First Impressions

Since arriving in Madrid over a week ago, I have come to really appreciate all the city has to offer. The first official day of the program, I got to meet my host family. Both the mother and daughter are super nice and very hospitable. I have noticed that my understanding of Spanish has already been improving as a result of our daily conversations over dinner (although that may be in part due to my host mom speaking veryyy slow). I still struggle at times with communication; however, it now seems a lot less daunting than I originally expected it to be. After getting to know my host family, I took some time to walk around the area I will be living in, a quiet neighborhood located in Chamberí and just a single 10-minute metro ride away from the center of Madrid.

The following days, I attended the EUSA orientations and got to meet the other students participating in the program (including those from Pitt, Chapman, and USC). We learned about how communication styles differed between the United States and Spain and what to expect for our prospective internships. We also got to try some traditional Spanish tapas. The calamari and tortillas were great. In Spain, tortillas are not what is typically considered a tortilla in the U.S. or Latin American (corn or flour flat bread). Instead, in Spain tortillas are more like omelets and traditionally have potatoes and onion in them. As somebody who usually doesn’t eat pork, I am working up the courage to try Iberian ham, Spain’s most famous food. We also got a historical tour of Puerta del Sol, which is essentially the Time Square of Madrid. We ventured into Plaza Mayor and later got to see Palacio Real, the previous royal palace of Spain. I also learned that the term “Gato” is used to refer to Madrileños, or people who live in Madrid. It originates from the swiftness and agility shown by Madrid soldiers during a battle to reclaim Madrid in the 1000 C.E.

Puerta del Sol

Over the weekend, I got to do a little more exploring of the city. I returned to El Prado with some of the other people I met during the orientation. This time, I was able to get a closer look at some of my all-time favorite paintings, like the tryptic The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch and the entire black paintings collection by Francisco Goya. The paintings that caught my attention the most in this display were Saturn Devouring His Son and Witches’ Sabbath (The Great He-Goat). These paintings were quite scary, and it was interesting to see how much his style changed from the previous court paintings I had seen by him earlier in the day. Unfortunately, the Prado does not allow pictures, so here are some references from the internet:

Saturn Devouring His Son (Goya), Witches’ Sabbath (Goya), The Garden of Earthly Delights (Bosch)

After our trip to the Prado, we rested in the shade of Retiro Park. Later that evening, we went to TGI Friday’s to watch the upcoming soccer game: Real Madrid vs. Real Betis. The restaurant was right next to the arena which meant we could hear all the cheers and screams of the game. Sadly, however, the game ended in an uneventful 0-0 scores. Even so, it was fun to experience the admiration and popularity of soccer (or fútbol) in Spain.

Week 1 – Assessing the Business Environment

I will be working at SegurCaixa Adeslas which is a Spain-based insurance company. I will primarily be doing marketing for the company which involves social media as well as developing their website. I think in this particular field of work, communication and basic tech abilities are very important to be successful. For example, I expect to both give and receive a lot of feedback regarding my work and the creative process. In this sense, it is important to have open communication. My supervisor prefers that employees introduce new ideas or ways of doing things. I also think creativity and ingenuity are important skills to have in this field.

In terms of skills that are unique to my host country, I consider the communication style that I will have to adopt to be the most important. Effective marketing is reliant on effective communication, and communication in Spain differs greatly from that found in the United States. For example, Spain is considered a high-context society, which means that feedback is often not given directly and more often than not depends on body language, tone, and additional cultural understanding. As I will be marketing to a Spanish audience aside from the occasional non-Spaniard looking for travel insurance, I will have to greatly adapt my communication style to fit in with what is expected and customary in Spain.

Until next week,

Olivia