Senior Sarah Crosley uses Hall Grant to spend three weeks in Romania working on archaeological sites.
This past summer Sarah Crosley, senior Classics and English major, had the opportunity to use her Hall Grant to spend her three weeks in Romania. During her time abroad, Crosley volunteered with a group of students who learned, practiced and applied basic archaeological skills used by professionals in their field.
For her time in Romania, Crosley and her volunteer group worked on two different sites. The first was located in Simeleu, Romania and dated back to 100 CE. This site was a “rescue excavation” which means that before construction can begin on a known archaeological site, archaeologists have to be brought in to dig before anything can be built. During her time on this site, Crosley learned how to utilize her time and move quickly–as well as how to use a pick axe.
The second site was located in Alba Iulia, Romania. This was one that people would typically imagine when they picture an archeology site. Here she moved much more slowly when working and learned how to date and label what she found. One of the most interesting things she found was a piece of human jaw bone dating back 7,000 years.
In addition to her Hall Grant, Crosley received a scholarship from Phi Sigma Iota, the international language honor society. She used this to learn Romanian before her trip and practice it while abroad. Hall Grants are provided by the Hall Family Foundation and are awarded to only five Jewell students a year. They aim to help students with summer programs that Jewell does not offer, so receiving this grant was a great opportunity.
When she was not working on sites, Crosley enjoyed her free time by roaming the cities of Romania, trying the local cuisine and spending time with the other student volunteers. One of her favorite memories is when she traveled to Bran Castle located in Brasov, which is known for one of its most famous residents: Count Dracula.
During her time abroad, Crosley was able to work on real life archaeology sites and practice skills used by professional archaeologists. She admits that studying abroad was much different than she thought it was going to be. Her time abroad taught her to stay relaxed and roll with whatever was thrown her way. As a whole, Crosley met amazing people from all over the country and was provided with opportunities and skills that cannot be replaced.