Spectacular views and a few tears

We’re getting close to midterms here. And since my last blog, I’ve had the most fun and rich learning experiences in my life. It’s been over a month since my landing, and I can truly say I’m coming back to BU a little different. Three typhoons have passed by Korea — the rainy weather reminded me of Bloomsburg, so I haven't been homesick 😂 … but the typhoons haven't stopped me from experiencing Korea.

I’m part of a travel club, and we traveled to Jeonju in late September. We stayed in a traditional Korean house, in a Hanok Village with houses dating back to 600 years ago. It was a humbling experience to sleep in such a historic house and town.

My club dressed in traditional Korean clothing called hanbok and walked around the town. I felt like a princess, and it was so fun — all of the guys dressed up as girls. After returning to the university the following week, I fully grasped how to read in Korean. I’m still a bit slow at it, but I’m proud of my progress. I think being in a setting where I don’t fully understand what people are saying has made me become a better listener.

Back in the states, I was told by my friends I spoke too much about myself and that was something I wanted to work at to become a better person. My experience here has given me just that. I have to listen more closely to other people to find a few words that I know in Korean. Also, because I want to get to know my fellow Korean classmates more, I ask them more about their life and minimize my talking about myself. This personal growth is going to allow me to be a better physician assistant for my patients.

The day before heading to Jeonju we took a trip to the Independence Hall and the Gakwonsa Temple. The Independence Hall ignited my love for history. I knew so little of the colonization of Japan and of the atrocities they committed to the Korean people, I felt ignorant, but I’m glad I became more informed. Following the museum, we headed to the Gakwonsa Temple where I vowed to the Buddha three times and felt an immense sense of peacefulness. My trip made me realize I love culture and history. I’ve always been interested in museums but did not think it was love but rather an interest. My experience is making me consider pursuing a Ph.D. in anthropology after I establish my career as a physician assistant. The world has so much to offer for me to just stop learning after graduate school. And so my conquest on expanding my knowledge continues.

Just last week, I visited the majestic and beautiful Jeju Island along with my Korean roommate. I got the opportunity to eat dinner with a 할머니, an elder Korean grandmother my roommate knew, and truly experience the seafood cuisine Jeju offered. The views were so spectacular, I shed a few tears.

Part of Jeju Island still is Udo — a smaller island only 10 minutes by boat from Jeju to reach. When there I went to a lighthouse, it took forever to get up there and the day was super windy too. Fighting through the wind and exhaustion, we made it. I saw the whole island of Udo from that standpoint. That is something I never in my life thought I would be able to see. The view from the lighthouse made me realize why I want to become a physician assistant. I wasn’t completely sure of my career path before this experience, but now I am. I want to become a physician assistant to give people health and the opportunity for them to see what I saw that day.

The natural beauty of nature and the peacefulness of the sea was soothing, made me forget I was even studying abroad. We’re always bombarded by social media and are in a rush to do things because of our busy schedules. But what I’ve realized is that it’s okay to disconnect from that world and go into another. Life is really short and it’s hard to do everything you want to do, but if you just value yourself a little more, you’ll know a little time.

PS: Update on my chopstick skills: An elderly Korean woman complimented me on my chopstick skills. Remember I was a beginner? A Korean told me I'm good — so I'm basically a pro now 😎

— Liz Hernandez, a health sciences and sociology dual major, is studying abroad this fall in South Korea at Korea University in Sejong, studying such topics as North Korean socio-culture and human rights, as well immersing herself in the Korean culture such as experiencing Chuseok and learning to cook japchae.

#HuskyAbroad #ProfessionalU #BloomOnward #HuskyUnleashed #BloomUpward

Welcome to “Tent City”

The Archaeology Field School in Ohio at the Balthaser Home Site, was a unique experience that you just cannot repeat. I have learned that Archaeology in on itself is about looking at the bigger picture and not getting stuck in the mindset of a 1X1 meter test pit. By taking in the entire site you gain the image of the homestead, the workshop, and the Hopewell way of life. Not only did I connect to the Hopewell, but also with the individuals that joined me on the field school trip.

All the students set up their own living areas at the Jackson Lake Campground, similar to how the Hopewell set up their own hamlets (4-5 families living together in one area). When everyone arrived on the first day they set up their tents and were in different groups together. We (Bloomsburg Students) set up a “Tent City” in one area and the Geneseo in another. Both schools started out as separate groups in the beginning, but came together in the end to form one complete group.

Overall, field school was a learning and connecting experience that I will remember for a long time to come. Archaeology is a repetitive excavating of units, notes, and sifting (screening for anything that is cultural from the units); down in the dirt you go. Although, every unit is different whether you get a post mold, a pit, or something else. Starting with the first day you quickly discover that dirt sticks to you as sand does from the beach. You never know if you are getting tanned from the sun or just have dirt on you. Not only did I gain knowledge about Archaeology, but also gained knowledge about myself which helped me to come out of my shell and make friends that I would not have been able to if I did not get this great opportunity to come to Ohio.

  Alyssa Theurer, sophomore anthropology major

The Field School Experience

Reflecting upon my experiences so far at the Balthaser Home Site, I have learned so much, not only about archaeology, but also about myself. I was apprehensive that archaeology would not come to me intuitively, and that there would be many challenges for me to face. However, Dr.Wymer from Bloomsburg and Dr. Pacheco from Geneseo University were crucial in helping to direct the dig in the field and sharing their knowledge of the culture called the Hopewell.

They created a stress-free, hands-on working environment in which the students can learn the basics of both archaeology and organic flotation. Their influence has helped me become more self-confident in knowing my own strengths as a leader, as well as helping others achieve their potential. This experience has provided a fantastic opportunity for meeting inspirational peers, as well as making connections with possible future colleagues. Overall, I have seen fantastic sites, made connections with wonderful professors and peers, and completed a part of my education which will doubtlessly assist in my future.

A specific experience which tested my determination happened to be the excavation of one of the largest Hopewell post-molds (discoloration of soil due to the decomposition of a wooden post) found within the Balthaser Home site, called Feature 136. When we originally saw the soil discoloration, it was dubious as to whether there was anything to be found below the surface. My partner from Geneseo and I were quite surprised as we continued to excavate down, down, and down. At times, it was discouraging to have the professors instruct us to keep digging, especially because the space we were allotted to work in was the size of a shoebox.

Thankfully, my partner and I created a routine of trading off responsibilities so that we could keep our work balanced. Our post-mold was so large that it reached around eighty centimeters below the ground surface, making it likely a large central or interior post for the overall Hopewell structure. The post-mold contained charcoal, bits of burned bone, and burned pottery, which could provide crucial information in creating an overall picture of the Hopewell way of life. Much information will be gleaned from the research done at the Balthaser Home Site, but the students at the field school will also walk away with many life lessons and experiences which cannot be repeated or replaced.

  Anne Snyder, senior anthropology, French, and psychology major

Dirt is Fun

I decided to be a part of the 2017 Ohio Archaeology Field School because I have had a lifelong interest in archaeology. I didn’t know exactly what I would experience, but I did know it would be a learning process with a lot of work. On my first day in the field, I was hesitant to sit in the dirt on the ground. I don’t mind dirt, but was worried about what bugs might crawl on me. Now, coming to the end of the field school, I sit on the ground with no hesitation. I have had so many ants, spiders, etc. crawl on me that I have grown used to it. The first week was overwhelming with how much I learned, and I am still learning different terms and processes in the 4th week. With my various team members, we found many features. However, the last feature was my favorite part of field school.

I worked with three other people to dig the dirt out of this test pit. At the end of the work day, I started leveling the test pit to see if there were any features in it. As I scraped, I saw darker areas in the center of the test pit. It was confirmed to be a post mold feature perfectly centered in the unit. I dug half of the post mold out which revealed it went 70 cm below surface.

I dug out more of the feature to put in a soil sample bag to be looked at by other students. I had parts of the feature left after that, that I had to dig out and sift through to see if there were any artifacts in it. The center of the feature turned out to be deeper than 70 cm below surface. I was instructed to keep digging until I reached the bottom. The bottom turned out to be 113 cm below surface. My partner and I found some charcoal and a small piece of pottery. It was a unique experience to have such a deep feature to work on. The groups switched around, but I was glad to have one partner to work on the feature with because it was difficult to dig in the hole for a long period of time.

Overall, I really enjoyed this experience. I liked learning the processes within archaeology such as mapping, leveling and edging walls/floors of test pits, sifting, and more. I am glad I had the opportunity to have such a unique experience. It was nice to learn hands-on instead of in a classroom.

  Kallysta Panagakos, senior anthropology major

Field School

The first day of excavating, I was excited and a little nervous to be digging in a 50 by 50-centimeter test unit. All the students from Bloomsburg University and Geneseo University were mixed into groups of three. Every group started a test unit to learn how to properly excavate into the soil and to be able to recognize different artifacts that are culturally created versus naturally created. The hardest part for me was being able to tell the difference between cultural flint and natural flint. Natural flint has more rounded edges and cultural flint has groves, divots, and sharper edges that were created by and individual. Once, my group completed our 50 by 50-centimeter test unit we were assigned a 1 by 1 meter unit. In the 1 by 1 meter unit my group found a feature. We had to open another unit beside our first 1 by 1 meter unit to follow the feature. Excavating feature 130 helped me learn about myself and the culture. Inside feature 130 we found pottery, seeds, cultural flint flakes, and charcoal.

I excavated to 90-centimeters below the surface. When the professors can over and told me to keep digging it was disheartening knowing that I did not reach the bottom of the feature. However, me and my partner would switch between sifting (is screening the soil for artifacts) and excavating. It can be hard to keep on going when you have been excavating the same feature for a week. You see the same soil and same walls around you, but if you keep going you might just find an artifact that makes it worth it.

For me it was the Adena Spear Point, which was beautiful. The Adena are the ancestors of the Hopewell and were the first to build the mound earthworks in North America. Excavating feature 130 taught me to be more patient and to not get discouraged easily. To know that I helped to discover more about a culture and one that is known little about is amazing.

To be able to go to The Balthaser Home Site and learn how to properly excavate in Archaeology was a remarkable experience. Not only did I learn about the Hopewell Culture, but about others who share the same major. It is nice to connect to individuals that are trying to accomplish the same major, but are going down different paths. Also, I liked talking to the teacher assistants and hearing about what they have accomplished and what they are doing after graduation. It gave me different ideas of what to possibly accomplish while getting an Anthropology degree and what to do after wards. I would love to study abroad and to dual or double major. Overall, being able to participate in field school and to meeting other students was a unique experience that cannot be replaced.

  Kasey Theurer, sophomore anthropology major

Goodbye, “Tent City”

During our time at field school, we learned a lot. We not only learned about archaeology and the Hopewell culture, but how to be a team, how to live in a tent for a month, and how to thrive as young archaeologists. This experience has been so very rewarding, and it was hard to say goodbye. Our little paradise of “Tent City,” that we had grown to love after a long day of digging was no more.

Even though our tents may not be there, the friendships we have built over the month will continue to remain. It was an awkward transition in the beginning- working with people you have never met before in tight spaces and in a new environment.

Thankfully we were all new to field work and could bond over the learning experience! We became close friends with our group members, close friends with the surrounding unit members, and close friends with people from both schools. Meeting and interacting with the SUNY Geneseo students was a great learning experience for us Bloomsburg students, they had knowledge about things we didn't, and vice versa.

The days themselves seemed to drag on. Waking up at 6 a.m. every morning, getting to the field by 7 a.m. and working until 3:30 p.m. was rough on some days. I'm not going to lie, it was hard getting out of bed knowing I’m going to be digging in either rain or hot weather that day.

But, I loved every day for its own reasons. The field school as a whole however, went by like a blink of an eye, I can’t believe it’s over. From the day we started digging, to backfill day, it was all an amazing learning experience.

I am thankful that Bloomsburg, along with the Anthropology dept. has given us such a great opportunity to learn, explore and achieve new levels of learning. They have helped many of us as students to decipher which way our educational paths will go and they continue to give us the tools to conquer anything in our paths! Thank you for a great field school!

  Julia Stein, sophomore anthropology major

#CollaborativeLearning #HuskySummer #HuskyUnleashed

DeeAnne Wymer, professor of anthropology, and a group of Bloomsburg University students hit the road each spring in mid-May to spend four weeks in southern Ohio digging at a Hopewell habitation site. The archeological field school experience enables student teams to rely on new imaging technologies to uncover another living site of the Mound Builders from 2,000 years ago.

Dwarfed by the beauty of the natural world

After 10 days in the field, we had our first day off from digging and had an opportunity to venture to a different part of Ohio. We packed up some hiking gear, plenty of trail mix and piled into the vans to see Ash Cave and Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills State Park.

It was refreshing to see the forests and waterfalls, a stark contrast to the open fields and hot sun that we’d grown accustom to. At Ash Cave, there were audible gasps of amazement as we wandered into the immense rock shelter. It was shocking to see something so large and beautiful. For eons, water and wind carved the soft rock and left this 700-foot-long cave.

The human influence, little trails and names carved into the stone walls, were dwarfed by the beauty of the natural world. It was strangely freeing to feel so small in the shadow of that cave. I realized that if I’m so tiny in the grand scheme, my worries are even smaller and it felt like a burden was lifted.

That carefree feeling set the tone for the rest of the day as we explored more of the park land. We ventured to Old Man’s Cave, which proved to be an excellent hiking and climbing spot. We spent the day clambering over rocks and wading through streams.

As the entire field school group stood knee-deep in a plunge pool and skipped rocks into a waterfall, I forgot that we had just met each other a mere two weeks ago. Laughter and jokes rang out across the water, and we all agreed that the hiking trip was exactly what we needed to recharge. We snapped plenty of pictures and were pleasantly exhausted by the end of the afternoon.

I returned to camp ready to dig again the following day, hoping that some cool artifacts would surface from the new units we had opened.

— Keelan McDonald, is a junior mass communications major and anthropology minor.

#CollaborativeLearning #HuskyUnleashed

DeeAnne Wymer, professor of anthropology, and a group of Bloomsburg University students hit the road each spring in mid-May to spend four weeks in southern Ohio digging at a Hopewell habitation site. The archeological field school experience enables student teams to rely on new imaging technologies to uncover another living site of the Mound Builders from 2,000 years ago.

What lies beneath!

When we first arrived at the Balthaser Home site in Ohio, it looked like any other farm field, the remains of soybean stubble covering the rolling hills. Now, the field is covered with tripods and sifters and tarps and shovels.

From the road, it’s nearly impossible to tell what is occurring in the southwest corner of Balthaser. What are we doing here? Spearheaded by Dr. DeeAnne Wymer and Dr. Paul Pacheco of SUNY-Geneseo, students from Bloomsburg and SUNY Geneseo are collaborating to dig up the remains of a domestic Hopewell site. The Hopewell are an indigenous American people known for their earthworks and ritual sites, but little is known about their daily lives.

Out in the hot sun, we dig and sift. Occasionally, someone will yell out “bladelet” when they find a small, thin flint blade, still sharp enough to cut your fingers 2,000 years later, and Doc Wymer does her famous bladelet dance.

The best part of field school is the shared enthusiasm among the students, professors and the occasional amateur archaeologist visitor. You’ve never seen a group of people so excited about different colors of dirt. Students are broken into different teams composed of Geneseo and Bloomsburg students to excavate specific unit. Because of the generosity of Dr. Jarrod Burks, we are able to have a sense of where to dig based on the magnetic readings at the site.

My team is in the process of excavating a pit feature, which is very exciting because we have no idea what we may find.

(DeeAnne Wymer) - I am pleased to note that Keelan's team recovered a large number of very large fragments of pottery from their fire pit/earth oven! All their hard work paid off and they have every right to be very excited.

Some groups are meticulously excavating post molds, which may indicate the location of a Hopewell house, while others find projectile points, ceramics and paper-thin sheets of glittering mica. Centimeter by centimeter, we begin to get a clearer picture of the ancient lifeways of the fascinating Hopewell.

— Keelan McDonald, is a junior mass communications major and anthropology minor.

#CollaborativeLearning #HuskyUnleashed

DeeAnne Wymer, professor of anthropology, and a group of Bloomsburg University students hit the road each spring in mid-May to spend four weeks in southern Ohio digging at a Hopewell habitation site. The archeological field school experience enables student teams to rely on new imaging technologies to uncover another living site of the Mound Builders from 2,000 years ago.

China Today: Colorfully intense and diverse

I have found myself incredibly fascinated by the traffic here in China. There are a number of elements that pique my interest. The first of these is the diversity of the traffic. Here in Hekou, most of the diversity is in the various two-wheeled vehicles people use to travel around. There are very nice, pristine, and personalized mopeds, beat-up dirt bikes, bicycles with carts attached to the back, and all sorts of old mopeds. These vehicles seem to allow you to drive wherever you want, as they weave through the streets and even on the sidewalks. There is no discernible organized parking, and people seem to leave their mopeds—or what have you—wherever they please.

The same general rules seem to apply to cars—there is no specified parking locations, and the cars simply drive through the streets, honking at people and smaller vehicles in their way. These cars have an even larger diversity than the two-wheeled vehicles. I’ve seen all sorts of brands, like BMW, Toyota, even some Fords and Jeeps. They are mingled with small and large vans that appear to be unique to China, and there are a few large cargo trucks that have a militaristic air to them mixed in as well.

I’ve noted no speed limit signs, though it is possible I haven’t recognized them, as they are most likely in Chinese. People walk into the streets wherever they please. In Kunming, I saw a woman standing in the middle of traffic waiting to pass through each lane. On our journey from Kunming to Hekou, I noticed a few vehicles that were sitting idle in the middle of the highway. I can only assume they broke down, and I suppose rather than moving the car off to the side, people just get out and walk away. For all of this chaos, I have not noted any road-rage. Nobody seems angry at anybody else for getting in their way, perhaps because there are no rules to follow and therefore no rules to break. The bustle of the streets sounds exactly New York City, save for the sound of police sirens. If anyone in China ever gets a ticket, I can’t imagine what it would be for.

I have an incredible respect for the Hani people, and everyone who lives like them. Their existence is so simple and natural. The little old women working in the fields and carrying things around on their backs were so solid. Watching them, and the men herd the water buffalo and the pack mules through the village, was like standing at a still point in time.

While the village did posses plenty of modern amenities, the people still worked the land to live, using simply tools and methods, as they would have hundreds of years ago. China, so far, has impressed me with its beautiful coexistence of past and present. It’s not something we see in America, as the present is consumed the past.

First of all, Happy New Year! I never imagined I would fulfill one of my new year’s resolutions, to do more exciting things, on New Years. Anyway, I’ve been really interested in the way all of the people we’ve seen in this country dress. There are the Hani people, of course, who wear those beautifully embroidered traditional clothes. Even the more reserved clothes that are one solid color dot the terraced fields and decaying buildings like ornamentation. However, their clothing is not what I have found the most fascinating.

On our drives, we pass through a lot of small towns or clusters of buildings that are very dirty and rundown. In them, I have noticed a lot of women dressed as if they belonged in New York City. They are often in high heels and fashionable jackets, and honestly look more stylish than I do most of the time (regrettably, I do not have any photos of this). I was talking with a few of my comrades, and they suggested that perhaps the single women do it to attract men. This would make sense, as all of the women I have seen dressed this way are young, while many of the older women are wearing simpler, average clothing.

I’ve seen some really cool graffiti here in China. It’s funny to see people carving the Chinese symbols into trees and stuff like we carve our initials. One type of graffiti I’ve seen a lot of is crayon children’s drawings. This is probably my favorite type of graffiti to see because it’s not something seen in America. I’ve noticed that the children are often running around free-range with each other, up and down the streets with no worries. I even saw a child crossing the street by herself yesterday.

In America, children aren’t really allowed to do that anymore; they’re very sheltered and their parents are always watching them. Although, it is mostly in the small villages that I see the children running around unsupervised, which I imagine is due to the likelihood that everyone knows each other in the smaller villages. This child-like graffiti is evidence of the independence these children have on their little streets. (As a side note, it is entirely possible that I am mistaken, and that these are not children’s scribbles, but the scribbles of someone who is not very skilled at drawing. Either way, the point stands: the children in this country appear to have a lot more freedom in playing than American children)

I continue to be blown away by the intensity and diversity of the colors in this country. I’ve already written about the beautiful colors in the clothing of the Hani people, and the same intensity that exists there exists all over the place. Looking down the street, one is met with bits of striking color. One thing I have noticed is the presence of bright red ribbons tied to different places. I have seen a few tied to tree branches, a couple on the front of a car, and they surround the entire memorial site of the founders of the University in Kunming.

This last piece of information leads me to believe that perhaps the red is symbolic of loss or memory. Perhaps the ribbons in the trees symbolize a location where someone died, and the ribbon on the car is in memory of someone. Since red is also the color of the Chinese flag, it could symbolize some kind of nationality. I’m not able to research any of this on the Internet, so I will have to clarifying my suspicions with someone who knows the culture. For now, however, I find it exciting to speculate the meaning of things based on observing them in context.

When I took anthropology my freshman year, I learned about the affinity that the Chinese have for Christian traditions. The article I read back then was about how they like the have all of the ceremony associated with Christian weddings. They even fly over Americans to act as priests, many of them not being priests themselves. I noticed evidence for this on the flight here, as there was and advertisement that came before the movies of a bride and groom dresses in the tradition white wedding gown and black tuxedo.

As I have been in China, I have noticed a lot of Christmas decorations. There are Santa Clauses, Christmas trees, even a sign that said "Feliz Navidad." We were told later that the Chinese celebrate a non-religious Christmas that is essentially a time for people to party and have fun. I find it very interesting how they have incorporated an element of our culture into theirs, but have modified it to make it fit into their beliefs.

— Katie Starliper, art studio major #HuskyAbroad

Led by Vera Viditz-Ward, professor of art and art history, and Jing Luo, Ph.D., professor of languages and cultures, a group of Bloomsburg University students spent three weeks in China studying language, culture and photography. The group, hosted by Yunnan Normal University, traveled to Kunming, Hekou, Yuanyuang, Mengzi, Dali, and Lijiang, where they had close contact with a variety of ethnic groups and learned about their lives and cultures.

A month into college, how are those sea legs?

Going from high school to college is one of the biggest life changes I have encountered. You go from having almost eight hours straight of classes Monday through Friday, from early in the morning until about 3 p.m., to classes scattered throughout the day with plenty of free time in between.

After four years, you have finally mastered the routine of going to bed at just the right time where you won’t be too miserable in the morning and getting up when you have just the right amount of time to eat, get dressed and do some last minute homework you’ve been putting off for the past week.
College throws you for a loop the first day of class and the semester following.

Like I said before, in high school you had a constant routine but in college, well, that’s a whole different story. My freshmen courses were from anywhere between an 8 a.m. class on Monday, a 1 p.m. class on Tuesday and a 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. class on Thursday, where does a routine come in?

You will also find that you have so much spare time on your hands! In high school, you were in class for eight hours straight, what do you do with yourself? This is where you start to make some friends and get to know your roommate. A few weeks before I left for college, I got into contact with my future roommate who I have never met before.

We discussed who was bringing what, what were her likes and dislikes, and how we would decorate our room. It seemed like everything was going to work out and we were going to be great friends! The day we moved in, we hugged and laughed like we have been friends for years.

After we got our room decorated the way we both liked, we started to compare schedules, they were the same except for one class! In my head, this was the ideal situation, I had someone to get lost walking to classes with and a convenient and fun study partner.

During the first couple of days before classes start is where you really start to get to know the people in your hallway. People will pile into rooms or gather on the floor of the hallways and talk until about 3 a.m. Who wants to get sleep when you have so many new faces to talk to and no parents to tell you it’s time to go to bed?

This is where you learn about other peoples’ life styles, where they come from and if you might become friends with this person. Early on I found out that becoming friends with your CA or older students in your hall is very important.

Every CA has to create a “program” for the students on campus to help people get to know each other or to inform students of what else you can do on campus. My CA had a program where we all had to go see a magician in the Kehr Union Ballroom, and it was the coolest thing I have ever seen. Before attending that program, I had no idea what was in the Kehr Union and that events like that even happened at Bloomsburg.

The person that was running the event lived in our hallway and made sure that we had front row seats! That was the beginning of my involvement in Program Board. It was a great start of college before classes and homework and it relieved some stress of not living at home.

I don’t know about you but for me, high school made me terrified for college courses. They would tell me that the books were extremely heavy, the professors didn’t care if you passed or failed their classes, and that you would have piles of homework and 20 page papers to do every week. I found this to be mostly a myth.

Yes, sometimes the books that you have to buy can get rather large but most of the time, the professor doesn’t care if you bring the book or not, sometimes, you never even use the book. Most likely, the classes that you were placed in are general education classes and if you already know what you want to major in, this can be super frustrating. Even if you haven’t declared a major, you don’t have a choice in the classes you want to take for your first semester and maybe chemistry, for example, isn’t your strong suit. I was put into a Chemistry 101 class my first semester and did horribly.

Don’t get me wrong! I did great in chemistry when I was in high school but of course we had to sew together little moles to look like the element we chose from the periodic table and do a report on it…big difference. In Chem 101 we had to balance equations and study all of the elements on the periodic table. That class was a struggle for me.

On the other hand, I had a Principles of Cultural Anthropology class that was amazing! The course content was very interesting but what really got me, was the anthropology professor. He had traveled all over the world visiting different cultures and studying them. He treated us as equals and obviously loved his job. Even though you were in a classroom of about 200 students, he made you feel like you were the only one in the room that he was telling his adventures to.

Now don’t panic! The school didn’t lie to you when they said they have a small ratio of faculty to students, because they do. Your general education courses will be much larger because the demand for the class is very large.

For example, almost every single major on campus needs to take a psychology class and therefore more people need to take that class which will equal a larger classroom size. Once you get into the classes that a geared toward your major, the class size will dwindle. I am currently taking a class that has eight people in it.

Even if you have a very large class, make it a habit to visit your professors during their office hours even if you don’t have any questions. Professors do care that you do well in their class and they truly want you to succeed during your years at Bloomsburg and beyond. You never know when you may need a reference letter or 0.10 of a point to make it to Dean’s list. If they see that you are trying your best and are putting your time and effort in, they are more than likely to help you either study for the final, or give you an extra credit assignment.

All in all, freshmen year will be terrifying for some and a breeze for others. Just know that you have people around you going through the same experience or have already been through it. Take the time to make friends and get to know your campus and professors.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you might think it’s stupid, chances are, there are many other people with the exact same question but are too afraid to ask. Enjoy the time that you have here and make the most of it because it will go by faster than you can imagine.

— Chelsea Underhill, senior marketing major #HuskyLife

Nicaragua captured me in a way I never imagined

I was looking up at the steep, treacherous hill in a series of uphill ledges that lead us up to the waterfall, a tourist attraction on Ometepe, remembering how on the first day when we hiked up the same path to see the capuchins, I felt like crying and keeling over while simultaneously wondering what I had gotten myself into.

I was looking up at that same trail on my last day, wondering if I would be able to make it up all the way this time.

Spoiler alert: I did, and with an ease that still surprises me to this very moment. That trail is an extraordinary representation of this entire trip — I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but with perseverance and a little bit of hope, I found a stronger version of myself at the end of an incredible journey.

That was how we spent our last day on the island of Ometepe, hiking up to the waterfall that we were only able to make it half way up the trail on our first day. Earlier that morning, we presented the research of our final projects in the format of a 10 minute long presentation for the rest of the class. One thing I can honestly say I thank my undergrad experience at Bloomsburg for was the practice I've gained in giving presentations.

Last semester I had four presentations in a period of two weeks, and while I was wondering to myself how I could've possibly managed that type of luck as a second semester senior, I'm also thrilled to have been able to go through my findings with ease in a new setting.

I had mentioned previously that I was interested in the ecological role of the prehensile tail in mantled howler monkeys, or Alouatta palliata, if you're into taxonomy, and after collecting 25 hours worth of data for my final paper I was happy to say that I was able to support my hypothesis.

Out of all the behaviors the primates used their tails for, feeding/foraging was the highest percentage. It's definitely possible that their tails evolved due to high feeding competition, and in the future adding on to that 25 hours of data would help strengthen that hypothesis.

At the beginning of the course my professor, Dr. Bolt, said by the end of this experience we would all be skilled field workers in her eyes. I don't know how much credit I'm allowed to give myself here, but me and the field had some ups and downs for sure.

I've been bitten by mosquitoes to the point where I'm sure I was one, single itchy lump, been pelted with giant grasshoppers that fall out of the trees when the wind blows, nearly assassinated by a scorpion, ran into the barbed wire fence that surrounds the forest on multiple occasions, sweated through all my deodorant (didn't think that was humanly possible) sun burned close to the equator with no aloe vera (yikes) and after hiking six miles up hill everyday just to get to and from the forest, I was sure my calves were going to commit mutiny on me.

But I wouldn't take back a single second of it. This experience showed me everything I was capable of and more, because I think myself and every other student with me surpassed all of our expectations of how this trip would better us for the future.

Fast forward to my last day in the country of Nicaragua. One by one as we all began to dwindle to make our different flights, I watched each of my classmates leave with a big hug, and a pang of sadness in my chest. Just a few hours earlier we were all together, as we had been 24/7 for the past month, and I looked around the airport in Managua alone realizing I was right back where I started.

Physically speaking that is, because the person I was when I landed weeks before is nowhere close to the person I am now.

There was a moment I looked around and realized that I don't know what force brought me to this place, but there's a piece of my heart that will always be tucked away on the island of Ometepe.

So cliche right?

But it's cliche for a reason — it's true. Nicaragua has captured me in a way I never imagined, and as my first home away from home, I think I'll always have the urge to better the country in any way I can. I knew I'd probably enjoy my time abroad in Nicaragua, but I never expected to feel the strong sense of desire I have to return.

Thinking about going abroad? Do it. You'll never regret it, that much I can promise you. I hope anyone who took the time to read this takes away that much from me.

Sometimes in life places will call your name and you'll have no idea why, and memories and moments will capture your heart in a way you never imagined possible. It may be far from home, and it'll be scary, and so much will be unexpected up until the moment everything materializes. You'll be nervous and excited all at the same time, and you'll have to make the decision of whether or not you want to answer that call that's desperately trying to reach you.

From me to you, I sincerely hope you do. All the best,

— Jeanine Hubert is an anthropology major.

#BUAbroad #HuskyUnleashed

Snake Den Group Earthwork … and Goodbyes

The last few days in Ohio were possibly my favorites among the entire field experience. A few of the fieldschool students were relocated and assigned to work at Snake Den (and I was among that group), while the remaining students stayed to complete excavations at our main site – the Balthaser Home Site.

(DeeAnne Wymer) - The Snake Den earthwork which is located a few miles north of the Balthaser site and sits on a high plateau overlooking the valley may have been the ceremonial center for our people who had lived at the Balthaser site homestead some 1,800 years ago. The earthwork includes an embankment and ditch outlining the plateau with mounds and other traces of ceremonial activities inside the embankment.

In 1907 a few "archaeologists" excavated the Snake Den Mounds without real proper care of the site. Techniques for digging were not as precise as they are today. In this year, silver nuggets were discovered within one of the mounds and taken off the property without notifying the landowner. To shorten a long historical background surrounding Snake Den, there is only one piece left of silver remaining at the state museum in Columbus, Ohio.

(DeeAnne Wymer) - It looks like this was the only officially noted early exploration of this earthwork and it has remained virtually untouched since that time – protected and cared for by a great local family – the Barrs.

One can only imagine the excitement to be assigned to work at this site. It's been many years since the site has been excavated, properly at that, and to be one of the first students to work on it was a good feeling. The last few days during our time in Ohio we were split into groups to “open units” at this earthwork site to ‘groundtruth’ the results of a new technique now used to ‘see’ below the ground before excavation.

(DeeAnne Wymer) - Dr. Jarrod Burks is the third archaeologist who works with Dr. Pacheco and Bloomsburg’s Dr. Wymer on these Hopewell moundbuilder sites. Dr. Burk’s uses magnetometry which senses slight changes in the magnetic field just below the soil, creating a map of potential features (pits, earthovens, etc.) for us to explore – any disturbed or burned soil, for example, will have a higher magnetic reading.

Our groups were placed in 1m x 1m test pits that showed high readings on Jarrod Burks' magnetometry results. Within 20 centimeters and less than an hour of digging we found a few bladelets and flint ridge flakes typical of the Hopewell culture of 100 B.C. to A.D. 400. This was good news for us as it meant that we were definitely coming across something good.

(DeeAnne Wymer) - This unit had been placed over a mysterious circular ‘blob’ revealed by the new sensing equipment that showed two long rows of large (3 foot in diameter) circular features, lined up almost like an avenue, that went from the center of the earthwork to the south outside the area that had been surveyed for magnetic readings.

After a while of digging we found charcoal and we immediately thought it meant it was a ceremonial fire because of its location and the amount of items we had come across. After we exposed the feature more and more and plan mapped it, it was time to cut into it and see what we could find.

Properly cutting into the feature meant leaving one half untouched so we could see what the feature would look like as a whole (the profile reveals the interior/internal ‘shape’ of the ground disturbance made by these ancient peoples). After much digging (around 60 centimeters into the dirt) we finally realized that we had come across a giant post mold that measured around 90 cm. (nearly 3 feet) in diameter.

What was even more exciting was that it was the biggest one ever found! We were all pretty happy, as by the time the feature had been fully exposed it was our last day out at Snake Den. It felt like we were really part of history because the site remained untouched for so many years. It was truly an honor to be a part of the first team to really have worked on such a site even if it was just for a few days.

(DeeAnne Wymer) - But what also made this special is that the landowners were so interested and so pleased by our work that they want next year’s fieldschool to come back to the site for further exploration.

I cannot think of a better way to have ended my experience in this field school. The last day was backfill day and we all worked together to close down the units and refill our units created by our hard work. It was a bittersweet feeling to leave but I feel as if my time spent in this field school was truly wonderful and worthwhile. I have never felt more confident that Anthropology is what I was meant to do.

Being in a site of around 2,000 years old can be a truly humbling experience. The way people lead their lives, how they function as a society and what is important to them, past or present, is something that I feel will always be important. We are different, and we are alike, and truly understanding the diversities of people and what it is to be human is truly stimulating to me. I learned so much about myself, as well as understanding the field of archaeology and that's all I could have asked of it.

— Jasmin Velez, is a junior anthropology major.

#CollaborativeLearning #HuskyUnleashed

DeeAnne Wymer, professor of anthropology, and a group of Bloomsburg University students hit the road each spring in mid-May to spend four weeks in southern Ohio digging at a Hopewell habitation site. The archeological field school experience enables student teams to rely on new imaging technologies to uncover another living site of the Mound Builders from 2,000 years ago.

When they're not sleeping, they're eating ... a relatable mentality

The days have begun swiftly molding together as more and more time flies here on the island of Ometepe. Literally, by 6 p.m. it's dark.

Waking up at 4:30 a.m. is no longer as tiring, and sitting in a pile of dirt and leaves for hours whilst staring up and into the lives of our primate friends has become second nature.

Today, it rained on all of us as we attempted to go about our fieldwork, and we made the best of it like the good sports that we are.

As a group, we've become closer than I'd ever imagined, and I already know that these girls will be my friends for life. Our adventures as we explore both the island, as well as our academic pursuits within primatology, have become a truly unique experience all around.

One of the unique aspects of Ometepe is that it is home to ancient petroglyphs, symbolic rock carvings by the island natives which can be seen at various places around the island, one of them being the White Tree Forest. Also home to mantled howlers, the White Tree Forest is about an hour walk from the conservancy, so after a morning of observation we took a trip to see the petroglyphs.

It was a truly humbling experience to not only see, but touch with our own hands rock carvings that are around 3,000 years old. But first, we were able to witness the extraordinary sight of a group of around 25 howlers in one tree all interacting with one another. Between being enveloped in their booming howls and watching them hang, swing, grab, and fight one another, it was hard not to be overwhelmed.

But it was a truly breathtaking insight to what life is like for non-human primates. Throughout the course of our observations we begin to become more personal with the howlers, and although some of our references to them are jokingly anthropomorphic, a lot of what we observe does bear a true resemblance to aspects of human life.

We also got a chance to kayak out to a place called Monkey Island one morning, a home to habituated white-faced capuchin monkeys. It was important to see the behavioral and morphological differences between capuchins and howlers. Howlers are very sedentary and have a very specific behavioral pattern, and by that I mean they sleep, a lot, 65% of the time as a matter of fact.

Capuchins however are much more active and expressive. It was interesting to see the parallel from an evolutionary perspective, not to mention kayaking while throwing bread and fruit at the capuchins was pretty cool, too.

These past few days have consisted of us collecting data for our final projects which has been increasingly more rewarding - being able to employ everything we've learned thus far and conduct real scientific research in all its fulfillment. I can hardly believe how much my time here is quickly dwindling down, mostly because I never thought a unique, foreign place could begin to feel so much like home.

Who knew cold showers could be so refreshing?

I may never be able to look at rice, beans, or plantains the same way again, but that's a small price to pay for the extraordinary experiences I've been afforded by being here. Besides, the coffee is phenomenal. And so are the people, and the places, and primates, even the bugs. Okay, maybe not the bugs. Finding a scorpion in our room one evening wasn't a part of this trip I want to put on the highlight reel, but I could still gush about it forever.

I'm anticipating finishing my data collection over the next few days - my hypothesis for my research is whether or not the use of the prehensile tail in mantled howler monkeys is used primarily in foraging or not and whether it is more frequently used by adult males or females.

Since the presumption is that the evolution of the prehensile tail occurred due to competition and availability of food resources, I'm anxious to see the role it plays in the life of the howlers. When they're not sleeping, they're eating, and I think many people, myself included, can certainly relate to that mentality!

Until next time,

— Jeanine Hubert is an anthropology major.

#BUAbroad #HuskyUnleashed

Finally an awesome find!

My group and I had been working on exposing a brick kiln for a week before we finally completed it. It was a special project Dr. Pacheco, “Paco”, had chosen to do as a favor to Don, the landowner of our site. The brick kiln that we were excavating actually made the bricks that were used to build Don’s home and he was very excited to also see the project come to a close.

At the closure of our unit, which was now large enough that most of us can sit in it; we were moved over to a new unit that Don claimed to always find bladelets, flakes and flint in large amounts.

That very day we went through the 20 centimeters and uncovered a large amount of flakes and flint pieces. While that was exciting the following day proved to be much more worthwhile.


As my group and I dug our unit the next day we were constantly stopping and running for cover as scattered storms started and ended periodically throughout the day. By noon my group and I covered as much ground as possible completing the goal of 40 centimeters.

While we were cleaning the walls that caved in the deeper we went into the ground it just so happened that a pretty cool find would soon pop out. The minute the trowel scraped against the walls of our unit, a beautiful, pretty intact spear point fell right out.

What was cool about it was how great of a condition it was in. Our group who had been used to seeing mostly brick for the past week jumped up and down screaming from delight.

As we were furthest from most of the group (we nicknamed our unit The Sahara for the lack of people and large amount of heat) no one knew why we were jumping around. The sun really does do crazy things to the mind.

I screamed out towards Doc and Paco who were pretty far away but walked over expecting to see just a small blade or arrowhead. When they saw the find they too seemed impressed by its condition.

It turned out that the spear point was a middle woodland Hopewell Snyder point, and it was the best one in Don’s collection thus far. That day really made it all worthwhile. Sometimes when you find yourselves digging for hours and having nothing to show for it, it can be discouraging.

However I cannot even begin to describe the feeling that one has when they finally do find something as beautiful as a spear point. To know that what you are holding in your hands was once used for the survival of a native tribe is pretty exciting…not the mention that it was almost 2,000 years old!

— Jasmin Velez, is a senior anthropology major.

#CollaborativeLearning #HuskyUnleashed

DeeAnne Wymer, professor of anthropology, and a group of Bloomsburg University students hit the road each spring in mid-May to spend four weeks in southern Ohio digging at a Hopewell habitation site. The archeological field school experience enables student teams to rely on new imaging technologies to uncover another living site of the Mound Builders from 2,000 years ago.

Ash Cave and Old Man’s Cave

After 10 long hard days under the sun of digging we finally reached our day off! It doesn’t seem like 10 days is a very long time but working eight hours a day in the scorching hot field does take a toll on ones physical body…and let’s not fail to mention the things the sun can do to ones mind. Needless to say, when we were came to end of our tenth day and were awarded with a day off everyone was more than excited.

The next day we all awoke gratefully at 9 a.m., a considerable amount of sleeping in as we had been waking up everyday at 6 in the morning since our arrival. We reached dressed and packed up our lunches and rode in our school vans from Canal Winchester (the location of our camp base) about an hour to Hocking Hills State Park where we were to visit both Ash Cave and Old Man’s Cave.

Our first stop was Ash Cave, named as so because large piles of ashes believed to be remains of Indian Campfires were found by the first settlers to arrive. It didn’t take too long to be captivated by the beautiful scenery.

Within the first five minutes of walking down a man-made path we were greeted by a small waterfall that can be seen by standing under a larger cave looking up.

If one chose to keep walking, which you would’ve been crazy not to, you would soon after follow another man-made path this one of stone stairs which led to a higher point where you can overlook the entire cave and it’s surroundings.

It was large enough to make anyone feel small. Like most people would, a few of us decided it would be a great idea to sit by the very edges of the cliffs to take some cool photographs.

After an hour lunch at Ash Cave we drove the five miles to our second destination for the day at Old Man’s Cave. If one thought Ash Cave was large they would have quickly rethought that previous statement, as the caves here felt almost never ending.

The paths led you up and down, over and under, and back around so many times that if there weren’t any signs telling the directions towards the next sections you would have definitely have gotten lost.

Just like our last genius idea of sitting near the edges of cliffs at Ash Cave, this time we decided to climb up the highest of rocks and into enclosed spaces to explore.

The paths took longer to explore, but the sights were just, if not more beautiful, than they were at Ash Cave. The best part was when a group of us ran into an old man sitting on a rock wearing a robe. Whether it was for show, or it genuinely was just an old man sitting on a rock we all found amusement in the sight. The cave was named after a hermit man who lived there in the 1800’s and the old man only added to the excitement our of explorations.

With a quick visit to the gift shops to buy promised souvenirs for parents, siblings and friends most of us bought snow cones to end the day before we headed back to camp to return to our routine the next day.

— Jasmin Velez, is a senior anthropology major.

#CollaborativeLearning #HuskyUnleashed

DeeAnne Wymer, professor of anthropology, and a group of Bloomsburg University students hit the road each spring in mid-May to spend four weeks in southern Ohio digging at a Hopewell habitation site. The archeological field school experience enables student teams to rely on new imaging technologies to uncover another living site of the Mound Builders from 2,000 years ago.

A record Hopewell discovery?

Lately at the Balthaser Home Site there have been some really exciting things happening with the feature I was working on (feature 14). About a week and a half ago we discovered a significant amount of pottery sticking out of the north wall of the south-west quarter of our feature.

When we were finally able to begin excavating the north-west quarter, we discovered that this pottery was so large, that Doc and Paco both think it to be one of the largest most complete pots ever found from the Hopewell during this time period.

At the same time we added two new people to our feature and began excavating the south-east quarter at the same time. In that area we discovered some more pieces of mica and some larger fragments of bone.

Finally with only 10 cm of Feature 14 in the north-west quarter left to expose it was time to get the pottery out of the ground. The morning of the extraction we learned that it was going to rain a mere 5 hours from the time of arriving at the site, which meant we had that amount of time to micro-excavate the pottery and remove it from the ground.

Two Geneseo Students and I working very closely, calmly and quickly to remove all pieces inside of the larger portion of the pot got the task done just in time before the rain. All together we took out over 70 pieces inside of the larger piece of pot! Towards the end we used the help of several other students, teaching-assistants, and professors to help extract the large portion from the feature. We were able to get everything done just minutes before the rain started to fall!

Today I was able to assist in the soil sample flotation of a bunch of different samples from all over the Balthaser Home Site. Fortunately I was able to also process some samples from feature 14. We were able to perform the wet lab outside at Mound City in Chillicothe, Ohio. In some of the feature 14 samples we were able to recover a lot of organic material, some pottery fragments, flakes, and even saw some flakes of mica!

The experience at mound city today gave me time to reflect upon myself and upon what I have been a part of for the last 18 days. Truly, I have solidified my passion in anthropology and I don’t think I would have had such an amazing experience at any other university or with any other professors leading the students to such great knowledge and giving us the tools to use to become truly successful one day.

I am so thankful to be a part of such an amazing archaeological dig!

— Stevie Spishock, is an anthropology major.

#CollaborativeLearning #HuskyUnleashed

DeeAnne Wymer, professor of anthropology, and a group of Bloomsburg University students hit the road each spring in mid-May to spend four weeks in southern Ohio digging at a Hopewell habitation site. The archeological field school experience enables student teams to rely on new imaging technologies to uncover another living site of the Mound Builders from 2,000 years ago.