As we are approaching the end of this amazing program, I have been embracing every opportunity to try new things while I have the time. This was the last week of internships for two of my new friends in the program who are from other universities. I made an effort so spend time with them as much as possible, because I am not sure when I will see them again. However it is nice to know that the next time I am in California or Washington DC, I will have friends that I will be looking forward to visiting. This week on Tuesday we had our farewell lunch with EUSA, our internship program. Afterwards, we went thrifting and found some very unique vintage stores and a new café. On Wednesday, we went to a very nice jazz club called Recoletos Jazz to hear some live music. The band was very talented; it was the perfect event to go to together before we had to say goodbye 🙁

After work on Thursday, took the train to A Coruña, a city in Galicia, in the north of Spain. This is where my host mom grew up and where her family still lives. Her daughters are spending the rest of the summer with their grandparents there, and she was visiting them for a few days and invited me to come along. I worked remotely on Friday, and afterwards, we took a guided tour of the town. On Saturday, we went to a swimming competition at the beach. The daughters were very excited about this race. My host mom and I swam the shorter race with them. However, the oldest daughter ambitiously wanted to do the 1 km swim as well, which we definitely underestimated and were sorely unqualified for. My host mom and I intended to swim it with her together. However, we got separated and they turned back before the halfway point because the distance was too long and the water too rough for the daughter. I did not know that they turned back and ended up swimming the entire thing, which was very exhausting in the rough waves without training. Everyone else there seemed to be part of a official triathlon team who are used to swimming in these conditions, so I came in dead last. I was very tired and humbled the rest of the day, but I reminded myself that at least I was a good sport and tried for the daughter. The next day I went for a run along the beach, explored some beautiful vistas of the ocean and the city, and read my book and swam at a small, quiet beach. Later in the evening I went to a fashion photography exposition showcasing works by the famous David Bailey. I personally love the style of the 1960s and 1970s, so I found this exposition to be very creatively inspiring. Overall, I had a very nice trip to A Coruña and would definitely return to the north of Spain again. I always enjoy spending time with my host family and their grandparents and enjoying fresh, local, home-cooked seafood.

In terms of how success is defined professionally here, I will personally speak of my specific internship. I am currently working in B2B sales for a property management company. It was explained to me on my first day that this office is very goal-oriented, meaning that the environment is very casual, and that what matters most is that you are on target with your specific goals and tasks and are achieving them efficiently. In the sales industry, I would say that success is easily defined by the occupancy rate and demand for our properties. If all of our rooms are booked, that means that the company is making money and the sales staff has done their job. I have never worked in a sales position back home in the United States, but I imagine that success within a sales department is defined similarly there as well. However, one difference that I would assume between a sales office in the United States and a sales office in Spain is that the office culture in the US is less relaxed. For example, they may have their time scheduled in a more strict and structured way. Spain tends to me more laid back when it comes to time and schedules than in comparison to the US. Additionally, there may be more of an authoritative dynamic between the boss and employees in the US. In my office, it often feels as if everyone is on a similar level, and that there is not one sole authoritative voice. This is surely not the case between all offices in the US and Spain. How success is defined is company and industry specific.

Hasta luego,

Julia