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Around the world in 21 Days : Chris Athens

As I pour a frosty Kingfisher and reflect back on my Maxus Global Exchange trip and some of the highlights I'll write about in this blog, I'd like to call out a couple of mind blowing stats:

1.     I circumnavigated the globe!  Over the 4 flights from Los Angeles-Tokyo-Delhi-Paris and back to Los Angeles, I covered 16,412 nautical miles

2.     It took me a full work week (40 hours) to do so, and that's just flight times

Flashback to March 2016.  An early morning email goes out to the company announcing the exchange selections and I'm on it.  A rush of blood to the head and a grin that I'm still wearing 8 months later come over me. This trip would be my first big one since studying abroad in college and it ended up being equally as life changing.

If this experience gave me one thing, it is perspective.  Perspective in the workplace, perspective in my personal life, and perspective from a global standpoint.  

Here are my key takeaways from Maxus Delhi:

1.     Take Pride in your work.  Employees at the Delhi office are proud of their work, and with good reason.  Their halls are littered with awards and their highlight reel made me realize how meticulous and strategic these employees are

2.     10 is the new 9.  If you're there when Maxus LA starts its day, you might think the rapture happened

3.     Everything is a discussion.  Many tasks carried out individually in LA are discussed as a team in India.  This leads to a group cohesion and understanding of exactly where a campaign is, and needs to be amongst the whole team

 4.     There's always time for Chai.  No matter how busy the workday is, or how long the team I shadowed was going to be working, they always took time in the afternoon to get Chai and always made time for a lunch meal outside their work environments.  This led to overall positive attitudes despite stressful workdays

There were two unforgettable moments on the exchange. First, and probably most cliché, was the Taj Mahal.  Photos of this beautiful heritage site hardly do it justice.  As I approached the glistening marble mausoleum, I couldn't help but notice that this is one of the only monuments I saw that wasn't surrounded by a bustling city.  They intentionally hold back development behind and around the Taj to ensure generations to come can enjoy this wonder.  Something we should think about in the US as we consider building pipelines and sky rises on top of the majestic, natural beauty our country has to offer.  

The second unforgettable moment is one that could only have occurred through this exchange program.  A couple nights of the week, one of the Maxus exchange hosts Charu had myself and the other exchangers over to her place for home cooked meals.  The food was amazing, but what was even more special was the familial bond that a home cooked meal was able to provide.

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Janneke Schmidt visits – New York – These Lights Will Inspire You

When I first found out that I was chosen to travel to another Maxus office anywhere across the globe as well as hosting someone coming to the NYC office, I sat back and thought that I was just as excited to explore Manhattan as I was to go to my future destination (Italy).  The reason for this is because living in the tristate area (NJ/NY) all my life and never having visited the typical tourist attractions, you sometimes take advantage of what this city has to offer and the beauty it possesses.  

When Janneke arrived from Amsterdam, I have to admit there were some wifi communication barriers and a bit of jetlag (6 hours difference), but both were quickly resolved and we were off and ready to explore this journey together, but first….some shopping.

The upcoming two weeks were a blend of what it’s like to work, live and be a tourist in NYC.  The first day in the office Janneke had an orientation which highlighted everything from the GroupM landscape to who we are as an agency and how we differ from all others. Later that night we stopped by the Empire State Building to see the views of the city.

The next day Janneke was welcomed with open arms to the team with a group lunch and later that evening we went to swerve (spinning) and explored the Highline in Chelsea.

The next few days were packed with meetings, lunches (one with Jodi Neuhauser – Head of Brand and Business Development of the Americas) and other evening events including Top of the Rock, Escape the Room (we didn’t escape in time!) and rooftop happy hours.

Over the weekend, we visited the Botanical Garden, Bronx Zoo, Arthur Avenue (where another Maxus NY exchange winner, Antonio Alston, met us for a great Italian dinner)

And of course on Sunday we were ready for some football where we saw The Giants beat The Saints in the last 2 seconds of the game!

The first week went by extremely fast, we were both surprised it went so quickly, but we still had so much more to do and so little time!  With only 5 days left we managed to include more sightseeing, dinners and even a very early morning (7AM) dance party called Daybreaker on Lord & Taylor’s roof. Since this was way too early for my blood, Janneke and a coworker went and danced the morning away before work.  We even fit a goodbye party on Janneke’s last day with cake, drinks and some NYC pride to take back with her to Amsterdam.

All in all, it has been such a whirlwind of an experience.  Getting to know Janneke these last two weeks I have not only met a new coworker, but made a new friend.  In the beginning of this journey, she has said she could fall in love with New York City and I hope that I helped to make this come true, because

I ♥ NY.

[maxusglobalexchange-blog]

Andrea Touskova: Sweet and spicy – Incredible India!

Tell the story… So easy to say that, but where should I start? Those two weeks on my exchange adventure trip was so amazing, just impossible to write everything in 300 words! But I´ll try…

It finally hit me at the airport… I had been so busy organizing I forgot to ask a few simple questions. What have I done? Where am I going? Is this a good idea? The more I think about it the more I panic. What about my daughter? Three weeks without her, three weeks at the other side of the world…

There are only so many “firsts” that a person can deal with in one day so Traptika´s familiar and friendly face was most welcome. We had met previously in the year, she had come to Vienna as an Exchanger from Maxus India. After her stay, she extended her time in Europe with a trip to Prague and here we met and hit it off…              

Just as I had recovered from the jetlag with the help of four hours sleep things started to heat up, Traptika arrived to pick me up from the hotel. The whirligig began. I couldn´t have asked for more. Being invited to this pre-marriage ceremony was an amazing experience. You don´t get closer than meeting the bride to be!

My first experience of Indian tradition was literally on my own skin.

Things didn´t slow down, later in the day I was invited to Trap’s home where I met her fantastic husband Pankjesh. My personal bodyguard, guide and egger on. I will never forget his amazing hospitality. Very much appreciated Panko!

The same goes for Chris from LA Maxus and Mats from Norway Maxus. Without these two guys my stay in India wouldn´t have been the same. They looked after me brilliantly and treated me like a star. They enabled me to go places and see things I wouldn´t do alone. Big shout out ‘THANKS!!!’ guys! I think photos of us must have flooded Indian FB. At every corner I was asked to pose for a selfie, I felt like Czech Marilyn in Bollywood.

My two companions were also valuable in the office. The fact that we had arranged to arrive together proved to be incredibly fruitful professionally. Even though we spent every waking minute together, the fourteen days was still not enough. Having sad this, the opportunity to work together with such intensity was an invaluable experience. We were able to compare and contrast in detail the various working methods of each agency.

What really blew my mind was Charu´s presentation of the MESH Commandcenter, amazing use of Maxus technology. Equally splendid was Sejal’s presentation of the Indian media landscape along with the social team presentation highlighting case studies and award winning projects.

I can´t forget to mention the excellent team headed by Traptika, they made me feel extremely welcome, almost a part of the team which by the way is the almost same size as our entire office in Prague! Despite the difference in size. over time I realized that there are many similarities in the way we work. It´s 50:50, 50% of the differences result from size, Maxus Delhi is 10x bigger, and 50% are the internal processes and communication with clients which are very close to us.

And finally, I want to say the title "Sweet and Spicy", describes the essence of the Exchange program for me. An entire experience full of contrast which embodies the country = a tough place with big heart!

So once and for all, a BIG THANKS to everyone who made this project possible and opportunity for me to participate. I´d like to thank all of the Maxus Gurgaon office for their perfect hospitality and for giving me the great opportunity to be there with you, to be a part of your lives for a while and take a part of your hearts home                                                  

It was just INCREDIBLE !!!!

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Talitha in Manila

I arrived in Manila on a very warm evening after a 14 hour flight and got an Uber through the buzzing streets to my apartment. It reminded me of my time travelling in SE Asia years ago and I had a twinge of nostalgia - all the people and stalls and motorbikes and crazy little tricycles (which are like side cars on motorbikes but way more decorative). I take sharp inhales as I watched people walk confidently through the speeding cars and bikes and marvelled at how everything works smoothly in this seemingly chaotic city, just like in a hive of bees.

My host Bea met me at my apartment the first morning, in a fancy area called Bonifacio Global City which is also where the Maxus office is. A cityscape of skyscrapers, wide roads and walkable green spaces, a real oasis amongst a very busy city of almost 13m people. I have everything I could wish for right on my doorstep – gyms, supermarkets and a deliciously wide selection of places to eat. I had a mango shake every day! Bea was immediately sweet and attentive. It was a novelty walking out into the hot, humid street where I only had to cross the road to get to work.

Maxus Philippines is an office of around thirty people which is such a contrast to our London office of two floors and three hundred and fifty faces. There are moments where I feel like I’m amongst siblings rather than co-workers, with the way everyone laughs and plays and works very hard side by side, at times late into the night. I learnt that media behaviour is very much shaped by the geography of the country (there are over seven thousand islands) and mobile data is expensive and not reliant, as we found a couple of times trying to take taxis being directed by Waze. It hit home how lucky we are in London with our mobiles glued to our hips.

In the evenings I was able to take short walks to bright and shiny shopping areas where everyone was out amongst the lights and Christmas decorations and lovely warm weather. I noticed how many children and families there were, and I learned that the median age in the Philippines is 21! What a young country and it shows in the energy. Bea made sure I was staying near a beautiful yoga studio with views over a glistening city scape which I was really happy about.

Bea did a great job entertaining me, taking me on day trips which some of the team joined in on. There was an inner city walking tour in the old centre where there is a vibrant artsy market and also China Town where we had some yum dumplings. We took a drive to Tagaytay City where there are spectacular views and the most delicious food of the trip – tamarind flavoured veg stew and beef soup.

Maxus Philippines have such a close relationship with their radio partners that we ended up on two different radio talk shows one evening, at drive time with over half a million listeners! Definitely a first for me. They hosts were really funny and light hearted, and spoke about the unique and awesome initiative by Maxus to send people round the globe.

I definitely came at a good time as there was a new office floor to move into and celebrate, and also the Group M Christmas party. The new office celebration kicked off with an acoustic band and ton of food. There was a DJ set up amongst the desks and everyone was very well behaved until darkness fell when they went for the decks and were lining up some banging party tunes. And the Group M Christmas party was such fun, groups from the various agencies rehearsed dance sequences and had a dance off. I’ve never seen so much energy and elation at a Christmas party, needless to say I danced into the night, at one point ending up on the stage holding a sign saying ‘BOOZE’. I made some good friends that night, a few Maxus and Movent people ended up watching the sunrise over the city whilst we were being made a breakfast of egg fried rise and cheese toasties.

Thank you Maxus PH for a great time, I love the work you are doing and I’m definitely going to talk about it here. I think we can learn a thing or two from you all.

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Sawadee Ka Bangkok (Hello from Bangkok)!

I’m now coming to the end of my second week in Bangkok and I can’t believe how quickly it has gone. After waiting almost a year to do my exchange, it was beginning to feel like I was never going to make it here!

I arrived on a Sunday night to toasty 30 degree heat; a stark contrast to the cold grey winter weather in Dublin! I met Sue, the Thai Exchange Champion, the following morning (after getting a little bit lost) and we made our way to the office. What struck me was how modern this part of Bangkok is – the last time I visited Bangkok in 2013 was only for 2 days and we mainly just saw the tourist hotspots – so I think my opinion of Bangkok was slightly skewed. Stepping out of the BTS station straight onto a busy street a few minutes’ walk from the office, I was met with a blast of heat and a lot of new smells – some good, some not so good!

The team here have been really welcoming and got me involved in their work straight away. I’ve worked with Bee on a few new business pitches which have been really interesting. He moved to Bangkok from the UK last September and worked with one of the guys from my office in Mediacom Manchester a few years back – small world! From working with Bee, I’ve learned a lot about creative strategy development and how all the teams feed into it which is something I had little exposure to previously. I’ve also had an opportunity to learn about one of our biggest global clients and share my local market knowledge with them. It’s been great to get an insight into how the brand operates in Thailand and it’s something I can share with my team when I get back.

I also got to meet a lot of Thai TV stars along the way – no idea who they are but I’ve been informed they’re a big deal!

GroupM hosted their NextM event during my first week here – it’s a 2 day conference for GroupM clients where they showcase 2017 trends and opportunities. Even though the seminars were in Thai I could get a grasp of what they were talking with the help of Bee as my translator and some English stats on screen. One of the most interesting platforms in Thailand is Line – think a super enhanced Whatsapp where you can chat to friends, watch exclusive VOD content and TV reruns (2 hours after they appear on live TV), play games and a place for brands to engage consumers. Almost 90% of mobile users in Thailand use this platform which is staggering. It’ll be interesting to see if it makes its way to Europe in the near future.

Everything is bigger and brighter in Bangkok in terms of OOH. It’s everywhere! From a metro station that was completely taken over by an e-commerce site – from the steps in the stairwells, metro tickets, all inventory in the station and announcements in the train itself – to giant digital screens outside shopping centres and lining the roadsides.

P’Noo did a great job of showing me the sights during my first weekend here. We had an amazing lunch by the river with a view of Wat Arun, wandered around the notorious Khao San Road (a totally different place by day!) and got a totally relaxing foot massage that nearly sent me off to sleep! As the King passed away last year the country is still in an official mourning period – it was an experience to see thousands of people dressed in black queuing up to pay their respects outside the Grand Palace when we passed by.

The exchange programme has been a great opportunity to experience what it’s like to work in a different market. The more we share the more we learn from each other – there may be challenges we’ve yet to face but that other markets have overcome. The strong Maxus culture is evident here and that comes down to the people who have made this a memorable experience for me.

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Johanna Kropp from Germany visits Lahore, Pakistan

Pakistan! When I first read that I was about to visit Pakistan I was slightly shocked. In Germany you only hear about Pakistan, when something bad happens there. Otherwise, the country is hardly on the people’s minds.

Since I did not want to be biased with bad news only, I relied on my host Nida regarding all information necessary, and Nida is a great host! She had detailed plans for every day showing the vibrant city of Lahore with all its facets from ancient sites and traditional custom to feminist pop art and creative fashion. She showed me all the positive aspects of Pakistan – the history, the upcoming arts and music scene, the improving economy – without hiding the negative such as poverty, inequality and pollution.

But not only Nida got involved. Also her family and the whole office welcomed me very warmly and many colleagues participated in the activities. Actually, it felt like I had at least 10 hosts, all of them giving me one of the best experiences in my life! I have never experienced comparable hospitality.

Now that I have visited Pakistan it makes me sad seeing the biased perception so many people have in mind. Lahore is a great city with breathtaking sights and amazing people! I want to shout out to them: DON’T BE AFRAID!

I definitely want to come back and explore more of this beautiful country with the new friends I have made here! In the meantime I will do my best to change my social environment’s perception and be a good ambassador!

So all that’s left to say is: Mujhe bohat maza aaya! Phir milain gay!

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Memories made in Mexico – Gustav Angerbjorn

Someone just asked me “So tomorrow is your last day with us?” and that was when it hit me: My time in Mexico has all but come to an end. While it dawns on me that it won´t be long until I´m going to have to leave this fascinating city and part from my talented Mexican colleagues, I´d like to take some time to reflect a little bit upon the last couple of weeks and what all of this has meant.

My Global Exchange adventure started with a 15 hour flight taking me from Stockholm to Mexico City. When I reached my destination, my host Paulina came to pick me up at the airport and took me to my Airbnb. I was greeted with amazing hospitality right from the start and that same hospitality would later come to be the theme throughout my time in Mexico.

All of the superstars at the Mexico office really went out of their way to make my time in their country as rewarding and as memorable as possible. For that I am truly grateful. During my time here I have been fortunate enough to stand beneath starry skies in the Estadio Azteca and hear the roar of 100 000 fans during a soccer derby, I have been given the privilege of ascending the mythical pyramids of Teotihuacan and every single day I´ve had absolutely incredible food in restaurants that tourists probably wouldn´t be able to find on their own. I could keep listing great things I´ve experienced here but my instructions are to keep it short and punchy J  

I obviously spent most of my time here working with the Maxus team and their clients. I found it helpful to apply some of the strategies that I use for my clients back home on a new market because it forced me look at things in new ways and I feel like the team and I learned a lot from each other. There are a lot more similarities between the Swedish- and the Mexican media landscape than I expected and for example, I was surprised to learn that the Swedish music service Spotify is the most downloaded app in Mexico.

One thing that stood out to me was the way in which my Mexican friends eat lunch. In Sweden we never spend a lot of time having lunch; people like to eat fairly quickly, talk about what´s on the agenda and then get back to work. That´s not the case in Mexico. Lunch is a big deal here and it is evident that it is a meal that is cherished and prioritized. The food is amazing (often more than one dish), the discussions are lively and most importantly, they let it take time.

To sum it all up, I would like to say that this exchange has been incredibly rewarding both on a professional and personal level. The time has come for me to leave this country and go back home to tell my colleagues all about my time here but on my way back to Stockholm I´m going to swing by the Maxus office in New York City to say hello (and have a few days’ vacation in the city that never sleeps).

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Lauren Allmond In The Big Apple

2016 has been a whirlwind, I can’t believe how quickly time has passed since first hearing about the Global Exchange at the beginning of the year to actually being in Maxus NY and now on my second week. It feels as though this year has had a sprinkling of gold dust on it; from being part of the Global Exchange community, hosting Liz from the South Africa office in the UK, to visiting Sara in the NY office, every day I have felt like a ‘Maxus Global Exchanger’ and am very proud to be so. I thought that winning a place on the Global Exchange was a great achievement in its own right, but the real win for me has been who I was matched up with on the Exchange. I had such a great time hosting Liz in the UK and Sara, my host in NY, is the best host I could’ve asked for. I feel so fortunate to have met Sara, get to know her, her friends and the team in Maxus NY. As cheesy as it sounds, I have made some friends for life.

It was great to have the chance to meet the senior leadership, including Steve Williams, and discover the ins and outs of media in the US, for someone who works in the Global team it has been incredibly helpful. Getting the opportunity to learn from the team who work on our biggest client globally was invaluable and I gained knowledge that I will certainly use when I am back in London. I really appreciate how open everyone at Maxus NY have been, spending time teaching me all about themselves and what they do.

One of my favourite initiatives from the Maxus NY team is ‘Mystery Meals’ – a handful people from across the agency are selected to go for dinner with a list of questions and they must report back at the next ‘Speakeasy’ company meeting about what they learnt– a great way for everyone to get to know each other better, something which I’m sure would be great to adopt in London.

It’s great to see how Global we truly are at Maxus, from talking to other Exchangers both hosting and visiting here in NY and in the UK it is definite that whenever you walk into any of our offices, wherever you are, you know you are in Maxus. It was lovely to be able to also meet another exchanger on their visit to NY, Lesly’s time from Maxus Singapore crossed over one week into my visit and it was interesting to hear what life at Maxus in Singapore was like also and how Lesly was finding NY.

The Maxus NY office kindly kitted us out with attractions passes to see all of the sights, to try and fit it all in in 2 weeks was tough but it was fantastic to be able see the city from the top of the Empire State Building, Top of the Rockefeller centre and the One World Trade centre. I am sure that I only scratched the surface, but going for brunch, seeing all of the Halloween excitement and decorations, eating *all* of the food and being able to walk around and see the city with a local, I felt like I was getting a taste of a true NY experience!

Sara and her team pulled out all of the stops to make me feel welcome, show me their city and make sure I had the best time in NY. From Karaoke in Korea town, watching the New York Rangers play at Madison Square Garden, to managing to ‘Escape the Room’ (with one second to spare!) – Every day was exciting and always something new to try.

Sara made sure that I was able to try all of the great food NY has to offer, from visiting the infamous Katz’ deli, to trying the trendy Sushi Burrito, to having a proper NY pizza, pretzel and bagel – I was spoilt for choice and quite frankly in love. I will definitely be going back for more!

As my Global Exchange visit comes to an end and I look back at my time in NY, I feel so fortunate to have had this experience, it has been incredible and is something I will always treasure. I was able to learn so much about the US market and Maxus NY. Although I visited Sara in NY and hosted Liz from Johannesburg, indirectly I have been able to learn from other Exchangers who I have crossed paths with which has made the experience even richer. Sara was such a wonderful host, it was a pleasure to be able to get to know her and I feel lucky to have gained a friend for life. For me it is clear that Maxus is great; we do great things and we have great people.

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LA - where it’s always sunny and the palm trees are tall: Anna Koldobenkova

Thoughts and planning of my trip to LA excited me as soon as I found out my Maxus exchange destination. Los Angeles, California - other side of the world, other climate and other way of life… My first steps on LA land made me feel happy and I was confident that my trip would be absolutely gorgeous!

Maxus LA met me with open arms and a broad smile. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, so during 2 weeks I felt really like a part of big Maxus family and enjoyed every moment of being with my colleagues!

I had a fantastic opportunity to shadow my host Miriam and other LA colleagues. I participated in plenty of internal meetings, conference calls, meetings with suppliers, and even took a part in a meeting/presentation with the client! It was an incredible experience to learn specifics of relationships between clients and an American Media Agency.

Every lunch was carefully planned, every day I spent my lunch time with colleagues from different departments and groups so we could talk about working processes and media trends. The USA media market is one of the most developed so it’s really interesting and motivating to discover its specifics.

During non-working time there were lots of dinners! LA is a city which combines different cultures and cuisines, and I was lucky to taste much! Famous American burgers, BBQ, Korean cuisine, Mexican cuisine, a lot of desserts! It’s real adventure for food lovers :)

Los Angeles is also a city of endless parties :) I found out the popularity of DJ Diplo, and of course Halloween parties! I couldn’t even imagine such a wide scale celebration!! 

And undoubtedly the ocean, landscapes and famous sights have made the biggest impression on me! Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Malibu, Universal city… I had seen all these places in American movies and could only dream to visit them.

Now after my LA trip I feel overwhelmed with experiences and inspiration, and proud to be a part of Maxus worldwide team. Thank you, my Maxus, for unforgettable memories and great opportunity to grow and challenge myself!

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Amanda Soares Is Mad About Madrid

The word food might seem pretty simple, but in Spain comida is essential. I wouldn’t have discovered the extent of food’s great importance in Spanish culture if I hadn’t spent countless breakfasts, lunches, and dinners talking about food with Spanish people. It’s more than just an obsession, and it’s more than just the act of eating. In Madrid, eating is also conversing, it’s sharing enjoyment with the people in your life. It reinforces bonds, both at work and after work. By staying with my host Ana and her wonderful family, I was able to see (and taste) a side of the city that residents hold dear.

Seeing as though this was my first time in Europe, I was excited to experience everything Madrid could offer. In my first week at the Maxus office, it was plain to see that the 40 person staff is a lively and personable bunch. The team welcomed me with open arms and a full schedule of meetings, team outings, running sessions in the park, and of course, breakfasts, and lunches. Every morning begins by sitting down with your colleagues to eat breakfast and catch up, sitting in the lunch room or grabbing a bite out with the team. This concept of communal dining is something we take for granted in Canada, as Toronto culture is much more fast-paced, and on a very busy day it’s easy to get lost at your desk with a Tim Horton’s chicken wrap you’ve grabbed from across the street.

Maxus Spain has an extra hour in the day (ending at 6pm) and lunch time is two hours later (at 2pm). It took some time to get used this, but thankfully I had a lot of tasty snacks on hand. One major difference here is that the team engages GroupM a lot more than we do in Toronto. Most roles are not the same. The strategy, coordination, and some planning comes from Maxus, while GroupM supports everything else like planning/buying of all media, special activations, and in some cases production – to name a few.

Another interesting thing about Madrid is that it’s much more conscious in terms of energy, water, and waste. It’s refreshing to see smaller garbage cans, and lights that turn on when you enter the office.

But when it comes down to it, the moments that stand out to me were the many interesting and insightful conversations I had around the table, even though some may have been in broken English (and my broken Spanish). By taking time to speak with locals, you find out much more about a city than you can on the Internet: the passion for all kinds of music, the almost scary passion for football, and the true passion for quality ingredients.

Altogether this experience has inspired me in many ways, in my work and personal life. I should be mindful to slow down at times, have better quality food, and learn more languages! I can’t thank Ana, Ana’s family, and Maxus Spain enough for making my days in this beautiful city some I will never forget. Going back to Toronto will be hard even though I love my city. I want to explore much more of Madrid, but that will definitely be for another day. But for now, my hunger has been more than satisfied.

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