Wrapping up my first full week in Madrid, this experience has already taught me so much in so little time. My first week of work at my internship was, naturally, where I learned the most. Starting with language, that has been the primary challenge that I will continue to face as the weeks go on. The team I am working with is very small, but they come from all over and speak all different types of Spanish. Naturally, this has made a difficult thing more difficult, but at the same time, more interesting! I have had the oppurtunity to hear so many different accents and speaking patterns, and it has helped me even more with my fascination with the Spanish language. As I sit and eat lunch with all my coworkers, I focus on listening to the conversation(s) taking place. It is at times overwhelming, and it is not something I am used to yet. I think my learning epiphany will happen when I finally understand one of the many jokes that is thrown around. 

The people I work with are incredibly diverse, and incredibly friendly. My first week was establishing myself as a Spanish speaker, which, contrary to my confidence in week one, is not as proficient when it comes to a lively office of native speakers. I have difficulty understanding a lot of the words, the accents, and the speech patterns. My coworkers are very interested in learning what I do and do not understand, and when asked at lunch, I was asked “Who is the easiest to understand? Who is the hardest?” It is times like that when I realize this is a different experience for them too! I am the first American in the office, and my coworkers, along with this job, have been teaching me so much. Not just about the Spanish language, but about myself, my work style, and how I manage my life. 

This program provides a full time internship, and so I am working 9-6 every day. This is the most I have ever worked in my life. I have found some times to be harder than others, and in an office setting things can get pretty monotonous. I have been doing a lot of intern things, which is not always super exciting. Sending out hundreds of the same email and researching for hours had its ups and downs. I really liked the structure of it, and the fact that I felt like I was helping with something important. These positive aspects are the things I have been trying to focus on as I experience what working in a professional setting is like, and that those things that I do enjoy are what I need to look for in a future career. 

While working full time, I am actively figuring out how to manage my time. There is now a point where I have to decide what is important to me, and how I want to spend my free time. I am someone who needs a lot of sleep, which not only does not align with the Spaniard way of life, it cuts my day down to about four free hours after work. What do I do with those hours? I have prioritized two things this past week which have made the managing of this transition easier. I either see my friends, or I spend time with my host family. I really enjoy living with a host family, and I really enjoy practicing Spanish with my host mom. Eating dinner with her and talking has become a highlight of my time here. I practice the most Spanish with her, and I learn a lot. On the other hand, exploring the city with my friends is a high priority for me! There is so much to do in Madrid, and this is such a rare opportunity to have a long time in a really cool city. We all make an effort to see each other during the week, and I really enjoy hearing about everyone else’s experiences at their jobs and to get to know them and the city. 

While getting used to my study abroad has had some stressful moments, I have learned what schedule is working best for me. Trying to do all the things I want to do in one day doesn’t work! When I tried to eat dinner with my host mom and go see my friends after, I ran on such little sleep the next day I almost fell asleep when writing emails. Surprisingly, when I got some sleep the next day I was able to work just fine. My friends here and I make plans to meet up twice a week, and we always make a detailed itinerary on what we want to do that weekend. Trying all sorts of things around Madrid like going to El Rastro, Parque Retiro, and many, many tapas restaurants, make the weekends busy, but help me recharge for the week ahead. My short time here has already taught me so much, and I am looking forward to what else I learn in the coming weeks.