Hi Everyone!! It’s time for the dreaded last blog post…….

After a canceled flight due to technical outages and an unexpected extended stay in Spain, I have finally arrived back in the United States. It’s crazy to think that my time in Spain is already over, but looking back on my experience, I’ve had so many once in a lifetime experiences while also developing both personally and professionally. 

My last week of work truly showed me some of the growth that I experienced from my internship from a conversation I had with one of my coworkers.  My coworker pointed out how it was amazing to see how much my Spanish and confidence had improved throughout the duration of my program. She told me she remembered my first weeks where I was extremely quiet and timid, which she imagined was probably a mixture of the language barrier but also being thrown into a very dynamic and vibrant work culture with things always happening and moving. She expressed how it was probably difficult to find my place. I agreed with her that there were constantly moving things, people and conversations within the office that I didn’t always understand. I would always listen but didn’t know how to put myself into a conversation most of the time. I also focused heavily on my work and projects to stay busy and to give myself some kind of purpose but that’s not always everything to a job, especially an internship in Spain. Spanish work culture is very people and conversation orientation and the actual work you do is only a fraction of your position.  It warmed my heart when on my last day my co-workers were sad to see me go and told me that within just 2 months they felt I became a critical part to their work dynamic and staff a clear improvement from my first few weeks of feeling a little lost.

I further think back to my first day when I had orientation with my supervisor and got a tour of the facility. I could barely understand my supervisor and her Spanish accent. I was being thrown information left and right about the company I would soon be working for, but at this stage knew very little about. Now reflecting on my last week where I had built close connections with my co-workers and engaged in frequent conversations with them. I was able to work independently and gave 6 tours individually to potential clients and their families fully in Spanish. This is something I never imagined to be a reality when I first started with Nodis Homes, and represents a clear demonstration of my Spanish improvement. 

Immersing myself in a language that I’m still learning taught me many things but possibly the most important being that you will fail and make mistakes, however it’s less about the mistakes you make or the actual failure but more of how you learn from those mistakes and work to prevent them within the future. Furtherl internship I learned the power of communication and questions, rather than just thinking I know what to do or just doing something that may not be right I leaned into the comfort of asking for clarification or asking questions throughout my projects or work. 

My time and learning with Nodis Homes as a Marketing and Communications intern will truly be unforgettable. I’ve mentioned some achievements already but thought I would reflect on the ones that I feel most passionate about. First being my database of over 3,500 potential clients for the company. I investigated and gave suggestions to make their third party presence more accurate and also researched competitor companies and their accommodations. I helped to coordinate a study abroad program of over 200 students by being the companies point of contact with the setup and also aided in translating between english speaking residents and the spanish speaking maintenance team. Further I assisted on daily tours of the facility and even gave 8 spanish speaking tours by myself. I answered questions on the phone for mainly english speaking clients but some spanish speaking too. I also learned to use their sales platform salesforce.com to add new clients, update client accounts, and send specific marketing material to clients. Further I translated marketing materials and contracts from Spanish to English. I was also treated as a valuable part of their marketing and sales team by getting to sit in on their weekly team meetings and getting to see overall metrics of their efforts, This is just an insight into some of the daily tasks I was given, but what I am most proud of was my ability to immerse myself into a fully Spanish speaking office for 45 hours a week.

Outside of my internship I had so many personal experiences that I will truly value forever. From getting to explore Madrid and its museums and parks to trying new restaurants after work and on the weekends with my friends I truly gained a deep love for the city and culture of Madrid. For the 2 months that I lived there I truly did feel like it became a home to me. 

I also had some amazing travel experiences to Cuenca, Segovia, Valencia, Barcelona, and Lisbon. Even though I was in the office for 45 hours a week Monday to Friday, I learned that with planning and sometimes little sleep you can still make traveling and trips a possibility. These trips taught me to step out of your comfort zone, try new foods, explore new places and overall see where the adventure takes you.  

The opportunity to live and intern in Madrid is truly an experience that I will value for the rest of my life. I not only have seen academic growth within my marketing know-how and Spanish fluency but professional growth in communication and conducting yourself within a professional setting. As well as personal growth in sometimes just seeing where the adventure takes you. The skills that I have learned from this trip will for sure carry with me throughout my academic and professional journey and I can’t wait to see how this experience helps me as I continue my professional and academic journey. 

Thank you all for following along my journey in Madrid and iHasta Luego! (See you later)