I have loved my time at 3 BYT and experiencing the differences in the professional world in Spain. In Spain, I have noticed that work is not the central to the lives of Spainish people, as it often is the United States. I would say that I feel like Spanish people work to live, while Americans often live to work. Spanish people are still passionate about their careers, but find more balance than Americans. Socializing is a core part of Spanish life and even after a long work day, many Spaniards will still get tapas and drinks with their friends or family. Additionally, lunch breaks are longer, which ties back to focus on socialization and less emphasis on constant work. While lunch breaks are not several hours, there is less of a strict timeframe as there often is in American workplace culture. I have also learned that Spaniards value personal relationships more than in the United States within a workplace. Through my internship, my supervisors would often engage in conversations that did not solely stick to our work or tasks assigned for the day. Even though they are busy startup owners, they consistently took the time to ask us about our lives. For example, as my internship comes to a close, my supervisors are taking us out to lunch to celebrate our summer together. I have loved working for 3 BYT and living in Spain the past few months!
