By Daniel Kwan, Gallery Facillitator and Volunteer

After their first weekend off, the students have returned recharged and ready to dig! Despite the many bruises and sores that I sustained from my hiking trips, I felt more motivated than ever! Due to the progress that we had made in the previous week, precautions had to be made to ensure that the students (and myself) could enter our excavation safely. We have a fantastic group of local Jordanian workers who assist us, many of them have worked with with me during my previous excavation last summer.

After our recent post about mouse-eating frogs, Burton Lim of the mammalogy department, one of the ROM’s bat experts, decided to fight back for the mammals. Behold Trachops cirrhosus, the frog-eating bat!

Every time you turn a corner in Toronto, you discover another venerable stone building resplendent with arches, turrets, gables, or statues perched in a niche. Some are nestled between the encroaching skyscrapers of the banking district, others sit proudly on their original estate. The heritage houses, churches, government and university buildings, even the industrial areas, are still brimming with rich history – all have fascinating stories to tell of life in Toronto’s past.

Can’t make it to the ROM? Make some popcorn, pick up one of these award-winning documentaries related to our current exhibitions and upcoming programs, and have a movie date with the ROM in your own livingroom!

Touched by Water, a documentary by Tamás Wormser, examines bathing rituals and our relationship with water worldwide. It was screened at the ROM this week as part of the day-long Sacred Waters Forum.