When I first found out that I had a week work experience at an «IT» company in Spain I was excited and worried at the same time. I could end up getting plenty of experience with computers and getting much needed practice in Spanish by speaking to colleagues. On the other hand I could end up filing paperwork, doing manual labour and getting ignored.
I was completely wrong and it just goes to show that you shouldn´t knock something until you try it. After my rusty navigation skills eventually got me to the correct road, I had to ask someone for directions, in my then shocking accent. Then to find out that I was working in a building that I previously walked past thinking «Oooh fancy..» was just brilliant. The building was so modern with its unique design and architectural features, I would argue that it is better looking than any office I have seen. Then came the biggest shock of all; the amount of people working here and the facilities available. Within two hours I must have greeted over 150 people, now seems a suitable time to confess that at first I couldn`t remember many names (I blame it on the jetlag). Far from my low expectations of prehistoric hardware I was surprised to see top notch hardware and most importantly a «full-on» studio complete with a «green screen».
My weeks worth of time was split between the many departments of «Fraile y Blanco«, firstly experiencing the endless possibilities of working with a green screen. After that I witnessed a fascinating (if not a bit confusing) project dealing with 3D graphics, it was then why I realised why Hollywood blockbusters cost so much to produce; I used to think it was just extortion. After how the company is so connected to the outside world, through the means of their blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. I also got the chance to go with a journalist from the company to interview a professional on wine. After this my brain started to get confused (I didn´t even drink any wine) as I realised how the departments all mush together to make one company and how all the bits and pieces combine to produce an incredible puzzle. On the contrary to what one may think the departments aren´t isolated and the open planned offices means that the ambience is always friendly. I don´t think it would be to far to say that the other people are just like friends who coincidentally work in the same place.
Looking back at the last paragraph I do not really know what type of a company Fraile y Blanco is because they do so much in fact on today they even had a visit from a local school. The experience in general was fantastic: I met many wonderful people; gained an inconceivable amount of confidence and speed in my Spanish, in fact I often find myself speaking in Spanish by default.
I don´t think it is possible to sum up my experience in words so I would simply like to thank everyone at Fraile y Blanco for a wonderful time.
Nuval Jolly, estudiante de Watford Boys de Londres, que ha compartido una semana con nosotros.
