Sonia Daryanani Chainani

Every year in December, my school organizes a concert at the Church ´El Salvador´ in Seville, where the school´s choir perform a series of songs, including some Christmas carols. This choir, known as ´Coro Brahms´, is open to the public, allowing both school members and others interested to attend. This year, I was selected, along with three other classmates, to be one of the event organizers for the choir.

We had to arrive at the church two hours before the concert to organize all the seating, place some welcome cards on each chair, and guide attendees to their assigned seats. I really enjoyed the experience and felt honored to be part of something so important and meaningful, as this choir holds great significance for my school.

• Improved overall guest satisfaction by implementing responsive customer service practices throughout the planning stages and during events themselves.
• Trained and supervised event staff to complete tasks on time.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to work as a warehouse assistant for my uncle’s company, Kiero Spain S.L., which is specialized in electronic devices. My two uncles also own a restaurant in Torremolinos, Málaga, called Onkel Willy, and they initially offered me a summer job as a waitress for a month. However, this wasn’t feasible. Instead, they offered me a paid position as a warehouse assistant for three days—July 15th, 16th, and 17th—to gain experience and learn new skills.

I had to be at the warehouse by 9:00 AM and finished at 5:00 PM. My main tasks included unpacking all the incoming merchandise and preparing it for delivery. I was responsible for removing the supplier’s tags from each box and replacing them with the company’s labels. The job required speed and efficiency since there were a lot of boxes to process. With the help of my only coworker, we managed to finish all the assigned boxes ahead of schedule, and I was able to prove to my uncle that I was capable of handling future jobs.

The experience was really exciting, and I learned a lot about the business and the professional world. On top of that, I was paid very well for just three days of work!

THINGS I DID/ LEARNED DURING THE EXPERIENCE

• Prepared orders for shipment by picking, packing, and labeling merchandise.
• Packed, secured, labeled and applied postage to materials to prepare items for shipment.
• Packaged and shipped orders accurately to promote safe and quick delivery to customers.
• Maintained clean workspace consistently; keeping aisles clear from obstructions promoting workplace safety.
• Reduced order processing time by effectively coordinating with team members to pick, pack, and ship products quickly.

Last year, I had the opportunity to be part of a volunteer project organized by my school to assist at a nursing home called “Residencia Hermanitas De Los Pobres” in Seville. This residence is home to hundreds of elderly people who are incapable to live independently due to financial difficulties, loneliness, or health conditions that make them unable to take care of themselves.

There were five different volunteer groups, and each group had two visits between January and May. Each group was made up of around 7 members.

My group and I visited the residence on March 9th 2024, and May 3rd 2024. We would arrive at 9:30 AM and stay until around 2:30 PM. During our visits, we provided companionship to the elderly residents and helped them with their daily tasks. We assisted the nuns in taking care of the elderly, served meals, helped feed them, and cleaned up the dining area. We also spent time talking with the residents, playing games, and going for some walks under the sun while they shared stories about their long lives.

Later on, my group and I participated in another volunteer project with the nuns, helping them sell handmade soaps to raise funds for the residence. This event took place during the “Feria de las Ciencias y de las Artes,” an annual event at my school, Europa International School, where students showcase experiments and sell handmade items created by the students. We managed to obtain around 300€ for the residence!

In June 2023, I had the amazing opportunity to participate in an exchange program from June 1st to June 8th in Münster, Germany. I was selected by my school along with seven other schoolmates to study at Pascal-Gymnasium for a week, with the aim of improving my German language skills.

During my stay, I lived with a family of five members and became very close friends with Laura, a girl who had previously stayed with my family in Seville for a week in January of the same year.

Throughout the exchange, I had the chance to visit many exciting places, including Brussels, Amsterdam, and several cities in Germany, such as Düsseldorf and Köln, as well as of course exploring Münster itself.

I had an incredible time and i would love to repeat the experience, as I absolutely enjoy travelling and getting to know new places, cultures, people and foods.