Closing Site and the Final Week

Closing Site: the Final Week


The last week on site was hectic, as they always are. Finishing closing lots, replacing sandbags, and inventorying everything from blankets and plastic bags to specialist samples for further study. In all the week was a blur. Thursday in particular stands out as a highlight of the trip. In the middle of all the inventorying and closing site, a few of us began marinating beef and chicken for the final braai. Braai's are a cornerstone of South African culture, a barbecue on open coals doesn't quite sum it up and asking me to properly explain it is a bit like asking a Southerner to explain a cookout/pig pickin. The sense of community it provides is more comparable to a regular fourth of July celebration than anything else. Thursday was our last braai as a group as many of us were leaving Friday once work was finished, and even more early Saturday morning. There was a potent bittersweet taste to the crisp night air as we celebrated the end of the season. Like the rest of the season it was a fantastic time. 


 

Meat wasn't the only thing roasted that night though as it was the final job of the recorders, a position based around cataloguing all finds on site, to roast the entire team. Bridgerton themed jabs around fighting for affections of the camp cat, finally giving me honorary South African status, ghost stories about those who left early, and even reading our Site Leads early poetry, in both English and his translated Afrikaans, the season really ended on a highlight. A few of us stragglers hung around from Friday afternoon to Tuesday when we began flying out. While the relaxation was nice, we were all getting a bit antsy. Some decided to take a beach day and brave the about two hour drive to Mossel Bay. Others did their final loads of laundry, and a few of us went to Cango Caves for the adventure tour. The blur of the past week began to settle into laissez-faire busy work, biding our time until the long, and not so long, flights home. Boomplaas's field season was something truly special and I'm grateful I was able to take part in it.   

 


 


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