Carmen's adventure as an intern in Valencia!

For a long time I have been looking forward to my adventure, now it finally happened.  Currently, I am living in Valencia to follow my dream of doing an internship abroad and I can tell you that it has been a great decision! Even during the winter, I am still enjoying the sun and can leave my house in a T-Shirt in December (what a life)!

Why Valencia?

When I started my studies in The Netherlands I was always sure of one thing: That  I was going to do my internship in Spain. Why? This might sound cliché but I mean... this language sounds amazing right? How great would it be to speak a language that is not only used in Spain but in 19 (!) other countries worldwide. Imagine being able to talk to so many nationalities in their native language, this sounds awesome to me. Obviously, Spanish is spoken in a lot of places but I chose Valencia for many reasons, just hear me out! 

Reason number 1: Valencia offers the opportunity to get the full ‘big-city’ experience whilst having lower costs of living compared to other European cities. Personally, I am experiencing Valencia as a perfect big city with small town vibes! I love it. 

Reason number 2: Paella. Do I need to say more? Another fun fact: Paella originated from the province of Valencia. It’s from the Albufera lagoon. This is only half an hour away from the city. I already went there twice and will return for sure. Paella is definitely my number 1 Spanish dish! 🥘

Reason number 3: Valencia has amazing public holidays and yearly events! For example, every year there is a Festival called ‘Las Fallas’ where the whole city is (literally) on fire for days. What this means?  Originally it came from celebrating the arrival of spring but nowadays it basically means a lot of partying. To celebrate this, old furniture (and  other wooden things) are burnt. A great experience!

Reason number 4: It’s so easy to settle in! Valencia’s expat community is huge. This means there will be many like-minded people doing the exact same thing as you. For me, it was so easy to find friends here and get in touch with  the culture. Valencia made me feel at home very fast, which is amazing. 

Reason number 5: The SUN! I know other cities in Spain can offer you this too, but I can’t just leave this one out of my list of reasons. I already briefly mentioned it, but it’s worth mentioning again. 300 days of sun in the year. I am not even sure if I have used my umbrella yet, what more do you want?

There are many more reasons why Valencia is great but these are definitely my top 5. Next to eating paella and enjoying the sun, there is a lot more to do! 

Fun things to do in Valencia!

Doiny my internship in Valencia is a great opportunity to develop myself professionally but also to learn about other cultures. From Monday to Friday I am working, which I enjoy a lot too. Even though I am working 5 days a week, it still feels like I am on a holiday most of the time. After work I often have drinks with some colleagues and on the weekends I am always doing something fun!

The other day I took the bus and went hiking! I randomly chose to go on a  hike in Buñol because it was easily reachable by bus. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done. It was about 10 km and we came across 4 waterfalls of which two were really big. It felt amazing to experience this. I even had a swim! The water was freezing but I just had to do it and it was totally worth it. 

Next to hiking, there are also other beautiful places easily reachable by public transport. On the weekends I also like to explore the surroundings and cities close to Valencia. Alicante for example is only 1.5 hours away by train and a cool city to have visited. Even the bigger cities Madrid and Barcelona are easily reachable by train and the best part: public transport is so much cheaper in Spain! I love to explore these places on the weekends but I also love coming back to Valencia.

If you like partying, Valencia is also the place to be! 🎉 During the weekends the city offers many opportunities to go out with your friends, have some drinks and dance the night away! The amount of clubs in Valencia is huge and I don’t even think I know them all. I think going out to explore and see where the night takes you is so much fun! 

The Túria park runs through the entire city and used to be a river, which is amazing to see. I like to work-out and the park is the best place to get a workout done in nature. For the ones, who don't like to do their own workouts, the park offers many workouts from dance classes to bootcamps and yoga, so cool! Sometimes it is even free to join a class. Maybe some Flamenco classes will make you a pro in no time!

👉🏻 For the most part I am just enjoying the city with  Spanish food, good people and nice weather. I have been in Valencia for 6 months and already know that I would not want to leave! But who knows, maybe I will be back. For now, I am going to enjoy the sun even more but I hope to share this amazing city with you soon! Would you also like to start an adventure abroad just like Carmen did? Then check out our job offers in Spain!