For my STEP signature project, I went on the Medieval Archeology trip in Trim Ireland. The trip was mainly focused on a dig at a Friary, where we were excavating different parts of the compound. We also traveled around to different Friaries in Ireland to have a better understanding as to was we were actually digging up.
This project allowed me to help further my self-confidence and growth into adulthood. It has also helped me understand what I am like in certain social situations for a long period of time. Not only has it helped me understand, it has helped me grow socially. Essentially, it was all just an experiment to see how I would react to a situation that I was not familiar or comfortable with.
We ended up doing a lot over the span of the four weeks. The first week included field trips that gave us a first had look as to what Friaries looked like back in the day. It really opened my eyes as to how different this kind of life was. The simplicity and solitude of these places was amazing.
Another aspect of the trip were the weekend getaways, where we were given the freedom to travel where ever we wanted. Two of the weekends part of the group went to Dublin and the third weekend the same group went to London. These trips were by far the best part of this whole experience. We
were truly able to explore the culture of the countries we were in. Dublin was the first city outside of the US I had been to and it was amazing. The entire group went to the Guinness factory and eat at a local pub. We also were able to do some shopping.
Furthermore, I was able to meet some awesome students from Ohio State. There was part of me that was a little nervous being in a foreign place with a bunch of people I did not know. But everything turned out and everyone was able to bond and just enjoy a life changing and memorable trip.
This whole experience has allowed me to grow and become more confident in who I am. Travelling alone with students I didn’t know was a risk. But at the same time it was a risk I would not have taken i it weren’t for the STEP program. Traveling abroad has given me the confidence and the drive to one-day travel by myself around the world.
It sounds like you were able to go outside of your comfort zone to try and learn new things. Was there anything about your excavation work that was really significant in terms of findings or new things you learned?