skyler_white95•20d agoProlific Poster

Choosing between a dig in Greece or a lab job back home

I mean, after my master's, I had to pick between a six-month field spot on a Mycenaean site in Pylos or a steady lab job cataloging finds at my old university. I went with Greece, even though the pay was basically nothing. It was crazy hot and we lived in these tiny shared rooms, but holding a piece of pottery that hadn't been touched in 3,000 years? That feeling is hard to beat. Anyone else ever take the less stable option for the chance to be in the dirt?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_webb6819d ago

Was it tough coming back to normal life after that? I bet the lab felt way too quiet, like you left a piece of yourself back in that trench. I'd have a hard time not comparing every single potsherd to the ones from Pylos.

spencerl329d ago

Honestly, does that feeling ever really go away? I mean, you get used to the quiet again, but it's like your brain gets rewired for a while. I see it with friends who come back from big trips or even just a really intense project at work. Everything normal feels sort of dull and thin for a bit, like you're just going through the motions. It's weird how a powerful experience can make the everyday stuff feel so empty.

brown.reese19d agoTop Commenter

Yeah, the quiet lab thing hits hard. I kept looking at my own notes from the dig and they just felt flat, like all the life got sucked out of them. How long did it take for that feeling to fade for you?