Hello everyone!

I have just passed the halfway point of my time here in Madrid and it is absolutely flying by. Since the blog last week, I have had so many different tasks at work. This includes an event that I went to with my supervisor where we had a training workshop for some of the students from a nearby college that are going on one of the educational programs that our company offers. It was a nice experience and it was fun to leave the office for a change and actually get to know some of the kids that are benefiting directly from our company. I am constantly kept busy and work and am handed multiple new tasks a day before I get to finish the previous ones. With some of the tasks it sometimes feels like my work isn’t even being used since they are not brought up or mentioned a second time. I guess that is just part of the go-with-the-flow work style where they just tackle new issues as they arise. Outside of work, I am continuing to become more comfortable in the city. I have been making more of an effort to try to talk to locals more, even if that means walking into a store quickly to make conversation. The little interactions I have are important as they help me build confidence in my speaking abilities. This past weekend a few friends and I took a quick trip to Barcelona to explore the city. It was interesting to see a different city in Spain and see the Catalan language very prevalent throughout the city. The mountains and beaches make for some pretty awesome views, but I can definitely say that I enjoy the city of Madrid a lot more and am very happy that this IIP program takes place here.

I have improved many soft skills during my time in Madrid. First, I believe my work ethic has strengthened since the start of my internship. I believe this is a result of the unplanned work style and me wanting to not fall behind when new projects suddenly appear. Also, my coworkers are always working hard around me, which forces me to match them and keep up with my tasks. Another soft skill I’m improving is my ability to listen and follow directions. I have two main coworkers who I interact with most on the daily, each of them telling me different things. Often their plans change and my tasks change, so listening well and being able to adapt is necessary and something I’m practicing each day. Lastly, my ability to accept feedback and turn it into something positive is a skill I have worked on. Obviously, I’m going to make mistakes every once in a while. Rather than getting discouraged or frustrated, I am grateful for the advice as I know that my coworkers have much more experience and are sharing their knowledge with me. I have already learned many valuable tips and tricks from many different people in my office.

One hard skill includes the importance of marketing. I am learning through my position that marketing tasks go much deeper than what I originally thought, and there are infinitive ways to achieve these. I feel that as an intern, it is common that I am responsible for busy work or trial runs to see if things work. So, as a result, I am learning new methods that I had not previously thought to use. I have been responsible for completing various marketing duties, including website design, content development, social media, google analytics, and I believe I will be working a little with SEO in the future. Each of these duties teaches me valuable lessons that I will never forget.  I am also practicing a lot with my computer skills. Each day I use Microsoft Office for various tasks, and as much as I hate Excel, I am getting better at it over time. I have also tried using different computer programs that I have not used in the past, expanding my knowledge in these areas. I hope to learn more specific marketing tools that I can utilize over time in this field. 

I am excited for the next month of work, and I am looking forward to learning as much as I can in order to prepare me for the best possible future. 

See you next week