Not as glamorous as 'Indiana Jones'

When Kristen Uhlemeyer stepped off the plane and onto Spanish soil this July, she says she immediately thought, "Oh man, what have I gotten myself into?"

This summer, Uhlemeyer, a 2008 alumna of the university, spent a month in Pintia, Spain as part of ArchaeoSpain - a program that provides opportunities to participate in archaeological projects in Spain and Italy, according to its Web site.

Upon arrival, Uhlemeyer learned that the small town she was staying in had no Internet or TV and only one public phone.

"It was just kind of shocking," she says. "You're kind of like, 'What am I going to do with myself?' "

Uhlemeyer wasn't there for vacation. Instead, she shoveled, pick-axed and sifted dirt, all in the name of archaeology.

"I hadn't experienced an actual dig before," she says. "That's really what spurred me on to do this."

Uhlemeyer, who graduated as an anthropology education and history double major, says she was also looking for field experience to complement her degree. After searching for a program, she came across ArchaeoSpain and signed up.

"I wasn't sure what to expect, because I found this place online and just went for it," she says.

Despite her initial uncertainty, Uhlemeyer says the experience ended up being one of the best of her life. She says she met people from other countries, learned about life in a small town and got first-hand archaeological experience.

Uhlemeyer says one of the coolest moments of the trip was the discovery of the first tomb.

"I hit a piece of pottery first," she says. "We yelled for someone to come over, and as we were uncovering it, we found out what it was."

Coincidently, the unearthing of the first tomb coincided with the arrival of a local Spanish news station, Uhlemeyer says.

Since she was focused on digging, she says she didn't realize the station was filming on site. Another member of the crew told her later about their appearance on the news, Uhlemeyer says.

"It was just pretty funny," she says. "I called home and said, 'Mom, I'm apparently on the Spanish news now.' "

While Uhlemeyer's group did find a few tombs, she says they were small.

"Apparently, the group before us found a huge tomb," Uhlemeyer says. "We weren't that lucky."

The excavation sites, she says, are determined before groups arrive. There are approximately five people to a group and each group is assigned a small plot of land to excavate. Members of the group take turns shoveling, sifting and transporting dirt. Everything must be measured and locations have to be specifically cataloged, she says.

"It's definitely not like 'Indiana Jones,' although we all want to be like him," Uhlemeyer says. "It's a lot more meticulous, but it's really rewarding when you actually find something."

Her group's findings included pots, urns and tiny spheres, she says.

"It was kind of crazy to see this bone or ash inside [the urn]. To think that 1,000 years ago this was a person," Uhlemeyer says.

Her typical day started at 6:30 a.m., then she and the crew would begin digging by 7 a.m. and continue until 11:30 a.m., when they took a half-hour break for lunch, Uhlemeyer says. Digging and other work resumed at noon and lasted until 2 p.m., at which time everyone would stop for food and siesta, or an afternoon nap.

Uhlemeyer says the siestas were not hard to get used to.

"By the time we're done working, everyone's pretty much ready for a siesta," she says. "Besides, in college, I think everyone takes a siesta anyways, even if they don't call it that."

After their siesta ended around 5 p.m., she says they would return to work until 7 p.m. During this evening work period, Uhlemeyer says she would clean the lab or piece together the numerous chunks of pottery.

Despite experiencing culture shock at the start of her trip, she says she eventually accepted the differences and had a great time.

"I just embraced it," Uhlemeyer says. "Then, it was such a wonderful experience."