End of week two

Week two ended with our team reaching nearly its full complement. We concluded the work week with trench tours delivered by many of our students and site supervisors and a great discussion of the large polygonal wall construction. Periodically we ask students, supervisors, and researchers to give short presentations on their work, describing what has been happening in their trenches and the various problems (and solutions)they have been facing. Alyssa Allen, Steven Mooney, Lorna McVey, Kyle Mahoney, Tom Brown, Arianna Nagle, Cody Anderson, and Professor Ben Marsh all gave very informative talks on their work. 

The week concluded with a great party in honor of four students who graduated from UVic this semester. Because of UVic's schedule and our project's, the students were not able to attend the formal graduation ceremony in Victoria. Hosted by Haley Bertram, Ally Walsh, and Janelle Sadarananda, the sea-side view apartment party was a great event. People brought snacks, pizza, and drinks.The graduates are Sara (Sara) Daruvala, Sam Bartlett, Robyn Cunningham-Dunlop, and Honor Neve. We are very grateful that they chose to participate in the excavation and hope that they remember this graduation event for a long time. I know it probably wasn't the kind of experience the students or their parents might have imagined when they started university, but I hope it foretells a life of continuous experiential learning opportunities - the mark of a very good university education.  

Sunday afternoon has been spent resting and recovering. A rather strong rain storm in the afternoon was a bit daunting, but the forecast for the week is for a sunny, and very hot week three.