The Journalistic profession:
The perks of late hours, extreme doses of caffeine and excentric coworkers is no news to those who wish to persue the profession. Yet it is one thing to hear about it, and another to actually inmerse yourself in it. With that in mind, I can sum up the mission of reporters: to give readers a new perspective on an issue, by inmersing them on whatever subject the article is dealing with. It is allowing them to see the world through the eyes of someone else, for the time it takes to read 1000 words. In the end the job is a public service; it is not for money but for the sake of spreading knowledge and truth. Yes it sounds noble and great, and it is indeed. Some newspapers are bullshit, I know, but El Pais is as good as it gets.
I loved my internship, in spite of feeling inexperienced, foreign and downright lost most of the time, I can honestly say that I have learned more in a month working at this newspaper than the two years I have been in school. Then again, that tends to be the case in this profession.
This is my last week, and you know, that time to start preparing the answers to the questions my parents will surely ask like....
Did I learn anything?
Is this really what I want to do?
Am I any good?
Did I make any good connections?
Did I gain a lot of weight?
Well, to answer these questions in order and controlling my chain of thoughts (that tends to be hard for me) I will do them by order, you know, like a sixt grade research paper.
1. Did I learn anything... well, I think I already answered that question. Between crazy people camping out in front of Ikea, seeing the president of Spain, running in downtown Madrid in search of a computer, adopted dogs, eathquake-affected peruvians crying, monkeys spitting at fotographers, urbanization laws in the city of madrid, the obsolete notion of press conferences, bullshit politicians, crazy editors, agencies, a complete metro system, chinese thermometers, an awesome layout program, Indian dances, crazy journalists, time diferences, exagerated health complaints, retina problems.... well, I think I learned. I learned a lot, probably too much, and I will have a bitter feeling when I look back to these days and I realize I didnt take as much advantage of them as I could have. Did it give me confidence? Hell yes, I could not work in a better place... my only problem? I def was not ready for it, and I could have given a better-lasting impression if I had done this a year from now, or after college. I have a feeling I will come back though.
2. Is it really what I want to do... well... it's too hard to decide right now. Writing, definetely, not even an option. Journalism, no doubt about it. A huge, daily newspaper, well... that might change. Although I absolutely love it; I love the rush, I love the adrenaline, I love the writing, I HATE the hours. I cannot get to my house at 11 p.m ever day... it is too absurd for me. Maybe I can get used to it, maybe I can learn to wake up early in the morning and take advantage of the day in a diferent manner.... well, I guess I still have time to think about it. :)
3. I still dont know if I am any good... I dont think I would be the best judge of that. I just know that I try and that I get edited a lot and eventually published... if that is any good? Well awesome. If not, well... I am still going to do it. So sorry for those who read newspapers.
4. Connections... I dont know. I am socially akward... but I will do my best to keep in touch at least with the editors that I met to make sure they remember me in the future.
5. Weight... yes. For those of you who know me and thought I could never be fat well.... I am. I cant fit in the clothes I brought and that is a problem because i have no money nor space in my bag to get bigger clothes... ill just stop eating I guess.

Anyways, I needed to write. I realized that this language-learning thing is complicated... it's like a balance that can only have certain things on each side of it, and the weight gets shifted from one side to the other. The more I know english, the less I know spanish, and vice versa. French will just completely kill the balance but, oh well. I am not planning on writing profesionally in that language.

Finally, to whomever reads all of this, you deserve a prize. Let me know of your accomplishment and I will see that you are rewarded.
Cheers