It's been almost a month since I posted anything, so even though I'm not feeling particularly inspired, I'll give it a try. Life has been very average here - school, family, etc. - and I left my camera charger in the US so there hasn't been much to share. I would say that I've gotten past homesickness (of course there's always some lingering feelings, but in general I'm doing a lot better there) but I've still been having a really hard time. I'm dealing with it, and I'll be okay, but I guess the one piece of advice I would have for future or current exchanges is to remember that you only have one year here, and to waste that time doing something you don't enjoy is insane. Also, remember that you can't hold yourself to the same standards as you would in your home country. I'm taking a rather atypical approach to exchange by actually attending school and extracurriculars as I would normally. This means I have to work very hard and definitely adds to my stress level, but it also means that I managed to pass an exam! I am very proud of my 6 on a History of Art exam that was essentially an hour straight of writing in Spanish.
I've decided to drop rowing, as it has become the source of a lot of my problems recently. This definitely goes against my instincts (quitting) but, like I said, you can't waste your exchange year doing something you don't enjoy. I'm currently searching for an equipo femenino de fútbol (a soccer team for girls) but the sad truth seems to be that soccer is not a girl's sport in Spain. There exist a few teams and I'm using my typical "persistence" to exhaust all possible options before giving up. I REALLY want to play Spanish soccer, but we'll have to see...
Yesterday was Halloween, which is an odd "holiday" in Spain. Officially it doesn't exist, but many people (particularly kids and teenagers) have decided to adopt the American custom because who doesn't like dressing up and getting candy? However, the best metaphor I can come up with is when you're in a group of people and someone tries to start doing the wave, and half the people participate and the other half glare at them disgustedly. Trick-or-treating is a custom that dictates that EVERYONE participates, meaning that kids dress up and adults buy candy and turn on their lights and the town shuts down for a few hours. Spanish Halloween scared me a little bit because it involves copious amounts of alcohol and trick-or-treaters almost getting run over because they're in the middle of the street.
I celebrated the day by going to a Betis soccer game, which was my fourth here in Sevilla. My host dad has two season passes and the rest of my family doesn't like soccer. We tied 0-0, but it was an interesting game to say the least. A Betis player was red-carded at 30 minutes and at about 75 minutes we were awarded a PK which we missed - twice, due to the goalie moving the first time. Betis fans are a loyal bunch, applauding and singing even as their team hovers in relegation territory. Most of them have spent their entire lives supporting the team, and have never really expected them to be the best in Spain. Rather, being bética means going to games, cheering when they lose, and having a drink afterwards with your family and friends (along with hating the sevillistas, supporters of the other team in Sevilla).
Congratulations to the Red Sox, love to all, and good luck to the other Outbounds from 7870!