madrid week 1 {and a half} (tbt)

So I realized I basically wrote a weekly blog post to my professor, (okay, not weekly) but I gave pretty good updates to what was going on. So I am going to post them here.

What did you do?

These first few days I have spent 1. Reading through the website for the incoming grantees and checking for any grammatical errors and/or sentences that are unclear. I did that for about 3 or 4 days from Wednesday the 3rd to mid-day Tuesday. I had a few breaks putting together information packets to send to future grantees. 2. Then on Tuesday I started working on the Final Reports of the current grantees, printing and saving them to the database, and then going through and highlighting/putting in a googledoc the good, the bad, and the helpful comments. 

How many hours did you work?

Wed-Thurs 10 hours

Mon-Thurs 20 hours

Who did you interact with?

Mostly with Clara Badimon, one of the main directors of EducationUSA.

What went right?

Mostly everything. Luckily it’s work that I can’t REALLY mess up, I mean, it’s new so I do make mistakes, but nothing is grave.

What went wrong?

I saved the files wrong and had to go back and re-save them, I think that’s the only thing.

Any new responsibilities?

Going through the new files?

What kinds of professional competencies are you developing?

So far I have learned how to make sticker sheets on word, I have learned how to navigate their online system and website, and I have learned to google any question I have beyond that. 

What cultural experiences did you have?

Well in the middle of the day (at like noon), they go have breakfast. So one day I went with them all they all got coffee and creme, and then this bread with an orange sauce. (I am embarrassed to say I forgot what it is called) But apparently every day they get the same thing, and go to this bar next door that is so loud I can’t hear them talk. But I don’t love going, mostly because I am quite a bit younger than them and have little to add, and I can’t hear them. 

We also went to Salamanca this past weekend. It is so beautiful! I couldn’t believe it! We found a few older men who were born and raised in Salamanca, and very proud of it, who told us about the legend of the frog and what it means, and one man just wanted to show us his beautiful plaza, that “was better than the one in Madrid."

Anything else of interest happen?

They have now shown me the vending machines that sell Coca Light for 60 centavos and oreos for 75 centavos, I think I have earned their trust. ;) It has been fun getting to know the employees of mostly women and to read about the experiences that these grantees are having. It is interesting what grantees in an area will complain about, and another in the same area thinks it is a blessing. 

Mandy Clearwater