Interning in Spain has been one of the most interesting things that have happened to me so far.
I don’t know how close families are around the world, however, I can say that my family is a traditional Mexican family, we are very very close. From my experience in my culture, I know that my mom likes to be involved in every aspect of my life, she likes to help with everything, and she likes to give me orders (but in the end, she will end up doing it herself even if you were just about to do it).
Being in Spain for 6 months on my own changed every aspect of my life. The first thing that I had to deal with was the time difference – I was 7 hours ahead of my family. If I had an issue, I had to find a way to solve it on my own, I couldn’t call anyone to ask for advice though I was used to having my mom involved in everything. I had to learn how to:
- use a washer machine
- to buy groceries with a budget
- to survive with my monthly pay-check and tips! (which obviously depended on how busy the hotel was)
Besides the new experience of being on my own, training at a 5-star hotel was also a challenge. However, it was also an experience that made me grow as a professional, of course. I had to adhere to their guidelines, to their procedures and to the way they like to have things done. It was hard at the beginning, but after just a couple of weeks of training you get used to it, you learn how to complete each one of your tasks, how to upload the check to the system, how to talk to guests in the hotel, what they like, what they don’t. I also had to learn how to solve issues when the time comes, because the time will come, no doubt. And, you will have to make a decision to solve an issue that shouldn’t affect the guest, the hotel, or your training program.
In my opinion, this type of program will definitely help you grow as a professional but even more than that, as a person. I really encourage any student to try this experience at least once in a lifetime, I’m sure that every experience will be different from others but in the end, you will feel accomplished once you complete an experience abroad.
