Monday, 5th May 2025
Started the week by working through more of my Udemy courses. Trying to keep up some kind of routine at least.
In the evening, we fired up the grill and had a little BBQ. The food turned out great even though there was smoke from the grill everywhere xD

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Tuesday, 6th May 2025
Tuesday was kind of the same, I spent more time with the Udemy stuff.
Later that evening, we watched a football match on TV: Inter vs. Barcelona. It was definetly chill :3

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Wednesday, 7th May 2025
Woke up not feeling great. Throughout the day I just felt off.
Still went out for a short walk in the evening, hoping the fresh air would help a bit.

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Thursday, 8th May 2025
This day I definitely turned sick. Spent most of Thursday in bed and just tried to rest. Not much else to say really.

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Friday, 9th May 2025
Still not doing great on Friday, so I had to stay home again. I was actually supposed to go to a job interview at a gaming shop, but couldn’t make it.
Shoutout to Jimmy though — he went in my place and helped out. Really grateful for that.

The start of the week was fairly uneventful. On Monday, I continued working through my Udemy courses – steady progress, but not much to report. In the evening, though, we brought a bit of life into the day by having a small barbecue together, which was a nice way to wrap things up.

Tuesday followed a similar rhythm: calm and quiet during the day, but in the evening we gathered to watch the football match between Inter and Barcelona. A good game and a relaxed atmosphere.

Wednesday took us back to the Mall Inglés, where we walked around a bit and did some light window shopping. It wasn’t the most exciting outing, but sometimes it’s just nice to be out and about.

Then, finally, some news: on Thursday, I received my internship placement! I’ll be working at a gaming store called PcGamingCenter, and my interview is scheduled for the next day. After all the waiting, it feels great to finally have a direction and something to look forward to.

On Friday, I visited the store for the first time. The team welcomed me warmly, and I immediately felt at ease. There’s even another Spanish intern working there, which made settling in a bit easier. The shop not only sells and repairs gaming PCs, but also offers custom setups, accessories, and advice for local gamers. It looks like an exciting environment to be part of – both technically and socially.

And now it’s Saturday: I’m currently on my way to Altea, sitting on the bus as I write this. More to come soon…

After a pretty eventful few weeks, this one felt much slower and honestly, I didn’t mind. From Monday to Wednesday, I mainly kept working on my little AI side project. It’s been fun experimenting with emotion detection and seeing how far I can get with it on my own.

On Wednesday, I actually even got the chance to tag along with Rafa, our CEO, for some off-site meetings. He gave two presentations – one at Caixa Popular and another one at a university. I was really impressed. The way he speaks, the confidence, the way he takes risks without hesitation… it’s something I really admire. You can tell he’s been through a lot and built something out of pure drive.

Every afternoon, I met up with my boyfriend, and we kept working through our restaurant bucket list. The funny thing is: it never gets shorter. For every place we try, we seem to add three more.

So picture this: I was ready. READY, my friends. Bowling shoes? Mentally laced. Vibes? Immaculate. Blog? Half-written in my head, with jokes sharper than the kitchen knife. I thought, „Let’s write about the hilarious bowling night we’re totally gonna have!“

Plot twist: we didn’t.

Two of our comrades-in-chaos decided—last freaking minute—that they’d rather ghost the plan than roll some balls. No explanation. No „sorry, I got kidnapped by aliens“ or „my grandma started breakdancing again, I had to help.“ Just poof. Gone.

And while we stood there, blinking into the void of broken hopes and missing pins… the sky decided it was the perfect moment to cry with us. Enter: downpour deluxe.

BUT—every disaster has its MVP. Enter Thaddäus (yes, like the depressed squid guy from Spongebob), who saw the rain not as an obstacle, but a catwalk. He glided. No, slid through puddles with the grace of a damp gazelle just to go outside and smoke. I swear, someone cue the dramatic music because I’ve never seen nicotine dependency look so elegant.

Aside from that Oscar-worthy performance, not much else happened.
Oh—except the fun twist that some folks still don’t have a job here and are now told to go find one themselves. Even though, you know… the agency was supposed to handle that part. Classic plot development. Let’s see how that side quest unfolds.

And that’s it, folks. The most exciting thing this week was not throwing a bowling ball and watching a squidward reenact a Disney-on-Ice number. Maybe next week, something wild will happen. Like… actually doing something.

Stay tuned. Or don’t. I’m not your mom.

My Tumblr Blog for Videos and gifs….you know…for the little umpf in the blog: https://afib-in-spain.tumblr.com/

Valencia Trip – Part 6 (May 1st to 7th)

Thursday

Thursday, May 1st was another public holiday here in Valencia which meant I could sleep in. Later in the day I went out to do some shopping and then called my parents to catch up. It was nice to hear how things were going back home in Berlin. In the evening I went for a quiet walk and had a long phone call with my girlfriend just enjoying the calm vibes.

Friday

On Friday my morning started a bit more abruptly. I got woken up early because we were getting a new washing machine delivered and the mold next to my bed was finally being removed. After all that chaos the rest of the day was much more relaxed. We watched Star Wars in the afternoon and later I started watching the Ted series and made for a cozy evening.

Saturday

Saturday kicked off slow and easy. I had a relaxed morning and then watched the Union Berlin match which actually went really well. Always nice to see your team play a strong game. After the match I went for a jog down to the beach which felt amazing. In the evening I headed over to the harbor where Ruben and Timur were at an open air party with a live stage setup. It had great energy. Later we ended up going to a private club with two Spanish guys we met there. One of them was a friend of Ruben. The whole night was super spontaneous and really fun.

Sunday

Sunday was another mellow day. After breakfast Ruben and I went shopping then I made some pasta and just hung out. In the evening I went into the city for a short trip with Jimmy Timur and Flo and after that I called my girlfriend to check in and catch up a bit more.

Monday

Monday May 5th was all about supporting my girlfriend. She had just finished her Abitur exam so I called her around lunchtime to talk about it and hear how everything went. In the afternoon I went grocery shopping mostly to get stuff for our evening barbecue. That night we grilled together on our terrace which was super nice. The weather was perfect and it felt like a proper summer night.

Tuesday

Tuesday was shopping day again. I did a big grocery run and had my girlfriend on the phone with me during it so it was almost like shopping together just from two countries apart. Not much else happened that day. I just took it slow and enjoyed the peace.

Wednesday

Wednesday was more active again. Around midday I went jogging and then took a long relaxed shower. We had actually planned to go bowling in the evening but those plans fell through last minute. Instead I spent the evening gaming with a friend from Berlin which turned out to be a solid backup plan. Just one of those cozy no pressure days.

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, 1st May 2025
Thursday I mostly just chilled, went for a little walk outside to get some fresh air, and spent a bit of time working through my Udemy course again.

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Friday, 2nd May 2025
Another quiet day. I kept going with my Udemy stuff and stayed in for the most part. Later that night, I went out for a solo night walk near our place. It was calm and peaceful.

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Saturday, 3rd May 2025
Saturday was more active! We went to a shopping mall and stopped by MediaMarkt to get some film for my Polaroid camera. After that, we headed toward the harbor to check it out.

Turns out there was a music event going on down there, so we hung around, soaked up the sun, and just enjoyed the atmosphere.
In the evening, we made our way back home and took it easy.

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Sunday, 4th May 2025
Sunday was all about relaxing. Just a quiet end to the weekend.

Thursday was May 1st – a public holiday – so we took it slow. No obligations, no plans, just a relaxed day to rest and enjoy the calm. The same went for Friday, which passed quietly and gave us a bit more breathing room after the previous days.

On Saturday, we decided to explore a different side of Valencia and headed to a shopping mall for a casual outing. After that, we made our way down to the harbour. The weather was perfect, and being near the water always adds a special touch to the weekend vibe. We walked around for a while, enjoyed the sea breeze, and just soaked in the relaxed atmosphere.

Sunday wrapped up the weekend with a movie night – we went to see Thunderbolts. It was a fun way to end a slow but pleasant few days, and even though the week wasn’t packed with activity, it felt balanced and just right.

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.

Hey party people of the internet (and possibly my future self scrolling this at 3 AM eating cereal straight from the box), welcome back to another spicy entry of “What the hell is Jacqueline doing in Spain?”

Spoiler alert: not much. Like seriously, this week was deader than my houseplants back home. BUT WAIT – plot twist – something did happen: I finally got my exam results for the Zwischenprüfung (aka the big scary “do-you-even-know-your-sh*t” test). And guess what?

🎉 I PASSED. WITH. 77 POINTS. 🎉
That’s right. 77. Only 4 tiny points away from a “2” (which for the non-Germans is like… a solid B). But alas, dumb mistakes were made. And yes, father dearest already gave me the traditional “you could’ve done better” sermon. Thanks Dad, love the feedback, please direct all future comments to my agent.

Anyway. Back to work. First day after the exam felt like someone stretched time with a medieval torture device. Until 4 PM. Four. Freaking. Pee. Em. But hey, I got invited to lunch. Yay?
Except – plot twist number two – I didn’t eat much and everyone spoke Spanish the entire time.
Like… what even is polite chewing when you understand 2% of the conversation and nod every 30 seconds to not look lost?

Oh, and then came the Monthly Meeting™️. You know, that thing where they talk about “the future of the project” and pretend we all know what’s happening.
Everyone looked at me like “Crap, the gringa is here.”
And then… bam – I hit ‚em with a “Sorreeyyy 😇” and boom! Room exploded in laughter. You’re welcome for the free comedy show, amigos.

BUT WAIT, there’s a cherry on this chaotic sundae: I actually suggested a new feature for our tourist app! Something for the Nordic peeps – the ones who prefer skiing and freezing their butts off instead of beach bumming in Valencia.
And they actually considered it?! Wild.

Anyway, no pics this week (I know, I know… cue dramatic gasp), BUT I’ve got some juicy GIFs waiting for you on the Tumblr blog.
Hope you like ‚em. If not… well, pretend you do, for my ego’s sake.

Until next time, my beautiful weirdos.
Stay chaotic. Stay hydrated.

Tumblr Blog here: https://afib-in-spain.tumblr.com/