Did you know everyone at Ellii works remotely?

Our team is spread out across the US, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, with contractors in even more countries.

As Ellii's videographer, having the opportunity to work from anywhere is fantastic. But having this freedom is not the most exciting part of remote work.

What I love the most is that I have the chance to connect and work with people from different parts of the world. Plus, I get to learn so much from my coworkers about their traditions and culture. Who knew that dinnertime is around 6:00 pm in the US and Canada? In Argentina, dinner around 9:00 pm. You can see why this came as a big surprise to me!

Discovering these new tidbits of information is the reason I enjoy working remotely so much. It allows me to learn something new at work every day.

The title of this blog post, “Traveling with Ellii,” doesn’t just refer to the fact that Ellii allows you to travel anywhere and take your work with you. It also implies that even when I’m home in Buenos Aires, I’m still traveling all over the world (figuratively speaking) thanks to my amazing coworkers.

When I look at the incredible hiking pictures our director of language development, Tanya, took around Vancouver, and then I see the unbelievable photos of a recent snowstorm in Winnipeg taken by our VP of people & culture, Marta, I get to learn a little bit more about this amazing world we all live in. 

I love imagining myself in those places too. What would it feel like to smell the trees along the hiking trails or to experience a freezing cold snowstorm?

So as you can see, I’m always discovering new places and adventures at work.

But recently, for the first time since I started working at Ellii, I decided to go on an adventure: I went to live in Madrid, Spain, for two months. My team was nothing but supportive and encouraged me to take this amazing opportunity.

And I can’t begin to tell you what an incredible, fun, and inspiring experience it was.

Living in Madrid

For starters, I got to spend lots of time with my sister who's currently living in Madrid. We enjoyed morning walks together in the most amazing parks. My favorite parks in Spain were El Retiro, Madrid Rio, and Santander.

Retiro Park’s lake on a cloudy day. Photo by Lucia Padilla

Touring Segovia

I also visited other cities in Spain, like Segovia, where I saw one of the best-preserved, elevated Roman aqueducts in the world.

Although its exact construction date is somewhat of a mystery, there's archaeological evidence that points to it being built around AD 112. It truly is an architectural masterpiece, and it’s also in an excellent state of conservation.

Even though it looked small in the distance, I could still feel its powerful presence. When I got closer, the scale and magnitude of the construction hit me with such force that I couldn't help but feel tiny. Looking up at the aqueduct from down below, I couldn't stop thinking, Did someone shrink me and I didn’t realize it?

Segovia’s Aqueduct. Photo by Lucia Padilla.

Celebrating in Barcelona

Another wonderful place I went to was the well-known city of Barcelona. I went there for Sant Jordi, which is celebrated every April 23.

During this very important holiday, it's customary for friends, families, and couples to exchange roses and books while they celebrate in the streets.

Strolling around the city during this time is like a fairytale. You'll see the stores and buildings decorated with beautiful roses. I highly recommend you visit Casa Batlló—they go all out during Sant Jordi!

You'll also notice the streets packed with what feels like millions of stalls selling books and roses to passersby. It was a truly beautiful sight that even a rainy day couldn't ruin. I have to admit I was especially impressed by the Catalans who didn’t seem to mind the weather at all and still enjoyed the celebrations.

But the reason I'll never forget this day is that I’ve never seen so many people buying so many books in my entire life! I loved it. I wish I had been able to take more pictures, but I was completely engrossed in the festivities.

Decorations inside Raima, Europe's largest stationery store. Photo by Lucia Padilla.

The beauty of remote work with Ellii

All in all, traveling with Ellii is a wonderful experience. I can be home in a sweltering Argentinian summer and yet “feel” the chilling cold of a Canadian winter.

The freedom and flexibility of working remotely helps you be more empathetic and open-minded about the amazing people you work with.

Working remotely also transports you to other cultures and lets you experience someone else's traditions. I would not change it for the world. And yes, I do hope one day I get to see all my coworkers in person. But until that day comes, I’ll keep learning and traveling around the world with Ellii.