Thursday was another public holiday. Seriously, how many holidays are there in April?! (Not that I’m complaining!) I still haven’t worked a full week since I got here, because every week seems to have at least one day off. I used the break to wander around the city, grab a few gifts for friends back home, and FINALLY try tapas in Valencia.
I had heard good things about Pimientos de Padrón, so I ordered those, paired with a little glass of Ladrón de Verano. It was fruity, refreshing, and honestly… I think I like it even more than Agua de Valencia.
One little sidequest my boyfriend and I gave ourselves is to become regulars at a local bar and we’re making decent progress! The bartender is already warming up to us, and since the place is literally right outside our front door, we can stop by often. (I know it sounds like we’re becoming alcoholics, but I promise we’re keeping it classy and moderate!)
The rest of the week was pretty chill. We checked out a new café, went for all you can eat sushi (Spanish sushi >>> Berlin sushi), and started planning our next weekend trip to Altea with the rest of the group.
So I said it, didn’t I? “The Germans are coming.” And no, I wasn’t making a war joke—our trainers actually flew in from the land of bratwurst and bureaucracy just to visit us and get a taste of our incredibly professional internships here in sunny Valencia.
Well… kinda. Technically, they came to visit me and Ruben. Because the others? Either off-duty, mysteriously sick, or pulling a Houdini on the whole work experience. Classic.
Anyway, their first stop was our university. And what a place! They met the mighty professors who command the great AI-powered tourist app project—aka, my life now. We even gave them a quick tour, and oh boy, hold onto your brains: they’ve got a full-on VR room, a motion capture lab, and a multimedia studio with a monster green screen. I’m talking Hollywood-level wizardry. Did we take pictures? Of course not. Forbidden. Top-secret. Government-level security. (Or they just don’t trust us with cameras.)
Then came the real field trip. I took the two on a magical journey to a burger joint disguised as a laundromat. Yeah, you read that right. Imagine grabbing your food from a freaking washing machine. I’ve never eaten anything that close to freshly rinsed socks, but hey—YOLO, right?
Since no one from the agency responded (hello? anyone home?), we ended up giving our trainers the grand tour of our apartment. They said it was cozy. COZY. I mean, sure, if sleeping on a mattress that screams „back pain 24/7“ counts as cozy. I swear, if they stayed here another night, they’d both be booking chiropractor appointments faster than you can say “Herniated disc.”
And of course, no German-in-Spain saga would be complete without trying paella by the beach. Not bad, honestly. Tasted like sunshine and burnt rice in all the right ways. And let me tell you—Mr. Gierschner and his never-ending dad jokes? Almost killed me. Laughed so hard, I saw the digital afterlife. Worth it.
On Monday, we checked out of our beloved hotel and decided to treat ourselves to brunch before returning to our charming home… We found the cutest little café with an Alice in Wonderland theme, and everything looked super promising… until the power suddenly went out. At first, we thought it’d be a quick flicker, but then we noticed the shops nearby also had no electricity or phone signal. Not a good sign.
Realizing our food dreams weren’t going to come true, we luckily didn’t wait around. Turns out the power and network didn’t come back until late in the evening. We figured we’d just head back to our apartment, but surprise: the metro wasn’t running either. So began our quest to find a functioning bus. It was total chaos. Buses randomly changing stops, traffic lights down, and a street festival happening in the same area (why not, right?). After what felt like a side quest in a video game, we squeezed into a packed bus and somehow made it home.
Everyone at the apartment was also low-key panicking but in that “this is so bad it’s funny” way. At first, we had spotty signal, but by the afternoon, it was completely gone. It was honestly a little spooky not knowing what was going on and not being able to reach anyone. Still, we were lucky. I heard some people got stuck in gondolas, elevators, or were even evacuated from long-distance trains.
Fun fact (or not): that was also the day we were supposed to meet our instructors. Coincidence that the entire city/country shuts down just as they landed? Hmm…
Anyway, the meeting got moved to Tuesday. First, they visited Jacky and Ruben’s company, and later they came by our lovely shared apartment for the full Valencia housing experience. After a short catch-up, we headed to a beachside restaurant I’d found on TikTok for some classic paella. We went big and ordered the lobster paella and wow, it was chef’s kiss. At least for Herr Bavar and me. The others either thought it was just okay or didn’t like it at all. Not everyone has the tastebuds of a connoisseur, I guess!
It was also super cold and windy at the restaurant, so fingers crossed no one catches a cold. After a few rounds of beer, Agua de Valencia, and incredibly sophisticated conversations about RAID 5, sausage lollipops, and “Lutschter” (our new term for a lobster you lick??), we called it a night. It was really nice seeing familiar faces again!
On Wednesday, it was back to work for me. I continued tinkering with my little AI project. Google Colab has some seriously cool tools and it’s a great place to start if you want to dip your toes into AI stuff. Oh, and I tried Popeyes for the first time. Let’s just say… it ranks second to last on my fast food chicken wing list.
This week began in an unexpected way: Monday was marked by a complete blackout. No electricity, no internet – just an odd kind of quiet that wrapped around the day. With little else to do, we were more or less forced to take a break, which, in hindsight, wasn’t the worst thing. Sometimes slowing down is exactly what you need, even if it’s not by choice.
Tuesday brought a welcome shift. We met with our supervisor and enjoyed a traditional Valencian paella together. The meeting wasn’t just about food – it gave us a sense of orientation and reassurance in the middle of all the waiting. Sitting together, talking casually, and sharing a meal made things feel a little more real and grounded.
By Wednesday, the pace slowed again. We took the day to rest, do some cleaning, and reset a bit. There wasn’t much action, but the mix of small routines and quiet moments helped keep things balanced. Still no major updates on the internship front, but we’re staying patient.
Monday, 28th April 2025 Monday was kind of a weird day. We had a nationwide power outage, so no electricity, no internet. So we basically had to get through the whole day offline, which definitely felt strange in the big year of 2025. The power finally came back on later at night, but yeah… not much happened apart from waiting around and trying to stay entertained.
Tuesday, 29th April 2025 Tuesday was much more eventful. We met with Mr. Bavar and my supervisor, Mr. Gierschner, since they came over to visit us. They came by our apartment first, and we gave them a quick tour of the place. Later, we all went out and had Paella with lobster and a couple of beers together.
Wednesday, 30th April 2025 On Wednesday, it was Jimmy’s and my turn to clean the apartment, so we spent part of the day doing that. Afterward, we went out for some groceries. To end the day, we watched Fight Club. I never watched it and now I have. I sure liked it 😀
Monday was honestly one of the craziest days of the trip so far. I woke up to Jimmy yelling that we had no electricity. At first I thought he was exaggerating, but then I noticed my phone had no signal either. Turns out the entire region was affected, no mobile reception, no metro service, nothing. We later found out that Spain, Portugal, and even parts of France were hit by a massive blackout.
We tried to make the best out of the situation. We played some card games and just chilled together. Thankfully, I had a few episodes of Star Wars The Clone Wars downloaded, so we weren’t completely bored. Later, we walked to a small local store and found a line of people outside, clearly preparing for a long power outage. Inside, it was super eerie without any lights, it honestly felt like in The Purge. Luckily, by the evening, the power finally came back on and things slowly returned to normal.
Tuesday
On Tuesday, our supervisors Mr. Gierschner and Mr. Bavar came to visit us. I quickly cleaned up a bit in the morning before they arrived. We sat together and talked about our experiences in Valencia so far, the culture, the language classes, and everyday life here. After the talk, we all went to a restaurant to have some traditional paella. Ruben, Jimmy, Flo, and I decided to walk there, which took us almost an hour. After the paella, some cervezas, and of course Agua de Valencia, we all took separate Ubers back home. On the way back, we also stopped at the Consum near our place to do some grocery shopping.
on our way to the restaurant
Wednesday
Wednesday started off slowly, mostly because I accidentally slept through my alarm. After getting up, I had breakfast while chatting with my girlfriend, who was dress shopping for her high school prom in Berlin. Later in the afternoon, I went for a jog to clear my head. In the evening, or more like late at night, I called a friend back in Berlin to wish him a happy birthday and catch up a bit.
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.
Monday was a super chill day. I went for a walk and continued watching the series I had started. Later on, I had a long phone call with a friend from Berlin, who updated me on everything that had been happening back home. It felt good to reconnect and hear some familiar voices again.
Tuesday
On Tuesday, I started the day with a shower and then went out for some grocery shopping. In the afternoon, I went for a short jog to clear my head. Later, I met up with Jimmy, Flo, and Timur, and we grabbed some food at a local pizza place.
Wednesday
Wednesday was cleaning day. I went out to do some more shopping around midday, and then Ruben and I got started on our cleaning duties. I vacuumed and mopped the floors while Ruben took care of the bathrooms. After that, I finally finished the series I had been watching, and the ending was absolutely wild. No spoilers, but damn.
Thursday
Thursday started off slow. I had a relaxed shower in the morning and got ready for the day. Timur, Flo, and I headed into the city to check out some souvenir shops and look for clothes. We didn’t end up finding any clothes, but Timur bought himself a Polaroid camera, and Flo picked up some souvenirs. I got a Valencia shot glass for my girlfriend, since she collects them. Afterwards, we went to Five Guys, which was really tasty. In the evening, we met up with the others at a bar and tried Agua de Valencia definitely a fun way to wrap up the day.
Friday
Friday was a very heavy day. Early in the morning, I received some verry sad news from Berlin, a close friend of mine had passed away. I spent the rest of the day on the phone with my girlfriend and other friends from home. We talked, remembered him, and supported each other. It was a quiet, emotional day, but im happy I had some people to share the emotions with.
Saturday
Saturday started off a bit lighter. In the morning, I went for a short walk and did some shopping with Timur. I also had a long, comforting phone call with my girlfriend. Later, Timur and I ordered Burger King and had a relaxed afternoon. In the evening, Ruben Timur and I heard loud music nearby, got curious, and decided to check it out. We stumbled upon a big outdoor stage with a crowd and live music. It turned into a spontaneous party night. We stayed for a while, talked to lots of people, and had a blast – even with the language barrier, which honestly made things even funnier.
Sunday
Sunday was very quiet again, just what I needed. I had a nice, long call with my girlfriend and helped her with some studying. Later, I cooked myself a simple but delicious meal – pasta with tomato sauce and sausages. In the evening, I had a group call with a few friends from Berlin to stay in touch and keep those bonds strong.
Friday, 25th April 2025 I Spent part of the day going through some more Udemy courses. In the evening, a few of us went to an Asian grocery store to grab some things. Later that night, we randomly decided to go to the cinema and watched Star Wars Episode III and honestly, even better on the big screen.
Saturday, 26th April 2025 Saturday was super chill. I went for a long walk through the city on my own, just listening to music and exploring a bit. No real plan, just needed to clear my head and move around a little.
Sunday, 27th April 2025 Sunday was all about taking it easy. I stayed in, relaxed, and had a couple of calls with friends and family back home. Nothing big happened, just a slow day.
Work was slow this week. I didn’t have much to do on Thursday or Friday, so I started my own little side project: I’m trying to build a simple AI that can recognize positive and negative emotions. Just a fun challenge to keep my brain busy.
After work on Thursday, my boyfriend picked me up and we went for a walk in this huge park that basically stretches across the entire city. There were so many joggers out and a bunch of tents set up everywhere. That little outing somehow turned into spontaneous day drinking (oops), and we ended up inviting the others to join us too.
On Friday, we went on a mission to find a better Asian supermarket (because I NEED my instant noodles), and we actually found a huge one! Afterwards, we treated ourselves to Korean BBQ at an all-you-can-eat place for €25 per person. It was delicious, but oh man… we felt so gross afterwards. Our clothes reeked of smoke the entire night. To make things worse, we tried to take the metro home at around 10:30 p.m., only to find out that it doesn’t run to our area that late. So yeah… long walk home.
Saturday was much more wholesome – we finally visited Oceanogràfic, the biggest aquarium in all of Europe! And wow, it really lived up to the hype. They had sharks, beluga whales, and even dolphins. We got to see a dolphin show, which was honestly way better than I expected. What’s even cooler is that Oceanogràfic is actively involved in marine research and conservation, including breeding programs.
We ended up staying there for nearly four hours and were completely wiped out afterwards. But since we’d heard from the agency that there was going to be a fireworks show in the evening, we forced ourselves to go out again. Well… they started 30 minutes late, lasted 10 minutes, and were kind of underwhelming. But hey, fireworks are fireworks, I guess?
And then… on Sunday we checked into another hotel. Yes. AGAIN. This one even had a pool and a sauna on the ground floor. Definitely a highlight. I swear these hotel stays are becoming a bad habit.
