Hello everyone!
As I’m writing this blog I’m approaching my final week with my program and working with Nodis Homes. This past week was filled with continued experiences and learning and I can’t believe in my next blog post I’ll be reflecting on it all back in the United States.
Internship Update →
My monday started with me working solo as my supervisor had a half day and didn’t come into work until later that afternoon. Working solo that day brought new challenges that I haven’t had before. During the morning we had potential clients show up wanting more information and to see the residence we call this a surprise visit or tour, we accept these but typically ask individuals to book an appointment. My co-workers were busy and my supervisor was not here who usually joins me on the tours. So it was my responsibility to give them the full tour, this includes showing them around the residence, common areas, and a staged room and then at the end answering any questions they may have. I’ve given tours before but have always had my supervisors help to answer questions and point out areas I may have forgotten. Giving a tour by myself was something I had feared but the clients were super nice and I felt like both of the tours were very successful. There were a few questions about logistics I was unable to answer, so at the end I took them to the reception desk where they could ask the receptionist any other questions about the residence and its amenities. Having this experience taught me that you are more capable of doing things then you sometimes think you are. But this also further showed how much my Spanish has improved within my time in Spain.
The rest of the week continued with tours, translating marketing materials for the company and continued progress on my internship long project. Further I have been getting closer and closer with my co-workers and am going to be truly sad to leave them this upcoming friday.
Week 8 Question → Success in your Host Culture
I’ve found it’s hard to exactly understand how they define success in Spain but I have picked up on a few things. To start with my workplace success for my department of marketing and sales is their ability to reach their desired occupancy. My supervisor is incharge of sales for the location I work out of and is seen as successful in her department due to her ability to have a high percentage of occupancy. For me and the way they define my success is by my ability to show up on time, work on my assignments and assist them where needed, they often compliment me on my ability to do tasks and call me #1 so i consider that as me being a successful or well liked intern.
In general for Spain I haven’t been able to pick up on the exact idea of success because I feel like with anything it varies depending on the person and their lifestyle. My host family would be seen as a successful Spanish family due to them all having college degrees and living in one of the best neighborhoods in Madrid. Overall the idea of success in Spain seems to center around the idea of quality of life. Quality of life entailing your ability to spend time with family and friends, your health, and your ability to make a stable income for you and your family.
Spain Adventures!
This past weekend was my last weekend in Spain and I felt like it was best to spend it in Madrid, allowing me to have one last weekend to experience such a beautiful and culturally rich city.
My Saturday consisted of exploring Parque de la Fuente del Berro park, eating at the San Miguel Market, trying the famous Salt in Cake Cinnabons, doing some shopping and finally watching the sunset over the city at Parque de las siete tetas which had a spectacular view of Madrid.
Sunday I returned to the Rastro outdoor market to do some more shopping and found a lot of gifts for my family and friends! I then watched Wimbledon at a local restaurant and got to see Carlos Alcaraz from Spain win! To continue with Spain sports that night I went to the public viewing to watch Spain win the EURO cup! It was a great day for Spain sports and truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience these wins while living in Madrid!
It was a great last weekend in Spain and I’m super glad I was able to spend it in Madrid! See you one last time next week as I reflect on my time abroad!