I have reached the end of my internship and to say that these past two months have flown by would be an understatement. I have enjoyed my internship so much and learned more than I ever could have imagined. Interning at Escola d’Adults La Verneda Sant Martí has helped me narrow in on my future career interests. I have met so many amazing people along the way and I am glad to say that I have had the opportunity to work with them.
To begin, I had the privilege of meeting the founder of Escola d’Adults La Verneda Sant Martí, Ramón Flecha. Flecha founded the school in 1978 due to the neighborhood's interest in having greater access to education. He is one of the leading researchers internationally in gender violence and social impact. Currently, he is an emeritus professor and still teaches some classes at the University of Barcelona while continuing his research.
Additionally, I have also been able to work at the Community Action Project in La Pau, which is in another neighborhood close to La Verneda. My main tasks when working in La Pau are to work with the children and assist with their English. I also helped the instructors with interactive activities, such as science experiments. While the school does have classes during the school year, the summer session allows the children to get extra practice with their studies. For example, they come to receive additional practice with subjects such as math, and languages, and participate in activities.
This first picture was a color experiment activity, and the second activity showed how some liquids don’t mix.
Furthermore, I had the opportunity to visit the art exhibition of the works recently completed by the participants at the school. I also love art, drawing, and painting, so I loved seeing all of the beautiful pieces that the participants created. The exhibition was open to the public so all could enjoy it. Food is an important part of Spanish culture, so snacks and drinks are common to have at celebrations such as this art exhibition.
I have learned so much from my internship and been able to meet the most amazing people along the way. They shared their culture with me, helped me with my Spanish skills, and we learned together. Many people from the school have also lived in other countries or are from other countries so I had the opportunity to hear about lots of places. The participants were also curious about where I am from and about my country and state. It has been such a wonderful experience to be able to have this exchange of information about countries, cultures, and languages. Also, adapting to another culture and living in a different country has been a valuable experience and will help me in my professional future as I work in different environments.
To say goodbye since it was my last day interning at the school, the participants were kind enough to have a goodbye celebration. People brought drinks and traditional Spanish snacks such as tortilla de patatas, empanadas, and more. Interning abroad has been such an impactful and inspiring experience. I am glad to say that I will always have a place to visit when I travel back to Barcelona.
This is a picture of me with some participants from the goodbye celebration.
The food that everyone brought, including many traditional Spanish dishes.