English
I’ve officially been in Barcelona for 2 weeks and I already know I’m never going to want to leave. I started work two days after I arrived in Barcelona, jumping in faster than I could adjust to the time difference. As I mentioned before, I’m a finance intern at a startup called Uniq Techrapy. Uniq is a special company, having an incredibly good-willed mission statement and the potential to be extremely socially impactful. I’m happy to say that I really do consider myself as part of the team, which I’ve learned is one of the most important things about work culture here. Everyday when I walk in, I talk to Edu and Rafa about my day yesterday, my plans, and we get to know each other on a personal level before cutting straight into work. I have become more and more comfortable with them each day, and I’ve been learning a lot. I’m working directly under Eduard, who is the CFO, completing a variation of tasks. One of the coolest things I’ve been working on is applications for different grants and funding for Uniq. It’s been a great way to get to know the company, as I’ve had to read up on all of the operations, background, and future plans/goals in order to fill out the applications to the best of my ability. I’ve also gotten the chance to work on some accounting tasks, and that’s where I’ve learned the most from Edu about how taxes and accounting works in Spain compared to the United States, which is really interesting and something I never really thought about. It’s refreshing to be genuinely excited to go to work every morning, because I know that I’ll get to practice my Spanish and I always walk away learning something new. Edu and Rafa are great about speaking Spanish to me to help me practice, but I have to say it is comforting that they speak English, so if I ever need to have something translated or explained I can! I can tell that they are both incredibly passionate about the company, as well as everyone else on the team; it is inspiring to see people doing something that’s so important to them as a career. Plus, my hours are amazing (I work roughly 10-2 everyday) and allow me so much time during the day to explore the city even more. So far, I have loved it and I’m looking forward to learning much more during my time working at Uniq. Time is already flying by!
Since I've been here, I've gotten to meet up with 10 Buckeye friends who are backpacking through Europe after graduating in May - it's made the transition a little bit easier as I've gotten little pieces of home throughout the first two weeks. Also, last weekend I got to take a trip to the Canary Islands with my roommates it was beautiful there - more to come about that and my Barcelona adventures (outside of work) soon!
Español
Hace dos semanas que vengo a Barcelona, y ya sé que nunca voy a querer dejar esta ciudad. Empecé trabajar en Uniq Techrapy dos días después de llegando, saltando en la experiencia completamente. Como mencionaba, hago prácticas de las finanzas en Uniq Techrapy, que es una compañía muy especial y tiene una misión de buen voluntad y mucha potencial para hacer un impacto social en el sector de e-salud en España. Me hace contento que ellos me siento como un parte del equipo, no como una trabajadora temporal. Cuando llego cada día, no es un ámbito donde necesito estar seria inmediatamente, siempre hablamos sobre que hacemos ayer, que pasa en nuestras vidas, etc. Cada día, me hace más cómoda en la oficina con Eduard y Rafa, y también cada día estoy aprendido algo nuevo. Es muy interesante aprender como los tributarios funciona aquí en España y las diferencias de los Estados Unidos – Eduard me enseñando mucho de esto y cosas relacionadas. Unas de las cosas en que estoy trabajando son solicitudes de subvenciones y financiación para Uniq por grupos de inversores, fundaciones, y algo como eso. Está un medio efectivo para conocer los actividades, metas, y operaciones de la empresa. Me encanta ir al trabajo porque ellos son muy apasionados sobre la compañía, y sé que voy a practicar hablar en español y voy a aprender algo nuevo. También, es muy bueno para mi que ellos me hablan español, pero también hablan inglés, y esto me consuela mucho si no entiendo algo de las instrucciones o los términos de financia que me encontró a veces. Hasta ahora, me encanta trabajar en Uniq, y tengo ganas de aprender más durante este tiempo!
Lesson #2:
Tacos in Spain are not the same as tacos in the US… I ordered steak tacos the other day, and got a (don’t get me wrong, delicious) plate of shredded steak with sauces!
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Sonal Gupta
<p>Travel enthusiast, creative thinker, and lover of all people and food. I'm a hard working business student, environmental supporter, and music lover looking to creative positive change for the world. Sharing my experiences through an 8-week journey in Barcelona, Spain through IES Abroad as I work for an innovative, socially impactful startup, take classes, learn the dialect, and immerse myself in the Spanish culture.</p>
