An Update

Finally, some pictures! 

I had a great weekend (though, granted, it isn't quite over yet). On Friday, I went out with a large group of friends to a neighboring town, where we hung out and got dinner. It was really fun to feel like an integrated part of a social group, and amazing to realize that I have the language skills to carry on so many conversations for such a long time without too much trouble. It felt almost like I was hanging out with my group of friends back in the US. I don't really have anything more to say about it, since it was just a normal, fun night.

Yesterday (Saturday), I went to breakfast in Sevilla with my friend and her family, and then did some Christmas shopping. Later, my host brother and I went to the Sevilla vs Malaga soccer game, where Sevilla won 4-1! Everyone was so happy and energetic (except for the very small crowd of Malaga fans), and I had a lot of fun. There's a tradition in Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium where before the game starts, all of the fans stand up and sing the "Hymn of Seville", which is basically a song about how devoted they all are to the team. The best thing I can compare it to is the singing of the National Anthem before a baseball or football game, but this was much more enthusiastic.

All in all, it was a pretty great weekend. A lot of times, it's really hard to be an exchange student and you can easily forget why you chose to do it in the first place. Days like these remind me why.