Day 20

Today is day 20 of our research adventure, which officially makes this the longest I’ve ever been away from home. Only another 54 days to go! Today was also our last day of preparation before we start excavating. It’s saba-saba (7-7), the Tanzanian equivalent of Canada Day, so we were unable to start work. Instead, we stomped about the famous Acheulian site of Isimila all morning, and bought some field necessities from the market in the afternoon. It was highly amusing to buy machetes from a man wearing an oversized pink shirt with a head shot of Leonardo DiCaprio on it (circa Titanic).

I really enjoyed playing archaeologist at Isimila today. We’ve been so preoccupied with acquiring permits and generating local support for this project that I’d almost forgotten that we’re here to play in the dirt. With its thousands of handaxes and other stone tools just lying on the surface, Isimila was the perfect place to remember how fun it is to stare at the ground and find treasures. In fact, Pam found 300 Tanzanian shillings that probably fell out of the pocket of some other tourist. We also got the chance to hike a few kilometres through the hoodoos which felt wonderful after weeks of being driven around.

Tomorrow, I meet the rock shelter of my dreams. I have been involved with this project since September 2007, so there has been quite a lot of build up to this moment. I’ve written an honours thesis, drafted proposals, been accepted to grad school, and won grants all based on this pango. Furthermore, all my goals for finishing this master’s degree hinge on what we find within. So what do I do when we finally meet? How do you shake hands with a rock shelter? Perhaps we should hug? I’ll let you know when I get there.