A Dream Come True

First times matter…

I was hesitating a lot about what to write in this post, when friend told me: “Don’t overthink it, describe the happiest moment you have lived during these months at ABT”

So here it goes…

When I flew from Spain to the US, both countries were immersed into Omicron wave, which did not inspire me much confidence that it would be possible to work in person at the office. I don’t know how familiar you are with the visa procedure as an international student, but let me be honest: it’s long, tedious and costs a lot of money. So, doubts and insecurities aside, we started this adventure in NY but working from my little room in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

It is not easy to control that recurring doubt: was I right to come? What difference does it make to be here or in my home country? You will think, logically, “You are in NY, go out and enjoy the city!” Yes, obviously I have done it; but let’s be honest, it’s not the same to work remotely as it is to soak in and immerse yourself in the dynamics of face-to-face work. Besides, after the pandemic, who doesn’t want to go back to the office even if it’s just for a few days a week?

As you can imagine, being an international intern who actually traveled the world for this experience, being able to come in presence to the office was a huge thing! So, when about 3 weeks after being here, in a meeting my boss told me “Send me your vaccination passport, we want you to start working from the office”, a great weight was lifted from my shoulders.

I remember that first day so vividly. I arrived too early, of course, so early that I had a walk around the neighborhood and ended up in Gramercy Park, which is a very small but cute park full of roses and tulips, surrounded by low buildings with the typical New York entrance staircase. It’s these little moments when you become aware of the reality.

Back at the front door of the ABT main office, and after finding my name under the category of “ABT Staff” (again, what?) I took this particular old elevator, in which you find a person who manually operates the lift. 4th Floor: Education Department. Doors open and my colleague Saya was there, waiting for me. My eyes must have been pretty shiny because she told me “How exciting, huh? You seem very happy”.

Then, a succession of magical moments took place: rehearsal rooms, offices of very important people, rest areas with large windows overlooking Broadway, young dancers in class, main company room, … At the risk of sounding corny, just being able to walk through these narrow corridors and meet such extraordinary people was already a dream come true.

And suddenly, just like that, you are introduced to Cynthia Harvey, which is basically like meeting your lifelong idol. I think that moment will stay with me for the rest of my life… You can understand how hard it is to put these emotions into words.

Many weeks of hard work have followed this moment, but I don’t think I ever lost that thrill every time I walked through the doors of 890. Every day in the office has been a new adventure, a reaffirmation that those nerves and doubts are always worth it. During these 4 months I have been able to work with great professionals, people who have helped me feel part of the team. Thanks to the NTC family, Molly, Sonia and Saya, for training me and for showing me the immense formative work you do.

If you are reading this and you are thinking of applying, do it. ABT is a great family, where many things happen at the same time. And it will be an experience that will stay with you forever.

María Cano Nuñez

National Training Curriculum Intern

Spring 2022