Episode 1: The One Where Loops Arrives to Madrid
Hello!!!!!!! Well, this is my first post as a Havas Lofter and I hope you’ll enjoy it.
So… to start I have to say that over the last decade of my life, I’ve been dreaming of writing… what? Amongst many things, a great saga of books that would change the vision of the world for millions of people.
Ok… maybe not a saga, but a book….
Ok… maybe I should start by writing a blog…
I’ve started this blog endeavor many times on many different subjects, but have left the task unfinished over and over again. I never found my Mojo, before, the one thing that motivated me to write without failing week after week.
So today, with Havas Lofters initiative on hand, I literally HAVE TO do it! It’s the perfect way to force me to write and keep writing! Maybe it will be the push I needed to finally put that -stranded by- project into action.
What comes ahead in the Havas Lofter Experience is very exciting! And very frightening!!! After all… I am the chosen one
Ok… one of the two chosen ones from México in this Lofters edition!!! And great things are expected from us! Maybe not to defeat Voldemort, but to make a difference in both our Lofters’ Host city as well as back in our native cities with the Lofter’s experience on hand!
So.. How has my first week in Madrid been?
This week’s been great! I experienced so much before even arriving at the local Havas Village!
On Saturday, June 3rd, the plane landed! I was excited and absolutely ready for customs!!! I had my passport, the letter that Arena Media’s HR team wrote for me so I could justify my business visit; my returning ticket for the 2nd of July so they would not think I was considering staying forever; my AirB&B reservation so they wouldn’t think I was going to sleep on a Bench in Parque del Retiro and last but not least, my most recent account statement which, as I was told, was very important for customs.
Well… I arrived at customs and the lady that welcomed me into Madrid looked at my bunch of papers like… “What the hell do I want all that for?” She put a stamp on my passport and let me march LOL!
The rest of my Saturday can be translated into one simple sentence: ZZZZZzzzzzZZZZZ. 7 hours of jetlag and 11 hours on a plane left me incapacitated until the next day.
Sunday was all about walking around Madrid! According to my Apple Watch, I walked 20.1 km or 13.04 miles!
During my walk, I entered Prado’s Museum (El Museo del Prado) and admired the great work of mostly Spanish, French and Italian artists such as Velázquez, Durero and Poussin. As I enjoyed their artwork, I kept thinking about the time when these pieces were created. What did the artists had on their lives? What were they thinking? What would these masterpieces say if they could talk?
But… as I cannot avoid just being me… and amongst all that profound thinking, I just had to take this selfie that reminded me so much of a very funny meme! Afterwards I was asked to put my phone in my purse so… it’s the only evidence from my Prado’s visit!! :P
After Prado, I rounded Retiro’s Park (El Parque del Retiro) two times looking for the Book Fair that was taking place that weekend.
After the rounds, I realized that the border wall I passed twice wasn’t a border wall at all; it was a series of stands of BOOKS from behind that were blocking the view of the… well… the book fair.
So I walked by the Book fair hoping to buy some cute little book to enjoy while drinking a soda or a glass of wine sitting on a park bench (a very romantic concept), but ended up buying a ridiculous sized 7 volume edition of Asterix (complete collection)… I was so thrilled to have found it at such a good price that I didn’t realize that I have no idea how will I transport the books back to México in my suitcase, so keep this note for future blog posts.
Later that evening, about to drop dead from exhaustion with a very heavy 7 volume Complete Edition of Asterix in my hands, I took a taxi to my apartment and prepared a couple of sandwiches that I enjoyed with a beer.
Then Monday came! First day of School! I mean… WORK!!! I woke up early and even had time to prepare a good breakfast (due to all the time available in Madrid for everything you may need, an important topic in my next post). I walked about 4 minutes (or 5 considering the traffic light to cross the street) and arrived at the Village! My apartment is so close that it’s almost a dream of convenience.
As I approached the building, I took this photo. And I wondered if the building would be easy to identify!
I entered the Village and asked for Angel Esteban, a very nice HR guy that gave me a tour of the building. He explained to me broadly how the Village works in Madrid and invited me to coffee at the Village’s cafeteria. The Village is so nice!!! Well, no more words… pictures are better…
After this, I met with the Strategy team in Arena and everyone was very welcoming. Iñigo (my coach) introduced me to everyone on the 5th floor and we talked about what we are going to do throughout the next 4 weeks! It’s all very exciting because I think it fulfills every expectation I have for this Lofter’s experience.
This afternoon I’ve been walking like crazy!!!! But, that is also a topic for future posts.
So.. I’m excited, and this is only the beginning!!! LET’S GO!!!!
