Our final week of field school arrived and, at the end of the week, we were able to see how much we had accomplished in just five short weeks. On Monday we had a field trip to Colonial Williamsburg and Thursday was our last day of field school, so it turned out to be a short week. Out in the field we finished up the units that we were working on, with the exception of Jackie and Chris. They were to begin a new unit that contained a feature in order to learn how to excavate a feature. Every team had to learn to excavate a feature and they were the last team to do this. Everyone worked hard to get as much done as possible. After closing up the site, Paul gathered us around him and informed us that Tuesday was to be our last full day out in the field. It was at that point, I think, that many of us realized that this was the last week we would be out there before heading our separate ways. In some ways it put a damper on our day.
Wednesday and Thursday were short days out in the field, we were all in by two o’clock in the afternoon. On Wednesday everyone kept on with their units and by the time we had to go in nothing extraordinary had been found. We went in for a lecture on ceramics, specifically on the different types of stoneware. We all went back to the dorm with a slight feeling of test anxiety. However, since we were told by Professor Levy not to worry about the exam, we decided to put our anxieties aside and try to have a good time. A subdued mood settled over us that night as we realized that Thursday would be the last day we all spent together.
Thursday was, once again, a short day out in the field. Mary Jo and Paul finished up their unit, and then came over to help me with my unit that was full of tree roots. Since we were all slightly nervous about the exam some of us began to play a game of ‘Identify this Ceramic’. It helped to turn our moods since we were having fun discussing ceramics that in turn led to other topics. It was also exciting in my unit because we found half of a key, which created a buzz among us. It was the second key found by our group. Therefore, when two o’clock rolled around we were relaxed and ready, so we felt, to take the exam. We took our exam in shifts, and once it was completed there was a general air of relief. We left Ferry Farm that day with a feeling of sadness at the realization that that was the end of field school. But I believe with pride as well for all that we had accomplished. That night we all went out to dinner to celebrate the end of field school.
As the last week of field school culminated many of us had mixed feelings. It had been a great five weeks, shared with a wonderful group. The site looked pretty good to us, and we certainly worked very hard those five weeks to accomplish as much as we could. Personally, I walked away with more knowledge than when I first arrived. We all got a chance to try our hand at archaeology and enjoyed it a great deal. I also hope that we all walked away with new friendships, I know I certainly did. It was quite the experience!
---Daphnne Rentas
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