Evelyn Gross, Madrid Internship Program–Business & Econ Track

Editorial Intern at Glamour Magazine, Spring 2012

Internship: I interned at Glamour Magazine as an editorial intern reporting to the Editor in Chief of the Fashion Section of the magazine. I translated interviews with designers from English into Spanish, managed the credits for photo spreads, and got to help choose shoes for a photo shoot about a trend in plastic shoes.

I Learned: I learned how to assimilate into a new culture and learn the cultures and values. I also learned how to travel: packing light, figuring out buses and trains in foreign countries, and seeing the highlights of a city in a short time.

Comparing/Contrasting to Other Work Experiences: The work environment in my internship abroad was far less structured than any internship I have had in the US. I had to ask constantly for responsibility as opposed to being assigned tasks to work on for the day.

Hardest Part: The hardest part for me was learning a foreign language. I knew Spanish from taking various classes at BU but had never been forced to communicate in it. It took a lot of getting used to to converse in Spanish at all of my meals eaten with my host family, in the work environment at my internship, and socially when I went out. Although it was the hardest part of my experience, it was also the most rewarding. By the end of my study abroad experience, I was shocked by how easily I could communicate in Spanish! I felt very proud of myself.

Best Part: The best part of my experience was living with a host family. I was nervous about living with a host family, but it proved to be a wonderful way to learn about the Spanish culture first-hand. I vastly improved my Spanish because I ate lunch and dinner with my family every day. I also was made to feel like a part of their family and got to go my host brother’s school play, do makeovers at my host sister’s sleepover party, and attend my host mom’s work party with many Spanish diplomats. My experience felt so authentic because I was part of the Menchón family.