A Weekend in Málaga
This weekend I had the chance to spend the weekend in Málaga, a beach city in southern Spain (Andalucia). My trip started at 11:59pm on Friday where I took a 7 hour bus ride overnight. I (very unfortunately) was not able to sleep on this busride, so when I arrived in Málaga, I was exhausted. However, after just a few hours of rest at the Airbnb, I was ready to explore the city. I started my day at the local flea market located right across the street from our apartment. It slightly reminded me of the farmers markets that I have gone to in the U.S. There were probably hundreds of vendors selling everything from clothing to fresh produce.
After the flea market, we made our way over to the center of Málaga. Here, the other EUSA students on the trip and I visited Gibralfaro, a castle/fortess from the 10th century. The building is situated on a large hill of the same name (Gibralfaro). This created some beautiful views from the highest parts of the castle. It was an amazing mixture of the perfect ocean view and the scenic city dispersed through the various hills of Málaga. The history of Gibrafaro goes back quite far. The hill has been fortified/occupied since around 700 BC when it was used by the Phoenicians.
Following our descent from Gibralfaro, we made our way to the Picasso Mueseum of Málaga. This is where I learned that Picasso was originally from Málaga. First, however, we took a quick break to enjoy some amazing icecream closeby. Although the museum was very small, it was still a great experience. I really enjoyed the artwork and seeing the progression of Picasso´s art style as well as learning more about his life.
The next stop on our itinerary was the Alcazaba, a fortified palace connected to Gibralfaro. The history of the Alcazaba mirrors that of Gibralfaro. Remnants of Phoenician fortifications inidcate that the area has been in use since 600 BC. It was later transformed into a Roman Villa around 200 BC. The Alcazaba as it is known today was built in the 11th century and later was finished and fortified by Yusuf I in the 14th century. The Alcazaba was beautiful. It was covered in natural vegetation. The Islamic arquitecture was probably my favorite part, especially the arches and fountains. Located next to the Alcazaba is a Roman Theater dating back to the 1st century. Here, I spotted a stray cat sleeping in the shade provided by the old ruins of the Roman Theater!
After a long day of sightseeing, it was finally time to go to the ocean. Here, we decided to tackle an ocean obstacle course (similar to the show Wipeout). Although it was exhausting (and a bit scary), it was so much fun and I really enjoyed the experience. My favorite part was the slide and trampoline. The following day, I spent my last hours in Málaga resting on the beach preparing for the 7 hour busride back to Madrid that was waiting for me.
Week 7 – Reflecting on Communication Differences
Communication is something that I have covered in my past blogs quite a few times as it is such an important part of my internship at SegurCaixa Adeslas. As I have written about before, it has been somewhat difficult to adapt to the high-context nature of the Spanish workplace. High-context means that all aspects of the surrounding environment are necessary to fully understand. For example, things like body language and tone of voice can be just as important as the verbal communication. The U.S. is primarily low-context, meaning that directions, communication, etc. are often straight forward. Luckily for me, there have not been any major cases of miscommunication or misunderstandings aside from the occasional language barrier. I think the biggest case of “miscommunication” comes as a result of scheduled meetings. I have covered this topic in my blogs before. At times when my superviser sets specific times for meetings, he will not bee free/available at the agreed upon time. I have come to figure out that the best option is to just ask my supervisor at the scheduled meeting time if he is busy (unless he is on the phone or with a client). Sometimes, he may push the meeting off for a few more hours or will be ready as soon as I ask him. When it comes to my daily tasks, my supervisor gives me a good amount of creative freedom which naturally results in few miscommunications or misunderstandings. Like I stated previously, sometimes directions are unclear. This, however, is primarily due to the language barrier rather than differing communication styles.
Hasta Luego,
Olivia