Ms. Patricia Rodriguez Pastor, from Loyola University, Spain - E-Commerce Business Support Trainee

My name is Patricia, I´m 23 years old and I'm from Malaga, in the sunny south of Spain. Because of where I´m from I love being under the sun, going to the beach and meeting friends. I also like history and politics and I like to keep up to date with the news.

 1. Why did you decide to take the Erasmus + internship opportunity? Why did you choose Slovakia?

 I decided to do the internship in Slovakia, because during my university studies I couldn't go on Erasmus, so this was a great opportunity. Also, having studied International Relations, I think it was important for me to have an experience of working abroad. I also knew it would be an opportunity to meet new people, practice the language and travel around central Europe.

2. What were your main responsibilities and tasks while you were on the traineeship?

 My tasks were mainly registering new customers, helping to create new campaigns to attract them, support my manager with other projects and create weekly reports and recommendations. In general, they were in accordance with my learning agreement.

3. Did you learn anything new in your field? Tell us a bit more about your acquired skills and competencies.

 I think the main skill I have acquired is to communicate and gain a lot of patience whilst working in teams. In addition, I had never worked outside of Spain, so gaining this experience is something very useful for any person who desires to work abroad. 

4. What was the most beneficial part of your work? 

 The most rewarding part of my internship was being able to work with people of different nationalities, as I had never had the opportunity to do this back home. The Lenovo facilities were great too, we had free coffee and hot chocolate, a large terrace to relax on, rooms equipped with the latest technology, plus lots of other things.

5. What was the most difficult part of your work life?

 Probably the hardest thing is that my boss and other colleagues worked remotely, so on the days I went to work at Lenovo, it was a bit difficult for me not to be with them physically.

6. What would you say about Slovakia? Have you noticed any cultural differences between Slovakia and your country?

 The climate was the thing that struck me the most. Coming from the south of Spain I was used to the heat and the sun, so to have enjoyed the snow for the first time in Slovakia was great. Also, Spain is a very big country, so traveling from one city to another can take hours, while here it is quite small and other countries are only a few hours away by bus.

7. How did Covid influence your life during the internship? Pros and cons?

 It has affected my free time a lot because shops and entertainment venues were closed for quite a long time. Also, not knowing Slovak made it very difficult for me to keep up to date with the latest news about the restrictions. However, during the cold weather, it was extremely nice to stay at home while working!

8. Would you like to recommend anything to the newcomers?

 I recommend to have the courage and desire to come to Bratislava. Try not to stay at home and enjoy the city and make new friends. The city is very lively, and you will have the opportunity to see new places and travel a lot, so take advantage of most of the opportunities!

9. How would you evaluate the overall support received from the Placement Slovakia team? 

 In general, they helped me a lot to arrange my internship while I was still in Spain and during my stay in Slovakia as well.