Life as a Working Woman

Staying on top of my classes, making progress at my internship, planning trips left and right, hopping from one country to the next, and now COOKING Spanish meals…If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was transforming into Superwoman.

Haha, I joke.

Yet another week has passed here in Sevilla and I’ve accomplished so much.  Tuesday was my first day at Vorsevi, the engineering/consulting firm I’m interning with for the next ten weeks.  It was quite an eventful day (it had to be, I’m dedicating an entire post to it).  So, Monday night began the most random rainstorm Sevilla’s experienced in February.  The rain continued to pour into Tuesday morning. As luck would have it, I was running late getting out of the house…and forgot my umbrella at home. I tried to maintain a brisk walk to the bus stop, but miserably failed as I nearly slipped in my heels. Got to the bus stop okay…but literally five seconds short of making the 8:30AM bus.  So I waited, and continued to get soaked. 8:36AM, finally another route C2 bus showed up and I was on my way to La Isla de Cartuja (aka: Silicon Valley, where my company is located). 

Forty some minutes later, we were on the island, and I got off at the first stop…unfamiliar with the location.  Luckily, LD got off at the same stop and it took us a few seconds to realize we were not where we were supposed to be.  After looking at a map, it became clear to us that we got off two stops earlier than we should have. Oops.

The two of us must have looked ridiculous to anyone watching, as we used our jackets to cover our heads and nice business attire.   After crossing streets named after some of history’s greatest – Leonardo Da Vinci and Marie Curie – I found Sir Issac Newtown and bid LD good luck on her first day. 

Entering into the office, I was greeted by two confused secretaries who stared at my wet appearance (probably thinking…ayyy Americana Loca).  My boss was traveling that day, so a nice co-worker, Leo, introduced me to the team I was working with. I was then taken into the “Jefe Chamber” where the top four BOSSES of the company worked.  As I stuck out my hand to greet the first man, he leaned in for a kiss on the cheek. I hesitated, oops (I STILL haven’t gotten used to the whole kiss on the cheek business yet, I’m getting better I promise). Leo then took me to my desk which had a computer and a cute little notebook ready for me.

The team had breakfast together, I was explained my first assignment and just like that I hit the ground running.  I’m pretty much responsible for analyzing the Latin American market to see if Vorsevi should expand its business in that area. After I’ve deemed Ecuador, Chile, Brazil and Colombia okay for business, I must find projects that Vorsevi can bid on this year. Interesting assignment, I’m learning a lot.

Aside from work and school, I’m trying to immerse myself in the Sevillian culture by taking free Salsa classes and cooking lessons offered through our program.

Toodles until Sunday! I'm off to Madrid for the weekend!

Pirates of CÁDIZ: At Europe’s End

Okay, so we weren’t really PIRATES of Cádiz, but yesterday we were at the end of Europe. 

Arguably the oldest, inhabited city in all of Iberia, Cádiz was originally named Gadir (meaning “Wall”) by the Phoenicians.  The CIEE program took us on a day trip to Southern Spain to see this Peninsula.

After some two hours on a coach bus, we were greeted by the warm southern weather and salty smells of the Atlantic Ocean.  Our group kinda lucked out experiencing 65-70 degree weather in mid-February (rare for this time in Spain).  Not only did we explore the city, but we had a chance to TAN on the miles and miles of beaches Cádiz is popularly known for. 

My favorite part of the trip was visiting the local Mercado (market) in the town’s Centro (center; downtown).  Straight out of a scene in a Bollywood movie, el Mercado had stands of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish. (Yes, FISH…check out the pictures below). We also climbed to the top of another Catedral (it’s legit become a weekly workout), admired the decorations being set up for el Carnival de Cádiz (a Carnival/festival held in March that makes Little 5 and Unofficial look like child’s play), and bargained with a few street vendors…just to improve our Spanish.

HI DAD! You would've LOVED this place!

Cádiz is also home to a unique Botanical Garden, full of plant life from all over the world.  A few of us had a great time exploring the greenery (check out more fun pictures).

On the Sleepless en Sevilla front, I had a great night with MF, her intercambio Carmen and some of Carmen’s friends. We had a delicious (and filling) dinner in el Centro with great conversation in Spanish. MF and I suspected one of Carmen’s out-of-town friends was crushing on her best friend, Isabel, as we watched the poor guy make pass after pass to grab the girl’s attention. It’s quite entertaining to watch a guy try so hard! But nonetheless, we were really pulling for Carlos!

Afterwards, the group of us headed over to Calle Betiz (the center of nightlife in Sevilla) for some Flamenco dancing! Though MF and I struggled to keep up with the rest of the gang, it was a very fun experience…taking me back to the days of SHS when Bollywood dancing was part of my daily routine. I miss that constant cultural incorporation and am partaking in FREE Salsa lessons, twice a week, to fill that void.

This awesome weekend is followed by homework and readings for this week’s classes.  BUT only FOUR days stand between me and MADRID next weekend. I can definitely get used to hopping from city to city every weekend! ;)