Week 4 – Adaptability and Flexibility

During the past 3 weeks of working in Madrid, I have encountered a few different obstacles when it comes to assimilating to the work culture and environment of Spain. I have found that in these instances, it is very important to be flexible and to learn how to adapt. For me, one of the most difficult aspects of the Spanish work culture to adapt to has been the different communication style, specificially that of my supervisor. The United States uses a very direct form of communcation, which means that expectations are very clear and tasks are specifically outlined. Spain, however, is a high context society, meaning that oftentimes expectations are not clearly set and tasks are not clearly defined. During my time here, I have come to notice that it is important to pay attention to body language and tone of voice just as much as verbal communication. I have experienced this most with my supervisor who often does not set clear cut deadlines, meeting times, etc. I have had to become more flexibile in terms of scheduling and planning my time because of this. For example, a project that I expect to take less than a day may take 3 because of my supervisor´s expectations and schedule. In order to adapt to this, I have set dedicated days to filming (usually Fridays) and use other days to edit videos, create content, and write new scripts/pitches.

Segovia

This weekend I went to Segovia, a small city north of Spain known for it´s Roman aqueducts. Although the day trip was an amazing experience, I cannot say the same for the trip to Segovia. Due to the high speed train tickets being sold out, the next best option was to take a 2 hour commuter train. However, what I didn´t realize was that in order to arrive in Segovia, I had to transfer trains halfway through the trip. After arriving at Cercedilla, a town in the middle of Madrid and Segovia, myself and the other EUSA student that was on the train, asked a few other passengers if we were on the correct train. They told us that the train we were on would go to Segovia. However, after the doors closed and the train started going in the direction we had just come from, I realized that we were actually going back to Madrid. After frantically asking other passengers what to do, we ended up getting off a few stations back were we caught another train back to Cercedilla. During this time, I met a couple from Taiwan that was also in the same situation as us. We were able to help them figure out how to get to Segovia as they did not speak any Spanish.

After eventually arriving in Cercedilla, we had to wait another hour for the next train to Segovia. During this time, I talked with the couple that we had befriended and learned that they were in Madrid for a graduate student conference and were taking a day trip to Segovia. They seemed very shocked that I was a university student from the U.S. (I´ll just take that as a compliment to my Spanish skills). All in all, the entire journey to Segovia took 4 hours. On the bright side, it was a great way to practice my Spanish, it showed me just how kind and helpful Spaniards truly are, and I was able to help out a very lost couple. Eventually, we were able to reunite with the other EUSA students once arriving in Segovia.

Aside from the train situation, Segovia was such a beautiful city. It is very old which adds to its charm. Admittedly, I had not researched anything about Segovia as the trip was very last minute, so when I stumbled upon the massive Roman aqueducts in the center of the city, I was very surprised. It was so interesting to see how the aqueducts were just a part of the city. Just a few feet away from them was a massive television screen playing the soccer match between Spain and Croatia. It was such an interesting experience.

Despite arriving to Segovia nearly 3 hours late, I was still able to see so much. We saw Catedral de Segovia, a massive cathedral close to the center of the city. Its history as one of the latest gothic cathedrals in Europe was very interesting, and the cathedral itself was stunning. After our tour of the cathedral, we walked through the town and did a bit of shopping in Segovia´s Jewish Quarter. I bought a few gifts for family and friends here. One of the most common souvenirs were small ornamental plates. Their patterns reminded me a lot of Pennsylvania Dutch designs, expecially those that featured plants and birds. Next, we made our way to Palacio Episcopal de Segovia, the former residence of bishops in Segovia. It was a nice museum; my favorite part was the preserved rooms of the bishops. Our last destination was the Alcázar de Segovia, a medieval castle. It was such an elaborate building and the view was beautiful.

Hasta luego,

Olivia