So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye,
I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye.
I’m glad to go, I cannot tell a lie.

Every ending is a bittersweet moment. When you are doing the job that you love and surrounded with friends it can get sad knowing that the dig season is coming to its end. It means most of us will fly away to different parts of the world and we won’t see each until the next season or most probably never again. Last year with everything closed we were not able to come to Jordan to excavate. It was a big reminder that we can never plan everything because some things are just unexpected. You never know what the future holds. That is why I feel so blessed to have been able to come this year to continue the work on my square. I am also very blessed because this season my son was also able to come and join the dig and although he doesn’t aspire to become an archaeologist he has become rather knowledgeable about the whole process and he was an immense help with all the hard work at the site. Next year he will be a senior and getting into college so I know he will have other priorities so even now I feel sad knowing he will not be able to join me. Of course, it is crazy to even start thinking about the next season at the moment. We can plan the dates of the next year’s dig but there is so much we can’t plan ahead. I just hope the one and most important prerequisite for coming to the dig (and that is my health) will be fulfilled. And for the rest, it is all in God’s hands now.

I will miss so many things when I come back home. It is not just the perfect views from the site, the cold mornings, the rising of the sun, the slow evenings, the food, the drinks, the new places I have visited, the old ones I have revisited. I will miss my dig family the most.

But as the lyrics said “I’m glad to go, I cannot tell a lie”. Every ending of the season is also very welcomed, because I am going back to my husband, back to my home, to my city, to all the friends and family that support me and miss me as much as I have missed them. The bittersweet feeling is different for everyone. That is why I cherish the memories and partly why I have this blog, so that I can always come here to remember the good times from the dig.

Being on the dig with a family member is a true blessing and a great bonding opportunity.

I cannot tell a lie, I am definitely not going to miss all the math that we were practising while determining the elevation of the pails.

For all those that are more interested in the stories behind the places that we have visited, on the emphasis on the history as well as my photos of those sites they are going to be posted on my history blog https://ekglazer.wixsite.com/povijest/putoprice

The story about Safra is already there https://ekglazer.wixsite.com/povijest/khirbat-safra

And those who would like to have a small selection of the photos from Jordan (with a sample of sand), you are all welcome to purchase a photography zine at https://www.etsy.com/listing/1056531423/jordan-high-quality-premium-analog?ref=SellerDashboard

There is also a video that shows day to day life of an archaeologist https://youtu.be/-M_2gmYFFRs