This week felt a bit like three different weeks packed into one. Between long commutes, filming homework, photography practice in the rain, being sick again, and a quick escape to Valencia, it was definitely a full one.
Monday: A Slow Start to a Busy Week
Monday was a national holiday, which I used as an excuse to fully recharge before the chaos of the week would start. A day on the couch with tea, a bit of studying, some napping… and of course preparing for the next couple of days.
Tuesday: Study, Cameras, and Blog Fixes
Tuesday started bright and early with a welcome talk from none other than Emilio Butragueño. During this welcome meeting he shared why and how the University of Real Madrid started, how it has grown, and what opportunities it will bring us. We also got a better understanding of how Real Madrid works as a club or organisation by learning about its values.
After that, the campus was extremely busy and I worked on the homework for Mario Santos’ class, practicing with the big video cameras (see the photos).
Later, I had our final class with Miguel Vela, who helped me fine-tune a few elements on my blog. Small changes, but they made everything feel more organised, and hopefully easier to read for all of you.
Wednesday: Sick Again…
By Wednesday, I was feeling ill again or still, so the day turned into an unplanned rest-and-recover moment. Which ended up being much needed, because the next day I was going to be standing outside with rain the whole evening…
Thursday: Photography Practice at Valdebebas
Thursday’s class took place at Valdebebas with Paul Hanna, where we practiced sports photography during the training of Real Madrid Juvenil C.
It was challenging for several reasons: it didn’t stop raining, the sky was dark and grey, and we mostly saw the players’ backs instead of front-facing action.
(And of course no photos on the blog, since the players are under 18. A bit above this, there are a few shots of me and Claire at the football practice.)
Afterwards we sat in the press conference room, scrolled through everyone’s shots, and selected the best 25 per pair to send to the coach. Paul told us that we did really well, considering the difficult lightning and weather conditions. And I personally saw improvement from my first time (for Real Femenino) and the pictures from now (the practice pictures).
Friday & Saturday: A Quick Escape to Valencia
On to Friday and Saturday, which were easily my favourite days of the week.
Waking up at 5:30 AM, arriving in Valencia at 9:30 AM, and heading straight to my all-time favourite café in Europe: Coffi del Carmen. I met up with Jonas, a friend from my previous internship, and later Hoan joined too.
We passed by Taronja, my old internship school, to say hello to everyone, and then went to Bear Club for a drink before checking into my Airbnb for the weekend. And at 3 PM, I had to take a very much so needed power nap before the rest of the day continued.
In the evening we had dinner with 25 Taronja students and ended the night at the classic St. Patrick’s bar — and then straight to bed.
Saturday started in the best way: breakfast with my favourite person (in Valencia), again at Coffi del Carmen (I know, again), followed by a walk through Turia Park.
Later that evening I took the train back to Madrid… and straight back into the cold. It is still a bit surreal to think that it takes just as long to get to Valencia, a whole different city in a different province, than to go to my University Campus. But I also guess that it is a good excuse to go more often.
The perfect order at Coffi del Carmen: an iced latte with lactose-free milk and caramel syrup together with one of their amazing sweet treats, like this pistachio tiramisu.
Sunday: Reset Mode
Today is my official reset day. Editing some photos, catching up on some study, resting a bit, and preparing for a packed week ahead with new classes, the first filming day for our final project, and a visit from my dad and grandparents.
I already know next week will have enough stories and pictures for another very full Weekly Moments.
