Pre-IIP Essay Growing up I never visited a foreign country but frequently travelled to vacation hot spots along the

east coast. I have travelled to Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach, Hilton Head, Disney World, Ocean City, St. Louis and New York. I have only been to three other countries for a brief vacation with my family and these include Niagara Falls, Cancun and the Dominican Republic with my Grandmother. When visiting Cancun with my family, we were there for a week with the sole intent of enjoying the weather and beaches. I visited the Dominican Republic with my Grandmother for ten days. I was unaware of the culture and language barrier I would face as she had a house in a small village called Las Terrenas. Every resident and tourist spoke Spanish, French or German. English was the least common language spoken. I knew coming in that my two semesters before this trip of Spanish class would help immensely for ordering food and traveling around the town, but little did I know, how crucial it would be. Without any knowledge of the culture, it was astonishing to see the way the Dominicans live as there are no street signs, stop lights, or rules in general regarding the way they live. This trip was my first real experience in another culture and it opened my eyes and created a desire to experience other cultures all around the world. Upon hearing about the International Internship Program, I knew it would be a perfect opportunity for my newly acquired interest in traveling as well as offer a great professional experience. The experience I gain from working in Madrid for the summer will create a great resume builder and provide many job opportunities ahead.

As I prepare for this trip, I recognize how different Madrid is to the United States. As a collectivistic country, I expect group work and a collective agreement to be of much more importance than it is while working in the United States. As the economy is worsening in Europe, with a 24.1 percent unemployment rate in Spain right now, I expect to see this collectivism in its citizens as riots break out against the government. The culture of every day life is also much different than we find here in the United States. Time is less of an essence and I expect the timeliness of arriving to work in the United States to be much different than work and other casual events in Madrid. The Spanish pray upon foreigners for pick pocketing especially in this economic down turn. Also, drinking alcohol is a major part of their life and I am aware that my boss may take me out for a drink after work. Another important cultural difference to consider is their perception of Americans. Our stereotype is loud, inconsiderate, and obnoxious with a far different fashionable look that singles us out. We are also as an individualistic culture so we tend to focus on ourselves, which is looked down upon by some Spanish citizens. Some of the customary actions such as tipping, driving, and assuming things are free at dinner may be far different in Madrid. While working in Madrid, I am going to face many differences from my previous internship in the United States. As a small company with only four employees, I expect a very informal environment where typical hierarchal order of business in the U.S. will not be as common in Madrid as ideas freely pass between co-workers. Although I expect a more open environment, respect toward my boss and co-workers are of a higher importance. B Premium is a fairly new start up

marketing firm offering a full 360 marketing service to its clients all around the world. With that type of business model, I expect language to be of the utmost importance as well as gaining trust with our clients. We will be promoting high end products and services through different advertising channels such as Formula 1, Eurosport, Airlines, and Social Media. With this economic downturn, consumers first cut their spending on luxury goods as they are not as much of a necessity for their daily life. I expect this to play a major role and cause potential problems in gaining new customers for our clients. Also, as the economy gets worse in Spain, it may become a necessity for other marketing firms to expand globally which may significantly damage any current clients or future prospects as more services are available to pick between. Spain is a parliamentary monarchy run under King Cortes Generales. As Spain faces a threatening economic recession, the unemployment rate continues to increase and is now at 24.1%. This is well above the European Unions 10.3%. This not only heightens the demand for jobs, but it plays a role on everyones budget. As B Premium promotes these luxury products and offers a premium service, there may be a shortage of customers as opposed to other countries. Spains GDP is ranked as the 14th best in the world, but due to the large budget deficit, it has become vulnerable to collapse from other financially indebted EU members such as Greece. The budget deficit will hurt B Premium as the government will find new ways to raise capital and cut budgets from potential prospects. With the instability in banks and the $15 billion spent by the government to re-stabilize them in 2010, loans may become more difficult to obtain as more banks are on the brink of

collapse. Also, with the elections of new positions in France, Greece, Italy, and Germany, there is potential for massive change in the politics of the European Union in the coming weeks. This great uncertainty is fueling the tension in global markets, which is impacting companies around the world. One other crucial factor to consider is the combination of the 50% unemployment rate in Spain for people under 25 and the new conservative government intensifying budget cuts. These young adults are B Premiums target market and may develop innovation in a country that rarely looks into the future. Spain is the third lowest country in Europe to provide public hot spots per citizen. This lack in technology can be found in many aspects of Spains culture and is preventing economic growth which may hurt B Premium. One out of two people below 25 years old are seeking jobs while turmoil and disgust with Europe and the rest of the world may prominently be displayed. As a U.S. citizen, I am aware of the bad stereotypes I will carry with me and to counter these, I plan on interacting with the citizens initially in Spanish to show my effort in a sincere way. Cultivating trust with citizens that I meet throughout this trip will be necessary for commuting as well as creating friendships. As I encounter citizens, discussing their view of Spains future outcome, I will use my newly gained knowledge to become an active listener and participate in the conversation. The most crucial relationships I need to build and maintain while in Spain are with the co-owners of B Premium. As I express my respect for their experience and authority, I hope to actively participate in innovative advertising techniques for Madrid as well as the United States where I reside. My experience with online

advertising and sales is more likely to be beyond what my fellow co-workers have acquired and I must acknowledge where their language skills are when explaining my justification for ideas. Communication will be to the utmost importance for my success while interning at B Premium. A few technological words in English may be difficult for my co-workers to comprehend as English is their third language. As I immerse myself in this culture, I will use my knowledge to blend in with the locals. This will hopefully prevent pick pocketing, and being a target for other cultural differences.

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