It has been a week and a half since I left Madrid, and since then I have experienced an intense and complicated period of emotions. I remember leading up to my time coming home, I was incredibly excited. I missed my friends, family, and my dog. However, after the first 20 minute drive I took to get from my house to a friend’s, I spent the entire drive longing for public transportation, sunny skies, and when a 20 minute trip meant drinks after work, not seeing never ending roads and short buildings. Not even 24 hours after coming home, I wanted to go back. Crazy! I was glad to see my people, of course, but I had gotten so accustomed to my life in Spain. Throughout the summer, I wanted my blogs to portray an accurate representation of my time abroad, the good and the bad. So while this might come as basic and cliche, it is incredibly true: My time in Madrid has changed my life. 

I have grown in many ways professionally, academically, and personally. I have concluded my eight week internship and finally got a look at what it’s like working in a corporate setting. This was an incredibly rewarding experience as I finally had the opportunity to gain experience in a setting similar to the career I am striving for. Having the ability to have so much hands-on experience in something I am so interested in, international business, was the highlight of my time at Jimmy Lion. My biggest project throughout the summer was conducting international market research. This consisted of looking up different museums and stores throughout Europe, Australia, and North America for an opportunity to sell our socks in their shops. This was a project I did mainly by myself, and it helped me gain so much confidence and experience in international business. My supervisor in wholesale, Sharon, was an excellent resource throughout my time there. Without her confidence in me, I would not have had the abilities to grow throughout my internship like I did. I developed problem solving, time management, and communication skills through this project. Developing research methods, talking with clients, and keeping my manager updated were all essential parts of my time at Jimmy Lion. 

Academically, this experience challenged me. For the first time, I was enrolled in a class without constant assignment reminders, and a schedule that I was solely responsible for. There were often times I had to figure out how to best complete my assignments on time, amidst my exciting time in Madrid. Between working and personal time, I often found myself forgetting about my weekly discussion or blog posts. I didn’t have reminders from a professor each week to keep me in check. This taught me a lot about taking accountability and how to prioritize my assignments on my own, with no help from the structure of a classroom. However, my weekly assignments has helped me with my reflection, and have ultimately made me a better writer. If it were not for my weekly blogs, much of this experience would be forgotten. I am incredibly grateful for the outlet this assignment has given me, no matter how many last minute stressors it has caused. 

To reiterate: my time in Madrid has changed me so much personally. I have grown in ways I would have never expected. At the beginning of my blogs, I commented how hard it would be to be away from my family. While that was the most difficult part of my time here, it was incredibly helpful for me to realize how much I value my family, and what they mean to me. I kept in touch with them often, calling my twin sister every day (even with the time difference). My dad visiting me in Madrid was incredibly special, and being able to go off on my own in such a big way, without my family, built my confidence in a huge way. I now feel confident in my ability to go wherever I need to, with full knowledge my family will support me and I am never truly alone. I learned so much about myself. Being by myself in a new city was incredibly rewarding. I came out of Madrid feeling more confident in who I am as a person. I loved my time so much there, and I would in a heartbeat take another opportunity to go back.