Working life

Those of you who follow my posts already know that I started working as an intern in a company called Ingeteam placed in Pamplona. In order to become an engineer I need to fulfill a final project, and that's exactly what I'm doing there. I've already been working in Ingeteam for over a month and a half and everyday I feel more comfortable. Like the guy who works next to me told me, starts are always difficult, no matter what you start. I mean, it's not like super hard, but the truth is that the first time you have to deal with a proper job, you are kinda lost. You don't know anyone and you are not familiar with working procedures or habits. But hey, that's the reason why the invented internships, so that you could learn. Well, that and to get the job done for half the price. However, I can't complain about this, because in my case, they don't make me overwork. They let me work on my project and learn, which is great.
The truth is I would like to be doing more for the company, but since I'm not an engineer yet, the final project is the priority. Sometimes it can get pretty boring, but it's something we have to go thru. Anyway, the good news is that the atmosphere in the office is great. People are awesome and so friendly. As I said, it wasn't easy in the beginning, but now I feel like part of it all and get along with all of them.
Sorry for the lack of structure of this post, but you have to understand it's a Sunday in the Carpa's (biggest party at my University) weekend, so it's quite a lot that I'm even writing something here, unlike others (Anita, yeah, you are the one I'm referring to, lazy blogger). Oh, and talking about feeling comfortable at my workspace, they have organized a padel tournament called Ingepadel. Guess who's gonna win!!!

Julen and Mauro

Every now and then I feel the urgency to go to Madrid and pay my two friends there a visit. Julen, who I met on my trip to Australia, is working there in a very important consulting firm. Whereas Mauro, who I met on my Interrail trip around Europe, is studying Engineering there. We are pure travelers material and love planning and going on trips together. The truth is it keeps getting more and more difficult to do so since we are starting our grown ups lives. We have less free time due to working schedules and money isn't exactly something we have in abundance. Nevertheless, hope is the last thing that should be lost and I'm sure we'll manage to go on more adventures together, sooner or later. And in the meantime, this little, short but intense, weekend-length visits is what we have left and the best way to stay in contact. Phone is really handy and everything but it just isn't the same. We are, as Julen always likes to point out, friends of the second group. He refers to a post I wrote while ago where I tried to explain the different kinds of friends people usually have. Being second group friends doesn't imply being less friends than the first group ones, it's just different.

Anyway, all this is just because last weekend I went to Madrid to visit these two friends and I had an amazing time, as usual. I guess they are one of the reasons why I like Madrid that much. Thank you for the weekend!!!

workin' vs studyin'

What's better? working or studying? One thing I know for sure, the answer ain't easy man. Each activity or "way of life" has, like most things in live, its advantages and disadvantages. I'd like to clarify something here, when I talk about working I mean a real job. In this discussion I'm not considering work-study jobs or the like. I'm referring to when you have a full time job which enables you to survive in this society of consumerism that we live in. Having cleared that I will continue with what I wanted to express.
Recently I entered the working group. After twenty years of studying I'm finally done with it. I did not get my degree yet because I still have to hand in and present in front of the tribunal my Final Project, but I already started working. So what do I prefer? Well, it's hard to choose. However, I believe it's just a matter of attitude. If you enter your working adventure thinking that you know everything because you have studied a degree in whatever in whichever university you are gonna be disappointed for sure. University gives you the knowledge so that you have a base to build a more specific and thorough understanding on top of it.
One of the things I value the most about being a student is the flexibility. You could, more or less, skip classes, go on vacation, visit friends abroad, etc whenever you felt like it. But once you start working that changes dramatically. You have a certain amount of vacation days and probably you won't be able to place them exactly when you need them, since you have to take into account the rest of your colleges vacation days as well. Believe me, that's something I really miss.
On the other hand, when you start working you always have free weekends. Some people don't really achieve it, but I try and make the effort of leaving work at work. Meaning when I'm out of work I want to enjoy myself and definitely not worry about work at all. I'd rather come out of work half an hour later with the everything tied up than worrying around. So when you're working you don't have to worry about finals, mid-terms or anything like that. Of course you'll have a thousand things more to worry about than a student, but they'll wait for you in the office the next day, they won't probably chase you home. Anyway, I think I got out of track here and started digressing and rambling. What I wanted to say is that, at least me, I enjoy more weekends now than I did before. And I can plan getaways for any given weekend since I don't have any exam on Monday.
Well, and I did not mention it here but of course the main advantage of working is that you get paid. However, I believe it's better to be paid less and love what you do and work the right amount of hours rather than being a workaholic or a work slave. Instead of working that much in order to get more and more, why don't you just get out and enjoy the nice weather or put your free time into good use helping others?

Back to Balu

That's right, yesterday I went back to Balu (I borrowed this expression from my brother who once wrote it on the whiteboard we have on the fridge). They called me because they had a lot of work to do on Saturday and barely enough people. And since I had been three weeks without going there I decided it would be cool to see the "Baluarteros" again. The truth is that I miss it. I like working there because the atmosphere is so friendly and I usually have fun, specially when I work as barman in the wedding disco. Yesterday I went to work as a waiter serving just the wedding reception, but ended up doing a double shift and thus being at the disco. I had a lot of fun. I was exhausted by the time I finished working, but I must admit it was totally worth it. Plus, we can all use some extra income in these times of worldwide economic crisis.
I want to finish this post greeting all of my collegues in Baluarte. I miss you guys!!!

Segovia, Segovianaaaaaa

Carlota's birthday, that was my excuse this time to get out of Pamplona and enjoy a nice weekend with friends I see rarely. Yeah, that's right, last weekend it was my friend Carlota's birthday. For those of you who don't know her, she is a tremendously funny friend of mine who is studying in Segovia. That's the reason why we went over there to celebrate her birthday. She invited us over to spend the whole weekend at her place. So Iñigo (he was a last minute participant since he decided he was coming the very same day) and I caught the train to Valladolid on Friday afternoon right after I got out of work. Javi and Raquel (his girlfriend) picked us up in Valladolid and the four of us together we headed towards Segovia. Juan (Carlota's brother) was already there. They had prepared sangria (long story, but Iñigo and I were responsible) so we were forced to go out that night and the next, and the next... hehe. Anyway, the point is that we had fun. We played Trivial Pursuit and although Iñigo and I lost, we made quite a game. On Saturday we went for some tapas for dinner. Really nice and cheap, totally recommended.
And that was my last weekend. I hope there's more of them this year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLOTA!!!

Birthday with a French taste

I am aware that this post might come a bit late since my birthday was almost a month ago, but time flies and I haven't had the chance to write it before. It all started when Etxarri told me he had to go to Toulouse on September the 19th in order to defend his Final Project. So I turned to him with an idea in my mind, celebrating my birthday over there. I suggested him I could go, I mean, he could use some company.
And that's how on the 18th, without much organization or planning, we left for Toulouse in Etxarri's car and carrying our sleeping bags. We had arranged to sleep in the room of a guy who also studies engineering a year younger than as and who is erasmusing over there right now. The room was pretty small and we had to sleep on the floor, but since we always got home really tired or drunk we didn't care much. Besides, it was for free so better not to complain.
I believe I already talked about Toulouse on a previous post so I'm gonna keep this one short. Let's just say I had heaps of fun on my birthday. Of course we paid the guys in the tea-shop a visit. And this time, on Saturday the 20th (my birthday for those who didn't recall) we had an amazing and tasteful lunch. We went to a place which served typical French food with cheese as the main ingredient. I don't remember the names of what we ate but I can tell you it was yummy.

Ingeteam it is

So I finally made a decision about my future. After wondering about what I was gonna do with my life for over two months, I made up my mind. As some of you might now, I was pretty excited thinking I could do my Final Project in Germany while doing an internship for a company there. Well, my contact over there was a really nice woman who helped me a lot and did all that was in her hand in order to get me a spot there. The problem was that the guy who I was supposed to work with, a senior manager, didn't seem that enthusiastic. I waited for his call but never got it. Meanwhile, Ingeteam, a company with a division in Pamplona offered me to fulfill my Final Project working with them. What they were offering seemed quite interesting to me and more important, they were showing a lot of interest in me. Conclusion, I decided I'm gonna do my Final Project with them here in Pamplona. This means I ain't going nowhere at least for a year or so. But I think it is ok. I can always try and work abroad once I'm a proper engineer, and not just a Project-less one. When I graduate I'll consider if I still want to work in another country or not, and I'll figure out a way to do it. Until then I'll be around Pamplona, so if any of you want to pay me a visit you must know you are always welcome. I could use some company from my dearest international friends. At least that way I wouldn't forget my English.