Monat: April 2025

2 Month in Valencia

Valencia Trip – Part 1 (Sunday to Wednesday)

Sunday:

The trip started really early on Sunday our flight from BER was at 6 AM, which meant waking up at 2:30 and heading to the airport by 3 AM. Despite the lack of sleep, we were super excited. The flight itself was actually really nice. When we landed in Valencia, Luca from the Organisation in Valencia picked us up at the airport and we took a taxi to our accommodation.

Us arriving at the accomodation

We didn’t waste much time. Timur, Ruben and I headed straight into the city to explore a bit. We spent about four hours walking around, checking out the beautiful park built in an old dried-out riverbed, and grabbing something refreshing to drink. After soaking in the vibe of the city, we headed back to our place. That night, we ordered Taco Bell (since you can’t get it in Germany), which definitely hit the spot.

The park in Valencia

Monday:

Monday was the first day of our Spanish course. At 9:30 AM we met our teacher, Jesús, a really kind guy who gave great lessons, even though his English wasn’t the best. Still, we could understand each other pretty well. In the afternoon, Ruben and I just chilled in our apartment while the others were out and about. I also went for a little shopping trip to grab some essentials snacks, water, and the usual stuff.

The location where we had our English lessons

Tuesday:

Tuesday started with another Spanish lesson at 9:30 AM. Later that day, Timur, Ruben and I went for a jog, we ended up running about 5 km all the way to Benimaclet, a neighborhood a bit further into the city. It was a solid run! That evening we had a chill little LAN party and enjoyed a few cervezas.

Wednesday:

Wednesday was different. Class didn’t start until 4 PM, so we could finally sleep in. In the morning I went on a big grocery run to Consum with Flo and Jimmy. After that, I made myself a good breakfast and just relaxed until it was time to head out. Our class had moved to a new location, right next to the Valencia C.F. stadium, which was super cool. After class, we cooked dinner together and wrapped up the evening in a cozy way.

Ruben in Valencia

Day 1 – Arrival in Valencia (Sunday, April 6, 2025)
After weeks of anticipation, we finally touched down in sunny Valencia! We were warmly welcomed at the airport and driven straight to our home for the next two months. The excitement was real — blue skies, palm trees, and the promise of tapas just around the corner.

Once we arrived at the house, the reality set in. Let’s just say… it’s functional. The place is okay, but pretty basic. The kitchen has just the bare essentials (we might need to get creative with cooking), and cleanliness wasn’t exactly the priority of the last guests. Some rooms are tiny — like, “can-barely-fit-two-bags” tiny — but hey, it’s all part of the adventure, right?

After settling in and choosing rooms we spent the evening unwinding, soaking in the first vibes of Valencia.

Day 2 – First Day of Spanish Classes (Monday, April 7)
Today marked the start of our Spanish course, and we were all a mix of nervous and excited. Our teacher Jesús turned out to be an absolute gem — super friendly, patient, and full of energy. We dove right into the language and were already forming basic sentences by the end of the day.

Post-class, we went grocery shopping. We whipped up a simple dinner together — nothing fancy, but it felt good to eat as a group. Later, we took a walk through the city center, enjoying the warm evening air and charming streets. Valencia at night has its own kind of magic.

Day 3 – Finding Our Flow (Tuesday, April 8)
Another day, another Spanish lesson. The rhythm is starting to feel natural — class in the morning, then the rest of the day to explore and enjoy. After class, we hit the local market again and cooked a delicious meal together. This time we got a little more adventurous with the ingredients.

In the afternoon, some of us decided to go for a jog — ambitious, considering we aimed to reach the beach. Turns out our route planning needs some work, but we got a great workout in and discovered a few new parts of the city in the process. No beach this time, but we’re getting closer.

We wrapped up the evening on our little patio, sipping cervezas, laughing, and sharing stories under the stars. It already feels like we’re forming our own little family here.

Day 4 – A Slower Morning & Spicy Evening (Wednesday, April 9)
Today’s Spanish class didn’t start until the afternoon, which meant we had the morning free — a rare treat! Some of us did laundry, others took care of the kitchen situation (we’ve now declared a mild war on the lack of cutlery), and a few even squeezed in a mini workout session in the yard.

Class in the evening was once again a lot of fun. Jesús really knows how to keep us engaged, and we’re picking up phrases that are actually useful for daily life here.

Dinner was good tonight: red lentils with roasted vegetables and garlic-chili shrimp. We’re slowly turning our basic kitchen into a gourmet zone — not bad for not bad when you consider that one knife was more than just blunt and the other was a tiny swiss knife.

Week 1 Part 1 – HOLA VALENCIA

Our Erasmus+ internship officially started on Sunday, April 6th – and quite early, too. At 4 a.m., we all made our way to the airport, still half-asleep but excited. Luckily, everyone caught the flight without any issues. After a three-hour journey, we landed in Valencia – and instantly noticed the weather change. Leaving cold Berlin at 0°C and stepping into the Spanish sun with nearly 20°C felt like a small vacation already.

At the airport, we were greeted by Luca, a friendly and relaxed staff member from the local agency supporting us during our stay. He organized taxis to take us directly to our accommodation – which we really appreciated, considering how heavy our luggage was. Once we arrived, we quickly realized that our apartment might be a bit too small for eight people, but for now, it’s manageable – at least for sleeping.

After unpacking and settling in, my boyfriend and I went out to explore the neighborhood and look for something to eat. We were positively surprised by how lively and cozy everything felt – lots of people sitting outside cafés, chatting over a drink, and enjoying the evening sun. Later, we met up with our friend Jimmy and visited the historic city center, where we tried Valencia’s signature drink, Agua de Valencia. It was refreshing, fruity, and definitely something I’ll be ordering again. Even though most shops were closed (it was Sunday, after all), we still went for a walk along the beach – peaceful, warm, and not crowded at all.

On Monday, our first Spanish class started at 9:30 a.m. Our teacher, Jesús, doesn’t speak much English, but he’s very expressive, easy to understand, and made the lessons fun. We kicked off with a placement test (I didn’t do very well – Spanish is still very new to me), and then we covered basic phrases for introducing ourselves and talking about where we’re from. For example: „Buenos días, yo soy Fanlai y soy de Alemania!“

After class, we went grocery shopping at a supermarket called Consum and bought enough food for the next few days. Prices here are pretty fair – some things even cheaper than in Germany. Cooking as a group is a bit of a challenge though: one kitchen, one dull knife, and eight people… you can imagine.

Later that day, we explored the city some more, just walking around and taking it all in. Valencia has a unique charm – it reminded me a bit of both Berlin and Barcelona. We discovered a beautiful old market hall and even a hidden church. We ended the day with some delicious churros.

On Tuesday, our Spanish lessons continued. We learned how to talk about jobs, count numbers, and describe where we live – like „Vivo en el carrer Benaguasil número uno de la ciudad de Alboraya.“ The rest of the day was pretty relaxed. We picked up more groceries and had a quiet evening in.

Wednesday started a bit differently – since our class was scheduled for 4 p.m., we used the morning to clean the apartment (it gets messy pretty quickly with eight people…) and do some laundry. In the afternoon, we had another Spanish lesson with Jesús. This time we practiced how to talk about family members and how to ask for things in a restaurant or supermarket. After class, my boyfriend and I grabbed dinner at KFC – fun fact: it tastes better in Spain, but the prices are pretty much the same as in Germany.

Episode 1

Hola, WLANcia – things are getting afib

Hi. It’s me. The main character of your favorite low-budget Erasmus film. Spoiler alert: I survive the first episode. Probably.

My name is Jacqueline, 27 years young (insert existential crisis here), and I’m doing my apprenticeship as an IT specialist for system integration at the afib group. Yep, that means IT, cable spaghetti, and constantly Googling things I should probably already know – the full experience.

Thanks to Erasmus, I was catapulted straight into the Valencia sun with a plane ticket, an overpacked suitcase (RIP my spine), and an internal monologue screaming “Why am I doing this to myself?” Valencia – the city of oranges, tapas, palm trees… and the constant risk of accidentally offending someone when trying to speak Spanish.

After checking in, we entered full-on survival mode: get water (because the tap water here smells more like chlorine than a Berlin public pool in July), hunt for food (thank you, Aldi – the international best friend of all broke students), and most importantly: get settled. Which basically means unpacking, panicking, repacking, reorganizing, and then giving up.

This week we’re starting a Spanish language course with our teacher Jesús. Yep. That’s his actual name. And while his English isn’t exactly Olympic-level, he teaches us with so much humor, hand gestures, drawings, and wild enthusiasm that you kind of start understanding things through sheer emotional osmosis. It’s weirdly effective.

Then: Culture overload. We headed to the center of Valencia – with the Metro, by the way. The stations here are huge, clean, organized and – bless – air-conditioned. A true gift from the Spanish gods in 28°C heat. Sure, it’s sometimes so full you feel like a canned sardine on a school trip, but hey – at least you’re not sweating to death.

In the city, we saw all the classic landmarks:
Torres dels Serrans (old, pretty, dramatic), Real Colegio del Corpus Christi (sounds like Hogwarts, looks even holier), Plaza de Manises, admired the stunning architecture of La Seu, and of course the iconic Plaza de la Virgen with the Valencia Cathedral and the basilica next door – so much holy architecture, I almost lit a candle for my router issues.

Oh, and then – BAM – the trees. Not just any trees. Giant fig trees with roots straight out of a fantasy novel. In Berlin, we’re lucky if a tree isn’t killed by an SUV. Here, they grow like nature’s skyscrapers. I was officially impressed.

Grand finale? An evening at Las Horas Café – so colorful, so loud, so “please shoot an indie film here”. And yes, I tried Agua de Valencia. A mix of orange juice and alcohol that tastes sweeter than my sarcasm – dangerously good.

From now on, I’ll post here twice a week – sharing the good, the bad, the awkward, and the unfiltered truth about this sunny, chaotic adventure. For your entertainment, emotional support, or pure confusion. (Yes, I’m real. No, I don’t have superpowers.)

Das Auslandspraktikum

Im fünfzehnten Jahr entsendet der afib (Ausbildungsverbund Fachinformatik Berlin) seine Fachinformatik-Azubis in ein Auslandspraktikum und setzt im Raum Berlin/Brandenburg wieder einmal ein Zeichen zur Steigerung der Qualität in der IT-Ausbildung. Die angehenden Fachinformatiker/innen des Lehrjahres 2023 sind Teil einer Gruppe mehrerer Auszubildenden, die ab 07.04.2025 einen achtwöchigen Auslandsaufenthalt in Valencia verbringen werden.

Der afib hatte schon im Jahr 2008 in enger Kooperation mit dem Oberstufenzentrum für Informations- und Medizintechnik (OSZ IMT), der STRATO AG, der Deutschen Telekom und dem Institut für lebenslanges Lernen in Europa (ILE-Berlin) das Projekt “Europaerfahrung für Azubis in IT-Berufen“ (E-FAIT) initiiert und 14 Fachinformatik-Auszubildende nach Irland entsandt.

Auch das diesjährige Projekt “Work Experience for Mobility” (WEM) wird im Rahmen der Mobilitäts-Maßnahme des EU-Bildungsprogramms ERASMUS+ durchgeführt, welches u.a. Vermittlungs- und Austauschprojekte für Personen in der beruflichen Erstausbildung fördert. Ziel der Maßnahme ist die “Förderung der grenzüberschreitenden Mobilität von Menschen in Berufsausbildung, insbesondere jungen Menschen”. Unseren Auszubildenden ermöglicht das Auslandspraktikum, ihre Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten im konkreten Arbeitsumfeld zu erproben und zu erweitern.