Sports Nutrition and the Mediterranean Diet / May 23rd

Hanna and I woke up at 9 so we could go get breakfast at a café before meeting at the bus stop at 11. We had seen people eating big pieces of toast with olive oil and honey so we wanted to try it! We went to a café by the by the bus stop and ordered Café con Leche y Tostada con aceite de olive y miel. (we had to look up the Spanish word for honey!) I was amazed that something so simple could taste to good! The quality of the bread and olive oil really makes a difference compared to food in the US. 

After breakfast, we met the group at the bus station and traveled to Heliopolis. We got back into our project groups and finished our presentation. Then we practiced presenting our presentation. I made sure to speak very slowly, loudly and clearly. Sean said we would have to speak even slower for the kids to understand us. I asked our project partner, Jose Carlos, if he thought we (the Viterbo students) were speaking fast, he said yes! It’s interesting because Spanish here is spoken exceptionally fast! Maria said that this is the best place in the world to learn Spanish because if you can understand spanish here, you can understand it anywhere. Southern Spain is known for speaking quickly, they also abbreviate words or not finish sentences. For example, instead of saying “Buenos noches” at night, our senora will often just say “Bueno.” The literal translation of “Bueno” is “good,” but I know she means “good morning” or “good night” (depending on the time of day). Also, while out and about Hanna noticed “de nada” means “your welcome” but many people simply say “nada” which directly translates to “nothing” but people use it as a response to “gracias”! Maria drew the comparison to Scotland, if you can understand English through a thick Scottish accent, you can understand English anywhere. Similarly, if you understand Spanish in Sevilla where everyone speaks fast and shortens their language, you can understand spanish anywhere! I can only understand my senora when she speaks very slowly and uses a lot of basic words and hand gestures! After class at Heliololis, we went home and had bean stew for lunch. Beans are a big part of the Mediterranean diet. 

There is a dish: Garbanzo con Espinacas that I really want to try before I come home! It’s garbanzo beans and spinach cooked in tomato sauce. We also had gazpacho for lunch, we drank it out of a glass! I think Gazpacho is my favorite food here so far! After lunch, Hanna and I had a siesta for about an hour, then headed out to try again to find the ceramic shops in Triana. I was excited because Triana is beautiful and I love being down by the river. This time, after asking someone “donde esta tienda de ceramica” we were able to find the shops! The ceramic of Triana is so beautiful. It’s all handmade, and inspired by the ceramic tiles that are in the sides of many buildings here in spain. In one shop, we even saw a woman painting the ceramics! I probably wasn’t allowed to take pictures in the shops but I snuck a few anyway. There were so many colorful plates, bowls and jugs for olive oil. I felt like was in an art gallery! We were glad to find the ceramics, so, we took a leisurely stroll back home for dinner. Hanna and I had the option to join the rest of the SAIIE for dinner but decided not to because we really enjoy eating with our host family and roommates from Georgia. Social eating with your family is a big part of the Spanish culture and I really feel like making strong bonds with our host family is a good experience. After dinner, our roommates, Sara and Lauren put on some music and began to teach the kids how to swing dance! So we had a little fiesta right in the kitchen! Sonora then brought out her castanets, which are like little wooden clapping instruments used in flamenco dance shows. She showed us how to flamenco dance! Very fun! After that we were all pretty tired so we decided to go to bed a bit early, around 11:30. It was a pretty relaxing day so I’m excited to be back on the move again tomorrow for our trip to Ronda! Our Senora even offered to pack a lunch for us! I read that Ronda is home to the oldest bull ring in the world as well as many beautiful historic bridges. I’m not sure what we plan to do in Ronda but I’m sure it will be great!