Monat: Mai 2025

You know those days where you wake up, go to work, and expect absolutely nothing exciting to happen? Yeah… me too. And this episode is exactly that. Spoiler alert: my life is not an action movie. At best, it’s an experimental student film with no budget and too much existential silence.

So, work. Or should I say “the thrilling adventure of staring at a monitor while no one speaks for 8 hours”. On paper? Our project looks like Iron Man built it. In reality? It’s IKEA furniture with no instructions and missing screws. We’re supposed to help with the web development, but none of us are actual web developers, so… imagine a bunch of housecats trying to build a spaceship. We tried. We failed. We accepted our fate.

The office vibe? Dead silent. Like, “you drop a pen and suddenly feel like you’ve committed war crimes”-silent. The air is so dry and serious, even my sarcasm needs a hydration break.

Now let’s talk about my epically cursed journey to work today. Everything started off normal: me, on time, taking the metro like a functioning adult. Then came the tram. Enter stage left: Grandpa with a broken arm who clearly thought he was starring in “Mission: Impossible – Senior Edition.” He tried to leap into the tram as if salvation was inside. One kind soul pulled the emergency brake to help him. Sweet, right? WRONG. That little red lever apparently kills the tram. We all got kicked out like unwanted side characters after 10 minutes of standing around watching the driver Google “how to un-screw tram.”

Eventually another tram came. I got in. All was well. UNTIL…

Plot twist: the tram yeeted itself away from the tunnel it was supposed to go into. I was like, “Wait a minute… aren’t we supposed to turn left, not into freakin’ Fern-Valencia?” The tram pulled a reverse UNO card on all of us and drove to god-knows-where. The next train back? 30 minutes away.

So I thought, why not turn this disappointment into a detour? Walked around. Found some massive event halls and what I think was a Velodrome. Maybe for swimming? Maybe for ritual sacrifices? Valencia’s wild like that. Also, it was 30 degrees and no shade in sight, so I think I grilled a bit. Pretty sure I leveled up in skin tone—call me Toasted now.

But not everything was doom and sunburn! Earlier this week, I had a heartwarming Facetime call with my bestie (hi boo), plus Jimmy and Flo were there too. A rare, wholesome moment in this sitcom of a life.

P.S. I downloaded Duolingo. You’d think I’m learning Spanish, right? HA. Wrong show. I started learning Mandarin because my brain decided, “Let’s go full chaos.” Fanlai’s helping me with pronunciation and honestly? It’s kind of fun. The grammar’s easier than Spanish. The tones? Manageable. The characters? A beautiful nightmare. But hey—baby steps.

Moral of the story?
Never trust a tram. Never underestimate a grandpa. And when in doubt? Learn Mandarin.

—Over and traumatized,
Jacky.

For more gifs, pictures and videos, here my tumblr blog: https://afib-in-spain.tumblr.com/

Not much happened from Monday to Wednesday, except Christina’s birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎉), of course!

On Wednesday, we finally got a new task from Rafa.
This time it’s about building a database of all companies in Valencia – including the CEO names and contact info. The goal is to use this database for one of Rafa’s upcoming projects.

Naturally, our first step was to check if this is even okay from a data protection standpoint (because, you know… GDPR and all that).
Once we confirmed that it’s legally doable under certain conditions, we started researching how to actually get our hands on this kind of data.

Turns out:
These kinds of business databases already exist and they’re super detailed.
The catch? Most of them come with a price tag. Of course

The weekend kicked off early on Saturday, May 10th – though not entirely by choice. Sleeping in was impossible, as a local festival was being set up right outside our window. The noise made it clear: the day had begun. We got up early and set out for a day trip to Altea. Since there was no direct (and affordable) connection, we took the bus to Benidorm and then continued with the city tram. Once in Altea, we made our way to the historic old town, which is perched on a hill above the coastline.

The town was stunning – narrow alleys, whitewashed houses, and a calm Mediterranean atmosphere. From one of the viewpoints, we had a breathtaking view over the sea. We continued walking up to the church that sits at the center of the old town – a beautiful building, both inside and out. After soaking in the view and the peaceful vibe, we spent our last hour relaxing in a small bar before making our way back. Everyone was pretty exhausted. The return journey was dramatic – a nearly empty bus drove us back through a heavy thunderstorm, which added a strangely cinematic mood to the end of the day.

Sunday was supposed to be a rest day, but once again, the town had other plans. The morning started with fireworks and loud bangs – no chance to sleep in. Still, we tried to take it easy. It turned out to be a quiet day with some nice conversations and an early night to catch up on rest.

Monday marked the official start of my internship at PC-Box Valencia. I was welcomed to the store, introduced to the team, and given a short overview of the daily routines. It felt good to finally start something structured after so many weeks of waiting.

Tuesday was more hands-on: I installed missing drivers on a laptop and replaced a faulty RAM module in a desktop PC. After that, I ran a full system check to confirm everything was working smoothly again.

On Wednesday, I assembled two full desktop systems according to customer specifications. I then performed benchmark tests and documented temperature and voltage values under load to ensure stability.

Thursday brought a technical challenge: one system with a 13th-gen Intel CPU kept crashing during boost mode. After a thorough diagnosis, I flashed a BIOS update and adjusted the voltage, which resolved the issue. It was satisfying to see the direct impact of the fix.

Friday was all about cooling – literally. I installed a custom AIO water-cooling setup, bent the tubing, mounted the radiator, and filled the loop with coolant. Everything held tight, and the system passed all tests. In the evening, things got sporty: we went out for paintball and GoKarting. Three rounds of paintball: one narrow loss, one clear win, and one chaotic match where I ran out of ammo – but it was fun all the same. After that, we hit the GoKart track, which was a bit messy but still enjoyable.

Saturday started with more noise – once again, fireworks in the morning. Everyone was sore and tired from the previous evening. The first half of the day was quiet; we just picked up some cleaning supplies. In the afternoon, we visited the local planetarium for a show called Himmelsfähre. The film was decent, though the sound was too quiet and the seats not the most comfortable. Still, it was a chill way to spend the afternoon. In the evening, we cooked together and kept it relaxed – we had plans to head to the beach the next morning.

On Sunday, we got up early to catch the sunrise at the beach. We took an Uber, found a good spot, and played some music while watching the sky light up. The atmosphere was calm, and it was the perfect way to start the day. Later, we caught up on sleep and spent the rest of the day taking it easy: writing blog entries, sorting photos, studying a bit, and handling some small tasks.

Valencia Trip – (May 12st to 18th)

Monday

Monday was also quiet. I watched a great new movie and took it easy, still recovering from the muscle soreness from the hike.

Tuesday

Tuesday A Day in Valencia with Jacky What started as an easy day turned into an unexpected educational adventure. Jacky invited me to join her for a visit to the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. Instead of taking the bus, we walked over 3 kilometers through the city’s massive park. The walk was full of curious sights: strange sculptures, odd characters, and a dry riverbed that made me reflect on life choices. The destination looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. The futuristic architecture was amazing, though signage was minimal. Inside, we explored an interactive Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, a biodome with adorable animals, and a space zone complete with holograms and planetary weight stations. All that for just 9 euros – definitely worth it. It turned out to be a chaotic but fascinating day full of culture, science, and a bit of cardio.

Wednesday

Wednesday I wasn’t feeling very well, so I took it easy. I played games with some friends and had a nice phone call with my girlfriend in the evening.

Thursday

Thursday I was feeling a bit better but still tired. I spent the day watching some documentaries and catching up with friends from Berlin.

Friday

Friday Friday was action-packed. We had Paintball and Go-Karting on the agenda. We took two Ubers to the Paintball site and played three rounds, my team won two of them, which was awesome. Afterward, we went karting on an incredible track that even had a bridge and tunnel. I was the fastest in our group and took first place. We headed back home with good vibes and great music.

Saturday

Saturday I was pretty exhausted from Friday’s excitement, so I took it easy. I only went grocery shopping and took a short walk.

Sunday

Sunday Sunday was another calm day. I caught up with my parents, had a nice call with my girlfriend, and played some games with friends in Berlin.

Monday, 12th May 2025
On Monday I revised my notes on IT and watched some videos about Networking.
Later in the day, I headed to the city center (Xàtiva area) just to walk around and check things out. In the evening, I stayed in and chilled. 🤙

---

Tuesday, 13th May 2025
Spent some time working on Udemy courses again during the day.
Later, Jimmy and I went to pick up a friend of ours from the airport. He came all the way from Berlin to visit. We three also booked a separate AirBnB for a few days and checked in together.
The rest of the day we just took it easy and went for a short walk in the evening.

---

Wednesday, 14th May 2025
We showed our friend around the city, mostly stayed around the center and just explored a bit.
In the evening, I continued my Udemy course for a bit, and later we all watched some TV together. Spanish TV is wild sometimes but fun to follow along. 😄

---

Thursday, 15th May 2025
Time to check out of the AirBnB. Our friend moved into his hotel, but unfortunately he was feeling really sick.. And I could feel something coming on too.. AGAIN.
So we decided to take it slow and just rest up for the rest of the day.

---

Friday, 16th May 2025
Pretty much the same as the day before. We took care of our friend and tried to recover a bit ourselves.
We went for a short walk at night, but later I felt pretty bad and ended up going to the pharmacy to get some medicine.

---

Saturday, 17th May 2025
We were both feeling a bit better, so we decided to visit the aquarium. It was actually really cool to see all the different fish, sea creatures and even Crocodiles too! 🐟🐊
After that, we went to the old town for a bit and walked around. Since I had to bring him to the airport the next day, we called it an early night.

---

Sunday, 18th May 2025
I brought our friend to the airport in the morning — time for him to head back to Berlin.
Unfortunately, by midday I wasn’t feeling great again, so I spent the rest of the day lying down and trying to recover.

Valencia Trip – (May 8st to 11th)

Thursday

Thursday, May 8 The day started with me giving some tech support to my girlfriend. We had actually planned to go bowling, but unfortunately, that fell through at the last minute. Instead, Timur and I went for a walk to the beach, where we enjoyed a meal at Burger King with a beautiful view of the sea.

Friday

Friday I spent Friday catching up with friends from Berlin and took care of some household chores. In the evening, I played some video games with a friend from back home.

Saturday

Saturday Ruben and I planned an exciting trip. We wanted to hike a mountain that we could see from our house. We took the train as far out of the city as possible and then grabbed an Uber to the base of the mountain. From there, we made our way up along a wild trail but luckily found the path to the summit. After a thunderstorm warning, we made our way down quickly and walked back to the train station. We even had to run the last few kilometers to avoid the storm. After that adventure, I enjoyed a relaxing shower and chilled for the rest of the evening.

Sunday

Sunday Still tired from the hike, I spent a very relaxed day at home, watching series, eating good food, and talking to my girlfriend.

May 16, 2025 – Friday
Friday was finally the day we had all been looking forward to. We went paintballing and go-karting back to back. Yes, both in one day. It was my first time playing paintball and I was definitely a bit nervous. The temperature was around 25 degrees and by the end of that one hour we had all basically lost half our body weight in sweat. The thick full-body suits and masks certainly did their part. It was way more fun than I had expected and we all got really into it.

Afterward we jumped into an Uber and headed to the kart track. We waited around for a bit and then got a super short briefing which basically just consisted of “don’t crash”. That was it. Then it was time to race. The track was fast and the competition was serious. It was an adrenaline rush from start to finish and honestly I’m not even sure which activity I enjoyed more. Both were amazing in their own way.

May 17, 2025 – Saturday
Saturday was a special day because my girlfriend finally arrived to visit me. We took it easy and enjoyed our first day together in Valencia. I showed her around the city a bit and we just soaked in the vibe.

May 18, 2025 – Sunday
Today started early because we had made plans to hit the beach. We found a quiet little spot where we could relax, soak up the sun and dive into the waves. Of course we both managed to get a pretty solid sunburn which we’ll probably regret tomorrow but it was worth it. After all that we grabbed an iced coffee along the promenade and just watched the people and the sea.

This week got a little more active again. Our schedule was actually packed for once!

Remember how I managed to get Tobias a spot as an intern? Well, we were supposed to start a new AI project together. The idea is to build a system that evaluates whether other algorithms are ethically sound and then „certifies“ them.
The only problem: we still haven’t received the proper documentation, even after asking several times. Hopefully next week will be more productive.

Friday was finally paintball and go-kart day! I was the mastermind behind the whole thing, so I decided to just spectate and take photos (I felt like a mum).
The paintball field looked straight out of a Counter-Strike map, and everyone was geared up in full-on paintball suits. It was hilarious.
Afterward, we headed straight to go-karting – also a hit! I’m honestly proud it all worked out.

On Saturday we visited the Hemisfèric here in Valencia to watch Secrets of the Universe. The whole venue felt super sci-fi – like, it messes with your sense of gravity. You’re sitting upright, but your brain is fully convinced you’re lying down.
As for the film… let’s say it wasn’t quite what we expected. We thought it would be full-on space facts and cool cosmic visuals. Instead, we got a history lesson.

Sunday ended on a high note, though!
We woke up early (again) to watch the sunrise, and this time we even managed to convince two other people to join us!

Weekend again. You know what that means? Forced fun with the squad! This time: Paintball and Go-Karting. Because nothing screams “team bonding” like bruises and whiplash.

Now, I only signed up for Paintball, because spoiler alert: I’m not Elon Musk and both activities cost more than my will to live by Sunday night. So we summoned an Uber—straight to the middle of absolutely nowhere. Like, „if you hear banjos, run“-kind of nowhere. Even the Uber driver looked suspicious. His GPS had a meltdown, took us around in circles twice, then onto countryside roads that screamed “turn around, idiot!”

When we finally arrived, our driver just… drove off into a field. No joke. Straight up went GTA mode. No road, no path—just crop chaos. If he disappeared forever, I’d believe it.

Next to our paintball arena? A horse ranch. But screw horses, we had battles to win. Big shoutout to Fanlai, our MVP who wrestled with the Spanish paperwork using Google Translate like a damn UN translator. And then—war.

Paintball was a blast. And by blast, I mean it was hella hot. The sun grilled us harder than the paintballs did. Under the uniform I was sweating like a chicken nugget in a sauna. Not in a sexy way. In a “my clothes are clinging to my soul” kind of way.

But guess what? My team lost. BUT. I had the most kills. AND the most complaints. Apparently, the other team’s walking around looking like a bag of rotten blueberries. What can I say? I inherited my aim from my mother. A woman who never missed when throwing shoes across the living room.

After that adrenaline-fueled shootout? I was DONE. Uber’d home again—except this driver thought he was in Fast & Furious 12: Uber Drift. Nearly yeeted us into a roundabout portal to Narnia. But hey, I survived. I’m writing this, aren’t I?

Once home, I had zero energy left. Shower? Please. I barely managed to change, refill my water bottle, shut off the lights, and collapse like a used piñata. I even went to bed early. A true war hero’s ending.

Moral of the story?
Don’t mess with someone who plays Paintball like a sniper with unresolved childhood trauma and something to prove.

xoxo Gossip Girl

More Gifs, Pictures and Videos, here on my Tumblr Blog: https://afib-in-spain.tumblr.com/

Monday, May 12, 2025
Monday was calm and easygoing. Work was relaxed and the weather was perfect for getting outside. In the afternoon I went for a jog all the way to the beach and back. A full 11 kilometers which is now my personal Valencia record. Felt pretty proud of that one.

Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Tuesday carried a low-energy vibe. I wasn’t really feeling at my best so I took it slow. The highlight of the day was definitely the afternoon when I played Golf With Your Friends with Thaddäus and another friend. We laughed a lot and didn’t take the game too seriously which made it even better.

Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Wednesday was another quiet one. I had no real plans and wasn’t up for any kind of workout either. After work I just took it easy. Shopping cooking relaxing that was basically the theme of the evening and honestly it was just what I needed.

Thursday, May 15, 2025
The day started with a light jog to get moving. Afterwards I headed to the university though there wasn’t much going on. I spent most of my time working on assignments for vocational school. Later in the day I met up with Apuan who’s currently visiting which was a real highlight. Always nice to see familiar faces around here.

My camera took the week off.