Ah BJJ... leaves me always feeling uneasy lol.
Very awesome you started some martial arts! I love it. I've been on/off some sort of combat martial arts since I was 19. I would have started training at a younger age if I was allowed. Right now, I'm training in MMA with an emphasis in Muay Thai. I previously trained in Eskrima/Kali... then the standard boxing when I came back to the US as finding a legit instructor was and is difficult.
Sparring is always a blast. But, I've learned that I prefer to keep my opponent at a distance, so I react and counter a lot faster when I'm wielding sticks as opposed to empty hand. Or, if my current Kru just decides to switch from drilling combos and go into sparring without telling me, I will end up using moves from Eskrima to counter. It's a lot of fun for both of us. He doesn't get a student who only knows what he's taught him, and I.. well, I just try to survive lol. He knows I train for real life situations and not for sport... so we always end up taking it to another level when we go over combos and counters.
Have fun with it!