czechonmaddieperiodically-blog

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We’re gonna switch to a Count down, so 12 days left

My back is kinda messed up and I’m beginning to miss strong WiFi and long showers/baths. My roommates and I watched clueless tonight and nicole(the Russian PhD) cried over Paul Rudd. He’s a beautiful man but clueless isn’t a movie where you cry.

I’m always itchy here because dirt is everywhere. I’m so glad I have older women as my roommates. They let me sleep and are funny and super lowmaitenece. I need a sleep in day so I’m debating on going to krakow or staying and going to the bone church and doing another day in Brno. I loved Brno. The bars are amazing and the vibe is super young. My arm still goes numb but I take anti inflammatories and it helps it during the day. The girl I had drama with seems to be better, I honestly think it might have been hormones going crazy but as long as we’re cool now it’s fine.

I have to book my hostel, apply for sweet heart of the year, book my train ticket, see what I want to do this weekend. We have a few more bones classes but we’ve only gotten through two full skeletons and that’s slow. I want a good one for my final analysis so that I can get a good grade. Staeck says I’m doing good as long as I don’t plateau out and e press more knowledge on the time period we are excavating in. Which sucks because they don’t know what era we’re finding. So if they could narrow it down I might be able to read up on it. Nicole leaves on Sunday 😕 I want to visit her when I visit sam at mizzou. She’s a dean now!

I might like gin? But only if it is mixed with a literal berry blend. It was delicious. I have to finish two bottles of wine by the time I leave and just when I was thinking I was losing weight. My stomach has not flattened at all. My pants so seen kind of loose but that might be because I have worn them down so much. My ice pick headaches get bad in the morning and my vertigo kicks in when the barometric pressure changes. I am not a fan.

I’ll try to update tomorrow. Anyway, thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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Days 15-22

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Basically I didn’t go to Budapest because a it was expensive as frick, b, because I didn’t want drama, c, I didn’t want to leave Hannah alone in the ranch, d, I was mentally and physically tired. Shanda did bring me back a shot glass though so there’s that. We found out there is something wrong with my arm/wrist. Czech people are the fucking worst when it comes to closing the door to not let the flies in. The dig is a lot more work than previously anticipated and I’m basically melting down every 4/5 days. It could be worse though. Grand happened and I’m super pissed that LITERALLY NOTHING HAd CHANGED. I hear playing the pity card can get you just about anything nowadays and some people just really can’t let things go.

I can’t go back to an organization that won’t change for the betterment of the girls. I will never force my child to go through anything akin to rainbow if those people are still around. I did my time and I gained my experience and made my friends but at this point I’m never going back. I will teach the teachings my own way and they will turn out to be the next leaders that aren’t broken emotionally.

Back to my trip, thus far I have really only spent $400 out of pocket for food stuffs and tickets and things. I think that’s an achievement. I’m currently unsure if we are still going to Poland this weekend but I’d be fine with touring Brno again becaus ethat City was amazing. Czech out my insta and Facebook for those pics(lol see what I did there).

My skin is freaking out due to the dirt, and my hand is constantly numb but that’s because I’m an idiot and do t know how to trowel like a pro. I hope I get an A in the three classes I’m enrolled in, I’m trying my hardest but reading the material is so hard for me because I’m an auditory learner. Sos I think I like green olives now. I bought a lot of the souvenirs from Brno and I stole three beer steins to bring home, bars are a real adventure here. Hopefully they won’t weigh too much. I have some heavier stuff that needs to be transported.

I send my love to all those who miss me; I miss you more I promise you that. Sorry this has been one long run on sentence from my brain. My new nickname is destroyer of flies btw. That’s a story, ask me when I get home. Anyway, thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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Day 13/14: sorry I didn’t post yesterday but I was so tired after our trip to Vienna. Oh my gosh it’s such an amazing city and so rich in history, I wish I could have gone in the museum but it was out of my friends budget, plus museums deserve more than just an hour of your day. These pics don’t show nearly as much as we saw. We walked a crazy amount and then biked across the city to catch our train. We saw a protest that contained nearly all of Austria’s citizens. The food was tear inducing because it was so good. We got our train then got picked up from Brno. Today we had a short day in the field and someone stabbed them selves with their trowel and required stitches. I did some laundry and caught up with people. We cleared off our fifth unit and will begin feature work tomorrow I think. I had my midterm meeting with staeck and apparently I am “aggressive about learning” and have a one track mind. He said I should observe how other people are excavating and try mimicking it. But my effort is good and I’m a good student. It’s the beginning of week 3 and people are already testy. I hadn’t realized Nicole makes weird exhale noises and it annoys me but i am keeping my headphones in to ignore it. Hanger is also a factor in some people’s stability. The smelly girl got a talking to about showers and we got the run down on personal hygiene and space. Apparently she hadn’t smelled it but omg it was, in a profs words, “acidic”. I think they made her take two showers today. I had three ice pick headaches today out of nowhere. I’m still tired so I’m gonna go. Thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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Day 12: today we got completely rained out. We had class at 11 about the Mesolithic era and early Iron Age. Then we had bones class, right in the middle Matt (a prof) finished making lunch so we broke to eat. After lunch we went on a walk and forgot to tell dietz about it so he was hangin for an hour and got mad at us. We made it up to him by buying him a beer for dinner. We finished bones class after dinner then started celebrating conner and shandas birthday. The 18 year old (Liz)doesn’t know how to hold her liquor. I mommed so hard. Why does that always happen to me? I had to clean up puke, the dishes and made sure everyone got to bed. I’m so tired and we leave for Vienna at 7:30 and I still have to pack sos. I want garlic knots from papa Johns. Love you guys. Thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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Day 13: ironically my best day so far! We went to something called Mammuz in Asparn in Austria. It’s a place where you can practice experimental archeology. I made a bone necklace with a cool pattern. My zit formed and blew today it was gross.so from Asparn we had to get on a train to Vienna which was an ordeal in itself but we found our way to out Air bnb host who was kind of a beefcake lol. He owns a kickboxing gym and we were getting frustrated because we already had to walk across Vienna to get our key then back across Vienna to our actual apartment. We got Italian food that I actually got to choose myself. I had gnocchi with this amazing cheese sauce and I almost cried. We then sat at the Danube river and finished a bottle of wine while being serenaded by a violinist under the overpass. We finally made it to our air bnb where we actually have WiFi and I caught up with my family and boyfriend. I took a shower with actual water pressure and popped a major zit that had been brewing for two days. Everything has been productive and pretty good even if we had a few snafus in our planning. My feet are crying but it’s a good thing I think. Anyway, thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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Day 12: today we got completely rained out. We had class at 11 about the Mesolithic era and early Iron Age. Then we had bones class, right in the middle Matt (a prof) finished making lunch so we broke to eat. After lunch we went on a walk and forgot to tell dietz about it so he was hangin for an hour and got mad at us. We made it up to him by buying him a beer for dinner. We finished bones class after dinner then started celebrating conner and shandas birthday. The 18 year old (Liz)doesn’t know how to hold her liquor. I mommed so hard. Why does that always happen to me? I had to clean up puke, the dishes and made sure everyone got to bed. I’m so tired and we leave for Vienna at 7:30 and I still have to pack sos. I want garlic knots from papa Johns. Love you guys. Thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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Day 11

Today wasn’t awful! We finally got our feature excavated out of situ which means out of context(the stratigraphy on the ground). There is so much paperwork that goes into archaeology. I think I want to have a interdisciplinary major and Nicole(the mizzou prof that’s a student on this trip) thinks those are so valuable. I hate that I’m so indecisive. My nails are ruined and they hurt so bad.

I got a new phone case today and it was bull shit it was like $25 for the basic cover that should really be $5. Apparently if a product comes from outside the EU then is more expensive than a speeding ticket. Don’t get me started on the driving here.

There was a mental breakdown today but it wasn’t me! I wasn’t the first to have the first public meltdown. Two girls here do not know what hygiene is. They smell so bad. I think I’m working in the lab tomorrow. We didn’t have class tonight because we finally went to Tesco. I need to do more laundry.

I’m tired and don’t want to write more. Anyway, thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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DAY 10: the WiFi here is abysmal just so everyone here knows. We got rained out so we went to Olomouc to see the lab space we are going to work in for the next 3 weeks. It’s completely new and super generous of the Czechs to let us break it in. We are 50 lots into our site so the lab people are gonna have a big job ahead of them. My back and neck are so messed up I need a chiropractor on call. My brain never turns off here which isn’t healthy. I don’t have time to unwind at the end of day. Maybe that’s why I don’t sleep well. My boots are so dirty they no longer are the original colors I bought them as. Doing your laundry by hand is exhausting and takes forever for them to dry. I need to wash my boots and other weird clothing items like my hat. The food here is probably another problem for me because they’re so heavy and I hate pork. I eat the carbs and a few pieces of the pork to get me through the day. My vertigo does not like the archaeology thing because I get super dizzy at times and I need to sit down. I can never finish a beer here because I don’t like beer. The wine is much better for my taste buds. It’s ten thirty right now and there are at least four people outside talking so loudly it sucks. I got a bad headache today which wasn’t fun. I need to go to Tesco for a new case and vitamins and possibly a sleeping bag. I will check in tomorrow but I’m exhausted. Thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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Day 9?

I’m not sure if I have the days correct, I should really check before I actually start writing. Apparently the professor from Wayne State is sick so I’ve been trying to avoind being within 5 feet of her. She’s really cool though. These people are soooo into anthro it kind of scares me because I’m not that intense? I keep wondering if this is right for me the further we get into the field school. I might declare an interdisciplinary major because it would be easy for me to study what I want.

There is no free time during the week. We woke up, ate breakfast, got in the van, started excavating, got lunch, closed up, got dinner, showered, started bio arch class and then it was 9:30. If you know me I like to be in bed by 10, so I got to vent with the three other girls about how some people irk each of us in certain ways, then got in bed. Sidenote: WEAR DEODERANT IF YOU ARE WORKING OUTSIDE IN THE HEAT AND HAVE TO BE AROUND PEOPLE. That’s common decency. My toe hurts from my shoes but I think that’s because I broke it a while ago and now it clicks whenever I wear close toed shoes. I also miss my family.

My lips are chapped, my water bottle leaks and my nailbeds are ripped worse than when I ruined my moms azealeas. But the three girls I vibe with are really cool I’m just afraid I’m not as advanced as them and that I feel like deadweight to their group sometimes. That’s probably just my anxiety but who knows, I can be annoying. I tried a dope ass cheese called hermalin which is a mix between Brie and guerre. It’s only like a dollar here.

I’m still debating on whether or not I want to stay the night in Austria this weekend. It’s super expensive and I’d have to find my way back to the hostel in CR by train and that’s a basket full of anxiety for me. My roommates still snore. My lower back is permanently sore. I hope I get out of this funk. I think it mainly kicks in around bedtime because my brain gets to run wild. I did find a broken rib today though! We weren’t with the grad students so I’m the most advanced of the slower group which makes me frustrated because we go slow but happy because I actually am comfortable with that stuff.

You can comment questionsnif you’re reading this, sometimes it just feels like I’m venting to a void. Anyway, thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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DAY 8

Today was not that bad, it was cold and rainy while we dug and they started our second unit. We are naming them after the Addams family. The first was Morticia and the second is Gomez. The two grad students are really funny and they think I’m funny which is a plus. My phone case is broken and the tap water her sucks butt. This place can be a small personal Hell because a, they don’t have ice, b, I’m with people 24/7 and c, I’m so stressed out.

We worked from 8-2 then came home and had class until dinner. We went to Tesco after dinner and finished up our measurements after that. Sometimes I have fomo but other times I’m just so tired I don’t care. I haven’t had a whole conversation with my mom yet which sucks because she’s busy. I’m tired and sore, and sad.

I need alone time.

Thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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DAY 7: it’s been a week. I slept well for the first time last night but was woken Up to go to a pointless field trip because I was wearing the wrong footwear. No one told us what it was going to be like outside so me and kaileigh went back to the van halfway through because we were freezing our booties off. I was not wearing sandals and she didn’t have a sweatshirt. I think I already am losing weight but I can’t be sure because there is no scale here. I miss my parents and being alone a lot. I had to the charge my introvert battery today because I had been around people for so long. Tomorrow we have to work from 8-2 pm without a lunch break then we have class for 4/6 hours after that. I might die. This trip is already mentally and physically exhausting, only 4 more weeks until I get my life back. I really don’t have much for you except my Tesco haul, which was mainly food for the week. I think if I pace it right I will only have to spend like $500 on this trip for groceries, a hostel room at the end of my trip and little souvenirs. I am creating a budget when I have time which is never. I miss being semi smart, these people are freaking geniuses. I hope this next week works out better for my emotional side because I’ve been crying way too much. Anyway, thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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DAY 6: we had our first free day today, but it wasn’t really free tbh. We have to abide to what the professors are willing to do or where they are willing to drive. Kailey and I bought laundry stuff to do by hand earlier this week (because they gyp you everywhere) so we didn’t have to go in the laundry van. Many of our class needed laundry done so we got a good two extra hours more of sight seeing than them. We were buddied up because I don’t want to walk around the second largest city in the Czech Republic alone. She’s really cool and very well traveled and read. She’s a German citizen but grew up in America and has traveled everywhere. I’m jealous, she’s that classic free spirit people always talk about when they travel. I’m still cautious about a lot of this trip. I love traveling, but I’m still probably overthinking whether or not I want to pursue this. So I’ll stop talking about it. My lower back, knees and feet are always screaming at me lately. I really need to sleep on my back but that’s as probable as Kelly not snoring. Did I mention I’m sleep deprived? I took a benedryl because I washing I have hives. So to shorten up my day: I bought, a field scarf, two bracelets, foods, a field bag(just a drawstring bag), eyeliner(I forgot mine and here makeup is a rip-off), a bag for bags(they do the California thing where they charge you for plastic bags), and postcards from the church I visited. All for under probably $50. I got a nice watch too today and I’m in love with it, it’s waterproof, backlights and looks like I work in the field for a living for $45 which was the most expensive thing I bought today. I did laundry by hand today and decided to skip the music festival because I’m sleep deprived and wanted to talk to my parents. I miss my boyfriend a lot and Kailey always talks about hers so it makes me feel sad. Another reason I skipped tonight is because I need to recharge my introvert battery. I’ve been with people non-stop since I got here and I’m sure that’s contributing to my exhaustion. Tomorrow we are getting a tour of a Celtic museum in the morning then we are going back to the music festival in the evening. This has been a very educational trip. Everyone is a genius here and it makes me feel inadequate but they’re nice so that makes up for a lot of my insecurities. I’m sleepy so thanks for following. Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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DAY 5: there might be some spelling mistakes because this blog is a stream if consciousness If you can’t tell. We started today with everyone dead inside. It was a hard morning to get motivation to do our jobs for the day. The food is good but sometimes I just want a classic burger. My roommates snore but apparently I talk in my sleep. The units my partner and I excavated today had nothing and two features were found elsewhere today. I’m unhappy. I got to know my colleagues a bit more, we played high/low and circles of death which are really fun drinking games. The wine is much better than the beer here. My knees are bruised, I might have athletes foot and I’m sore everywhere. Welcome to archeology I guess. We had bio arch class today and I correctly identified a fragment of bone before a grad student and that made me feel more confident in the things I like( like bones). I wish I knew more but this is a learning experience I guess. Everything here is so cheap, but they have no ice. What? No ice? I’m gonna die. Everyone here is uber smart and I kinda feel left behind but it’ll be ok. I’ll learn. I’m not sure if I want to pursue this as a career, but as a hobby arch would be smashing. I’m exhausted. Thanks for following! Everything hurts and I’m dying.

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DAY 4: is it day four? I should rename this blog to “Everything hurts and I’m dying”. We got out to the field at 8, where we had 20 minutes to set up. Set up probably annoys me the most. But we found two features today! They think it’s two burial earns. I kept messing up today and felt annoyed because I hate not knowing what I’m doing. Hopefully I’ll figure it out. We work from 8-12, then brake for lunch but that takes 20 minutes to brake down. We eat as a group at a local pub which doesn’t have freaking WiFi which annoys the hell out of me. I just want to shut my brain off for 30 seconds after working hard for 5 hours straight. There are 3 guys and 7 women as students, 3 male professors and 1 female field hand. We have a new arrival today and she seems nice. She is a professor of anthropology at Wayne State University. Later this week we are supposed to get one more grad student and I hope she meshes well and by that time the female professor should have left. I haven’t gotten burned yet, maybe a bit toasty on my cheeks and nose but someone else got sun poisoning so let’s put that into perspective. Always wear sunscreen kids. Czech food is weird. We went back to the field at 1 and had to set up again which took another 20 minutes. Honestly it annoys the shit out of me. Plus some people aren’t as helpful, like every time we have to set up I have to encourage another person to help out because they’re not doing anything when the rest of the group is working. In the afternoon it felt like a heatwave hit. The sun became so intense it was hard to do anything at a fast pace. Plus, every time I tried to reapply my SPF the sand would involuntarily exfoliate my skin and now it’s raw. I tried the Moldavian(this is the correct expression I was mistaken in yesterday’s blog post) wine. It’s really cheap, like $2.50 for a liter after converting it. It’s actually really, really good, it doesn’t have that bite that most Cheap American wines have. We stopped at Tesco on the way home and apparently it’s a wine tap, Nicole(one of my roommates) helped me through the process of deciding what I wanted, she knows Czech because she���s fluent in Russian, and like I said earlier, Czech is the angrier younger sister of Russian. Since we got back to the ranch late we had dinner late and they decided to cancel classes for the evening. My fellow colleagues and I had a few drinks and got to know each other. They’re kinda lightweights and they’re hilarious. Very much my speed. So now I’m in bed going to bed early ish, it’s 9:30 where I try to go to bed around 10:30 but who knows how long it will take me to fall asleep. Tomorrow is the last work day of week 1 and I think my weekends will be my saving grace of this trip. Thanks for following, everything hurts and I’m dying.

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DAY 3: Today was our first full day onsite and I’m in pain. I learned from my roommate Kelly that I cannot control my face when I get annoyed, happy or feel any emotion. I cried because I got frustrated and didn’t know what I was doing which is rare for me. My clothes are disgusting and we strapped a watermelon in so it couldn’t escape. I had another apple for breakfast with a hard boiled egg and bread. Water is essential to me, so is a shower. The food is so healthy and clean but the food is uber carb heavy. Upside: weight loss? Downside: hungry and tired. My professors think my family is sooooo adorable because they interact on the FB page and support me. I’m the second youngest of our whole group and I’m paired with the two oldest ladies on this trip because I’m a literal Grandma inside. My lips are chapped and I’m exhausted and it’s only dinner. The bioarch kids have class tonight and I’m ready to finally understand something. Bless. We’re having classic pasta and I’m so stoked to finally finish a meal. I’ll have another post tomorrow about later tonight and my adventures tomorrow.

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Day 1

My official first day started off with swollen sinuses, an apple and a piece of bread. We began in our ranch I’m rooming with two older women, one the field assistant for the course, the other a professor at Missouri University. They are sweet and super smart. They have great views on life and are lifelong learners like I want to be. As a group we drove to Prostejov(prostehyov if you’re looking for what it really sounds like), and cleaned our equipment. Cleaning involves sharpening your shovel, your trowel, the pickaxes and handaxes. Watch out fam. We learned a lot about how the next 5 weeks will go and cool archaeology. Everybody swears which is hilarious but we somehow are learning a lot which makes it even better.

Then we went to eat lunch in the town square and I ordered my food the way my friend Lauren orders her food: I picked a picture and tried to get the lady to understand but failed and just told her a number. It ended up okay though. I had gyro and bacon covered in garlic sauce over some really good fries. We left and toured the site that we are excavating and unloaded all of our equipment. Afterwhich we left for Tesco, the European equal to Walmart. I got two beers,(which I don’t like, but we’re $.75 in Czech krowns) some sweet bread, qtips and apples because I’m a picky eater. I think I’m going to stick to the wine from now on, I hear Morovian wine is peak.

Now I’m showered, and waiting for dinner which will be pork stew. Eventually I have to start the readings assigned to us but let’s see how long I can go without them noticing I know nothing. Of corse I’m joking. I will stress out until I read what I’m supposed to.

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Day 0

After an 8 hour plane ride from Chicago to Frankfurt with little to no sleep, I landed in Frankfurt Germany where everything is so efficient and clean. I spent a total of 1.5 hours waiting for my next plane that would not take nearly as long as my waiting time. It was nerve racking and I’m not going to lie I missed my parents the moment I left. I landed in Prague, bought a bus ticket that took me to the main railway station where I boarded a train. Up until this point, almost everyone I encountered had spoken English so it had been an easy trip thus far. Let me tell you, after sitting in a train car full of monolinguists, I would undoubtedly label Czech as the younger angrier sister of the Russian dialect.

I figured out how to read my stop signage and got my 50lb duffel bag and my heavy ass backpack off the train to meet the professor that roped me into this trip. At this point I hadn’t slept in well over 24 hours because the night before had been my sisters wedding and I had to be up early to finish packing and say my goodbyes. Not to mention I was gassy this whole trip, probably from the anxiety.

Finally, I made it to the ranch(yes a literal ranch, like with horses and roosters and the smell, oh the smell.) My colleagues had started to get dinner ready and I was about to eat anything at that point. I stuffed my face with kielbasa and grilled onions while I listened to the stories of a strange looking man named Matt. After dinner I showered and fell asleep until the morning. But when I woke up my body still thought it was midnight.