¡Hola todos! I am pleased to share that I have been settling in very well to life in Madrid. My host family has been incredibly welcoming, even giving me a present upon arrival (a book about Joaquín Sorolla, since they know I love art). My 3 host siblings are all in high school and incredibly busy with finals, but they have all taken time out of their day to chat with me about our cultures, which I have greatly appreciated. I’ve also loved exploring Madrid! It’s such a walkable city and the public transportation is very easy to use. Even when walking around alone, I have never felt unsafe because the streets are always full and lively. It’s been such an exhilarating experience seeing beautiful historic sites, like the Royal Palace of Madrid, with my new friends from across the US. This weekend, my Pitt friends and I went to Alicante for some time at the beach. This trip brought us closer together, the beach was beautiful, and I was amazed how everything was possible via public transport.
Although I have enjoyed a few days of all play and no work, I am equally excited to work for ActionAid, an international nongovernmental organization focused on eradicating poverty and promoting human rights. It operates as a global federation with programs and offices in over 70 countries. ActionAid has two main approaches to enacting its mission: education and advocacy around solutions to eradicating poverty and injustice, and direct aid that strengthens the capacity of marginalized and impoverished communities. In relation to their first approach, I will be supporting the ActionAid EU’s office in campaigning for aid to Palestinians and increased environmental initiatives from the EU. For the latter, I will be assisting the training of a cohort of volunteers through the ActionAid Spain office, who will soon travel across the world to support community development projects and humanitarian crisis response.
To be successful in the nonprofit industry, it is important to be flexible. Based on my experiences and what I’ve learned in classes, nonprofits are often small organizations where work is shared across roles, and working for one often involves doing a bit of everything. This means it will be important to get to know each of my coworkers and gain familiarity with a broad range of tasks. Additionally, since I will be working for a human rights organization that is seeking to make community impact and influence EU politics, being successful in this role will require knowledge of current events. I generally like to stay informed on global news, but I have been doing more research to add to my foundational knowledge (especially about the EU, a very complicated system) while leading up to this program.
Additionally, there are a few strengths I’ll need to channel specifically for working at a nonprofit in Spain. From what I have learned in my orientation, Spain is a high-context communication culture. This means that communication often involves knowledge of context to understand, and is not as direct as communication in the United States. Professionally, this may mean that directions are not always the most clear. I have learned that Spanish employers greatly value initiative. Additionally, we have discussed in our orientation how in Spanish culture, people do not often give out positive feedback even when you are performing well, but keep feedback limited to criticism. To adapt well to this different professional environment, I will have to be self-assured. It will be important not to second-guess myself, be self-directed, and remain confident even if others are not giving me lots of praise. However, this will also require a balance of asking for help or clarity when I need it. Additionally, I have learned that Spanish professional environments deeply value personal connections. To adapt, I will be open with my coworkers and make an effort to get to know them. Overall, this internship will require me to absorb new information and be confident and open, which align with my personal and professional goals to learn and be empowered while outside of my comfort zone. I am looking forward to sharing updates as I start my internship, especially as my first day on the job will be at a conference in Brussels!