¡Hola todos! Before I begin my blog post, let me answer the question everyone has been asking: YES, it’s awesome being in Spain while they won the World Cup. Me and my friends got to witness the insanity that was Plaza Colón (pictured below), which apparently had over 800,000 people gathered around huge screens to…
Tag: IIP Madrid
What Winning Really Looks Like
Hola todos! Eight weeks ago, I packed a single suitcase, boarded a red-eye flight with my stomach full of nerves and my head full of expectations, and landed in a city I had only been in for 48 hours as a bright-eyed high school senior. Now, sitting down to write my final blog post of…
Success in Madrid
Working at Jaleo has shown me that there is no universal definition of a successful employee. Every workplace has its own expectations, and those expectations are shaped by the culture around it. During my internship, I have seen that employees earn trust by taking initiative and handling problems without waiting for someone else to step…
Not All Communication is Direct
Hola todos! Seven weeks in, and as I sit down to write what is one of my final blog posts of this program, I find myself reflecting on something that has quietly been one of the most important threads running through this entire experience. Communication. Not just the language barrier, which is its own ongoing…
Adjusting to a Low-Context Communication Culture (also solo traveling survived!)
¡Hola todos! As I’m just two weeks from the end of my internship, I have many reflections on navigating different communication styles both inside and outside of work environments. Many times throughout my experience in Spain, I have felt very grateful for orientations from Pitt and EUSA that explained “low context communication” culture. In the…
Context matters
Throughout my time in Spain, I have noticed several differences between the communication styles in Spain and the United States, and learning to adapt to them has helped me become a better communicator both personally and professionally. One of the biggest communication differences I noticed is that Spain tends to have a more high-context communication…
Leadership as an Action, Not a Title
Hola todos! This past weekend I had an incredible experience that I’ll never forget. My friends and I went to Morocco! We went on a guided tour with CityLife Madrid, a company that visited our group during EUSA’s orientation. We were led by the enigmatic Adam, whose boundless energy made the trip even more magical….
Follow the leader
Before coming to Madrid, I had a pretty basic idea of what leadership looked like. I thought leaders were the people in charge, the ones giving directions, making decisions, and always knowing the right answer. After spending the summer interning at Jaleo Language School, my perspective has changed. I have learned that leadership is not…
Leading without a Playbook
Hola todos! Six weeks in, and this program continues to find new ways to push me in directions I did not see coming. This week’s prompt asks me to reflect on leadership, which is a word I have always felt a little complicated about. Not because I shy away from it, but because I think…
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