Feeling like a kid again....playing in the dirt.

This past week I headed up to the small town of Sveti Nikole, located very close to Lozovo where my host family lives. I went to help out at the excavation of the ancient Paionian site of Bylazora. The dig was organized by the Texas Foundation of Archaeological and Historical Research (http://www.tfahr.org/BylazoraProject.html).  There were participants from all over the world and of all ages. For the three days I was there I met two girls from Australia, a couple from England, two guys from Poland, a lady from Serbia, a man from France, and the ages ranged from the1st year of college to a lady that was 70!!  This dig was a wonderful experience for them.  You did not have to have studied or be studying archaeology in order to participate; you just have want to learn and be a treasure hunter at heart.  The participants of the dig come over and stay in Sveti Nikole from 2-4 weeks.  Their accommodations, meals, and transportation to and from the dig site are covered.  All they had to pay for was their plane ticket to Macedonia and transportation to Sveti Nikole.  Peace Corps volunteers were able to come in and help out and experience what it would be like working at a dig site.  I stayed with the volunteer that lives in Sveti Nikole along with another volunteer and everyday we went and worked from 5am until noon and then came home showered (after being in the dig all day that was #1) and then recovered from the day's work with a cold beer.

The van came to pick us up around 4:45 am and then it was a 10 minute drive to the site. It dropped us off at the bottom of the hill; so if we were not awake already, the hike up the hill definitely woke us up. After collecting wheelbarrows, shovels, buckets. etc everyone went to their spots.  The participants had been put into teams and given an area to work on.  The PCVs went wherever we were needed. 

 The site.  You can see the walls that they have uncovered.

 This is Bill. He and his wife started the organization and come over every year, depending on funding, to lead this dig.

 Ana, the lady from Serbia, found piece of a pot; and she actually thought she found all of the pieces so that they will be able to put the pot back together.

 In one of the trenches they found a burnt piece of wood in the ground. You can see it by the grey shoes.

 What I thought was an exciting find was a bowl that was found in the area where some of the Macedonian men were digging.  They were digging a trench and when they were expanding it wider they hit something and saw that they got a piece of marble.  When they slowly started to dig away,  they found this bowl.  It is thought to possibly be used for water or maybe oil.

 Once they got it out of the ground, we could see that one of the sides (the one on the right) had a grove so that liquid could be poured out.

 They also found some animal bones.  There were many bones all around, but this was the only place that had a lot of them in one area.  The girls working on it said that they could see three jaws.

 Big pots they uncovered that were probably used to hold grain.  They did not have tops because over the years trackers probably took them.

 This group found a terra cotta hearth used for sacrifices.  They were hoping that the road, located on the left, would continue but instead they found this below.  They think that they built the hearth to make offerings when they built the building/fort and then built the road on top of it.  They know it was for offerings because they found bone pieces still on it.  This trench uncovered a lot of things and I got to work with them on the last day.

Right as we were about to end and clean up the trench on the last day, Hugh, the English man, found this area of charcoal.  When we looked closer he could see seeds, probably wheat or barley, still there. It was interesting because this spot was located about 2 ft below the road.  After three days of digging, and hauling heavy buckets and wheelbarrows of dirt I was exhausted; but I enjoyed it and if they have it again, I will probably do it next year too.

After Sveti Nikole I traveled to Negotino and then to Demir Kapija for my birthday weekend. There is a winery in Demir Kapija and it is very famous here.  Its called Popova Kula (http://www.popovakula.com.mk/) and I thought wine tasting and good food with some special people would be the perfect way to celebrate turning 24.

 Popova Kula Winery, it is a restaurant and a hotel.

 The inside of the restaurant.

 The view from the balcony.  We sat outside and ate because it was a beautiful night and you could see the vineyards and the mountains.

 Group shot!!!  They all made my birthday very special.

 My mom and Aunt Carol both sent me boxes of Funfetti cake mix, icing, and candles so that I would have a cake for my birthday.  I made one of them at Austin's house after the visit to the winery.  Claire, Geraldine, and Dina put the candles on in the shape of an "M" and of course they used all 24 candles.

Time to blow out the candles!!!  It was a wonderful birthday that I will never forget.  I had a great time with great people, great food and of course great wine!!!  What more can a girl ask for in the Peace Corps, I mean "Posh" Corps haha.