Overall, the weeks since my last blog post have been very busy and, at times, hectic. As I finally begin begin to feel that I am part of this community, I have been faced with a number of new challenges regarding both the Spanish work and social system. In regards to work, one of the main challenges has been the adoption of tougher long term projects than what I had initially been completing. Although I am pleased that I am finally getting to perform more applicable work to my career field, the lack of instructions that had come with this new work has made it challenging. Additionally, the decreased amount of time available to me adds to this concern, as I have had to quickly figure out how to balance this work with smaller projects that the busy company requires.
In addition to this point, in regards to social circumstances, one way that getting acclimated to the environment has, in a sense, made the situation more difficult is as a result of the way that some individuals have begun to know me better and therefore expect more of me. Although I am happy that I am getting acclimated to my social circumstance, this is nevertheless proving somewhat of a challenge.
Nevertheless, as a result of this greater acclimation, there has been some good that’s come from it. One of these things regarding work is that my bosses have been more willing to provide me with greater opportunities to fully experience the companies operations. In addition to now being able to do considerably more translation work, I have also been offered the opportunity to follow along with some of the company excursions. Although it is unlikely due to my limited time that I will be able to lead any of the excursions while I am here, it is nevertheless nice to see more of the companies operations.
In addition to this point, another benefit which has come with becoming more acclimated to the social scene is a greater ability to organize my schedule and travel around the country. Over my past 2 weeks here, one of the most exciting examples of this has been my opportunity to travel to the Basque Country cities of Bilbao and Gernica. Being so independent to the rest of Spain, this has been a truly very exciting trip, as the visit has added a much greater context to the country.