Hey everyone! I’m sure you’re wondering who I am and why I’m writing on the AIL Madrid blog. It’s been exactly one week since I came to this city for my internship in a Spanish company.
Before telling you more about my work here, I would like to tell you more about me! My name is Neslihan, just like the main characters in the famous Turkish movies and books. So, I’m half Turkish but also Latina, as my mother’s family is from Bogotá, Colombia.
Since I was a little girl, I always remember my mom singing songs from Gloria Stefan and Rubén Blades. I do keep in touch with my mom’s side of the family as well, especially via my cousins on social media. As I’m still a mixed kid though, I do feel more Turkish than Colombian at times.
Even though my mom spoke Spanish to us at home, I felt like I couldn’t learn Spanish in the same way that I would have if I lived in Colombia. As such, before finishing my Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing at the University of Istanbul, I came to Spain for an extracurricular internship in Madrid.
Since May, I’ve been thinking of what my life might look like after graduation next year. On one hand, I’m thinking about doing a Master’s to get more experience in social media and the promotion of influencers, as these are the parts that interest me the most in Marketing.
After talking with my parents, they offered the option of taking a gap year abroad. My first thought was to go to Bogotá, to spend time with my family and my cousins. As well, I would get a lot of free time to think about how I wanted to continue with my degree after graduation or where I wanted my career to take me.
Finally, one of my best friends, Deniz, told me I should look for internships abroad. The internship sounded like the best option to me—a chance to get more experience in the professional world of Marketing and Communication. And of course, it would be a great opportunity to put full time work at a Spanish company on my CV.
There’s not a lot of people in Turkey who speak Spanish, but I was thinking of the world abroad. All of Latin America and other Spanish speaking countries are really interested in investments and business in Turkey. My dream is to work in marketing at a company like Benefit or Huda Beauty, so having that work experience in Spanish was a advantage plus for me.
After a few days of thinking my options over, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Deniz told me. Working an internship at a company abroad was such a good idea. I would be around native speaking Spanish people and add a unique experience to my CV.
I talked to a few different companies on LinkedIn, but the one who finally responded to me was AIL Madrid. They proposed that I take part in their internship program. Soon after, I had my interview with their marketing team.
During the Zoom interview, they asked me what my favorite part of marketing was, to which I replied “social media”. I could not believe what luck I had! They were looking for someone just like me: interested in content creation and social channel management. Do you know that feeling when you finally perfect your makeup look? (I apologize for my makeup metaphors; I’m just a huge fan!). I felt confident and ready to take on any offers coming my way. The next day I received a call from Jesús, the manager of the marketing department and he told me the job was mine. I couldn’t have been more excited!
I didn’t waste any time after hanging up the phone. I bought my plane ticket for Madrid and packed my favorite clothes in my big suitcase. Nothing could stop me!
I’d never been to Spain before. The whole plane ride was spent thinking about my favorite influencers and the new life I’d live in sunny Madrid. Most of all, I decided to enroll in an Intensive Spanish Course to take the SIELE Exam and certify my level of Spanish.
When I arrived to Madrid, I quickly felt at home. Luckily, one of my mom’s friends works in Spain. She picked me up from the airport and even accompanied me to my apartment. I was tired from my trip, and needed to rest since I was starting my work the next day.
As of now, I can’t tell you all much more. This weekend, I’m going to explore the city with some of my classmates from my Spanish classes. I’ll be sure to tell you all about how my experience in the city has been going in my next blog post. Until then… hang tight and wait for my new adventures!
¡Hasta pronto!
Nihan ❤️
