Getting Adjusted to Spain 

 Jenn & LVC Soccer player Jordan Nendza in front of Alcazar Castle, most famously known for housing Isabel of Castilla and Ferdinand of Aragon

"So I have been in Spain for three weeks already and I am really enjoying it. Time has flown by so far. At times I am still amazed that I am here, but it’s been fun so far. My first week here was really rough, just dealing with jet lag, the language difference and the difference in food. But I think that I am starting to get the hang of things. My host mom is crazy, she is really nice, but a bit out there and my host dad is really quiet and nice. I have a fifteen minute walk to school everyday, which really isn’t that bad, except for the times when the weather hasn’t been great. But I shouldn’t complain because I am getting much better weather than Brad! It has only snowed here once and all of the Spanish people freaked out because they are not used to the snow. I found it to be quite comical. It has rained here a few days (yes, I actually did run in the rain, go figure) and it is really windy here, but lately it has been really nice out so I am hoping that it stays this way.  We walk everywhere here, there are buses to take, but walking is pretty much how all the students get around. At a minimum I walk an hour everyday and other days I have walked up to four or five hours. By the end of the four months I am convinced that I will have walked more than ever before, but it’s a good way to burn off the calories from all the food I have been eating!

The food here for me has been the hardest thing to get used to. It has really effected my running as well. I eat a small breakfast everyday at like 7:45, much smaller than in the United States and then I don’t eat again until 2:30, which is just brutal. I am a big snacker so the huge break in between meals has been killing me. Lunch at 2:30 is huge. I tried running one day after eating lunch, which was such a terrible idea. I felt like I was walking just because I was so full. So as soon I am done with class at like 1:30 I try to go out for my run unless I am skyping with someone at home. So I normally try to get out for my run between 1:30 and 2:30 and then I eat lunch after that. Some days I don’t eat lunch until 4, which is really funny because sometimes at school I would go to dinner at like 4:45. Something else that I found extremely interesting when I got here was the fact that all businesses are closed between 2 and 5 every day for siesta, so unlike the United States. And everything except for the bars (which are everywhere) and the churches are closed on Sundays. (No joke!)  I have come to realize that I am not a huge fan of the Spanish lifestyle but its part of the experience. 

Overall though I am really happy with how my running is going here. There are parks right next to the river, so it is a great place to run. There are always other people running and walking their dogs. The first week I was here I ran 32 miles, the second week I ran 40 and this past week I ran 46, so it’s been really good thus far. I know once I start traveling a little bit more, I won’t be able to run as much, so I try to get out as much as I can now. I met a girl from Wisconsin-Lacrosse who went to XC nationals two years ago, but unfortunately our schedules don’t really match up so we have only run once together so far. But Jordan Nendza,who is a soccer player from LVC, has been running with me for part of my runs like two or three times a week, so it’s been really nice to have someone for a few runs. The two of us also joined a gym, close to her apartment. We have been going to body flow twice a week and some other fitness classes and I get to lift as well, so I really can’t complain!" 

The river and park where Jenn does the majority of her running close to her house