Even though I was going to Spain to experience another culture and to see a different part of the world, the main reason I was going over there was to work as a student intern for Imagewest International and to work with a small municipality of Madrid called Villanueva de la Cañada.

Working with the town of Villanueva de la Cañada was a very exciting and very challenging project for the Imagewest International team.  The language barrier was a big challenge for all parties involved.  Even though the language barrier was one hurdle to jump, we were able to overcome it through strong teamwork and clear communication.  Another challenge was trying to adapt to the Spanish way of life.  Client meetings were never on time and work was never on a strict hourly schedule.  Everything was more laid back mostly because of the traditional working schedules that were implemented due to the amount of sunlight Spain gets.

Challenging or not, I gained so much invaluable international experience through working with the dedicated people of Villanueva de la Cañada.  It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us to be able to build relationships with people from a totally different part of the globe.

I definitely am going to miss Spain and all the wonderful people that I met in my travels.  Now, who’s up for a trip to Germany?

Zac

Sky outside the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, Madrid

This guy was one of a conglomerate of hollering fans

American Embassy

Madrid is a very intriguing city.  Since we have been here we have met some amazing people and experienced some very interesting cultural customs.  Our stay in Madrid has been much different from our stay in Barcelona.  The people here seem much more welcoming and they always go out of their way to help us whenever we need it.  Also, Madrid seems to be less of a tourist destination and has more of a big city vibe.  I’m not saying that I like Madrid better but both cities really are two vastly different places with two totally different experiences.

This past weekend we were able to go out and explore Madrid a bit more.  We went to a bullfight at the world-renowned Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas and we also got to go out and experience the Madrid nightlife.  Like Barcelona, Madrid’s nightlife can’t be put into words.  You just have to go experience it for yourself.

So far, we have been able to build some great business relationships with some very dedicated and hard working people at the Universidad Camilo Jose Cela.  With two weeks left to go in this adventure we are well on our way to improving and building international relations between two universities across international boundaries.

We have reached the halfway point on this four week journey so look for much more to come from Madrid!

Zac