Happily in Durham

Good morrow, all! I know you've been waiting patiently for me to post, and so I am here to put your minds at ease (for I know you worried so much about my safe travel) and to entertain you with stories of my journey and my first few days here at Durham University.

As you all know, I was unable to make it out of Tallahassee on the intended day of my departure, but fear not, I was rebooked on the 9:35am flight out of Tallahassee the next morning...delayed until 10:07am...further delayed until 11:35am. It appears as though the plane that I was initially supposed to be on the night of the 29th was the same plane to be used for the 9:35 on the 30th...It had some serious issues, but either way, I made it out of Tally that day:

Journal Excerpt: "I am now on the 11:20am out of Tallahassee on a plane that isn't having 'mechanical problems' like the original plane I was scheduled to fly out on. Mom is here with me so I have found no need to examine others for signs of witchcraft as of yet, but it has occurred to me that this may be the case regarding my inability to leave this city."

So, after making it out of Tallahassee, the world kind of opened up for me, and I didn't really have anymore travel problems, unless you count the inability to completely confirm that my luggage, which was sent to Atlanta on the 29th, would actually be on my flight to Amsterdam...but that's a different issue altogether. I quote my own journal, yet again, to say, "Once you reach Atlanta, the world is shiny and new!" And it certainly was. I was put in business class on the flight to Amsterdam to make up for the mishaps with my flight the day before. It was magnificent:

Journal Excerpt: "I sat next to a nice man on his way to Berlin, and we didn't say anything more than our final destinations. I love people who hate people. We're a good bunch."

When I finally made it to Amsterdam, we got in early and I was only 3 hours away from that final leg of the journey.

Journal Excerpt: "I have been sitting quietly in the gate area attempting to use the horrible wifi to contact my Florida-bound friends and dodging glances from the mysterious European passengers...They can tell I'm an ugly American...I just know it."

After Amsterdam, I flew to Newcastle where I was picked up and taken to St. John's College at Durham University, where I am currently sitting now. It is so beautiful here. The Cathedral is literally steps away, and with my proclivity towards art history, it is all I can do not to be there every waking moment.

On the 2nd, I had Fulbright orientation and got to tour the city with the group, but before that, all of my electronic devices used to make my hair look accpetable mysteriously died or simply were not having it in Europe...that is to say, my curling iron pulled the 'I just don't work today' card, forcing me to buy a European one. With that trial out of the way, however, I had a fabulous first day in Durham. I had to eat breakfast, which is basically a chore for me (we all know I'm not about that breakfast life) but at least it's a nice time to talk to people. We got our student ID cards this day...mine is, of course, atrocious, but it will do to get me into the library and make me feel like a legitimate student. That night, my friends and I...SIDEBAR: Yes, I have made friends already, and I know you're all shocked...don't worry, so am I...sat up for hours trying to find train and hotel tickets to stay this Friday night and Saturday day in Edinburgh, Scotland. Eventually we gave up and decided to just go in for the day Saturday, but either way, I'M GOING TO SCOTLAND THIS WEEKEND WOOO!!!!!

Today, and I know this is what you want to hear about most, was my first day at the Binchester archaeological site.  Why don't I just journal this one for you...

Journal Excerpt: "This morning, I got up and got ready for my first day of pit digging. After deciding to sleep later than 7am and just had a truly wretched hair day, I slipped into my man boots and dirt-ready apparel and headed down to breakfast (which is still a foreign and uncomfortable time for me.)"

That sounds about right. No, but seriously, the site is amazing. I got to dig in the area outside of the fort where the bathhouse would be located. I worked with another girl in my group and we found some pretty interesting stuff. In addition to clearing out some of the dirt and rocks in order to make way for the excavation of the Roman stone areas, we unearthed a great piece of pottery and a seriously well preserved cow bone. Picture to come on Facebook!

Ok guys, that about sums up my first 3 days of adventure at Durham. I hope this keeps you in the loop for now. I will keep you updated on the rest of my activities...look for some serious fun when we hit Edinburgh this weekend, but please do enjoy the stories from today and look for my pictures later! They are amazing! Local time: 10:18pm...you people are so lucky I care about blogging for you rather than sleeping early.