5 things I learned during my internship abroad

Last summer, I was able to go to Barcelona in Spain for an internship abroad experience, and while I was there, these are some of the things I learned from my experience abroad.

1. Hearing about a culture is amazing, but experiencing it yourself gives you a deeper understanding of how it developed

I had done some research about Spain in general before going there, and I had read amazing stories about how the culture in Spain developed. But I only got to experience it once I got there, and it was so much better than I expected. I went to Tarragona, where we went with a tour guide around and explore the ruins that were left by the Roman colony thousands of years before.

This is a picture we took by the amphitheater ruins in Tarragona

2. I met people who I wasn’t always comfortable with, but that’s a good thing because it broaden my perspective on the world

Being in a foreign country, I met people from other cultures, not only people from Spain. Spain is located in Europe, and it’s fairly easy for people to travel from one country to another because airfare or train tickets are fairly cheap. But not only that, Barcelona was a growing city were tourist was growing. So it wasn’t uncommon for many cultures to mix in one place. During my time in Barcelona, I met a wide range of people, and I didn’t share my views of the world with all of them, but it was okay, because it taught me to appreciate people who are different from me because they offer me another take on life.

Here's a picture of the one of the alley in Barcelona

3. I experienced the work life of another country

Working in Barcelona is much more different than in the States in general. The work pace is much slower, and people are more relaxed when they work. I treated my supervisors as co-workers and was encouraged to ask them questions. I felt weird in the beginning because the intern in the United States are usually not given important tasks because of the fear that they would make mistakes, but I got to work with the accounting ledger of the company first hand which gave me confidence in my ability to work with another company, even if I wasn’t completed integrated in the company.

4. I furthered my abroad experience by staying with a host family

While I interned in Barcelona, I lived with a host family in the heart of Barcelona. Although we had a language barrier at times, my host family was very open to having foreign students because they got to learn English. That helped my fear of living in a foreign country, because they gave me a safe place to come home to after my work hours were over. I am still grateful for that family that opened their heart to me and their cooking, which I’ll never forget.

5. I was able to travel in the countries next door and experience even more cultures

Interning in Barcelona meant that I was also able to travel in the countries next door. As I mentioned earlier, airfare and train tickets are affordable, so I would go visit family and friends in the countries where I knew I had a contact. That enabled me to catch up with them and it gave me an opportunity to visit new places.

I took this picture from a mountain in Lyon, where I went to visit my cousin

This is one my best friends (Elisa) and I. I went to visit her in Milan for a week end last summer

I also took the opportunity to visit another one of my friend, Amber, in Belgium.

Overall, I am very grateful for the experience I had during my internship abroad and would recommend it to anyone who had the opportunity to do so because it opens up your mind to the world in general and makes you much more aware of the cultures and people around you.

Thank for reading this post. If you had a similar experience or any experience living abroad for a short amount of time, please share your experience in the comments section below.