Work and play!

Hey, everyone! This week's post is a deeper look into my internship, as well as a few photos of our zip-lining trip. I'm hoping that you all are doing well and not getting too cold as the semester goes on. While you all are probably turning the heat up and getting out the winter clothes boxes, I am still in The Land of Eternal Spring and wearing t-shirts daily! I'm looking forward to the shock of going from the mild climate of Guatemala to the harsh cold of Michigan in the matter of a day. I can't say that I miss the snow, but it will be good to see it! All right, let's get to it!

This week, I would like to tell you all about my internship and a little about how one might prepare for doing an internship abroad.
I work for a jewelry shop and factory named La Casa del Jade which specializes in Jade, a semi precious stone that can be found in mines close to Antigua. There are two different kinds of jade: Nephrite and Jadeite. These are two different minerals. Jadeite is the more rare and can only be found in a few countries. As Guatemala is one of the countries in which Jadeite can be found, La Casa del Jade fabricates and sells pieces that feature this beautiful stone. The use and popularity of jade in Guatemala can be traced all the way back the Mayans. Royalty would wear the hard stone as jewelry, use it for dental work, and form statues and masks out of it. If you are interested in seeing some more information on jade, you can go to La Casa del Jade's information site or do a Google search of Jadeite jade. The site is under construction, as well, but is very informative.
There are many jade companies and shops in Antigua. As it is very special to Antigua and Guatemala, jade makes for a good product to sell tourists.
I got connected to LCDJ through the director of our language school, La Unión. I am working for the head of marketing and doing a lot of work in that area. My day-to-day responsibilities include things like writing advertisements, advising on English wording and translating, doing general office work (stuffing envelopes etc), attending marketing meetings, writing reports, and forming marketing project plan proposals. I have also performed many other tasks to learn and help the company that I am interning at. Ideally, a good internship is mutually beneficial, and I am trying to make sure that the work I am doing is very beneficial to the company. I am making sure that I learn a lot, as well.
I like the environment of my job very well. There are many fine people that I work with, and it is a pleasure to share their company every day. My two closest "compañeros de trabajo" are my supervisor, Silvia, and the woman who works as the secretary of sales, Carmelita. Carmelita works in my office. Or perhaps it is more fair to say that I work in hers. La Casa del Jade is under major construction at the moment and this has forced a large part of the assembly process into the offices. for this reason, many workers have needed to share offices. All the workers are very good natured about this and the transition is going smoothly. Recently, a few of the sales rooms have been completed and the store is beginning to look much bigger, as it had been reduced to two small show areas.
LCDJ is located in a lovely building in Antigua named "El Jaulón." This large building, once the home of a Spanish man who took over Antigua, is home to a few different companies such as restaurants and stores of various kinds.
I typically work four and a half hours per day. I am earning four credit hours for this internship, and forty hours of time working equals one hour of credit. As my internship started a little late in the semester, I opted to work a half hour more than originally planned per day so that I could finish more quickly. Thankfully, my company was very flexible with my hours!
So there is tip number one! Try to have a good idea of what company you will be interning at before you head out on the trip. In my case, the company that Paul (our faculty living here in Guatemala) had lined up for me fell through. This could not be avoided. As the trip is rather new to the school, Paul did not have a backup company and elicited the help of the director of the school, who helped us get in contact with LCDJ. Tip number two: Be flexible. I was not expecting to be working marketing in a jewelry store, but, as it related well to my area of study, I had no complaints accepting the internship.
Working at the shop also gives me a great opportunity to speak Spanish, as most of the workers are natives. Tip number three: Brush up on the language! An internship in a foreign country can be a great learning experience, good for your resume, and a lot of fun. Knowing the language well is important to making the best of your opportunity. A few of my friends are working at a hotel here in Antigua for their internship. As they do not speak the language, it is sometimes difficult for them to communicate and learning is a bit slower.
I will be keeping you up to date on my internship in the future!

This display has some great representations of real pieces found in archeological digs.

One of the newly renovated show rooms in the shop.

This is my work station in the office! Cozy...

This weekend we had the opportunity to do a zip-lining trip! We drove out to a large coffee farm near Antigua and ascended a mountain on the property in a very large off-road truck. There were two options: take two very long lines from the top of the mountain down to the bottom, or take a series of five shorter lines. Out group opted for the five short lines and we started our descent, line by line! I'll let the pictures do the rest of the telling!

This was one of two HUGE trucks that came to Antigua to pick us up. Also the one that brought us up a VERY steep mountain.

Here's our good buddy Corey making his descent!

So, for a general update, I am doing very well! This weekend was very relaxing, as Friday night and Saturday morning were spent relaxing and the rest of the weekend was spent with friends. I got most of my Christmas shopping done tonight and am glad to have that task off my plate.
Many of my friends are becoming homesick and very anxious to get back home. I, however, do not share, for the most part, their feelings. I am very excited to be home and see family and friends, but am more sad, at this point, at the thought of leaving this beautiful country and my studies. I can't remember ever enjoying studying this much! So while my friends are starting their countdowns, I am reminding them: "Don't count down! It will only make the time go slower for you... and faster for me!" No one wins there. So I am trying not to think too much about it. Truth be told, however, we are getting down to the last few weeks here! It makes me sad, but I am also very excited to look back and see all the great experiences I have had (There are more to come, so watch for them!), and all I've learned. I'll keep you in the loop...

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