I am going to try to challenge myself and write my posts in Spanish and English I have told myself that this is a major goal of mine heading into my time in Barcelona!!

Mi primer semana en Tudanzas fue diferente para mi que otros. No puedo estar en Barcelona para los todos ochos semanas de mi programa. Por eso, yo empecé mi pasantía en mi casa con mi computadora. La organización ha ser muy  flexible con nuestro diferencia de zona horaria, que aprecio.  Con mi horario ocupado y la diferencia en tiempo entre España y Virginia, fue difícil a completar 20 horas en línea, así que necesito compensar más tarde en Barcelona. Pero no me importa porque creo que voy a disfrutar trabajando en persona más. 

Para mi primer semana, yo miré muchos recursos sobre Tudanzas, incluyendo el Código ético, el manual de bienvenida, este blog y los recursos practicas para asegurar que el equipo completa su trabajo. Vi videos y presentaciones sobre como el equipo hace contento en varias plataformas. Aunque no puedo reunir con el equipo en persona, me alegro que puedo acceder estas cosas para ajustar. Espero que cuando estoy en Barcelona, pueda sentir cómodo con la organización a pesar de que llegué tarde. 

Obviamente hay ventajas y desventajas con trabajo a distancia. Aunque no tenía la intención de empezar a distancia, creo que esta experiencia ayudará en mi carrera, donde trabajar desde casa es muy común. Con la oportunidad a trabajar en persona y a distancia con TUDANZAS, es posible que sabría mejor cual tipo de trabajo quiero hacer en el futuro. 

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My first week at TUDANZAS was different for me than for others. I cannot be in Barcelona for the full 8 weeks of my program. Because of this, I started my internship at home on my computer. The organization has been very flexible with our time difference, which I appreciate. With my busy schedule and the time difference between Spain and Virginia, it was difficult to complete 20 hours online, so I need to compensate later in Barcelona. But I don't mind because I think I will enjoy working in person more. 

For my first week, I looked at many resources about TUDANZAS, including the ethical code, the welcome manual, this blog and practical resources to ensure that the team completes their work. I watched videos and presentations on how the team makes content on various platforms. Even though I cannot meet with the team in person, I am glad I can access these things to adjust. I hope that when I am in Barcelona I can feel comfortable with the organization despite arriving late. 

Obviously there are pros and cons to working remotely. Even though I didn't have the intention of starting my internship online, I think this experience will help me in my career, where working from home is common. With the opportunity to work in person and remotely with TUDANZAS, it's possible that I will better know what kind of work I want to do in the future. 

Esta semana fue muy corta en comparación con la semana pasada. Yo empecé mi viaje en Miercoles, y por eso no pude trabajar en viernes o jueves. Como la semana pasada, yo ví sobre otros manuales de TUDANZAS. También tuve un reunión con Sarah, Mauro, y Bruna sobre el proyecto origami. Espero que pueda estar más involucrado cuando esté en Barcelona. Estoy triste porque ellos saldrán en julio porque no tenemos mucho tiempo juntos. Sin embargo, es bueno que pueda tener experiencia con equipos diferentes en TUDANZAS. 

No tengo experiencia con los reels, pero han visto millones en mi tiempo libre. Yo empecé un reel sobre mi tiempo en Iceland, y fue más difícil de lo que yo creía. Espero algún día trabajar en las redes sociales o editando videos y fotos, pero ahora no tengo las habilidades profesionales para hacerlo. Sé que aprenderé estas cosas durante mi tiempo con TUDANZAS. 

Una cosa que aprendí durante mi segunda semana de trabajo en casa es que no me gusta este tipo de trabajo. La razón para esto es que aunque la flexibilidad es buena a veces, es difícil sentirse motivado trabajar solo. También, por la diferencia de hora entre España y los Estados Unidos, no puedo asistir a las reuniones de TUDANZAS en la mañana. Ahora en mi vida, no tengo la habilidad de organizar mi tiempo en una manera adecuada para trabajar virtualmente especialmente para una organización en otro continente. 

Este tiempo ha sido una oportunidad de aprendizaje y una lección qué puedo usar en mi investigación para trabajos en el futuro. La flexibilidad de mi programa y TUDANZAS ha sido muy útil, y puedo make up mis horas cuando estoy en Barcelona. Sin embargo, entiendo que esto no es la verdad en la vida real para trabajos virtuales. :)

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This week was much shorter for me in comparison with the last week. I started my travels on Wednesday, and because of this I could not work Thursday or Friday. Like last week, I looked at other TUDANZAS manuals. I also had a meeting with Sarah, Mauro and Bruna about the origami project. I hope that I can be more involved when I am in Barcelona. I am sad because they will leave in July  and we won't have much time together. However, it's good that I can have experience with different teams while at TUDANZAS. 

I don't have experience with making instagram reels, but I have seen millions in my free time. I started a reel about my time in Iceland, and It was a lot harder than I thought it would be! I hope that one day I can work in social media or editing photos and videos, but cureently I don't have the professional abilities to do so. I know that I will learn these things during my time with TUDANZAS. 

One thing I learned during my second week of work at home was that I don't like this time of work. The reason for this is that although the flexibility is nice at times, it's difficult to be motivated to work alone. Also, because of the time difference between Spain and the US, I could not join many of the meetings for TUDANZAS in the mornings. Right now in my life, I don't have the ability to organize my time in an adequate way necessary for this type of virtual work, especially for an organization on another continent. 

This time has been a learning opportunity and a lesson that I can use in my job search in the future. The flexibility of my program and TUDANZAS has been very helpful, and I can make up my hours when I am in Barcelona. However, I understand that this not the case in real life for virtual work. 

SEMANA 3 20/06/22-24/06/2022

Justo cuando pensaba que lo peor había pasado...

Esta semana finalmente fue cuando pude trabajar en persona con TUDANZAS. Pero después de dos horas de trabajo, mis planes para la semana cambiaron. Durante mi paua para el almuerzo he dado positivo para COVID. Inmediatamente yo contacté a Sarah y Margherita y Barcelona SAE me trasladó a un apartamento para cuarentena. Por suerte no tuve ningún síntoma malo, sólo sentí que estaba resfriado, pero sentí muy mal que he tenido contacto con Sarah y causé esta situación.

Así se produjo otra semana de trabajo virtual. Era difícil sentir que podía contribuir con las tareas, especialmente porque la mayoría requería un trabajo presencial para ser efectivo. Sin embargo, yo ayudé a Sarah y Bruna con algunas cosas. Las chicas filmaron los videos de Linco y yo hice el reel para Arte en Común. También, creé el video para las Rutas y edité las fotos y cargué algunas historias de Instagram. Creo que podría ayudar a las chicas un poco, pero no hay mucho trabajo que pueda hacer por ellas. Fue más fácil ya que estábamos en la misma zona de tiempo. 

En total, no fue la mejor primera semana en Barcelona. Sin embargo, estoy emocionado por las semanas adelantes y la oportunidad para trabajar con el equipo en persona FINALMENTE!!! Es bueno que COVID está fuera del camino así que no voy a tener este problema más tarde.

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This week was finally when I could work in person with TUDANZAS. But after two hours of work, my plans for the week changed. During my lunch break I tested positive for COVID. Immediately I contacted Sarah and Margherita and Barcelona SAE moved me into an apartment to quarantine. Luckily I didn't have any bad symptoms, I just felt like I had a cold, but I felt very bad that I had contact with Sarah and caused this situation.

Thus another week of virtual work began. It was difficult to feel like I could contribute to the tasks, especially because the majority required in-person work to be effective. However, I helped Sarah and Bruna with some things. The girls filmed the videos de Linco and I made the reel for Arte en Comun. Also, I created the video for Las Rutas and edited photos and published a few instagram stories. I think I helped the girls a little, but there was only so much work I could do for them. It was much easier now that we were in the same time zone. 

In all, it wasn't the best first week in Barcelona. However, I am excited for the weeks ahead and the opportunity to work with TUDANZAS in person (FINALLY!!). It's good that COVID is out of the way so that I won't have this problem later on. 

Estoy aprendiendo mucho sobre los redes sociales y la tecnología y varios sitios para compartir información. Por ejemplo, nunca sabía sobre MailChimp que usan para enviar noticias a la comunidad. Es muy interesante para mí especialmente si trabaja en media o comunicación en el futuro. 

This week I was finally in the office! 

It was a week with lots of learning and new skills. Every day Bruna and Sarah helped me with all the things I needed to know for TUDANZAS. And it was great to meet them this week.

On Monday we attended Festa Major for two hours where we had an activity associated with Arte en Común. Although few people visited us, it was very interesting to see a festival in the neighborhood and the other organizations involved in unifying the community.

I am learning a lot about social networking and technology and various information sharing sites. For example, I never knew about MailChimp that they use to send news to the community. It is very interesting for me especially if you work in media or communication in the future. 

Finally, I participated in the Invisible Routes.  I like that this is an opportunity to understand the people and community that TUDANZAS serves. It was also good practice to take the photos and videos alone. I had never done that before, so I liked being in control and finding out what I liked. 

Now that I have the knowledge of our typical tasks and resources, and have practiced with the help of my classmates, I hope I can be more creative and adventurous with my work!

This week was my first week without Sarah and Bruna! It was definitely a challenge to be motivated while working at the office alone, and I missed their energy! I was worried I would be overwhelmed having to do all the tasks myself, but it wasn't too difficult to manage. 

I got to go to the Hortet this week and I really enjoyed it! All the attendees were really kind, and I love the mission of the garden. I got to hear all about the purpose of the garden from the leader before others showed up. I was surprised at how much of his Spanish I could understand and I am grateful he spoke slowly and clearly to help my comprehension. I think it's beautiful that there is a small space for the community in the middle of a crazy, hectic city. A little boy joined us and I played with him for most of the time at the Hortet. Even though I couldn't communicate with him perfectly, it was adorable to see him so content walking around the garden and interacting with the adults. 

This was also my second time participating in Rutas Invisibles. The group was so energized and involved and it was really nice to see them all participating; it felt much more lively. They also were interested to hear more about me, and I was able to participate more in the activities instead of just focusing on capturing content. Sometimes it is tough to balance being in the moment as a participant with capturing everything, but I'm learning! I know being able to understand what moments should be documented is an important skill for my future! 

I also got to start brainstorming a TikTok/Reels campaign for TUDANZAS which I'm excited about! I hope to bring a new perspective to this project because of my knowledge of the app and what trendy content would help our account grow! 

Este semana fue normal para mí. Mi proyecto nuevo es pensar ideas para una campaña de tiktok. Fue muy divertido incorporando mis ideas y que he visto en mi tiempo libre en tiktok. Es más fácil que creí para adaptar los trends de tiktok a TUDANZAS! También, creé un tiktok con un sonido de moda, y fue divertido!!

El hortet esta semana fue fantástico. Hablé con un hombre sobre diferences entre Chile y los Estados Unidos, y el crisis climático en el mundo. Él es muy sabio y nuestro conversación fue muy impactado. Sus preguntas sobre los políticos y sistemas en los Estados Unidos fue muy interesantes. Estoy agradecido por este evento y la habilidad a tener una conexión con muchos personas diferentes!

Rutas Invisibles fue muy divertido. Pintamos con cocao y sal, y fue interesante a ver la textura diferente. 

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This week was normal for me. My new project is coming up with ideas for a tiktok campaign. It was a lot of fun incorporating my ideas that I have seen in my free time into tiktok. It is easier than I thought to adapt tiktok trends to TUDANZAS! Also, I created a tiktok with a fashion sound, and it was fun!

The hortet this week was fantastic. I talked with a man about the differences between Chile and the United States, and the climate crisis in the world. He is very wise and our conversation was very impactful. His questions about the politicians and systems in the United States were very interesting. I am grateful for this event and the ability to have a connection with many different people!

Invisible Routes was a lot of fun. We painted with cocao and salt, and it was interesting to see the different texture. 

This week was busy. I worked primarily in the mornings, which was tough since I am  not a morning person. But it was good to have more structure to my day and get to explore the city afterwards. Edgar was also in the office with me, which helped me feel less lonely. 

I continued to develop my TikTok campaign, and finally got to present it this Friday. It was really cool to have a lot of control and involvement in this project, especially something so relevant to my future career. I wish I was here longer to see this ideas turned into real content, but it is nice to know I have started a foundation for future volunteers and team members. The presentation was well received, and they had some suggestions for how I can continue to add to it and make it a better resource. I am looking forward to continuing to work on it. 

As usual, Hortet and Rutas Invisibles were great. At the Hortet, we had a group meeting to discuss future plans for the garden. This was the biggest group I have seen there so far. I think it is really cool that so many people care so much about this little garden and the surrounding community to come and volunteer a couple hours of their time here. I would love to find something like this back home because it is such a fun and social evening activity.

I also like that the Rutas Invisibles group is talking to more and engaging. I am now able to participate more in the activities and feel welcome with the Mezcladis people, and the event is always impactful for me. Their diverse backgrounds are so interesting - how amazing that I can be exposed to so many cultures in one place!

I also did a lot of miscellaneous tasks associated with promoting other volunteer opportunities and encouraging people to volunteer with TUDANZAS. There are so many details behind these organizations that rely on volunteers, it is shocking! I have a lot more respect for the staff that are involved in making sure there are enough volunteers. 

This week was my last week at TUDANZAS, and it flew by. 

On Monday we got to do a laboratorio with the elderly and it was beautiful! It was such a large group which was really neat. I also liked seeing how our laboratory looked different with this generation compared to what we normally do with the people who come to Rutas Invisibles. Even though they had limited mobility and energy, seeing them get to experience art and movement was beautiful. This just shows how impactful TUDANZAS events can be for so many different groups of people. 

I did some more work with Haces Falta and promoting new volunteering opportunities, and am once again shocked at how expansive ESC is. Looking at all our partner organizations showed me how many businesses all over Europe rely on volunteering. I don't think there is any platform like ESC in the US, and volunteering is much less common there, so I don't think we could depend on volunteers the same way. I hope all of these great organizations can survive the pandemic and get the help they need to achieve their goals! 

I have really loved the hortet. Everyone was so sad to see me go and were so sincere in wishing me the best. There is a similar organization in Raleigh, and I think after such a great experience at the Hortet, I will definitely give this garden a try. It's been a great way to relax after work and find community around here, and I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I do!

The last session of Rutas was a smaller group, but still really special. Everyone wished me safe travels and thanked me for my time, which was so sweet. I told them how thankful I am that they have been kind and welcoming to me, and how much I enjoy hearing about their lives. Since so many of them are also learning Spanish, I feel a lot more comfortable speaking with them freely without trying to perfect every sentence. This group has been essential in my language learning journey and in building my confidence and conversational abilities. 

Overall, I leave knowing I have learned so much about myself and the Barcelona community. I have gained a lot more skills when it comes to photo and video shooting and editing especially. I have a greater appreciation for cultural associations and nonprofits like TUDANZAS, and am curious if anything similar exists in my communities back home. I also have a wider definition of art and dance after working here, because really any movement can be considered dance, and art can be created out of anything. I hope to take the TUDANZAS mission and values with me wherever I go in the future and am so grateful for this experience!