I struggle to take good notes. Notetaking is fairly difficult for me mostly because I struggle to put all my thoughts down on paper. It takes several editions before my class notes become legible if I even take them. Normally, my process consists of me scribbling down all the information I hear and maybe going back to edit and clarify. However, I have come to realize how important it is becoming to take more detailed and clean, clear notes on the site. I often come back to start my blog posts which little memory of the day. I knew exciting things happened but the details within the layers of the dig have vanished in my mind. It was not so harmful at the beginning of the dig as I was being bounced around from trench to trench, but now that I’m settled I want to remember the process of the dig, the stratigraphic units, and the finds. 

I have found it useful to take pictures (if I remember) and collect my thoughts at the end of the day. I have been trying, with limited success, to then draw those pictures along with any specific notes from the day. I have found that in re-drawing the photos, I am able to better understand the actual layout of the features, the position of the stratigraphy, and the locations of the finds. Drawing somehow bridges the gap between the reality of the trench and the abstract description and narative of that trench. Sketching comes much easier to me than narratives so having a sketch that simplifies the trench while also documenting the excavation process during the day seems to help me actually take notes. 

This is a process I will have to work through. I have enjoyed carrying my little notebook around to document my thoughts and experiences on Cyprus. 

-audrey