Hello Again! Last blog I reflected on my soft and hard skills, and my competencies in the workplace. I also wrote more about my free time in Madrid and what I did that week. Today, I will be writing about how my leadership skills and styles have improved or not changed in my work experience as a Puerto Rican undergraduate student from Pitt in Madrid, Spain. I will also be writing about my trip to Barcelona, Spain last weekend!

To commence, I want to make a comparison between my previous leadership style and my current style. To be completely honest, not much has changed. The work I am currently doing does not include much leadership. However, since the beginning, I could say that my leadership skills have improved slightly. In the start, I was being assigned tasks that involved no room for creativity or optimization. I then realized that I needed to step up and talk with my supervisor to make task arrangements. I was then assigned a more personalizable task. I needed to create a personalized email to wineries based on their wine catalog and provide them with a business deal that was made by the company. My task involved doing research and having more control over my ideas and creativity. The sense of control over that area was felt and my spot and leadership in the company were more noticeable. Other people in the company needed my job to be done so that they could continue working. This week, my supervisor who was majorly involved with the contact with the different wineries, went on a vacation trip therefore I was more in charge of the sales department since I now need to do his part of the work, which involved the more in-depth conversations with the various wineries or closing a deal. To make a short conclusion about my experience with leadership so far, I realized that If you want to be a leader, you need to step up and fight for what you want and intervene in scenarios or tasks that are not productive or do not create any type of change to your current intellectual enhancement. I am becoming a better leader as a result of this experience because now I know what to do in a case similar to how I started in the company and I feel more confident about stepping up for the particular reason that it is going to lead to a more practical productivity.

Now, stepping out of the office, I want to share my experience in Barcelona this past weekend. The first activity we did on the trip was the Barceloneta Beach. This beach has a short coast and an overpopulated attendance. The landmark was so crowded that we almost could not find a spot to sit. However, the views of the sea are always as relaxing as any other. To build a comparison, the beach in Valencia had way more space and activities in the beach to do (playing soccer, volleyball, beach gym, rope obstacles, etc.), while the one in Barcelona had nothing that I just listed.

Later that night we went to a nightlife experience, going to several bars and ending up in one of the biggest nightclub experiences in Barcelona. I got to meet a lot of international people from Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, Scotland, Denmark, and many more. Barcelona has by far the most international tourists I have ever seen in a city.

The next day I went to the Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, known for its unique and intricate architectural design. Designed by the renowned architect Antoni Gaudí, it is a masterpiece of modernist architecture and is characterized by its innovative and symbolic design elements. I did a guided tour of it and when I arrived in the area I was speechless of how huge this building was. It looked like a Disney castle, but an improved version of it. The tour was more than worth the money and time. The guide explained how the building was not yet finished and that there were parts of the building that included archaic materials and other parts that had modern materials. Gaudi’s masterpiece illustrated short static scenarios of the Bible and Jesus. This building is by far the most impressive building I have seen yet.

Later that day, we went to Park Güell which in contrast to the Sagrada Familia, the Park has vibrant and whimsical architectural features which are also designed by Antoni Gaudí. This park had incredible views of Barcelona and very colorful structures. I loved the view from below the main plaza where you can see the chameleon and the other fountains. This park was inspired by nature and you could see different patterns that highlight the inspiration. Something curious that the guide said is that Gaudí’s teacher was a tree, yes the man said that his teacher is a tree. Gaudís major inspiration for his projects was nature, especially trees.

The last sightseeing plan we had, was Casa Milá. They call it la Pedrera which means “The Quarry” in Catalan, due to its rough-hewn, stone-like appearance. The building features an unconventional floor plan and a self-supporting stone facade, which allows for large, open interiors without the need for load-bearing walls. This design was ahead of its time and showcased Gaudí’s innovative approach to architecture. The building was a fun place to go, you could go inside and see the family room who previously lived there. Also, the pass includes roof access which also had views of the city and a view toward La Sagrada Familia.

Thank you again for riding along with me in this experience and I will see you next week…M á l a g a.

Adiós!