Whatever... I live in a castle.

It is better than expected. To start: the flight was not that bad (we landed at 8:10 AM), the two-and-a-half-hour bus ride was not that bad (we got to the castle at 11 AM), the Netherlands is beautiful, and Kasteel Well... wow. I am living in one of the castle's outer towers with three other great guys. The room is huge. Go see Scott's pictures on Facebook. Weíre going to be putting up a video on YouTube soon with a tour of the whole place. We had all the orientation stuff go on, but mostly it was a day of exploring on our own and getting settled in. As tired as I was all day, the staff always had something else to keep us all going.

The food is fine (although I think that may've been that I made sandwiches the entire day), and the staff is very helpful. My computer is giving me problems, so I'm going to have to buy a more high-powered radio the tech guy said. I'm not pleased about this. I don't have very good reception to the wireless network in the castle, and he says that will make it so there's no problem. Free laundry, free printing at the castle.

A few of us went to go watch the sunset over the fields surrounding the castle just outside of Well. It was very calming. Scott, Paulina, and I explored the castle and all its different hidden passages, etc, and then a group of us went to one of the townie bars. I had a very small, very dark beer that Jessica described as root beer, and it was very good. Town is literally a five minute walk. The nice thing about the Netherlands at night (with the exception of the bugs) is that it's much like Colorado in the fact that you can see the sky and stars. I was pleased. In town, there's a large clock that is illuminated at night that is sort of awkward and out-of-place, but it makes you feel sort of welcome and safe. That is how this whole trip (thus far) has felt: safe. I know there's a great deal to discover and do, but for now, I am so pleased and so comfortable.

Starting school is going to be difficult, but I think the fact that I don't have many distractions is good. I guess I'm just not looking forward to it. I'm taking European Literature, Ethics/Value Theory (...ok...), World Drama in its Context, and my Scene Study class. The thing about classes here is that they're all so long, but they only happen once a week (unless your name is European Literature which is twice a week, once at night.) I know they do that purposefully to give us a chance to actually discover Europe, but I feel it's going to be a big testament to my attention-paying skills.

I'm glad everything is starting. Last night, after all those activities, I passed out for 12 1/2 hours, and can safely say that I'm used to the time-adjustment now. This morning I purchased my academic packets (80-some Euros down the drain), and we have meetings all day, plus a tour of Well. This is great.