Aventura Catalunya - Barcelona 2011/2012

17.01.2012

only 16 days left in Spain

The new year started and I am back in Barcelona! The holidays were great, I was happy to see my family and friends again after four months without being home. But if I'm honest I was also happy to be back in Barcelona, because this city never sleeps. Here I always have things to do (well, mainly working during the day, but also in the evenings). At home in Germany I almost just relaxed for two weeks, but this also was a nice change compared to my workaday life here in Spain.

In the company we have a new colleague since monday. Here name is Christina and she is from Spain, but also speaks German, French and English and she will take over the work my former colleague, who left some months ago, did. Due to the fact that I already know the "Daylite", the administrative programme we work with, and other working activities in the company I explained here some things and introduced her to the every day working life at the Exel Fil.

There are no changes in the work I perform. I am still occupied with contacting customers in the German market, and I more and more get into it because I already know the customers so it is easier to build up a good relationship with them.
I only have 16 more days here in Barcelona, and on the 2nd of February my flight will leave - direction Germany.

I started working on my final report for the internship and while writing it I realised that the stay here in Barcelona brought a lot to me.
In order to not only new Barcelona, but also some other parts in the country I already has visited some other places, as for example Tarragona last weekend. For this weekend I planned a trip with a friend of mine who also lives in Barcelona since four months. We are going to Alicante and Valencia, which are more to the south, and therefore, the weather will be even better than here in Barcelona - up to 21° C are forecasted, so I will enjoy it before leaving to cold Germany and then the Netherlands in a few weeks :)

11.12.2011

It's December already!

Time is flying. I am now living in Barcelona almost four months which means that the time I still will live here is going to be shorter with every day. On the one hand I am really looking forward to see my friends and family more often again, but on the other hand rightnow I don't want to think about the day where I will leave this great city and all my friends I got to know during my stay here in Spain.

But, first of all, some more impressions about my time in Barca.

For the working-aspect, there are no real changes. I still like the company, my colleagues and the work. It is noticeable that the year will be over in a few weeks, because orders are coming less and less. I started with a new small project. In order to develop a new market with different types of wires (for galvanizing companies), I am doing a research for companies in Europe, such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, and skandinavian countries, that may use and need these special types of wires. Afterwards, I will contact the, hoping to get them as new customers.

On the 23rd of December, Exel Fil has winterholidays up to the 8th of January 2012.

I am really looking forward to going back home to Germany for a few days because I didn't see my family and friends for four months.

But nevertheless, rightnow I am not really in "christmas-mood" because it is still too warm. Today we had 15° C and a lot of sun, so I was able to enjoy some German Lebkuchen my parents sent me for Sinterklaas on my balkony :)

Actually, Barcelona is ready for Christmas since the beginning of November, but to be honest, I never was a fan of christmas decoration, sweets in stores and christmas songs that early, but definitely not with these temparatures!!

At the 2nd weekend of November I went surfing with some friends in the morning, and it was so warm on this day that we were able to walk in jeans and t-shirt to the beach - at 9.30h in the morning. So the christmas decoration in the streets really looked strange to me.

Two weeks ago a friend visited me and we went up to the castle of Montjuic in Barcelona, from where you have a wonderful view on the whole city.

We were enjoying the sun and the great atmosphere, and my friend even got sunburned, so, the wheater is amazing here in Barcelona :)

Now in this year, I have 12 days left in Barca, and then cold Germany is waiting for me! But so far, I will enjoy the time here!!

25.10.2011

It's not always sunny in Barcelona...

So far I really had the greatest wheater possible. A lot of sun, 27° C as a minimum, a cool breeze coming from the ocean..perfect for just enjoying every single day here in Spain what I definitely do!
But still I am also here for doing my internship ;)
In the office everything is going well. I like the colleagues and it is a great atmosphere to work. Everybody is willing to explain new things to me, and so I am really enthusiastic about learning and working there.
After several weeks I now worked for Exel Fil the work starts to get routine somehow. I am familiar with the systems used (as for example DayLite, a CRM-software), I know more about the products and their uses, the contact and intercourse with customers are nothing new anymore and I really feel like being a part of the export team from Exel Fil, and not only like an intern who is "responsible" for coffee and copies, who I never was at this company which I really like. From the beginning on I was responsible for several things which gave me the impression to be seen as an equal employee and also to be needed, for example in communicating with german customers in order to translate everything. I feel comfortable in the enterprise which is in my opinion a plus regarding to the outcome of this internship. The better you feel in a certain situation the more you can make out of it I believe.
Two weeks ago something changed at Exel Fil. One of my colleagues left the company. She was responsible for the German-speaking market (Germany; Austria, Switzerland) regarding to customer service, export and transportation, together with Mr. Saber Kolli. Now she left the company so her work needs to be done by others. A small problem for the new work-distribution is, that besides Mr. Kolli, I am the online person in the company who speaks German. This makes the communication with the customers for my other colleagues not so easy. So I am now supporting Mr. Kolli with the daily business and I am now even more in touch with clients, as for example while making offers, and I also have to deal with transportation companies, accounting et cetera.
All in all I now have more work, but in my opinion this is better for me because due to the situation I have a better chance to learn as much as possible. It is nice to see how the different things I learned at Exel Fil so far come together when you have to accompany a customer from the beginning of making a sales offer up to the final sales contract. It still is a nice internship and I am looking forward to the coming months.
The great wheather from the start of my stay here in Barcelona is disappearing day by day. Now we only have 21° C left (which is still better compared to the Netherlands or Germany I guess), and yesterday it was raining cats and dogs the whole day. Also in Barcelona autumn is coming, but as long as possible I will enjoy the sun. And well, I think the city will also look great in brown, red and yellow, when leaves are falling down :)

27.09.2011

First days at work...

On the 5th of September I started my internship at Exel Fil. It is a company that produces and exports different types of steel wires to all over the world. The head office and production facilities are located in Cervera/ Lleida, and the Export Department is in Barcelona, where I will be an intern for the coming five months.

Building where the Export Department has its seat.

The first day began at 10:00 p.m. and I got to know all the people that are working there. There are nine persons working in Barcelona, including me.

My company mentor is Mr. Saber Kolli. He is the Export Sales Director of Exel Fil and will help me to learn a lot during the internship. But also the other employees from the Export Department are really nice and will teach me a lot, according to their functions and responsibilities.

As an intern in the Export Department I will have different tasks to perform. I am doing an supportive internship so I will perform similar tasks like all the others at Exel Fil do.
I will be occupied with different aspects of the export business, such as dealing with customers, making sales offers, accounting, logistics and many more. The area where my interest will be mainly is the recycling market and I will be responsible for Germany.

My desk

Exel Fil produces amongst others wires that are used in the recycling industry. The wires are needed in baling presses to tie the bales made out of paper, carton, PET-bottles, and clothing for example.
In order to get familiar with the way the company works I visites the head offices and the production plant in Cervera on my second day.

Production Facilities

Head Office from outside

Head Office from inside

Approximately 38 people work in the company, depending on the amount of work that needs to be done.

Here some pictures from the productions facilities and the procuts Exel Fil manufactures:

Loading of wires

Cooling systems

Machinery

Barcelona here I come

On the 26th of August 2011 it was time to let the adventure Spain begin. All my luggage was packed (impossible to fit everything for five months into only one suitcase..) and I was waiting at the airport Cologne/Bonn to catch my flight - destination: Barelona, Catalunya/ Spain.
I was really exited to go there because I have never been there before. Nevertheless I was a bit sad to leave my family and my friends, but the pleasant anticipation to Spain was bigger and so I was really happy when I arrived in Barcelona in the evening. It was already dark but still the city had a magic vibrancy and I was looking forward to see more of it.
I will live here in Barcelona now for five month in order to do my internship at an export company called Exel Fil. But till the beginning of the work placement I had some time left to settle in and explore this city.
Barcelona is awesome! It is a stunning mixture of contrasts; modern business districts on the one side, and old buildings from ancient times such as churches and cathedrals, places and other constructions on the other side. Furthermore, Barcelona has a lot of history and culture and people from almost all over the world live here. In my opinion, the city has a lot of charme and I am really looking forward to the next five month and getting to know more of the beauty of Catalunya.
Here some impressions of my new home: