Having the opportunity to study abroad twice, first in Madrid, Spain while completing an internship and second in Florence, Italy while taking business, art, literature, and language courses, gave me an uninhibited view far outside the city limits of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
International Internship Program – Madrid, Spain
The three-month internship program in Madrid, Spain was an incredible opportunity to be fully immersed in a foreign culture. While working full-time in a Spanish public relations firm and living with a host family, I was plunged into a culture much different than that of Western Pennsylvania. A blog post completed for my internship in May 2016 expands upon these feelings:
Three stops away from the Chueca metro stop, my designated stop to get off at for work, and it’s 9:57 AM. I have three minutes to get to Carole Cervera Press on time – and it’s a 5-minute walk after exiting the metro. I frantically calculate the time I will get there if I sprint up the metro escalators, through the exit and down the cobblestone streets. “Okay, best case scenario, 10:06 – I can apologize and explain it won’t happen again”, I internally reassure myself. When I finally hear, “Proximo Estacion, Chueca” I burst through the opening doors, past Spaniards walking slowly and seemingly without care in their typical fashion, and awkwardly half sprint/half speed-walk the three blocks, up the one flight of stairs, and take a deep breath before walking through the main doors. It’s 10:05, and of the five other employees that work at the PR office, only two are there. “No te preocupes” — “Don’t worry” — is my manager’s response to my frazzled look. And despite what I had been told about the laissez-faire Spanish lifestyle, where meeting at 7:00 really means meeting at 7:15, I had finally experienced first-hand a shock to the inherent culture of the United States – a concept has been drilled into me since the first time I needed to arrive at any appointment, meeting or work on time. Of course, punctuality is important , but arriving late in Spain does not hold the same level of offense as in the United States.
During my first semester in training as a tour guide at Pitt, if you arrived one second (no, not an exaggeration) late, you would be “automatically terminated”. Here, “don’t worry” is the casual response, greeted with smiles and a gentle ushering into the necessary tasks of the day. My company thrives in creativity and celebrates uniqueness, granted it is a Public Relations firm that focuses on the ever-changing and diverse fashion industry, and lacks an aspect of rigidity that has been present at every US company that I have worked at (from a small community pool to a restaurant chain to a hotel furnishing company).
The Spanish lifestyle and culture is one of enjoyment, breathing in life and making the most of the limited time that one has. This is apparent in nearly every aspect of their culture: slow strolls through Retiro Park, hand in hand with a significant other; late-night dinners that are effortlessly carried on for hours over conversation; and glorious siestas that the Spaniards consider sacred. However, being a native and 20-year citizen of the United States, a culture that glorifies busy and condemns relaxation, the adjustment has certainly taken time. The lack of any sort of hurrying in the streets, so normal in the United States, was immediately apparent to me. And the schedule – the crazy, backward, abnormal, “how could they live like this schedule!” that, now that I am nearing the three-week mark, is finally beginning to make sense – aided by my host mom’s incredulous disbelief at our American schedule (perspective is an interesting thing). Eating a small breakfast before work, a typically large lunch at around 2:00 pm, and a somewhat light dinner at 9:00 (if you’re lucky to eat that early) that ends at 10:30 pm is the norm. Meanwhile, in the United States, I’d typically elect to be in bed and sleeping by 11:30 pm – which is considered highly abnormal here.
The Spanish lifestyle contrasts with that of America, however, it is by no means an improper of poor lifestyle. I have begun to enjoy the altered daily routine and the focus on enjoyment while still maintaining efficiency. Enjoying life seems to be a concept somewhat lost in the frenetic atmosphere of the United States, and I will gladly take a three-month hiatus from the constant rush. However, with this being said, despite the informal atmosphere and lack of rigidity, I will certainly continue to be motivated by my American principals, and I hope never to be late again, even if I’m told “no te preocupes“.
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Global Business Institute – Florence, Italy
La dolce vita: the sweet life. My semester in Florence, Italy, in the heart of the birthplace of the Renaissance, was epitomized by this cultural concept. While taking five courses, including Managing Global Supply Chains, International Marketing, Italian for the Professions (Italian 1), Renaissance Art, and Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, I was able to gain academic and cultural knowledge of one of the most magnificent cities in the world – Firenze. I was able to learn about the political atmosphere and current economic situation of the country while gaining historical background on both Florence and all of Italy. I also had the privilege of traveling to eight countries in Europe, gaining in-depth knowledge of European Union relations and the global intersection of both politics and economics.