Two Interns Talk About Instituto Hemingway and Their Exchange in Bilbao<

Two Interns Talk About Instituto Hemingway and Their Exchange in Bilbao

Here are the comments from our interns who sadly went back home this Friday, but who have enjoyed and learnt lots from this experience…! “Before coming to Bilbao to do this work experience for a month, I was really stressed. In fact, I had never been so far away from my family and friends for so long. But once I arrived at the school, I quickly got over my fears. The staff welcomed me with open arms and explained to me how the business has developed, as well as giving me a tour of the school. I also discovered who would be my tutor – Rodrigo – a teenager who is only 19 years old but who does so much for the company and always lightens up whichever room he enters! He helped and assisted me through the whole of this work experience and I can now say that it is thanks to him that my level of Spanish has improved because we speak about so many things, from business matters to what we do in our free time. I decided to do my exchange at the Instituto Hemingway because it’s a school where Spanish is taught, and my aim was to improve my Spanish. I could not attend classes because the aim of this exchange was not to take classes, but instead to familiarise myself with the world of work. So despite it being a small company, I have still learnt a lot. I cannot thank the Instituto Hemingway enough for the confidence they have given me and I advise anyone who wants to learn Spanish or do an exchange abroad to do it there. You will never get bored there either, thanks to the free cultural activities that allow you to discover Bilbao and get to know people from all over the world. It is a new experience that you should not miss out on!" --- “As part of my studies of foreign commerce, I had to do a month of work experience. I had the option to do it in Spanish, English or German. As I love Spanish, I decided to choose this language for my exchange. I then looked online at some Spanish companies and I found the Instituto Hemingway in Bilbao. Firstly, I would like to speak about the staff at the school. Alfredo and José, who are the bosses, always listen when there is a problem and do everything possible to resolve it. But Rodrigo, my supervisor, is someone who I will never forget. He is only 19, but he has so much responsibility at the school that you would think he is older. He is very knowledgeable and really friendly. You can talk about anything with him, because he always listens and does everything he can to make us feel comfortable. During my exchange at the Instituto Hemingway, I undertook a variety of tasks. I had three daily tasks to do, but I also had a lot of other varied things to do such as creating posters, taking photos of the city… For example, thanks to that, I learnt to use a programme for designing posters, leaflets and advertisements etc… To finish off, I would like to say a few words about Bilbao. It is a very lively city, which has hundreds of things to do and see. There are impressive landscapes like the San Juan de Gaztelugatxe peninsula and the beautiful beaches. Bilbao is also an ideal city for shopping. To be honest, I completely transformed my wardrobe here! There are two shopping centres near to the city centre and hundreds of shops. Thanks to this exchange, I have discovered the beautiful city of Bilbao and have also been able to improve my knowledge of Spanish. I would like to thank all members of staff for welcoming me and for their kindness."