My last weekend in Spain concluded yesterday, and while it was bittersweet to realize the finality of it all, it was the perfect weekend to cap off my Spain experience. I got to visit two new cities- Malaga and Granada- with three of my friends, and we had a packed itinerary as we were determined to maximize our time there!
Stepping off the train in Malaga, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and walked to our hostel. There, we were greeted with a surprise- a private room for only my friends and I! Having a personal space was awesome- we could talk louder, play music, leave our things strewn about without having to worry about sharing the space with other travelers. Friday night we had a fun time exploring the waterfront, the beaches, and the wine bars of the city! Then on Saturday, we found delicious acai bowls and strolled around a seafood market in the center of the city before heading up to Castillo de Gibralfaro and the Alcazaba. The climb up to the castles was quite a trek, but we revived ourselves with Aquarius (a drink I’ll miss a lot in the United States) and spent our morning there. Then, we headed downhill to the beach- stopping along the way for a Mercadona picnic- and I then experienced the most extreme beach of my life. The sand was like hot coals. The water was Arctic-cold. Safe to say I spent a good amount of time running back and forth between hot and cold… but it was still fun!
We then grabbed sardines, chips, and instant noodles for our train ride to Granada. When we got there, we stopped at a local coffee shop and walked to (surprise) our hostel. The evening plans were: Mirador (lookout) sunset, Italian for dinner, then explore! The city grew more beautiful the further up we climbed, and there were lots of cats passing us on the streets which was so cute. Sunday morning began with a classic tostadas breakfast (and our American iced coffees) before we beelined for the Alhambra! We got to visit the different sections of the castles, the gardens, and it was a stunning place to be all morning. After, we explored an artisan market before heading to the bus station and returning to Madrid!
Completing all these final things- last weekend trip, last Monday at work, signing the intern evaluation form for my boss- has felt surreal, but satisfying. It’s definitely got me feeling a bit melancholy and nostalgic. I even took a photo of my commute bus stop for the memories (what memories, I don’t know yet, but just in case). But, at the same time I’m really excited to return home, for a couple reasons connected to studying abroad. First, to put all of my souvenirs around my room to remind myself of the awesome experiences I’ve had. Second, to let all of my summer revelations, new skills, and perspective changes fully sink in. Third, to show off my new-and-improved Spanish (with an official stamp of approval from my host family and coworkers) And fourth, so I can start planning my future return to Spain!
I would definitely consider my summer experiences and personal growth during these two months to be a roaring success. Professionally, in terms of my host culture I think I’ve also achieved success. In Madrid, I’ve learned that at the workplace this looks like developing a good team dynamic and coworker relationships, collaborating intensively, and communicating with everyone around you- peers, bosses, and strangers alike. It’s just as important to chat to my mentor as it is to have a how-are-you conversation with the woman who cleans our laboratory every morning. In terms of my specific experience at CIAL, communication is so important. You’re working with a variety of researchers who all have their own areas of studies or specialties, and so when I have a role as flexible as an intern where I’m able to learn from different mentors it’s important that I can learn from them effectively. We’re also working with all kinds of chemicals and microalgae samples, many of which can be expensive for a laboratory budget to replace, so asking lots of questions is always preferred to working hesitantly.
In the United States, I think the category of success for an intern is still focused around communication, but it’s more so about your quantity of production and how well you complete assigned tasks, follow instructions. It’s simply less teamwork-oriented, and it would likely be looked at as a negative thing if in America everyone paused their work to have an impromptu office-wide conversation. Yet here in Madrid, that’s encouraged. However, looking back at my summer I believe that here at CIAL I’ve gotten the opportunity to succeed in both professional experience and skill-building, so I look forward to carrying these hybrid and internationally developed traits to future (international!) jobs.
Ciao, Katherine