Why did you choose this program?
I wanted to spend my last full summer at university but also wanted to gain some experience before the grad applications began. I heard about summer internships through my university and began to research. I didn't want to travel far, so Barcelona seemed like the perfect location. I reached out to Absolute to see what I could do with them, and ended up being placed on a marketing internship. Absolute was incredibly friendly and helpful from the start which gave me a lot of confidence in their support going forward.
What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
My Global Opportunities team helped put me in touch with Absolute and in applying for Turing Funding. Absolute helped pair me with my company and took care of accomodation, airport travel, and helped me with any other questions about arrival and preperations. I just had to book my flights and would have had to apply for a Visa if it was necessary.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
Dive right in! This is incredibly valuable time for you to live in a beautiful city and work in your future industry. I found that you get out what you put in. With my intership, I found that by showing I was eager I could do more in areas I wanted to gain experience and could get more feedback on my work. By arranging things with my fellow interns I could get out and about more. Everyone I went with was wonderful and there is so much to see in this vibrant city.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
I'd wake up, get ready, cook some food, and catch the bus to work. My commute took about 40 minutes, but I drove past some great sights like Sagrada Familia. Then I'd grab a drink in the office and catch up with my supervisor about what I needed to do that day. I mainly worked from the office which I enjoyed since I could learn more by attending meetings. My internship was for an elopement company so it was great to learn about how they were targeting clients from across the globe.
After work I'd maybe explore the city a bit and do some shopping, then it was home to cook tea. Some nights I'd meet up with some other interns and we would play games, watch a movie, swim in the pool, or go to the beach. Barcelona felt a lot safer to walk around at night because it was very bright with lights and with a group.
On the weekends, people would organise activities that you could tag along to. My favourite was Monserrat, a monestery in the mountains you can get to by train! Of course we explored all the classic tourist spots, but even just walking around to explore was so much fun.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
I was so scared I wouldn't meet anyone. I was going into the experience alone and was travelling for the first time without friends or family. My friend did come and visit me, but that was only one weekend. I couldn't have asked to do the experience with nicer people! I spoke to a couple girls at the airport and we went shopping together when we arrived at the accomodation. I then made sure I pushed myself to get out and about to tag along with people and those are some of my favourite memories. I remember being so nervous to ask, but people were so welcoming that all worries were forgotten. It's important to know that a lot of people will be in the same boat.
What was your favourite memory?
One night my friend and I went to grab some food and since she had never been to Barcelona, I decided we should go to see Sagrada Familia since its such a beautiful building. Truly you cannot understand how amazing it is until you see it! We walked around taking in all the details while a street performer played violin and it felt like something out of a movie. It's a moment I won't forget for a long time!
