Intern in Spain with World Internships!

Packing. One thing that I was definitely not expecting was how casual people dress in Barcelona. My internship description had stated “business casual” which I came to realize means something completely different here in the States than it does in Barcelona.

For work here I usually wear slacks or dress pants and a nice long-sleeve blouse or sleeveless business blouses, since I am in Florida. Well, this is the way I packed for my trip; a few nice business dresses, some pencil skirts, slacks and nice blouses. I did not get to wear any of it.

After the first day at my internship, to which I wore black slacks, a maroon sleeveless blouse, a black blazer, and black 1.5” heels, I realized I was painfully overdressed. Everyone at my work wore jeans and t-shirts, or jeans and nice blouses, and no one, not one female wore heels.

I had to buy some jeans and pair them with my blouses so I wouldn’t stand out so much and I realized it wasn’t just my place of work, everyone from the program who I spoke to let me know they encountered the same problem and had to buy some new, more casual, attire for their internships.

My advice? Pack a few nice pairs of jeans, light blouses/nice shirts and nice comfortable shoes.

Because I was born and raised in Colombia, I am a native Spanish speaker which was a big influence in choosing the location for my internship. However, I did not realize how far removed Barcelona is culturally from the rest of Spain and how big of an influence their own language, Catalan, has in their culture.

My first shock came when I arrived at El Prat Airport in Barcelona and noticed that all the signs were in Catalan first, the English and last in Spanish. I

found myself wondering if I was still in Spain. From then on and throughout my time in Barcelona I learned more and more how strong the Catalan culture is in this region of Spain which was something I had no knowledge of what-so-ever before embarking on my journey. I do not think it was a barrier, as everyone spoke Spanish as well, but it was a huge learning experience that I was not expecting.

The city of Tarragona is only a few hours away from Barcelona and I must say it is one of the most beautiful and magical places I have ever been to in my life. This little Romanesque town has an insurmountable amount of history and culture.

It has the feel of a small and quaint town with structures remaining from the Roman Empire and Medieval era that makes it stand out and gives it a certain personality that I have not experienced in many other places. Combining that with the view of the gorgeous waters of the Mediterranean Sea gives the whole place an incredible and magical feel.

I fell completely in love with this city as I overlooked the beauty of the ocean from the ruins of the Roman coliseum. The contrast between the scenic beauty being taken in from a place with a history of such pain and barbaric entertainment was something I will never forget.

Barcelona, I learned, has many typical dishes that vary from the well-known Paella, Tapas, and Sangria known world-wide. Must-have foods are all the local delicacies that you cannot find as easily.

My favorites were Cava, which is a drink similar to a sparkling white wine, best comparable to champagne but is only made in Spain, mostly in the region of Catalonia where Barcelona is located, Fideua which is a Paella-like dish containing seafood and noodles, instead of rice, prepared with a special garlic-based sauce.
The best Fideua I tried was in Tarragona. Other favorites included Pan Con Tomate, Crema Catalana (similar to Crème Brule) and Gazpacho.

I made the choice to do a home stay for my housing arrangement and I will say it was completely and absolutely worth it. My host was a single woman who works as a tour guide in Barcelona. She speaks five languages and is an incredible cook.

I learned so much from her about the history and culture of Barcelona as well as where to go and what events to attend. Every week she would give my roommate and I a list of things to do, places to visit and event to attend for free. She was a huge influence in my experience and I will be forever grateful to her or being such an amazing host. I truly believe that I got a local’s view of the city and because of this I have promised myself that I will go back to Barcelona, no matter what.