Siesta, cerveza, and some sole

Jet lag, (from what I have been told), affects our bodies systems each day day, for every hour different than your place of origin. So 6 hour time difference, 6 days of recovery. DO I feel better today than I did this past week? Honestly, I felt pretty good up until today. By good I mean energetic, focused, enthusiastic and gung ho about "transitioning myself". Today was different though, it seems everything just slowwwedd down.

I ventured to the university on a friends mountain bike(key transportation in Spanish cities bc of the bike paths designated on almost all sidewalks) to take care of some paperwork and explore the university from about 11 till 2:30. While at the university I completed my requirements in order to be a full time employee starting Tuesday. Woo!


After, I stopped by Johns office, and he was there to remind me it was yummy mid morning break time, an important part of every Spaniards day!  A very essential meal to keep the brain running on all cylinders and in peak shape,  including but not limited to: a small coffee (cafe con leche) and a little sandwich called, romano (delicious Iberian ham and a light tomato spread). Other options are offered of course, like tostadas, pastry, but tomorrow is another day, right?


Now everyone talks about the siesta and how great it is and blah blah blah, hello...I am American, if I have free time, I am doing something! But I realized today that I just don't have a choice about how my siesta is gonna go down. 
Well I had free time, once 2pm rolled around I was going to work out to P90X, then meet tenants at different apartments and make things happen! Well, I popped in P90X (compliments of Brian Schober) and as I was watching the introductory "BRING IT" work out video, in my workout gear, ready to go, I FELL ASLEEP! 

OK so maybe this mid day nap is the way to go, does that mean i need less sleep at night? I would like to think so. 



Tomorrow afternoon John will be running the kick off bbq that will be welcoming international students. He works for the departamento relaciones internacionales and is coordinating the arrival of about 150 students from over 75 different countries. More importantly, I will be operating the bbq, wow my life needs to stop revolving around food. When we went food shopping at Cajafour, (Europes version of walmart), the first item designated by the university on the shopping list, nonetheless than cerveza San Miguel. Orientation/boozee fest! 


After food shopping John and I stopped by Bar el Labrador to meet with another American named Aaron. He is a professor at the university and teaches American Law. We were able to sit comfortably alfresco style on this cool summer night and order from the menú del día. This menu offers 5 to 6 different options for 3 different courses, appetizer, dinner and desert, and includes a beer for 8.50 euros, where are these deals in America?? I was feeling adventures so I ordered cow tongue for the entree, yes tongue. And boy did it look like one when it came out! Before you loose our lunch, it was actually a mistranslation and determined based on taste, texture and google translator that, lenguado, (filet of sole) sounds like lengua, (tongue). Que delicioso.

This weekend will be bringing in many different students to the university and I am helping John in anyway possible; to get to know how the university works and to meet students as well as the faculty that run the show. Saturday will be the paella party followed bya night out for pinxchos(northern Spain's tapas) mmm, and Sunday will include a day trip to the beaches of San Sebastion http://www.sansebastianspain.info/

In regards to the siesta, i think its a habit i may not want to break. 

Hasta Luego