Jesse Evensky: An Update On His Life In Spain

Spending a year abroad as an exchange student would be an intimidating thought for many people; but not for Jesse Evensky. For anyone that knows Jesse Evensky, they know his outgoing personality and maturity made him a perfect candidate to tackle such a feat.

The normal Rotary Club process for exchange students requires a preliminary application be submitted six to 12 months before the date of departure, depending on the hemisphere the student will be traveling to. For Evensky an application was due 12 months in advance, as ample time was needed for the rigorous selection process. If an applicant is accepted after the preliminary application, he or she is then put through multiple interviews, more applications and testing to ensure they are a fit for the program. Moreover, an applicant must excel in school as well as be a stand out citizen in their community.

After arriving in Spain, Evensky posted a status on his Facebook reading: If you see an exchange student sitting by themselves in lunch go introduce yourself to them it's hard. However, he was not discouraged. "At first it was hard. I mean it's a completely different world, but I knew with time I'd make some friends," said Evensky.

"The transition from only speaking English to only speaking Spanish was rough but practice makes perfect, and I got a LOT of practice," said Evensky.

"I am fluent now," said Evensky "Even though the process was long and very frustrating at times, and you just wouldn't believe how lost I felt in conversations at first. It was something that my Spanish lessons before I left could have never gotten me prepared for." Evensky added.

Thanks to Evensky's location, his exchange program allows him to travel anywhere in the European Union. In turn Evensky has done extensive traveling during his stay. His travels include stays in Toledo, Granada, Lisbon, Salamanca and the Portuguese coast. "Traveling has easily been my favorite part of my experience, you wouldn't believe how gorgeous some of these places really are," said Evensky. During his trips Evensky travels with other American exchange students who have turned into some of his closest friends. "The Portuguese cost was one of my favorite trips, the beaches were just unbelievable and there's just nothing like laying on the beach in the sun."

However, traveling is only half of the excitement for Evensky. As anyone who knows Evensky well knows, his love for soccer is almost overpowering. He plays, watches, and even plays xbox 360 soccer games for hours; he just cannot get enough soccer. Luckily for him, soccer in Europe is huge and he has gotten a true taste of real soccer during his stay. "One of my favorite memories during my whole stay has got to be when I got to go to the Real Madrid (profession soccer team) game. You don't know crazy until you attend one of these games," said Evensky.

Despite all the fun Evensky is having he says he still cant help but miss his family and all his friends. "It's a little bizarre celebrating my birthday as well as other holidays without my family and friends, and I have to say that's got to be one of the hardest things about this year abroad," said Evensky.

Evensky was scheduled to arrive back home sometime in June, however, he plans on staying for extra time to attend the World Cup soccer games with a group of his friends this summer. Despite extending his stay, Evensky says he looks forward to being back in the States again and catching up with all the friends he has missed so much.