Deciding to take this opportunity was a choice completely on my own. I have been a history major the majority of my time at MSU. However within this time I have never been able to nail down exactly what I wanted to do. Being able to go to school for me is a privilege in itself, but I had never seen a goal in site. I had always imagined myself on the museum curation side. I was in school for survival purely, but I’m happy to report that this trip has changed my perspective. For the first time I have felt passion and drive behind what I am doing. I have felt purpose and understanding, not only in the work but in my peers. This trip helped me click all the pieces into place. The genuine connection made between me, my peers, and my passion has been more of a driving force than anything I have experienced thus far in my academic career. This experience has opened my eyes to what I would like to do the rest of my life. Even with no sleep, no food and sun sick, I couldn’t help but smile every day on site, and getting to experience this with amazing, like minded and like motivated peers, made it all the better. I found myself constantly learning from everyone around me. The exhilarating thrill of a find, the hard, unforgiving work, creating theories, and finding the evidence to support or refute them, all left me with a sense of purpose I have been searching for. After this trip, I have decided that archaeology is for me, and I cannot wait to continue down this road with my peers at my side.