Settling In

With two weeks now behind us, Jeanna and I are beginning to get the rhythm of things here in Jaen/Spain. Life is, without a doubt, different here than in the US of A. One of the major differences is the Siesta! I am sure that many of you have heard the word before and maybe used it to describe a little thing we like to call a “nap” or “little snoozer” in el idioma ingles! Siesta is more than a time to rest, however. It is a time to eat, a large break from work, and a time to visit with friends. Siesta lasts from 2 o’clock until 5 in the afternoon. Siesta is not a time to try to get things done (like we would in the US), rather it is a time where life almost literally stops! Siesta is great if you have friends and or family to share it with, but for Jeanna and I it is a time where we have absolutely nothing to do. We have started using this time to begin working out or to do our grocery shopping (the only store that is open during siesta). It is honestly amazing. You can be at the busiest intersection in all of Jaen at 1:30 pm and see thousands of people driving around like MANIACS! Wait a half an hour and safely go lay out in the middle of intersection! Slight exaggeration but it is honestly something to see. It’s a great time to ride your bike downtown!
Feria! Feria directly translated means fair. Feria en espana is nothing like “the fair” in the United States. Feria started last Friday and will continue through Sunday night. It goes from sun-up to… sometimes sun-up once again! Feria includes: carnival rides for the kids, fair like food for everyone, booths selling all kinds of junk and junk food, and casetas (tents) that are literally “pop-up” disco-techs! Loud music and LOTS of drinking/dancing the night away…Did I mention REALLY loud music? Each caseta has its own dj/music. There appears to be a competition between casetas to see who can play their music the loudest. This competition makes it very un-enjoyable to be in any of them! Needless to say, Feria is not really our idea of a good time but it was a cultural experience and both of us mentioned to one another that it would have been more fun if we had friends/family to pass the time with. We went to Feria with the faculty at my school. We all had lunch together and then spent the next couple of hours dancing and trying to visit (did I mention that the music was REALLY loud?). Jeanna was in heaven as she had finally found a place where she could bust out her funky white girl dance and everyone was too drunk to notice that she was in fact a… funky white girl! All joking aside, I looked more out of place than Jeanna as I do not really enjoy the bailando. I had several people ask me if she was born in Spain, as she appeared to enjoy dancing even more than the natives!
Everyday we are learning more about the culture and more of the language. We are both getting used to teaching in Spain and becoming more familiar with the city everyday. Eli has finally found some riding partners (who happen to be… we will save that for another blog) and Jeanna is finding more and more places to run. The mountain biking here seems to be rather incredible. We have also found tons of hiking/ Mt.Biking trails and have spotted some bolted rock climbing routes right below the castle. Rock climbing directly below an ancient castle???? (Whit and Mavis- this us telling you to come visit us ASAP!) We miss you all very much but it might be difficult for us to come home
From Jaen To all of You (Or ya’all in the vosotros form)
Eli and Miss Jeanna