As part of Clemson's Language and International Business program, it is required that students complete an approved internship with an international company.  I completed my internship during the Fall 2022 semester while I was abroad in the south of Spain.  I was also a full-time student since I took four upper level Spanish courses.  

My internship placement was at Boleo Legal, which also collaborated with Boleo Global.  Boleo Legal is a small law firm local to Seville; it was established in 2020 and has many different practice areas. I worked as an International Development and Business Law Intern from September to December.  It was an absolutely invaluable experience.

When I arrived in Spain, I was very intimidated about working entirely in Spanish.  I have always been a bit of a perfectionist, so it was an adjustment for me to learn how to be okay with the possibility of being wrong or uncertain.  I learned how to be comfortable asking questions and learning how to give myself grace if my spoken Spanish was not entirely perfect. 

As an intern, I was usually the first or second person in the office, but that was not because of the hierarchy of the organization.  It was more due to the fact that in the United States, we follow a more monochronic time orientation; whereas, Spain is a polychronic time culture.  It was my responsibility to translate any required documents or webpages between English and Spanish.  I also drafted newsletter articles and conducted research for content to be added to the firm's blog.  I attended and actively participated in meetings and corporate events for potential clients, gaining exposure to international business and legal dynamics.  Most of my work was written and independent, which could be somewhat monotonous at times, but I still enjoyed most of the work that I completed since I love to read, write, and am very detail-oriented.

I found the people at Boleo Legal and in Spain, in general, to be very welcoming and congenial.  I became friends with two of the other young women that I worked with, one of them who would invite me to join her for dinner and drinks in Seville with her friends, and the other inviting me to her family's house in Écija for the weekend.  At Boleo Legal, it was common for us to have a coffee or to eat a light lunch together, which was a great time for me to practice my Spanish.  I am a strong reader and writer of the language, so my translating and newsletter work came very naturally to me, but I honestly think that when it came to me becoming more fluent in Spanish, the more beneficial part of the internship came from talking over coffee, going to an event for a startup's launch as a representative of Boleo Legal, and being immersed in the language while talking to my coworkers' friends and families.  

I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to intern abroad, because besides my professional development, I gained a lot from the experience.  I learned how to be adaptable and gained a lot of confidence.  I really enjoyed being able to learn so much about Spanish culture from my coworkers.

Over the course of my internship, as a part of the Clemson curriculum, we were required to write an internship report in Spanish.  It is interesting to look back on it over a year later and think about all that I have accomplished and what has changed since I wrote it, including how much my Spanish language proficiency has since improved.  You can click the button below to view and read it.