Well, hello there.

I can’t quite believe I’m saying this, but I’m writing to you from the Isle of Man. I’m sitting in what used to be some sort of medieval dining hall in King William’s College. As you can see from the site, the school itself is actually a castle. It’s also an elite boarding school for British students, and the school has allowed me to stay in a dorm (with roomates I have yet to meet!) as I work here. Archaelogy students from the University of Liverpool are doing an excavation at the nearby Rushen Abby, and they’ve allowed me to tag along and help when I’m not working with Manx. It’s quite a fascinating archaelogical site with plenty of ancient Manx artifacts, so I’m quite excited for that.

This town is called Castletown. It’s a port built around the ancient Castle Rushen, with shops and inns lining the cobblestone streets. King William’s lies right outside of the port area, and stretches all the way to the Irish Sea (my dorm room overlooks the Sea, facing toward Ireland.)

I promise I’ll post pictures soon. I’m not quite sure how long my battery will last me, and I have to get unpacked pretty soon, too.

As far as the journey itself goes, it was fairly pleasant. I flew from LAX to Newark to London Gatwick to IOM. The last leg of the trip was on a tiny propeller plane, which was certainly a unique experience.

Right now, I haven’t slept for the past 24 hours or so, and I need a nap. Another update soon, I promise.