My computer and phone decided to go out on me on the same day, so for a couple of days there the lines of communication were down. The reason the phone went out is because one has to pay a tax on cell phones in Turkey, amounting to approx. $3.50, and which I did not know about. I managed to operate under the radar for a couple of weeks, then the powers that be shut me down. Unfortunately, once you haven’t registered you are out of luck, at least that’s what I gathered from the guy in the Turkcell offices repeatition of the phrase “Turkiye problem” accompanied by a ‘forget it” sort of a hand motion.
I rectified that problem by buying an inexpensive new phone, which I’ll sell once I get home if i can’t use it in the U.S.; but the computer problem is more complicated. The computer wants a hit off of the system disk in order to start up at all, and of course I haven’t one. So my blogging and emailing is slowing down a bit.
Anyhow, we’ve been continuing to clear off the section of city wall, and have started taking points with the Total station. I managed to get sick again and spent the majority of yesterday sleeping. Today I was prohibited from returning to the field, and have spent the day reading an article about Aramaeans in French and Neo-Hittites in English, along with planning for the class I’ll be teaching when I get home (Women in the Ancient World). For the next two days, we have been granted a two-day weekend. Tomorrow I’ll go to Gaziantep and do some touring around there and in the countryside with everyone. After that, some people plan to travel farther afield, but I’m afraid of suddenly getting sick again while on some crazy bus ride, so will probably stick around here.