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.