Interviews

Have you ever watched a wildlife show where the momma bird pushes the baby bird out of the nest, only to have the baby bird flail a little and then slowly crash to earth? I felt a lot like the baby bird today. My nest was my little Spanish class, my momma bird I suppose was ambition, and my flight was a job interview for the internship I will be doing in Madrid. As this was the first interview I have taken part in that was conducted totally in a foreign language, I suppose did okay. I can’t say that I was anywhere close to holding an adequate conversation, but I was at least able to introduce my background and experience to my supervisor. My supervisor, Maria, is originally from Columbia and doesn’t speak any English. She was friendly and understanding though, as were two other employees who knew a little English and helped me as best they could.

The organization I will be working for is a non-profit called Aculco. Aculco, from what I can tell so far, works with Columbian immigrants throughout Spain and London, England. They have many ongoing projects that target various social issues effecting the large populations of Columbians in these countries. During the interview I indicated to Maria that I was open to assisting the organization in any way I could. What exactly that will be, I will find out Monday. I think she did tell me some the projects I will be assisting with, but I really didn’t catch what they were.

Trisha also had her interview today. I am writing about her interview later than the other paragraphs in this blog, as her interview was three hours after mine. Trisha had a similar experience, although her supervisor does speak English. Trisha’s organization is also a non-profit and is called Centro Hispano-Ecuatoriano. Similar to Aculco, her organization works with immigrants (Ecuadorian) and provides many resources to that population in Madrid. They also provide computer and English classes for those in need, in addition to providing volunteer opportunities for the local population. Trisha’s interview went well and she felt very welcomed by the staff. We are lucky as both our organizations are within walking distance of each other.

I admit that I was nervous for this interview, even though it’s in a volunteer capacity. The nervousness stemmed from not being able to communicate well, which can be intimidating to say the least. Afterward when my composure returned to normal and I felt I had survived my first Spanish interview, my feelings turned to contentment. This contentment stemmed from believing that although my language skills are sorely lacking for this work environment, it’s a great opportunity to be immersed in a different culture. I have always been the tourist and not had the chance to work alongside the locals. I am looking forward to getting to know my co-workers and being able to contribute to the organization.

As I was riding the subway home from my interview, I thought how Trisha and I could definitely fill our days in Madrid without these internships. There is still plenty to do. But I’m not sure that’s what we are looking for on this trip. It seems even more special getting involved in the places we visit. It’s too early to tell, but if our enthusiasm continues in the area, we may even structure future portions of our journey in similar ways. We would also like to work on teaching English in the future too, so we can extend our trip funds even longer. -Travis