Our final week was mostly about keeping calm and reminding ourselves that we’d soon be back home. Let’s just say the apartment didn’t get any bigger over the past seven weeks. But the temperatures definitely went up — on average about 10 degrees warmer during the day.
As if that wasn’t enough, we also had some unexpected guests. Cockroaches started showing up at night, and we did our best to keep them out with every method we could think of.
Big adventures weren’t really on the schedule anymore. From this point on it was more about survival mode. Just hold on until Saturday, get to the airport, and fly home.
Yes, I’m repeating myself when I say that everyone is ready to go back. We’re all looking forward to some peace and quiet and our own four walls.
Still, these seven weeks in Valencia were a great experience for me.
I met some new people and discovered some beautiful places.
Even though it was a bit exhausting here and there, I would absolutely do it again the same way.
The days have started to pass quickly and it’s hard to believe that our time here is almost over. With the departure just around the corner, I felt it was important to make the most of the time we had left.
Together with my girlfriend, I spent a lot of time exploring the city. We visited several exhibitions and saw some of the most beautiful sights Valencia has to offer. One of the highlights was a spontaneous trip to Madrid. We only stayed for a day but it was more than worth it. The city had a very different atmosphere and exploring its streets was really nice.
Work remained fairly quiet. As usual, there were no specific tasks assigned to us. We were encouraged to manage our own time which meant I focused on reviewing topics from vocational school and diving into other subjects that I found interesting and relevant. It wasn’t always the most exciting part of the week but I tried to get something meaningful out of it.
The real highlight came later with a group bowling night. We actually managed to get all eight of us together and it was great to have everyone join. There was a lot of laughing and some healthy competition and it was just the kind of shared experience that will stick with me when I think back to this time.
Now there’s less than a week left here in Valencia. As much as I’ve enjoyed this experience I’m really looking forward to going back to my cozy home in Berlin.
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.
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.
Thursday, 08.05.2025 We had planned to go bowling on Thursday, but due to some scheduling issues, that didn’t end up happening. So I decided to head into the city by myself and kill some time. Unfortunately, I hadn’t checked the weather app before leaving, which turned out to be a rookie mistake. Not long after I arrived, a heavy thunderstorm rolled in. I just about managed to take shelter under a doorway before the sky opened up. I still got pretty soaked, and to warm up a bit, I ended up at a kebab place where I ordered a “Spanish döner.” Definitely not the best meal of my life, but it was alright.
Friday, 09.05.2025 Friday was a short workday, which meant we got home early. I went out to grab some groceries and cooked myself a decent meal. Later I squeezed in a good workout session, then spent most of the evening playing through a bunch of games on Jimmy’s gaming laptop.
Saturday, 10.05.2025 Saturday started the right way, with a proper breakfast. Thaddäus and I talked about doing something outdoorsy and ended up deciding to climb a mountain. We took the train to a nearby town, then grabbed an Uber for the last 8 kilometers to the base of the trail. With no real plan other than „go up,“ we started our hike. It turned into a fun little adventure with plenty of laughs along the way. When we reached the top and got our picnic out, we noticed some dark storm clouds rolling in much earlier than expected. So we quickly packed up and started heading back down. Somewhere along the way, we took a wrong turn and got a bit lost, which added an extra hour to the descent. To top it off, there were no Ubers available, so we had to jog the last 4 kilometers through heavy rain. When we finally got home, we were soaked and exhausted, but a hot meal and a quiet evening made up for it.
Sunday, 11.05.2025 I let myself sleep in on Sunday. The weather was hot, and I thought it might be nice to head to the beach. No one else felt like coming, so I went alone. I found a quiet spot, swam a few laps, and just relaxed in the sun. The day passed slowly and peacefully, a perfect end to the weekend.
Monday, May 5th, 2025 Monday was a typical Monday at work. Everything was okay, but you could tell that everyone was a bit tired. The mood was low-key, and people were clearly not running at full energy. In the evening, Dzhemal, Timur, Thäddaus, and I finally decided to try out the grill that’s been sitting in our so-called “garden.” I’d rather call it a stinky laundry chamber, because the smell coming from the bathroom drains can be absolutely unbearable. Still, we managed to pull off a pretty decent barbecue with all kinds of meat, vegetables, and salads. And we only smoked out half the apartment in the process.
Tuesday, May 6th, 2025 At university, I had another talk with the project supervisor about what I’ve been working on. I explained that it didn’t make much sense for me to keep forcing myself to learn programming just to somehow stay involved in the project. We agreed that I’d spend my time here learning things that are actually useful and meaningful to me. So now I’m catching up on topics I’m missing from my vocational school while I’m in Valencia. Today was all about networking. I focused on NAT and PAT and worked on exercises in Cisco Packet Tracer. In the afternoon, I went for a run down to the beach. And yes, I ran all the way back too.
Wednesday, May 7th, 2025 Wednesday meant back to university. I continued with the Packet Tracer tasks since I hadn’t managed to finish them the day before. The rest of the day I spent cooking something nice and doing a bit of exercise. The weather wasn’t great today, very cloudy and there’s supposed to be rain later on. I didn’t bring an umbrella or a rain jacket, so fingers crossed I don’t get completely soaked.
Thursday, May 1, 2025 Since May 1st is also a public holiday in Spain, we had the day off. We didn’t do much during the day, just relaxed. In the evening, I met up with some colleagues from the university. We went out for pizza at a small place and it surprisingly good. Afterwards, we headed to a bar with live music. The atmosphere was great, and we stayed out late enjoying the night
Friday, May 2, 2025 On Friday, I worked from home since everyone else was doing the same and the university was practically empty. I took the opportunity to catch up on some assignments for vocational school.
Saturday, May 3, 2025 On Saturday, Timur, Jimmy and I went to Mediamarkt. Timur was looking for film rolls for his camera, and I was thinking about getting a new Bluetooth speaker. But in the end I decided against it. After that, we walked to the nearby harbor where a stage had been set up for a public event. There was music, a crowd, and a great vibe. We ended up spending the whole evening there and had a lot of fun.
Sunday, May 4, 2025 Sunday was a quiet day focused on getting things in order. I did a workout, went for a jog, did my laundry and cleaned up my room. In the evening, I cooked something . Pasta with fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil.I watched a funny Twitch livestream that made me laugh out loud. Perfect Sunday for me.
Monday, April 28, 2025 Monday was once again a public holiday here in Valencia so we all had the day off. The cheerful mood didn’t last long though because around noon a power outage hit the entire country. No internet no lights no phones – suddenly everything went quiet. Instead of getting frustrated we decided to make the most of it. We bought the remaining beer from the little corner store and spent the day together in our apartment. Without screens or distractions we played games talked for hours and laughed a lot.
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 On Tuesday work started again It was a special day for us because our supervisors from Germany came to visit Mr Gierschner from Charité and Mr Bavar from the Free University visited Jaqueline and me at the university. They wanted to get an idea of what we are doing and how our daily work looks like We gave them a short tour and explained our tasks. In the evening we went to a small restaurant to have some paella together It was a relaxed and pleasant day with great food and nice conversations
Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Today I went to work alone because Jacky wasn’t feeling well. At the university I continued working with Git and GitHub just like the days before I practiced with some exercises and repeated a few tests to solidify my understanding. The weather was grey and cold which matched my mood.
Thursday, April 24, 2025 Today I had another day off. In the afternoon, we met up to enjoy a glass of Agua de Valencia together. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect, so after our drinks we decided to spend some more time relaxing in the park. It felt so good to just sit in the warmth and enjoy the easy rhythm of the city. Also Thäddeus an me found Fungus in hour room. Right behind his Bed. Valencia is nice but hour apartment really is not.
Friday, April 25, 2025 Another free day and this time I really took advantage of it by sleeping in. After a slow morning, I went for a jog and did a bit of exercise to wake myself up properly. Later in the afternoon, a few of us thought it would be fun to visit the Asian market. I found so many delicious things there and it was hard not to buy everything that caught my eye. In the late evening, we headed to the cinema to watch Star Wars Episode III. Thankfully it was shown in English and not in Spanish;)
Saturday, April 26, 2025 Saturday started slowly because we had stayed out quite late the night before. In the afternoon, I visited a Catholic festival that was happening nearby. It was full of music, colorful decorations, and traditional celebrations and it was really interesting to see how passionate everyone was. In the evening, I met up again with some friends from university and we spent a few hours in a nice bar at the beach.
Sunday, April 27, 2025 Sunday was all about relaxing. We treated ourselves to some delicious food and spent the rest of the day watching series and just enjoying the calm.
Monday, April 21, 2025 Not much happened on Monday. I didn’t take any pictures either. I spent most of the day doing a bit of sport, cooked myself a quick meal, and just relaxed for the rest of the time. A proper chill day.
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 In the afternoon, I hung out with Jimmy and Timur. We wandered through the city, checking out a few different shops. I ended up buying a new t-shirt, while the others picked up some anime figures. Later that evening, we went out for Bulgarian food. Super tasty and definitely worth it.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025 On Wednesday, I decided to take a solo trip to a beach a bit further out. It was a beautiful spot and really peaceful and exactly what I needed. In the evening, I headed back, made myself some food, and spent a couple of hours playing Counter-Strike. A pretty solid day overall.
