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Fish, Fitness, Friends, and Family


If you like fish, you would love it here in Valencia. Though there is a good variety, seafood is much more frequent than in America, as best exemplified by tonight's dinner, which included a delicious tuna salad along with fried fillets as the main course. So delicious.

I'm not sure what it is about a study abroad experience that makes me want to jump outside my comfort zone and try pretty much everything new that I can, but I am thankful that I have been so open. While running through the river (now dry and a park) with a friend on Saturday, we saw a group of people running together. They were clearly in some sort of fitness class, as the trainer had a large speaker strapped to his back and they were doing alternative exercises, such as skipping. Of course we could not just run by, so we decided to join the back of the group to run/exercise along with the music. Turns out that it is a free group that meets a few times a week as a more fun way to prepare for a 15K, and they even invited us out to lunch with them afterward. We already have met back up with them, and tonight ran all the way to the beach and back, which is about 8K, along with multiple stops to do various other exercises. What did I get myself into...

A far less physically strenuous but still very helpful activity have been my experiences with intercambios. Since the language institute where I am learning also has classes for Spaniards to learn English, there are a plethora of people willing to meet for an hour or so each week. During this time, we will speak in English for half of the time to help them out, and then switch to speaking Spanish for a while. While normally we just go to grab coffee and talk near the school, yesterday I met with two young ladies and we played Taboo (where there is a word on a card, along with several words that you cannot use while trying to describe the first). Very fun game, but incredibly challenging in another language, as I used Spanish cards while they used English ones. I think my list of new words I have learned while here in Valencia almost doubled while playing that game, but it is definitely helpful to get me to start speaking more rapidly and fluidly.

Also helpful to learning the language is the fact that I always have someone to talk to with my Spanish host family. It is incredible how similar to my own family my "siblings" are here, as there are three of them between the ages of 12 and 17, only a two year difference! I have been able to play fútbol and basketball with the brother, go to a tradicional ceremony for the sister, and explore the beach and small towns outside of Valencia with them. This weekend we went to the nearby Albufera, a beautiful freshwater lagoon. We even got to ride on a small boat through the canals and see some of the birds and scenery from a different perspective. How symbolic of my trip in general; to be able to travel overseas for a fantastic opportunity to enjoy some scenery while gaining a greater overall perspective of the world that God created and the role he has for me in it. Maybe I should take boat rides more often...


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