archaeology in the tourist resources that the local community, Dos Mangas, has to offer. To do that well, though, requires thought and planning, so I'm starting that conversation with the community this year. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsNg8k3Cwx0wt7PR_TlRsBoXhYWcEwpU9k1wV28QCQAOY2XZXCLnAgEs9Py5XDF01kCfiJSnzgkF0twBPoYhN8_2hg8owhJKEv9AKbNCZwa6wTFLXPArTKEQmSGZ9N2-JddncGsPYoOs/s1600/19756316_10158967199150582_823864733_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsNg8k3Cwx0wt7PR_TlRsBoXhYWcEwpU9k1wV28QCQAOY2XZXCLnAgEs9Py5XDF01kCfiJSnzgkF0twBPoYhN8_2hg8owhJKEv9AKbNCZwa6wTFLXPArTKEQmSGZ9N2-JddncGsPYoOs/s320/19756316_10158967199150582_823864733_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the monthly community meeting, presenting a UTRGV pennant in friendship.</td></tr>
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</li>
</ol>
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We'll keep you posted on the progress of these goals as the summer goes along.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">¹ For the more technical among my readers, I'm not ignoring the San Pedro tradition but I am simplifying for my audience.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">² If you're curious to know more about why I say this, check out <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50705" target="_blank">my dissertation</a> or wait a bit longer for the forthcoming article.</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-47661499542024342212017-06-20T17:58:00.000-04:002017-06-20T17:58:43.213-04:00Beginnings are hardOur arrival back in Dos Mangas was more than I could have hoped for, in many ways. It was wonderful to walk down the street and greet old friends. I could not have had a warmer welcome. Despite that the arrival is still a bit of an adjustment, and difficult mentally at times. Hello culture shock. The village is quite different from our landing pads in Quito and Guayaquil, and adapting to the rhythm and paces of village life take some time. Throw in that I'm traveling with an infant, and it feels just a tad more difficult.<br />
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Also, it's really wet here, meaning everything is muddy and dreary. It's also causing me anxiety about the project. We're already getting a bit of a late start (losing about a week of field time because of a delayed permit and some other issues) and the heavy rains will put a further damper on things. And because of the rains we're also impacted by excessive vegetation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCvQ7cJ2j4_6nmx5LQLMOWhyphenhyphenVVR5hFI6pfX7Hy1-jHW9flU2ah1LLAKP-0OqSCImiMgnQ4IiQy1PPtfOKPgc9PdQC2zfr1f-XpZScIAXHVhYqHNujepGkpr2kgD0faacfsb-VaQ-yzbI/s1600/DSCN0061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCvQ7cJ2j4_6nmx5LQLMOWhyphenhyphenVVR5hFI6pfX7Hy1-jHW9flU2ah1LLAKP-0OqSCImiMgnQ4IiQy1PPtfOKPgc9PdQC2zfr1f-XpZScIAXHVhYqHNujepGkpr2kgD0faacfsb-VaQ-yzbI/s320/DSCN0061.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The river valley in May 2006.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6JbaZGy-uy2VMU6jmwC44N7vfVNIzNEae7COObcc8CMx3C6n3eP8XL_HDT20vQEGqw0oGVWYTxryUlxWfhHLSifxkno_TURV0AD3uM1rYLpYF83f7CxgGg6AMcJSsrLrPIBDeMM9Z84/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6JbaZGy-uy2VMU6jmwC44N7vfVNIzNEae7COObcc8CMx3C6n3eP8XL_HDT20vQEGqw0oGVWYTxryUlxWfhHLSifxkno_TURV0AD3uM1rYLpYF83f7CxgGg6AMcJSsrLrPIBDeMM9Z84/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same valley, June 2017. Yeah, it's wet here.</td></tr>
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On Father's Day we took a hike out to look at the site. First, I have to give my husband major props for coming willingly on this adventure. And also for tromping through mud instead of doing whatever else you're "supposed" to be doing on Father's Day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYf0jMRndJkl4-FGcSe4Ludc06JPWhn3UnHxSwwgFv3rromIIC8NHqwuPxmRbCnrsUXsxs7rUYBnnsyHdJQd6IAXeo2C-R_iNZbL-AoZtbQRYGdv6rXYcNNaWJ9CDPC5cJycIWdNuv0RY/s1600/19366261_10158940067260594_2959971663026734780_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYf0jMRndJkl4-FGcSe4Ludc06JPWhn3UnHxSwwgFv3rromIIC8NHqwuPxmRbCnrsUXsxs7rUYBnnsyHdJQd6IAXeo2C-R_iNZbL-AoZtbQRYGdv6rXYcNNaWJ9CDPC5cJycIWdNuv0RY/s320/19366261_10158940067260594_2959971663026734780_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo just makes my heart melt.</td></tr>
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The land where the site is located has been farmed in the past, but has been left untouched for about two years. There's lots of vegetation and it's hard to see much of anything. My plan of "here, look at the site" turned into a much shorter visit of "well, it's under there somewhere". So, first order of business will be getting some guys out with machetes to clear things enough to map and place some excavation units.<br />
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I'm hopeful to get the clearing started on Thursday or Friday, and then to be underway with excavations on Monday. That means the season will be six weeks long instead of seven, but hopefully we can still get a lot done.<br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-23226067126382114832017-06-17T10:20:00.000-04:002017-06-17T10:38:01.143-04:00I'm BaaaaackOn the ground, in Ecuador. Thanks to a Fulbright Scholar award I'm able to return to my dissertation site and carry out another season of field work. My university did a nice little write-up on the <a href="http://www.utrgv.edu/en-us/about-utrgv/news/press-releases/2017/june-09-utrgv-assistant-professor-wins-fulbright-award-to-study-in-ecuador/index.htm?utm_content=bufferda307&utm_medium=social_organic&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=buffer" target="_blank">award</a>:<br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1551" data-original-width="1600" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTphVi60WXlJ_RpK-17Q4naIjg4SA_PLQ7PGORW-LoGl0WV5nhjxI4Mw-nKT8lPPtFYJ-sJdDIzyuEDh1bLsBF5Bqf8GaMnalAPs4Dh7FGZ5xPveu7_AlVS3iKVpLAOp7T7ETy_QCckc/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /><span id="goog_1338819392"></span><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1338819393"></span></div>
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So here I am, with my husband and infant son, hoping to identify ancient households and excited to revive my collaboration with the <i>comuna</i> of Dos Mangas. The blog will once again become half travelogue, half critical engagement with archaeological themes. As internet access can be hard to come by, this will also be my primary mechanism to let friends and family know what we're up to, and that we're still alive and well. I'll also add more details about the project goals once the initial craziness of settling in is over. More soon!Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-72334423211736605992015-02-19T09:49:00.006-05:002015-02-19T09:49:40.154-05:00Changes Ahead<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hi All!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sorry for the recent silence, but I'm working on migrating to a new format that condense the various bits of myself that have been scattered around the web. Stay tuned!</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-86808528875376326482014-11-05T14:35:00.000-05:002014-11-05T14:35:49.236-05:00Return to Dos Mangas Pt. 2: Archaeology<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>The third and final post about my trip to Ecuador.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A trip back to Dos Mangas would not have been complete without a tour of some of the key archaeological sites that I identified a few years back, with an eye to future research. We went back out to Buen Suceso, and while the field with the Valdivia site has been plowed twice in the intervening years it hasn't been planted, which has minimized some of the damage to the site. This time we were also able to do some informal survey in the fields on the other side of the dirt road that bisects the former boarding school lands. Much to my joy we found some pretty interesting evidence of a Manteño occupation, including several low platforms where houses were likely located. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp84v_gasWyl6U2517P_LtnrbqtxBMfzIRLwEguXi40X61U01Q_eLZDrahRYJnYejEmYbFR0c6A_ovuBCD0TvzO4p-BwC9yp7JGU5kP-2rGyf7lQ_42tw2tyU0yMllw-X4qqkmjfRJbYA/s1600/DSCN1578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp84v_gasWyl6U2517P_LtnrbqtxBMfzIRLwEguXi40X61U01Q_eLZDrahRYJnYejEmYbFR0c6A_ovuBCD0TvzO4p-BwC9yp7JGU5kP-2rGyf7lQ_42tw2tyU0yMllw-X4qqkmjfRJbYA/s1600/DSCN1578.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ask and ye shall receive. Large chert flake, olla rim sherd, and Manteño mascarone found in the field. Quarter for scale.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The community is talking about turning this area into a protected archaeological zone. Considering that artifacts from the entire prehispanic cultural sequence are present in these few fields, that seems like a worthy goal. These fields also lie alongside one of the existing ecotourism paths that the community has developed. If the community moves ahead as planned then we will have the opportunity to integrate archaeological information alongside the existing tourism economy.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3UOsHNVPANMWZMW_TUSkeeVoI16EmjHmw6IBqFm-ac3Sq0QLMo6t5ygJ1BUWNRMBDqrY2gpm3s-IpyP7BzZIvNFFNcB6MKUDZof7HnfgcYqGvFHDXStLkfHspu-t3-qdq5x3AhqObH0/s1600/PicsArt_1412036093133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3UOsHNVPANMWZMW_TUSkeeVoI16EmjHmw6IBqFm-ac3Sq0QLMo6t5ygJ1BUWNRMBDqrY2gpm3s-IpyP7BzZIvNFFNcB6MKUDZof7HnfgcYqGvFHDXStLkfHspu-t3-qdq5x3AhqObH0/s1600/PicsArt_1412036093133.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Before and after my little tour. The joys of working in a tropical environment.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back in the village proper, the state of archaeology wasn't as positive. If you remember my last post, you'll recall that USAid has contributed extensively to Dos Mangas, including sponsoring a remodel of the <i>casa comunal</i>. The final project looks great, but there's one downside. The materials from my excavations were stored there, and when they did the remodel, they moved the bags and boxes. Into a disused house. That's missing half its roof. If you're having trouble imaging the condition of my excavated collection, well, I have a picture for you.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUIGqxbz_JF-sVK4lpuQ0C8s4T9SNqThF5BTbgX9npaGRQAMlIA77UYEosL6ld7XW8ncDTyLZ32ecyQbofGVPH6WJodJpmSZh0AyZbbGCKtDqNzHhgiy0ypEJMZEptRLHRuFAucR7J9s/s1600/DSCN1628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUIGqxbz_JF-sVK4lpuQ0C8s4T9SNqThF5BTbgX9npaGRQAMlIA77UYEosL6ld7XW8ncDTyLZ32ecyQbofGVPH6WJodJpmSZh0AyZbbGCKtDqNzHhgiy0ypEJMZEptRLHRuFAucR7J9s/s1600/DSCN1628.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sadness.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The community members who were the most involved in the project weren't aware that the collection had been moved, or its current state. I left behind some funds and detailed instructions about how prevent further damage to the site, and it will be moved to a better storage location within the community tourism interpretation center.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRU5npZ9iaT4XZdYTZi5APcges-ToJu15X80nL85tSKWOkJ9x0pe7tuJh0rKhRf8AzSBYv56kWtIJHvINMfrMNIAcYXJAASDJ_gOSjuOsqYGftK_UyUbmFvgM9t1xvXWLnKR31q1G2Hw/s1600/DSCN1556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRU5npZ9iaT4XZdYTZi5APcges-ToJu15X80nL85tSKWOkJ9x0pe7tuJh0rKhRf8AzSBYv56kWtIJHvINMfrMNIAcYXJAASDJ_gOSjuOsqYGftK_UyUbmFvgM9t1xvXWLnKR31q1G2Hw/s1600/DSCN1556.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The collection will have a new home on this side of the village. There's also some available land to build a small museum....</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The last big achievement that we managed during my visit was to sign a convenio between myself and the community. This document outlines our mutual benefits and obligations as we move forward with future archaeological work and the integration of these projects with community tourism and development goals. I can't wait to get back to work!</span><br />
<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-87357023320521943152014-10-13T18:23:00.002-04:002014-10-13T18:23:44.011-04:00Return to Dos Mangas pt. 1: Community<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Note: this post may be most interesting for friends and family who visited me during fieldwork, or for people who read the early posts on the blog.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What a homecoming!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Simply put, my arrival in Dos Mangas was more than I had
hoped for. The garua was really heavy, so the road was wet and muddy and the
night was colder than I had anticipated. After a long-ish bus ride from
Portoviejo (with a change over in Xipixapa) I arrived in Manglaralto at the
combi stand to Dos Mangas. I recognized some of the drivers but the feeling
wasn’t necessarily mutual, but after answering some of their questions about
what I was up to, and responding that I had lived there for a year, the light
bulb went off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I rode into town in the back of a covered pickup truck, the
normal mode of transportation, seated with several comuneros and preoccupied
with the feeling of being a stranger to people I had once felt a sense of
belonging (though I’m not sure if I belonged <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with</i> them or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">to</i> them at
the time). I paid my fifty cents for the ride (fifteen more than four years
ago) and got off at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">casa comunal</i>.
All the doors were closed, including to the second floor hostel, but someone
came by pretty quickly and waved over the lady with the keys to let me in. The
hostel had been fairly close to completion when I left four years ago, but it
was clear that they had made some improvements in the mean time, with the help
of USAid, whose sticker is emblazoned on everything. The hostel can host about
12-15 people at any time, and has a kitchen, dining room, and common space. It
would be an awesome base for a field school if I’m ever in a position to lead
one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigK3NWGytmDL6SDcL8JThF2vmTKa_ztAbLiM13lf1WjoNACczrSJys3ZL2GcYU8xOEOTqwgIjK0Ux1Vo97Ik7fYHjl5iSHQ7wIaAG8mu52cIqws_f0CePuvG3SZHbAhFFjP4xW4Nss1Bw/s1600/DSCN1627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigK3NWGytmDL6SDcL8JThF2vmTKa_ztAbLiM13lf1WjoNACczrSJys3ZL2GcYU8xOEOTqwgIjK0Ux1Vo97Ik7fYHjl5iSHQ7wIaAG8mu52cIqws_f0CePuvG3SZHbAhFFjP4xW4Nss1Bw/s1600/DSCN1627.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The casa comunal renovations, sponsored by USAid.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeM_Log0BaKL8Uv93INavPVFmKFDaVsbIxYy_M66fJDqAZ7US4gYN-b8PJtiY6cngCERFTY5qjKxBXvNSsnGJJ6sD7C8w7ouzloyN6GlbcD73BtWBrFpN8HKGGtJ940YzQBEtsSoaWcE/s1600/20140926_215020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmeM_Log0BaKL8Uv93INavPVFmKFDaVsbIxYy_M66fJDqAZ7US4gYN-b8PJtiY6cngCERFTY5qjKxBXvNSsnGJJ6sD7C8w7ouzloyN6GlbcD73BtWBrFpN8HKGGtJ940YzQBEtsSoaWcE/s1600/20140926_215020.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the renovated room, with a private bath!</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After dropping my stuff and changing into long pants and my
boots, I went off to say hello to some of my nearest and dearest from my time
in Dos Mangas four years ago. My first stop was to see Luis, who has been my
assistant from the time I began investigations in Dos Mangas in 2006, and who has
been keeping an eye on things since I left. His face lit up when he saw me, and
I was glad to see him looking so well. Then we made the circuit to visit
various friends. I received so many enthusiastic embraces, and a few tears, and
everyone wanted to feed me.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTAKWnQ2pJhb1KdHljaEFsVzOdJF8jqjjEG3nJ4JnIXU3Le8E5Hc3h1ZGfttcu_AYThDvlOc3cNkwbvChez_A_03q5h2_6b6vLaIWodbUtGadK6aBg6BLtumXv2-9FsfNW4HXhytet6I/s1600/DSCN1550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTAKWnQ2pJhb1KdHljaEFsVzOdJF8jqjjEG3nJ4JnIXU3Le8E5Hc3h1ZGfttcu_AYThDvlOc3cNkwbvChez_A_03q5h2_6b6vLaIWodbUtGadK6aBg6BLtumXv2-9FsfNW4HXhytet6I/s1600/DSCN1550.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Ever-enthusiastic Efrain.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SfXV3NoiW-JCW8oHtbMbEqYIQO29W9HCy3KCZngvxgl4DbKtYI7s9f3RDQ1WXG7u1ucyfx_Uj2BuwJPvrNJfiCE9B2pYS_NyKwq-_HA6JXkJoQVKdzVbRgaABJQyNbJrXr6Gt2ZIpag/s1600/20140928_092932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1SfXV3NoiW-JCW8oHtbMbEqYIQO29W9HCy3KCZngvxgl4DbKtYI7s9f3RDQ1WXG7u1ucyfx_Uj2BuwJPvrNJfiCE9B2pYS_NyKwq-_HA6JXkJoQVKdzVbRgaABJQyNbJrXr6Gt2ZIpag/s1600/20140928_092932.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fanny, Chico and their kids.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUxUyUmLirBaboKS8a8CQe-qELvfr68iNEs29H3MbhEiaWvzcDyVs4OeomBWluTUoaYSv5Z8F12JEGoXExtbvvmcgXYWPIYcqBUdmmZ1kjTZpocPhkTgOSTFAHrCfv2zOC9fh4Dx6RiI/s1600/20140928_094529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUxUyUmLirBaboKS8a8CQe-qELvfr68iNEs29H3MbhEiaWvzcDyVs4OeomBWluTUoaYSv5Z8F12JEGoXExtbvvmcgXYWPIYcqBUdmmZ1kjTZpocPhkTgOSTFAHrCfv2zOC9fh4Dx6RiI/s1600/20140928_094529.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Luis and Vicente.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></o:p>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On Saturday, my only full day to visit, I was able to wander around the village and I was struck by how much had changed, and how much was still the same. The road into town actually has a bridge over the river now, meaning it doesn’t turn into an island during the rainy season. There’s also a new high school, so children don’t have to travel to continue with their education, an investment that can be a barrier for many. The church has been redone, the casa comunal has been remodeled, and it's clear that the community has benefitted from the support of USAid. But it's the same two roads, the same people, and the same excitement to get back to work!</span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The new colegio, located next to the primary schools.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5PZMtIoW2dAX7TAfPuPupu1Emk6CfFWYru4t_2jllCdBmLE6b183kqM0WKJn21Nq8ruAJP1ek-HQoRdcknv_9Rtc5tmEgHEZrDwnOMjoKRCL9VIGmsd2hdfavWkow0y7qjtfJ_BHUoQ/s1600/DSCN1599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5PZMtIoW2dAX7TAfPuPupu1Emk6CfFWYru4t_2jllCdBmLE6b183kqM0WKJn21Nq8ruAJP1ek-HQoRdcknv_9Rtc5tmEgHEZrDwnOMjoKRCL9VIGmsd2hdfavWkow0y7qjtfJ_BHUoQ/s1600/DSCN1599.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Remodeled church, with room for parking out front!</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhChDpDIAM92qEYdRzQ5ML57pBLdv-kmMZ_J7eSSuticnDMyj0TYdPczDwu3tvkEE_7lLRA6LySA4RY1D9F_oQNyXpOs1PA0crL-btQItK2tKdpg-hm0nW4GSlm-TV5yK6LVbw8CO3kU/s1600/DSCN1593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhChDpDIAM92qEYdRzQ5ML57pBLdv-kmMZ_J7eSSuticnDMyj0TYdPczDwu3tvkEE_7lLRA6LySA4RY1D9F_oQNyXpOs1PA0crL-btQItK2tKdpg-hm0nW4GSlm-TV5yK6LVbw8CO3kU/s1600/DSCN1593.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is where I used to live. Now a hostel.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A lot of our chatting during that visit was retelling stories
about my daughter, known on the blog as Little Miss, who was two and a half
when we left. One young woman who used to care for her recounted that she was
always asking for “co-co”, comida in her own little language. Many people were
sad that she didn’t join me on this trip. I started missing her from my arrival
at the taxi stand into Dos Mangas – she was an ever-present part of my time
here, and much of my day was organized around taking care of her, whether that
was dropping off and picking her up from the village day care, or spending the
good part of the day at the local clinic to treat one of her many sinus
infections or other ailments. It’s not often that I go a week without seeing her,
so this was the double whammy. I got a cute little video of some of her friends, and hopefully she can come back into the field with me soon!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Stay tuned for my next installment, a look at the archaeology after four years!</i></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-66165442373399103262014-10-07T10:16:00.000-04:002014-10-07T10:16:40.197-04:00Presenting Archaeology and Communities in Ecuador<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The main purpose of my trip to Ecuador was to present a four-day workshop titled "Archaeology as a Community Resource" to community representatives at the regional office of the Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural (INPC) in Portoviejo. Most of the participants have some sort of community-based tourism project in their town. Some traveled 6-8 hour roundtrip every day to participate in the six hours of seminar each day. If I hadn't already felt a responsibility to make the workshop as useful as possible, knowing that people traveled that long in order to hear me talk certainly did the trick! Representatives from the local INPC office and nearby archaeological site also joined us for portions of the seminar.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Museo Portoviejo, where the workshop was held.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQE_s40ctMhBzeXZesEzfU9eMK3661QsxgFKPEAiN7E1ZpKUGvdnxTtqPm53ks4uh_AZOIyX220T1i7uLczNR9bGoWoGgLFpKd8oyOPYZ0sQ_xsTQ-I03V_NSrDVtqyqcn18fz9HY5nqs/s1600/20140926_134459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQE_s40ctMhBzeXZesEzfU9eMK3661QsxgFKPEAiN7E1ZpKUGvdnxTtqPm53ks4uh_AZOIyX220T1i7uLczNR9bGoWoGgLFpKd8oyOPYZ0sQ_xsTQ-I03V_NSrDVtqyqcn18fz9HY5nqs/s1600/20140926_134459.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The historic building of the INPC Region 4 offices.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first day focused on archaeology as a field of study, as a scientific and interpretive endeavor. We talked about stratigraphy and, overall, the importance of context to archaeological interpretation. We did a series of activities related to stratigraphy, chronology, and context drawn from outreach activities on the <a href="http://www.archaeological.org/education/lessonplans" target="_blank">AIA website</a> and <i><a href="http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/intrigue/cover" target="_blank">Intrigue of the Past</a></i>, an online curriculum for school teachers developed by the Research Laboratories of Archaeology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The goal was not only for the participants to understand these concepts, but to have materials and activities that they could take back to their communities and use in their own educational efforts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The second day we discussed the archaeological cultures of coastal Ecuador. I had two main goals for this module. The first is that participants become familiar with the archaeological cultures on the coast, spanning from the Archaic period until Spanish conquest, material that isn't covered in schools. This included being introduced to some of the characteristic pieces of material culture from each period to help them associate these cultures with what they find in their communities. The second goal was to move beyond "the cult of the object", away from an artifact as a museum piece or one that might be worth money on the black market (a <a href="http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9208031091/daring-deal-huaqueros" target="_blank">fine distinction</a> at times), and towards a greater appreciation of what an artifact can tell us about past societies, particularly when found within its original context. We used some objects from the INPC bodega to help with this discussion, and participants brought photos of some of the objects recovered in their communities. The need and desire for discussion of past societies within primary school curriculum was highlighted by participants. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On Day Three we discussed community rights and responsibilities according to the national patrimony laws. This was the most interesting and difficult of the days for me. While the constitution states that everyone has an obligation to protect national patrimony, and laws outline the penalties involved for those who damage, deface, or loot (see resources <a href="http://drv.inpc.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=111" target="_blank">here</a>), there seems to be a gap between what is expected and the skills and resources of various governing bodies. The scenario presented by representatives from one community is not uncommon: archaeological remains are eroding out of a nearby river bank. The next time the river crests it will wash those objects away. If the community rescues them now, to put on dispay in their community center, they will be looting. If they wait until the river floods it will be too late, and they will lose this resource they are trying to develop. The INPC doesn't have the staff or funds to carry out a full rescue project. What can the community do?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We were fortunate to have the director of the INPC office join us on this day. The discussion wasn't easy, and no satisfying agreement was reached. A key point in the community's favor seemed to be the fact that they wanted to gather these objects to display them within their community. This fulfilled the public accessibility and dissemination mandates of the patrimony law. We spoke about ways in which they can document the current state of the materials (photographs with scale, showing the landscape context, etc) in order to document as much about the archaeological context as possible. Of course, no one was willing to say "yes, once you've documented it you can remove it" and not just because of the patrimony law but also because we know that once you remove one object you'll find another, and another, and another (the archaeology version of <i><a href="http://www.powells.com/s?PID=23787&cgi=search/search/&kw=If%20you%20give%20a%20mouse%20a%20cookie" target="_blank">If You Give a Mouse a Cookie</a>)</i>.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgke6jzf6fPsOS-s8dbWHkoL2gjSw03fjOl5ulxl-Cx8NU3yQXkUSIgi0uYqYyTwuRYZpG9ABUc6F8vh4mUWXxHg6p9oX29a-tVB9BapyK3PgA85tad5D685NkHSB3CCjLlrkP2AwegVS4/s1600/10635997_549751121824791_841528418955315166_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgke6jzf6fPsOS-s8dbWHkoL2gjSw03fjOl5ulxl-Cx8NU3yQXkUSIgi0uYqYyTwuRYZpG9ABUc6F8vh4mUWXxHg6p9oX29a-tVB9BapyK3PgA85tad5D685NkHSB3CCjLlrkP2AwegVS4/s1600/10635997_549751121824791_841528418955315166_n.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Workshop participants on Day 2.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Over the course of these three days we also spoke about ways that communities can integrate archaeology into their community development projects. The culmination on the fourth day consisted of brief presentations by each community of their plans of action to this end. Some focused on education of children to build an interest in protecting the past, while others targeted adults as role models to begin this work. Some plans tied the presentation of archaeological remains to current artisan practices in communities. Others discussed the need for protection committees to mitigate damage to sites from land use practices and development.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To close the workshop we were very lucky to receive a tour of the site of Cerro Jaboncillo. This was a Manteño site, one that has been famous for awhile but that only recently been excavated, so from an archaeology nerd standpoint I was very excited for the visit. The Ciudad Civico Eloy Alfaro in nearby Monticristi has developed interpretive material for the site, and the visit was a good opportunity to for workshop participants to see excavations in progress and how this information was presented to a general public. The representatives from Ciudad Alfaro were extremely generous and helped provide a nice capstone to the workshop.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfjE1mJaac8wgGbNyj1O9oYkbmiSJcKOYGZNbcmeF8jMV__iS9wMH3CbRy1OsfiEY25kwo1PWk9wM7t1352IveGahiXZJiBrxVVM5jd4A-2YxgOnYl9EYaOlyzfU6FaiQcim9zL6CH9o/s1600/DSCN1544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqfjE1mJaac8wgGbNyj1O9oYkbmiSJcKOYGZNbcmeF8jMV__iS9wMH3CbRy1OsfiEY25kwo1PWk9wM7t1352IveGahiXZJiBrxVVM5jd4A-2YxgOnYl9EYaOlyzfU6FaiQcim9zL6CH9o/s1600/DSCN1544.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Workshop participants at Cerro Jaboncillo.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This workshop is just the first step in a changing relationship between archaeologists and communities in Ecuador, and if I get the chance to present it again I'm sure I'd do some things differently. I'd love to be able to visit each community and provide a more customized approach, but given the distance people traveled in order to come to Portoviejo that may not be feasible. Regardless, I hope that people stay in touch and I look forward to seeing how they implement things in their communities!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Press from the workshop:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sept 22 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/inpc.manabi/posts/549190261880877" target="_blank">Day 1</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sept 23 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=549751121824791&set=a.511177985682105.1073741837.100003697252005&type=1" target="_blank">Day 2</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sept 25 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/inpc.manabi/posts/550543618412208" target="_blank">Day 4</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sept 25 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.580429272082982.1073742063.355541021238476&type=1" target="_blank">Visit to Cerro Jaboncillo</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sept 25 <a href="http://www.eldiario.ec/noticias-manabi-ecuador/330816-artesanos-participan-en-taller-sobre-arqueologia/" target="_blank">El Diario</a> (short piece, mostly correct)</span><br />
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<br />Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-64463817572586731992014-09-19T10:28:00.000-04:002014-09-19T10:28:33.544-04:00Returning to Ecuador!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tomorrow I will travel to Ecuador for the first time since I completed my dissertation research in 2010. I have been invited by the Region 4 office of the Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural (INPC) to present a 4-day workshop entitled "Arqueología como un Recurso Comunitario" in Portoviejo. Participants in this workshop are community guides and university students from the region. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The workshop will begin with a discussion of the goals and methods of archaeology as a discipline, and general information about the prehispanic cultures on the coast. The meat of the workshop will be participant-driven, as we discuss Ecuadorian patrimony laws, the value of protecting archaeological materials within communities, and develop plans that can be deployed within each community to continue these discussion and help think about archaeology among the other resources that communities have, like land, water, and artistic talent. While the community guides come from places that have some degree of tourist infrastructure, the emphasis of this workshop is not necessarily tourism. We will discuss the potential of archaeology for economic development more broadly, but also discuss other uses of archaeology, including but not limited to community identity and history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the first time that I'm leading a workshop of this nature, so I am both very excited and very nervous. I'm building on educational material and formats that I've used in my job, but expanding on them and adapting them to the Ecuadorian context. I just hope the participants are up for some knowledge co-creation!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The trip won't just be the workshop, though. I'm taking advantage of the opportunity of being in the country to visit with a dear friend, check out an archaeological site that's been recently opened to the public, visit a fellow archaeologist's lab to rummage through more ceramics, and speak with the master's program in neotropical archaeology at ESPOL in Guayaquil.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Competing with the workshop for the feature of the trip will be my return to Dos Mangas. I'm looking forward to presenting the final analysis from my dissertation project, seeing old friends, and beginning discussions for a new, collaborative research program with the community.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Dos Mangas, one of the first photos I took back in 2006. I can only imagine what it will look like today!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To say I'm excited doesn't quite cover it. I'll try to update on my Ecuadorian adventures along the way, so check back. Hopefully this marks the start of a significant re-engagement with Ecuador, and none-too-soon!</span></div>
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-25547675888790833812014-04-03T10:13:00.000-04:002014-04-03T10:13:28.349-04:00My Future in Blogging Archaeology: Blogging Carnival Month 5<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking at the date on my last post, I've been MIA for about two and a half months. That was a flurry of work and dissertation writing in which every spare moment (and just about every vacation and sick day) was used to get a new draft out to my committee. I'm happy to report that I managed that milestone last week, and while I'm not <i>done</i> done, it's out of my hands, at least for a little while. I've been enjoying a brief respite while I reorient myself and figure out where to dive in next.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Word cloud from my theory chapter. I'm one of "those" archaeologists. And by that I either mean one whose theory is dominated by words like "practice" or one who procrastinates by putting their theory chapter into a word cloud.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />So, I'm going to try to squeeze in this post just under the wire. I managed to respond to the first month's question for </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the Blogging Archaeology Carnival (#blogarch) back in <a href="http://diggin-it-archaeology.blogspot.com/2013/11/blogging-archaeology-carnival-month-1.html" target="_blank">November</a>, and that was it before I got pulled into a vortex of family holidays, international travel, and dissertating.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The <a href="http://dougsarchaeology.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/blogging-archaeology-responses-to-febs-question-or-how-i-killed-blogarch-and-final-question/" target="_blank">last query</a> for #blogarch in the lead-up to #SAA2014 asks us to discuss our goals for blogging and where we hope it takes us and archaeology.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first goal has to be to write more, to actually use this platform on a regular basis. So many of the conversations that prompt blog posts are incident-specific, and if you're not writing the conversation passes you by. So, for example, there is no official response on here against the National Geographic Channel's "Nazi War Digger" series (though I join with many others in condemning the show), and I have a draft post from back in February that I never finished that responded to a twitter conversation about the stand that archaeologists have to take to prevent looting (it's funny how those two points seem to go together in retrospect). I'm hoping that now that I have a little mental space freed from the dissertation that I can be more responsive to issues that arise and use this platform to address them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My second goal would be to use the blog to share my research as I think through issues related to methodology and research content. That's an admittedly frightening prospect, to open myself and my research up to the comments of anyone with an internet connection. It's important, though, particularly in the context of the work I do - if I'm really committed to collaboration and outreach then I have to make this stuff available. I'm sure this is something that will require some tweaking as I go forward - while my work is my work, the work I do as an employee is not entirely mine, and some of the projects I work on have community privacy concerns, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Only two goals, but fairly major goals. I think the first will be a bit easier (and less scary) to achieve than the second one, but I'm excited by both. Particularly for those who put their research out there, how do you balance competing concerns of public and private knowledge, and how do you overcome the nervousness factor?</span></div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-40189283108833739982014-01-25T13:57:00.000-05:002014-01-27T10:15:44.968-05:0025 Grand Challenges for Archaeology - But for Which Archaeologists?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A <a href="https://asunews.asu.edu/20140121-kintigh-archaeology">story</a> started to circulate late this week heralding a the release of survey results outlining "25 Grand Challenges for Archaeology". The initiative, led by senior researchers in both academia and CRM, was published in the most recent issues of <a href="http://www2.lawrence.edu/fast/PEREGRIP/Publications/2014AmAntiqGrandChallenges.pdf" target="_blank">American Antiquity</a> and <a href="http://www2.lawrence.edu/fast/PEREGRIP/Publications/PNAS-2014.pdf" target="_blank">PNAS</a> (Peter Peregrine, one of the authors, was also kind enough to post pdfs on his page, allowing even those without institutional affiliation to read the study). My commentary is built primarily from the AA article.<br /><br />Some very useful discussion is already happening on other blogs (<a href="http://seacunderground.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/regarding-the-grand-challenges-and-young-archaeologists/" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://publishingarchaeology.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-grand-challenges-for-archaeology.html" target="_blank">here</a>) and got me to read the study a bit more closely and think about the themes the authors identified. I posted Michael E. Smith's blog response (the second link above) to my Facebook page along with the commentary that the list left me feeling a little "ho-hum". What followed was a lively discussion that helped me tease out my lack-luster response to the study, which I present here.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The items set out in the list are "big" themes, and while I think that it is very useful to set out these grand challenges, I didn't feel very excited after reading it. While my level of enthusiasm doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, I do think that if broad sectors of archaeologists don't get fired up by these suggestions, then neither will the general public, who we need on our side. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My critique of the study centers around two themes (participation and content) that I am hopeful will be addressed by the authors in greater detail, perhaps in later publications.<br /><br />First, the authors of the study were quite concerned about the overrepresentation of older participants in the survey (or the lack of young and student archaeologist, as they describe it). It concerns me as well. An informal survey of my networks (which are primarily populated with early-career and student archaeologists) left a lot of us scratching our heads about how the survey was distributed, because we don't remember ever receiving notice of it. In my case, I was also starting a full-time job around the time that it went out, which may explain some amnesia, but <span style="color: magenta;">it is worrisome that so many people in the under-represented age demographic don't remember receiving the survey</span><span style="color: magenta;">.</span><br /><br />The authors don't go into great detail concerning their research methods in the AA article, but I think it's important to look at who led the study and the report in this regard. The demographic that responded in greatest numbers seem to me to be similar to the authors themselves, suggesting that informal networks may have played a big role in getting people to respond. That makes it problematic, then, that 11 out of 14 authors are male, that they are all senior in their fields, and they are all white. As anyone who has attended a professional meeting in the last few years can tell you, <span style="color: magenta;">the face of archaeology (in the US at least) is changing</span>. Women are taking over, and people of color are more numerous, though still underrepresented. Finally, though Canadian, European, and UK societies were included in the survey, the respondents were overwhelmingly from the US. <span style="color: magenta;">What languages were the survey distributed in, and was there any effort to include the international members of North American professional societies, or societies located in the Global South?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Second, the authors "explicitly excluded responses to the survey that addressed 'disciplinary challenges with respect to the practice of archaeology, such as changes in financial and legal frameworks'" (Kintigh et al. 2014:6-7). <span style="color: magenta;">I think this is a missed opportunity.</span> As my colleagues indicated during informal discussions, the decreasing excitement for archaeology in the face of "Ancient Aliens", "Diggers", or <a href="http://trowelpoints.wordpress.com/2013/11/13/why-archaeology-matters-a-crisis-in-federal-funding-of-archaeological-research/" target="_blank">lawmakers' outright hostility to archaeology</a>, is a real issue that needs to be addressed. The types of "big" questions proposed in the article come off as dry and unexciting to most people not directly engaged in that research. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I think there are ways to successfully convey what people do under each of those headings for a general audience, they were framed in such a way as to not promote much conversation outside of archaeology. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ultimately, the topics heralded in the report seem likely to further the insularism of so much of archaeology these days by emphasizing what archaeologists can discover about the past, without really emphasizing they ways in which we can contribute to current debates outside of the discipline (though there are some exceptions to this). Given the work I do, I was surprised to see how little attention was given to the valid research questions that accompany the politics and social context of archaeological inquiry (nothing about working with contemporary people, or our contributions to discourses surrounding heritage, or the political sphere that our work often enters). I realize that the authors had limitations and certain goals, but the themes they emphasize serve to obscure the excitement that we feel for our discipline and that we so desperately need to convey to other people.<br /><br />So, what next? I think we need to encourage informal and formal discussion of these topics among the demographics that were underrepresented in the original study, and then move that to a more formalized response.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> There's momentum building for an ad hoc meeting in Austin to be held Friday night over a few beers, i</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">n typical archaeological fashion. If you're interested, drop me a line, or check back here as we get closer to the meetings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The "25 Grand Challenges for Archaeology" may not result in more research on those topics, but it will at least get us all thinking more critically and publicly about where we see the discipline going, and that's a useful result in and of itself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">UPDATE (1/27/14): The study authors published the raw data from the responses, including the survey they used and the 40% of responses that addressed the "excluded" topics, on The Digital Archaeological Record (<a href="http://core.tdar.org/document/391233" target="_blank">tDAR</a>). You need to set up an account to download it, but it's free. The responses are quite interesting (some made me chuckle), and it gives you an idea of the kind of synthesis work that was required.</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-33815772559848522052013-12-12T07:57:00.000-05:002013-12-12T07:57:41.249-05:00Show Us Your Ink!In the way that many of the best(?) ideas do, <span style="color: magenta;">#archaeologytattoos</span> was born late one night when a few of us were chatting on Twitter.<br />
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We know you have them, and this is a chance to show them off!</div>
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Send me an <a href="mailto:diggin.it.archaeology@gmail.com" target="_blank">email</a> with a picture of your design - the information you share is up to you!</div>
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Things we'd love to know:<br />
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<li>Who are you? Do you blog or tweet? Where do you live? What kind of archaeology do you do?</li>
<li>What inspired the design? We'd love to know not just the meaning of the image but the reason for having it permanently added to your body, too!</li>
<li>Who did the work? A work of art deserves credit to the artist, so please let us know who did the design and needle work. Recommendations for great artists are appreciated!</li>
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I'll collect submissions as they come in and prepare a post when we have a nice bunch, maybe shooting for then end of January? For those of you going to the SAAs in Austin, the good news is that the weather should be warm enough for us to show some of these off in person!</div>
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Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-10527982034211823392013-11-30T14:24:00.000-05:002013-11-30T14:24:08.988-05:00#AcWriMo Brought Me Back For MoreThis was my second year participating in the annual #AcWriMo - Academic Writing Month. You can read more about the concept <a href="http://www.phd2published.com/2013/10/09/announcing-acwrimo-2013/" target="_blank">here</a>. There's a lively online community of people participating, commenting, and sharing strategies, and as you can tell by the hashtag, much of this is done on Twitter. There's also a massive GoogleDoc spreadsheet where everyone declares their goals for the month and reports on their daily achievements. I think this year we had around 700 people declare their intent to participate. This type of constant, but slightly anonymous, accountability offered by the spreadsheet seems to work really well for me.<br />
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Last year's #AcWriMo was incredibly productive for me, as it got me on track with consistent writing and built some habits that allowed me to write a complete, but very rough draft of my dissertation in about three months. The most critical thing about #AcWriMo for me last year was finding out first-hand the importance of daily writing. It's not just a matter of slowly chipping away at a big project through steady work, but daily writing also builds momentum, and over time you are able to write more and more.<br />
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Last year I also discovered the beautiful software that is <b><a href="http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php" target="_blank">Scrivener</a></b>, which I now swear by for writing anything longer than the shortest conference paper, and <b><a href="http://skim-app.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">Skim</a></b>, a FREE PDF annotation software that lets you mark up even un-OCRed documents. Added to <b><a href="http://www.papersapp.com/" target="_blank">Papers</a></b>, for bibliography and digital library management, and these are the three programs I run constantly. People clued me into a host of other apps for Mac, most of which are free or run online and which boost productivity significantly. When I really want to crank out work I run <b><a href="http://www.focusboosterapp.com/" target="_blank">FocusBooster</a></b> (a free pomodoro app) and give myself some low background noise from <b><a href="http://coffitivity.com/" target="_blank">Coffitivity</a></b>. It's a blissful, productive bubble. I should also give a shout-out to the <b><a href="http://www.phd2published.com/downloads/the-phdometer-2-0/" target="_blank">PhDometer</a></b>, which has the benefit of counting total words written, not just the words you keep, which is what Scrivener or Word do. The PhDometer is a more reflection of the creation and editorial process involved in (particularly) academic writing.<br />
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Last year was so productive, and helped me develop some really great writing habits, so it was really a no-brainer to jump in again for this year's run. I even got tapped to help with the organization this time around. I'll be back with a post in the next few days reflecting on how this year's month went for me.Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-80726686311834257802013-11-27T00:34:00.000-05:002013-11-27T00:34:15.627-05:00Blogging Archaeology Carnival Month 1: Why I Haven't BloggedThis post is a response to Doug's <a href="http://dougsarchaeology.wordpress.com/2013/11/05/blogging-archaeology/">call</a> for a blogging carnival in the lead-up to the 2014 meeting of the SAAs in Austin, TX this April. I'm adding my voice to many other archaeologists who blog to answer the questions Doug has set out for us this month. Briefly, he asks:<br /><ul>
<li>Why blogging? – Why did you, or if it was a group- the group, start a blog?</li>
<li>Why are you still blogging?</li>
<li>Why have you stopped blogging? </li>
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The most pertinent of these questions for me are the first and the third. As to why I started: I began this blog shortly before embarking on my year of dissertation research in Ecuador. I wanted a way to stay in touch with people from home, and my parents wanted a way of keeping tabs on their only child and granddaughter. Because internet access was limited, blogging was actually a good way of communicating with people - instead of writing or responding to numerous emails, I could craft a blog post, throw it up when I could log on, and then every one was on the same page. It was also a good exercise in working through some of the things I went through that were tangential to the archaeology but still a critical part of the experience, like living in a foreign country for an extended period of time and parenting a toddler. The blog was useful after I left the field as well. I, as well as some friends, have used my entries in classes to give students an idea of the experience of conducting fieldwork, and I used some of my entries as the bases for various dissertation chapters.<div>
<br />Since I returned from the field in May of 2010 I've posted five times, the last of which was over two years ago. I guess that means I have officially stopped blogging. Don't get me wrong, though, I'd love to blog more. So, why don't I? The answers to this question are varied. Perhaps the easiest answer is that I started this blog to document my experiences in the field, and that was a finite period of time that is now over. Without that adventure the impulse to blog has diminished.</div>
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Since my heyday of blogging my life has also undergone a number of changes. The husband I write about now is a different one than the one I wrote about when I was in Ecuador. Baby Girl is now officially Little Miss, and she needs different things from me. I also started a full-time job in May of 2012, and it was a bit of a shock to the system to go from a grad student schedule to a 9-5 one. Meanwhile, I'm trying to finish writing my dissertation in my free time. None of those things prevent me from blogging, but they got in the way in the past, and got me out of the habit.</div>
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The job I have now requires me to be the social media liaison for issues we deal with, and sometimes I just don't have anything left over at the end of a day to reflect on in a personal space. I also worry about people conflating my personal views on an issue with the official views of my organization, and because I am passionate about the work we do, I have definite, personal, opinions on a lot of those same topics.</div>
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Ultimately, though, I think I've struggled with finding my voice - feeling that I have enough authority about any given topic to write a whole post about it. I think it's related to the impostor syndrome, and a by-product of my graduate training and all the road bumps I've run into trying to wrap up my dissertation. But you know what? That's bullshit. I pontificate on Twitter or Facebook, and I jump into cyber-debates and engage with colleagues face-to-face.</div>
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So, here's my promise to myself: I'm going to party with the rest of you on this #blogarch carnival, and give this thing another whirl. Besides, I went through all that trouble to compose this kick-ass background photo, and it would be a shame to waste it.</div>
Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-43247172646430471722011-10-12T17:37:00.002-04:002011-10-12T17:40:48.214-04:00No Anthropology in Florida?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a statement that's gotten a fair bit of press, at least on my Facebook news feed, Florida governor Rick Scott advocated for a change in the focus of higher education funding away from subjects in the humanities and social sciences and towards those in the STEM fields - science, technology, engineering, mathematics. It's part of his plan to develop job skills in students in Florida, which of course sounds like a good thing, but really isn't that simple.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reason he's getting so much attention, at least from my Feed, is because he specifically selected anthropology as an example of a 'worthless' major. As you can imagine there was the expected level of outrage, <a href="http://www.aaanet.org/issues/policy-advocacy/upload/Letter-to-Gov-Scott.PDF">a letter issued by the American Anthropological Association</a>, and general slagging off of the governor for his position. I will be one of the first advocates for the critical thinking skills that can be gained from an anthropology major, not to mention the exposure to other belief systems and ways of life. I have to ask myself, though, why did he choose anthropology to pick on?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.anthropologiesproject.org/2011/10/whats-wrong-with-anthropology.html?spref=fb">This article</a> I read recently may provide the answer. John Hawks, Associate Professor of Anthropology at UW-Madison, argues, among several points, that anthropology really does a poor job of engaging with and communicating our research to the public. He sees this reflected in the overall piss-poor job prospects for graduate students in anthropology, compared to other fields such as sociology or geography. Essentially, anthropology isn't creating those ties and opportunities outside of academia that are necessary to justify their existence. This isn't a far cry from the argument made by Dr. Jeremy Sabloff in his <a href="http://vimeo.com/17850878">Distinguished Lecture</a> at the American Anthropological Association annual meeting in 2010 (note that he subtitled his talk with 'We Urgently Need Anthropological Public Intellectuals').</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, calls are coming from every direction, and some people are responding, but not necessarily with the wholesale change that may be required, and certainly not at the institutional level where a lot of the change needs to happen. Dishearteningly few anthropology programs in the States conduct community engagement programs or service learning, and this is particularly true of larger universities, those R1s, where the focus is still on 'pure' research and peer publications for the tenure process, rather than the ability to speak to the general public.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's odd, though, that Gov. Scott should pick on anthropology in Florida. The <a href="http://www.flpublicarchaeology.org/">Florida Public Archaeology Network</a> is a dynamic and vibrant example of community outreach, teaching skills, providing employment, and showing just what archaeology (and by extension anthropology) can do. Of course, if you are a cynic like me, you see Gov. Scott's call for what it is - less funding for those disciplines that broaden minds and might contribute to a more liberal voting base.</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-70883806049047258342011-10-12T17:03:00.000-04:002011-10-12T17:03:21.235-04:00Revive, Redesign, Reengage<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, if you scroll down just a bit, you'll notice that I haven't updated this blog in over a year. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a reason for that - well, a lot of them, but the main reason is that the blog, in its previous incarnation, had served its purpose. I was done with fieldwork, my family had been able to follow what I was up to, and I no longer had the 'place excitement' of being in Ecuador to drive my posts.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I'd outgrown the old format, but that doesn't mean I don't have things that drive me now that I'm back at the University. They're just different things. In the last year I've engaged more with pedagogy withing archaeology, and anthropology more broadly, and as I go on the job market this year I'm thinking about how structural decisions at institutions impact both education and careers in academia. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am also, in part through my teaching, engaging with public uses and misuses of archaeological and anthropological ideas and data. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, rather than a travelogue, when you come here you can expect to find a mix of my thoughts on teaching and scholarship, responses to popular news articles, and the occasional dose of moaning about dissertation writing and the job market. I hope my posts keep you interested, and maybe provoke a deep thought or two.</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-17463502583320016782010-08-10T22:21:00.000-04:002010-08-10T22:21:07.149-04:00Where I've Been<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I found something today that perfectly demonstrates the love/hate relationship that I and many other grad students have with our dissertations:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedMAyQWBb1VpbRD5cHmbsYUTUrVQCWyPrm2SKzqoKwNgdm29lK81m_9xVF14dG4b_GVvRMf8M7dBixqm_i6DhPdGVTdmbmONqD5c6UuQPit7ILb0EpSQIxtKpoaKpjBboD1_DBgySqc4/s1600/phd080910.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedMAyQWBb1VpbRD5cHmbsYUTUrVQCWyPrm2SKzqoKwNgdm29lK81m_9xVF14dG4b_GVvRMf8M7dBixqm_i6DhPdGVTdmbmONqD5c6UuQPit7ILb0EpSQIxtKpoaKpjBboD1_DBgySqc4/s320/phd080910.gif" width="226" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://apps.facebook.com/phdcomics/?ref=bookmarks"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd080910s.gif</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Particularly because I was so eager to get home, and kind of tired of Ecuador after a year, it's been difficult for me to return mentally to that place to think about the data I collected.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Fortunately I had a great lunch with an old friend last week who has kicked me back into gear, and now I'm actually </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">excited </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">to work on my dissertation! I'm currently working with another colleague to get a session together for the 2011 Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, which means I need to come up with a paper to present. I've also decided to go ahead and try to beat the Mr. to the finish line of the dissertation writing experience. Maybe we can get there together and put this grad-student life behind us!</span><br />
</div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-15071316833352505402010-07-14T11:39:00.000-04:002010-07-14T11:39:52.824-04:00Drowning in Documents<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In preparation (or is it procrastination?) for getting started on writing the dissertation I've decided that I need to organize my electronic files in some sort of bibliographic software. The goal is to know what I have so that I can figure out what I'm missing and then know what I need. Simple enough, right?</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I began the process of converting my physical library into an electronic one before when moved to Wales in 2007, since I knew I'd need to write grant proposals while all my books were packed away into storage. The work that I put in then (hours and hours of scanning) have paid off in two ways: 1) My entire academic library fits onto one Billy bookcase, and 2) I always have my resources just a mouse click away, as the computer is infinitely more portable than a bag full of books. There is a downside to this process, though.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am drowning in electronic documents. As a conservative estimate I would say that I have 1000 files on my computer that need to be recorded in some type of bibliographic software. Most of the files are centralized (two folders - Ecuador Stuff and Everything Else), but there are others scattered throughout my computer, sitting in the folder of the class when I downloaded it to write a paper, or, even worse, languishing in the catch-all "Prelim" folder that contains everything I used to study for my comprehensive exams prior to fieldwork. Not only do I not know what I have, but I don't even know where it is!</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My husband has <a href="http://www.biblioscape.com/">BiblioScape</a>, so I downloaded their free version, <a href="http://www.biblioscape.com/biblioexpress.htm">BiblioExpress</a>, to give that a try. The program is quite simple, and reminds me of a more basic version of the EndNote 9 that I had once upon a time. It's limited, but it could record it all, which is the point of this exercise, and best of all, it's free. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Through our university library we have free access to <a href="http://www.refworks.com/">RefWorks</a>, which is an online based application. I downloaded it a while ago, but I could never get the offline version to work correctly. Even though spotty internet is no longer an issue for us, I still prefer the ability to do the data entry on my computer, and not have to navigate a website. A friend recommended <a href="http://www.zotero.org/">Zotero</a>, which sounds awesome, but it's a plug-in for Firefox, and I'm using Chrome. Also, it's web-based.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My preference, at the moment, is <a href="http://www.endnote.com/">EndNote X4</a>. I downloaded a free 30-day trial from their website, and if I like it I can buy it through our university for a very reasonable sum. One of my favorite features is that I can import the PDFs into the program, which means that even if I move files around during subsequent housecleaning the program will still open them for me, which is a big plus in light of the disorganized state of my files.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So the question remains, how should I organize my electronic files on my computer, and how should I organize the references within EndNote? One giant folder, my current two and a bit, or detailed sub-folders by category? The same for within EndNote: should I keep an Ecuador library and a non-Ecuador library (even though there are some cases of overlap), or put them together and separate them into groups by topic within the program?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Any of you out there with experience in this kind of thing, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-78680571903442880012010-06-20T23:39:00.000-04:002010-06-20T23:39:33.854-04:00Returning to the Sisterhood<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Two weeks ago I had the honor of delivering the keynote address to the annual convention of the </span><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wisconsin</span></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> chapters of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO). We rented a car and drove up to Stevens Point from Illinois. Steve came with me to the banquet and Baby Girl stayed with her grandparets, so Steve and I got to spend a lovely evening together, without the toddler craziness.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I spoke with them <a href="http://diggin-it-ecuador.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-would-like-to-thank-academy.html">last year</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> it was just a few days before we left for </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ecuador</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. It was one of their afternoon sessions, and a smaller audience, but the outpouring of love and support was amazing. They keynote session was like that, but on an order of ten. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The ballroom was packed with people, who were chatting and finishing their dinner even as a few other people gave short speeches. My turn came, and Steve said that before I had even finished saying hello the room got silent. I had a little case of nerves at the beginning (it was, after all, the largest audience I had ever spoken to), but quickly warmed up and got into it.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cv1xfHoaTOm3MyCPsvR-UIs51ECSBKq7cZstotjdCHKNDpn4FQBeWzPbBPMEAlbcPOrhT8RvzME4rF9gjMYJzibpNtGJydWU-_N1HrAp8KXQYT8vnIZja8HLXS7VY7bBrgoWLnxdbcI/s1600/DSC_0617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cv1xfHoaTOm3MyCPsvR-UIs51ECSBKq7cZstotjdCHKNDpn4FQBeWzPbBPMEAlbcPOrhT8RvzME4rF9gjMYJzibpNtGJydWU-_N1HrAp8KXQYT8vnIZja8HLXS7VY7bBrgoWLnxdbcI/s320/DSC_0617.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Steve and I with Christine Whitton, chairwoman of the Scholar Award committee for Wisconsin.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was pretty hard for me to describe my experience, because it was still so new and I hadn’t had much time to process it. Also, as I’m sure you could tell from my blog posts, the last few months were a real count down to us getting out of there. We were just exhausted, and wanted to come home. So I had to focus, and read back through of some of my old blog posts, and find the good things again, and the things that would appeal to people not familiar with archaeology or </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Ecuador</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. So I talked about the village and the friends we made, and I spoke about my journey, the 4000 year change in research topics. And I think they enjoyed it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The response was just as positive as last year, and I had so many women coming up to me to give me hugs and to ask questions. I felt like quite the celebrity. I think they also enjoyed hearing first hand what someone did with the money that they worked so hard to raise. After my speech last year I had a really hard time describing the experience to Steve, because it was so unlike anything that I had experienced before. I think that after being there with me this year he totally understands the difficulty that I had.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, to all the PEO women out there, thank you for believing in me and making me part of your family.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-62076968790693725212010-05-12T09:51:00.000-04:002010-05-12T09:51:17.874-04:00Overactive Mental Paralysis<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, what happens when your mind is furiously whirling in a dozen directions with a multitude of things that need to be done? Well, if you're me, nothing. I suppose some of it is just exhaustion after the traveling experience, and some of it is confronting all the differences between there and home, but a lot of it is purely the fact that we have a lot to do to get ourselves in a comfortable place after being away for so long.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I did about five loads of laundry yesterday, washing everything that hasn't had a proper washing in months. On tap today is stripping cloth diapers and washing stuffed animals. We've also had a bit of a set back, in that the apartment that we want won't be available until a week after we were originally planning to move. On the one hand it's great, because it gives us more time to do what needs to be done. On the other hand, it opens up the possibilities of what </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">can</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> be done, and expands my to-do list significantly. Like building a bed instead of buying one. Yup, I finally get to work on some of the things I've been drooling over at </span><a href="http://www.knock-offwood.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Knock-Off Wood</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, and do a few projects of my own.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The to-do list is my friend, getting all my thoughts written down and out of my head. Hopefully I'll be able to move again soon!</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-32556655654015584952010-05-09T01:47:00.009-04:002010-05-09T01:57:51.900-04:00Despedida(s)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We left Dos Mangas for good on Thursday, and the days leading up to our departures were full of good-byes. On Sunday we had the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">comuna</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> wide celebration for the whole family. I planned to give a little talk, show off some artifacts, and had arranged to provide cake. I figured the families of the people I dug with and the close friends that we made over the course of the year would show up. It was scheduled to start at 4pm. 5:30 rolled around and the was nobody there. I was starting to feel a bit concerned, but about then the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">cabildo</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> showed up, got on the megaphone, and started calling people to the party. Not only did way more people that I expected show up, but different people from the community contributed to make it a real party. One guy played some traditional songs on the guitar, the women's association did a traditional </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">costeno</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> dance and made me get up there with them, there were several other speeches by </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">cabildo</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> members, and then they pitched in and added empanadas and soda to the little feast. We barely had enough cake to go around, but we made it, and it was a great night!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWgWKcgiSpN8a3LHAix2GmLLs-5wSkDGLjBpnKNWjRoKeaffesEJIFDlL1SEhymvQwa3w8X8pP-LR2915SCuZjKcaSz009uow7pC6raIlCBfEVUS7tGKe_gs388j1i1aMZ9QfjDZAFAk/s1600/despedida1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWgWKcgiSpN8a3LHAix2GmLLs-5wSkDGLjBpnKNWjRoKeaffesEJIFDlL1SEhymvQwa3w8X8pP-LR2915SCuZjKcaSz009uow7pC6raIlCBfEVUS7tGKe_gs388j1i1aMZ9QfjDZAFAk/s320/despedida1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Me, mid-talk</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpbNV_66-35RyqMIJValDIL7sTU1Gz_DT8UqVpoNselohguA0t0YqvVoh_0D8KPE1PcmXoAqSn_pnXXulmxB943eTlOxyGqGpKxVhRTjvaXnAk_6UWHlrhTPkApLTQVit_jbkK6Jg7g4/s1600/despedida2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpbNV_66-35RyqMIJValDIL7sTU1Gz_DT8UqVpoNselohguA0t0YqvVoh_0D8KPE1PcmXoAqSn_pnXXulmxB943eTlOxyGqGpKxVhRTjvaXnAk_6UWHlrhTPkApLTQVit_jbkK6Jg7g4/s320/despedida2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Getting covered in frosting as I cut the cakes</span></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> I finished my analyses on Tuesday (WOOHOO) and on Wednesday morning we moved everything over to the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">casa comunal</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> for storage. It was great to get all of that out of house so that the packing could begin in earnest.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wednesday afternoon we went to Baby Girl's daycare to have a going away party for her. It was so great to see her running around with all her little friends. Once again, when we thought we were just going to do cake, the day care surprised us by making a whole meal and inviting us to eat with them. I think BG was starting to get what was going on and got kind of upset towards the end. Poor little thing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHii2D27rEgY6IGOeEknZJuHLJrkOla-MaYtqFlojAR_3Stu54-JCLZN0R-4z-ytCUsXF22luGDaT8KFdrFHEooD50WFqOTPbsaSgF1XgahxPEdIayKIhcNxhTurFqfdglsqybbWyjAo/s1600/despedida3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPHii2D27rEgY6IGOeEknZJuHLJrkOla-MaYtqFlojAR_3Stu54-JCLZN0R-4z-ytCUsXF22luGDaT8KFdrFHEooD50WFqOTPbsaSgF1XgahxPEdIayKIhcNxhTurFqfdglsqybbWyjAo/s320/despedida3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Baby Girl dancing the a conga line with her classmates</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On Wednesday night a bunch of people came over for final farewells, and then we took a walk on Thursday morning to see the people that we hadn't been able to say goodbye to before then. It really started to hit me, and I'll admit that I shed a few tears, not so much about leaving the place, but definitely about leaving the people. Friends gave us a bunch the local handicrafts as we walked along to say goodbye to take home with us a souvenirs. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Amazingly for us, with our history of moves, we managed to get everything packed and the house cleaned up without pulling a single all-nighter, and we even managed to get out of the house and catch our bus at the time that we planned. Steve shot some video as we left town, and I get misty thinking about it, because people kept coming out of their houses to say good-bye as we drove away. What a great end to an incredible year.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-88564887434389143182010-04-23T11:48:00.000-04:002010-04-23T11:48:22.659-04:00Ground to a halt<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So I apparently forgot to knock on wood after that last post. I felt icky on Tuesday, and then had a migraine Wednesday and Thursday, so I've gotten virtually no work done this week. I'm finally feeling better today, but day care is closed so Baby Girl is home today, meaning very little is getting done. Prepare to resume previous levels of nausea-inducing stress...</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-20503585561048203002010-04-20T22:10:00.000-04:002010-04-20T22:10:04.343-04:00I might actually pull this off..<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I finished three units over the weekend, leaving me with five more (shallow) units to process. At two days per unit that means I should finish everything up next week Friday, leaving me with five days to organize and pack up all the artifacts for storage, get the house in order, and pack our selves up for a short stay in Guayaquil. Holy Toledo, Batman, this might actually happen!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Steve still has swollen tonsils and I haven't been feeling too hot either, but we got our water supply problem resolved, so at least we're clean sick people. I've started discussing with Baby Girl what's going to happen in the next few weeks. I'm not sure that she really gets it, but we are quite fortunate that she is such an easy going kid. She might ask for the "ninos" at daycare, but I think she'll enjoy the adventure, and in the end, just be so happy to spend some time with her Nana that she won't really miss it. There are a few favorites who I'm sure she'll ask for, like Fanny, who is pretty much the only person here that she'd choose to hold her instead of me. We're going to get a cake to have at daycare on her last day, turn it into a little bit of a party and take pictures. I hope she will remember some of her time here, and all the friends she made.</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-991724157812360692010-04-14T13:11:00.000-04:002010-04-14T13:11:26.342-04:00Pluses and Minuses<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Plus: Last night I finished drawing the rim sherds for the deep pit that we dug. That's 20 levels of ceramics, done. Now I just have to tally the bone, shell, and lithic artifacts, and then I can move on to the trench units.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Minus: My husband is still sick with swollen tonsils (12 days and counting).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Plus: We've scheduled a going-away party for the village. I'll talk about archaeology and then we'll all eat cake (May 2, 4pm).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Minus: Last night the motor on the pump that gives us running water in the house died. That means no running water for dishes, for showers, for flushing the toilet. Someone has been called to try and fix the motor, but how quickly that will happen....no one knows. Apparently we can still get water from somewhere (need to clarify that we're not being told to get water from the river....ewwww), so it looks like we're going to be hauling buckets full of water up to the house. Couldn't this have waited another three weeks?!?!?! Oh, yeah, and wasn't this one of the things that our landlord said he was going to do maintenance on, but hasn't? Such is life here.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, two to two, but I'm feeling like the scale's a little weighted right now.</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-70365545243400187712010-04-10T13:50:00.000-04:002010-04-10T13:50:30.452-04:00Too Busy to Blog?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, that's obviously not entirely true, since here I am. But things have been very busy. Nail-bitting, ulcer-inducing, stressed-beyond-belief busy. But you wouldn't know it to look at me. Catch me at any random moment of the day and I'm likely to be sitting still, scribbling on paper. For the last week and a half (or about that) I've been working on drawing literally hundreds of rim profiles. What are those, the laypeople among you might ask? Well, basically I take a piece of pottery that's broken off from the rim of a vessel (a rim sherd) and turn it on its side and draw the contours of that piece. That gives me a pretty good idea of the shape of a vessel as a whole, and if the piece is large enough, the size of it too. So I'm drawing every rim sherd that we found in the deep pit and the trench. Right now I'm on level 14 of 20 for the deep pit. I hope to finish those, and all the other artifacts from the deep pit, by the end of this coming week. That will leave me roughly two weeks to do all the analysis from the trench, which had considerably fewer artifacts, so hopefully it's doable.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What's making this all go at a snail's pace? Well, first my husband had an academic deadline last week, so I was picking up a lot of baby and house slack, which meant that the analysis fell by the wayside. Then, this week, both he and I have been sick - him with strep and me with some type of respiratory infection - both of which seem to be impervious to the strongest antibiotics that we can throw at them. I can only hope that this will all get better soon, otherwise I'll have one of two choices: change our flight and push back our return to the States, or return at some point by myself to finish the analysis so that I can actually get my dissertation done. I'm hoping for neither, but thinking option two might have to happen anyway. Sigh. Such is life.</span>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1789384613048848261.post-36948550889643778692010-04-04T23:27:00.001-04:002010-04-04T23:27:45.998-04:00Baby Girl’s Two Yellow Seats<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">BG has two yellow seats, and she’s been spending a lot of time on both of them recently. The first is her yellow potty, only of those little plastic container affairs that sits on the floor. She’s gotten quite interested in going on the potty lately, but doesn’t quite gather the timing of the whole thing. A few times she’s sat down with her diaper still on and gone to the bathroom. Other times she’ll take her diaper off just after she’s filled it and then sit down. Or, she’ll sit down, and then wander off and pee somewhere before we can get a new diaper on her. The most important thing, I guess, is that she’s showing interest and trying. We bought some stickers for her last week (she picked them out and then handed over the money) and I told her she gets a sticker each time she goes to the bathroom on her potty. That really seemed to set a fire under her. I suppose I could have used these two weeks with her to get her fully trained, but I don’t think it would happen so quickly, or that her daycare would be able to keep it up when she goes back. I’m definitely going to talk to them when I drop her off tomorrow, but I’m not holding my breath. I figure, I’ll really push it in June, when we’re settled in a place of our own.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Her other yellow chair is a plastic kids chair that she uses at her little craft table, and also sits on, facing the wall, for her time outs. It’s this latter sense that I’m talking about here. BG is rapidly approaching 28 months, and her two-ness is starting to kick in. She gets timeouts for the same two reasons, over and over again – throwing things (toys, food, or dishes, generally) and for hitting (she’s in a slapping stage lately). Even during her most trying behavior, I’m able to stay relatively calm, I think in part because I recognize that this is a developmental stage, so we redirect her, or give her timeout, and then we move on. This last week has been particularly hard because I’ve been dedicating a lot of time to the analysis, and not to her. If I’m in her sight, she wants me to hold her, or she wants to help me, or she just wants me, and unfortunately, ceramic analysis is not very toddler friendly. She’s acting up because she wants attention, and she’ll take it anyway she can get it, even if it’s in the form of mommy frowning at her because she’s just grabbed mommy’s camera off the table and tried to throw it off the deck. Daycare will start tomorrow, and I think a lot of the pressure will be let off. She’ll get to play all day with her friends, which she loves, and I’ll get a good 7 or 8 hours of lab work in. Then, when she comes home I’ll feel more able to devote all my attention to her, and give her all the love she deserves. There’s a lot of guilt bound up in the fact that I need full-day childcare in order to make life work, but I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. And her smiles and laughter as we played peek-a-boo after a particularly hard day tells me it’s all worth it.</span></div>Sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14417321889966328059noreply@blogger.com0