Hola desde el otro lado
Before I share my first Barcelona experience, I must share a story about another city → Dublin, Ireland. On my way to Barcelona, I had an 8 hour layover in Dublin. I took advantage of the long layover and ventured into downtown to explore the city. Although it was raining, windy and cold, (weather I am accustomed to in Chicago) I really enjoyed Dublin and plan to vacation in Ireland in the future. On my return trip to the airport, I ran into two Chicago Havas-ers! Cara Gigante (Sr. Art Director) and Chelsea Berger (Creative Director) were traveling through Ireland, on a well-deserved vacation, and were on their way to the airport to rent a car for their drive through the Irish countryside. It was fun to hear about their travels in Ireland and to share my excitement about traveling to Spain for the first time.
Chicago is home to many advertising agencies. One of the many factors that attracted me to Havas, is the company’s global presence. Early in my career at Havas, I expressed interest in the Lofts program and my long-term career goal to live and work internationally. When I received my Havas Lofts nomination, I was very surprised. When I found out that I had been accepted to the program, I was grateful for the opportunity. Finally, when I was assigned to the Barcelona office, I was elated! I speak some Spanish and couldn’t wait to be surrounded by the language on a daily basis.
My first day in Barcelona was spent exploring the city with my fellow Havas Loft-er, Patrizia, from the Milan office. It was a beautiful day, so we walked to the beach, explored the Gothic Quarter and visited the Picasso Museum. We made sure to end the day with tapas and sangria!
Though it’s only been a week, I already feel acclimated to the Spanish way of working. Havas Media Barcelona is located in the Les Corts neighborhood, home to many businesses and the FCB Football Stadium. Havas occupies 3 floors in the L’illa building, part of a complex that combines department stores, shopping, restaurants and grocery stores. The office features beautiful views of the city, a national park and the FCB stadium. The workday starts anywhere from 8:30 — 9:30 AM and lasts until 6:00 PM or later. Lunch takes place around 2:00 PM in the office ‘Cantina’, located on the 2nd floor. Fortunately, one of the Havas Barcelona clients in a Spanish coffee brand and the office has its own barista, which has helped me adjust to the +7 hour time change.
The first week has been very busy and productive. My coach, Roger (more on him later), has created a daily schedule for me to shadow and learn from various teams and departments in the agency. The people in the office have been super friendly and accommodating. They are willing to meet with me so that I can gain an understanding of their role and answer any of my questions, whether in Spanish or English. This week, I attended presentations from vendors (Spotify) and Pure Players (Socialyse and DBi). I sat in on a planning meeting for a new business pitch and met with members of the Account and Strategy teams. In the evenings, there have been plenty of ‘afterworks’ (happy hours) hosted by Google and Vice, and an office ‘nightwalk’ — a company-wide event where we hike in the surrounding national park and end the evening at a local bar. At each of these events, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know my coworkers and to practice my Spanish. After sharing stories and a few photos from the Chicago office, I think that everyone wishes they could partake in a program like Lofts to get to know their global colleagues and experience a culture unlike their own!
