One Last Week
This past week has been very busy for me and it’s hard to believe that my time in Spain is nearly over. This realization hit especially hard after 3 out of the 11 EUSA students in IIP Madrid finished their internships and left Spain a week before me and the other Pitt students on this program.
This week, my boyfriend and his family also happened to be in Madrid. I took this opportunity to revisit some of the sites in Madrid that I had visited when first arriving here. I was so happy to be able to show my boyfriend and his family around Madrid and to introduce them to the city. The first day they visited, I had work until 5:30pm so they some independent travel. After work, I showed my boyfriend around Gran Vía, a popular shopping area known for its beautiful buildings, and introduced him to terrazas which are rooftop restaurants. Luckily, the sunset on this day was one of the prettiest I have seen in Madrid so far! The following day, I finally had the chance to make use of a prize I won at my company for winning an office picture challenge. This prize consisted of a free meal for 2 at a Thai restaurant called Krachai. In the past, this restaurant had been featured on the Michelin guide, so I was excited to try it. Overall, the food was pretty good, and my favorite dish was the green tea ice cream served for dessert. Soon after, we met up with his family at Retiro Park. Although I have been to Retiro Park many times, it was my first time there after sunset. It shocked me to see so many cats (which made me very excited). I tried to feed them some leftover Bao from dinner, however none of them seem interested. The next day, I did not have work, so we were able to see a lot more of Madrid. We spent hours in the Prado (this visit marks my third time visiting the museum). This visit really allowed me to take a closer look at the amazing works featured. Following the Prado, we went to Retiro again to check out Palacio Cristal. We also visited Temple of Debod (an Egyptian temple that was donated to Spain) and the beautiful park/view next to it. Our next stop was Palacio Real. Here, I spotted a famous Spanish actor/singer Manu Ríos! After Palacio Real, we met up with my boyfriend’s family to enjoy dinner at a Peruvian restaurant. I ordered Chaufa Brasa (Chaufa + Pollo a la brasa) and Inca Kola (one of my favorite sodas).
The following day, we took a short trip to Valencia. However, I unfortunately started to come down with a cold/sinus infection. Because of this, I spent most of my time in Valencia indoors as it was very hot, and I did not have the energy to swim or stay on the beach. Despite these circumstances, Valencia was still a very beautiful city. I got to try Paella for the first time and got a look at the amazing modern architecture of the city.
Week 8 – Global Competency and Expectations
When it comes to measuring success, I think Spain and the US have a very different outlook. During my time working at SegurCaixa Adeslas, I have come to learn that teamwork matters a lot more than individualism. I noticed this very early on in my internship. My coworker will often go out of her way to help my supervisor with certain tasks. If he is busy with clients or emails and has an incoming call, she will often answer it. She will give him tips on how to act in the social media videos that I film and edit for the office. After witnessing this, I think a successful employee in Spain is an employee that works well in a team and offers help whenever it is need, even when it is not necessarily in their job description. I think in the US, success is measured on an individual level. I think something I can learn from the Spanish definition of success is to give and accept more constructive criticism. I think this is necessary to grow as an employee and creates a more effective team. Another example of the importance of teamwork that I have witnessed during my internship is the company prize that my office won. We won a Smartbox (a free dinner for 2) for creating the best office photo featuring the new company decorations/promotional material. My coworker, supervisor, and I all won the same gift. I think this really highlighted the fact that working together in Spain, and perhaps in the US as well, results in success.
Hasta Luego,
Olivia