So, I have had many eventful days here! Tuesday evening Kaitlyn and I went out with my boss's family friend Alva to shop and have some drinks (the bar down the street had Bulmer's cider from England - fantastico, maravillosa, ah!) Then her mother invited us to dinner and oh my, was this a seriously cultural experience for me. We did not eat until 10 and we had tortilla espanola (omelet with egg and potato that looks like a pie), croquetas (meat and potato that is mushed together and deep fried), salad, puree of vegetable soup, and bread! To my surprise, her mother then said that we must go over to her neighbor's house for coffee. That was very nice as well, and we didn't get home until 11! This is not late in a college student's standards by any means, but I had to start work the next day so the circumstances were different. I ended up only getting 2 hours of sleep because of my full (yet happy) stomach, and I started my first day of work on adrenaline and ready to go!
I am working at Grupo SM in the Madrid area and it is such a bilingual environment! There are many native Spaniards that work there and primarily speak Spanish, many British, Scottish, and Canadians as well. I also found one other American. My head was spinning from all the code-switching, but now after my third day I am actually really getting used to it. We arrive at the office around 8:45am and immediately go into the little "cafeteria" which is a tiny room where everyone gets their morning cup of coffee or tea. Then I go into my office that I share with Kaitlyn and start working on my editorial tasks. Usually I will receive a proof for a book where the pages are set on massive pieces of paper and I must make the necessary changes regarding punctuation, spelling, formatting, etc. These books are textbooks for Primary learners in English and deal with a variety of subjects. I have actually been working mainly with the Science textbooks! Another job that I have is to transfer the text on the page into a script format for the recordings that are done in London.
After my first day Kaitlyn and I went into Madrid with my boss and we had tapas at the Mercado de San Miguel - oh was that good!! A miracle in front of my eyes, this covered market housed the most delectable treats. I had a tinto de verano (red wine mixed with lemon soda) and a little sandwich on a baguette with some amazing Spanish cheese and jamon iberico - some of the best ham offered in Spain. Then another miracle happened - my boss's friend called her friend who is a native of Madrid and he took us around parts of the city! We got to see the Plaza Mayor, the neighborhood of La Latina, the Palacio Real, and the Egyptian temple! The city has so much history and is really quite beautiful.
Tapas!
Palacio Real, from the Jardin de Sabotini!
Today was just fascinating! We had two training sessions, both of which were in Spanish, but I understood everything and I was so proud of myself. We were trained to use the software to upload images within the books and then we were also trained to work with digital books - they are supplements for teachers and students that are interactive and enrich the learning experience. This is my project for at least a month and I am so excited!! I am doing my thesis on electronic publishing, and this is the company's first way of developing their digital content. I get to add audio/visual content and links to the book which is in print first and then converted into a digital format. So my day will be broken up into three parts: electronic book work, thesis work, and editing/script work with book proofs. On Fridays we get to leave at 3pm. It's so great!
Day by day Spanish is getting a little easier to comprehend and speak. I am happy and my faith is strong. :)
Much more to come soon - might be going to Toledo this weekend and actually planning on going to Andalucia next weekend! Lots of love!
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