The end of the summer has a bittersweet feel to it. While I am excited to get back home to see my family and friends, I cannot believe how fast my time here has flown by. Our group of interns has become very close, through living in such close quarters and going through such an incredible experience together, and I am going to miss everyone so much.
Some of the group at the beach, before a night out.
It is the last week of internship, and I'm not even sure what I am supposed to feel. It's a mixed bag as always, but I know I am getting (or will get) a sense of closure. I am saying goodbye to all the food, places, people, and fun.
Last Sunday was the end of the Tour de France so Molly, Melinda, and I went to the Champs Elysee to watch the bikers end at the Arc de Triomphe. There were so many people there that I felt lucky to have taken some decent photos and footage of the bikers. One thing that surprised all of us were how fast the bikers moved. On TV they seemed so slow, but in reality, they’re pretty fast! It may seem like a no-duh kind of thing, but watch the footage and you’ll see what I mean. Afterwards we went out to eat dinner and then walked around our local park, Montsouris Parc.
Now that I am nearing the end of my summer internship, I have found myself to be the busiest I have been all summer, both at work and in life in general. I finished my big project, "La plantilla ideal" a couple of weeks ago, right before my two managers both went out of town on holiday for the rest of the summer. With them gone and my project complete, I thought everything would slow down at the office and I had some fears that I would become bored with nothing to do. Instead, the opposite happened.
The weekend of the world cup final was definitely one of the craziest of my life so far. On Friday I went to Pamplona for San Fermín, the annual running of the bulls. It was out of control. Everyone dresses in all white with a red scarf, and stays up all night celebrating. Then, at 8 in the morning, the bull run takes place, ending in an arena where thousands of people run around with the bulls. I have no idea how this is possibly legal. It is the most dangerous event I have ever witnessed.
I cannot believe my internship experience is already halfway over. I feel as though I am finally getting the hang of things here. I don't get lost every time I leave my apartment anymore, although the other day Jenna and I did spend a good hour and a half wandering around Plaça Catalunya, literally around the block from our destination. I have even gotten used to the metro system. Last week we figured out a way to avoid the terribly long, underground hallway we have to walk down when we change lines to go to the beach (which we suitably nicknamed Hell Hallway).
I think it goes without saying that I´ll miss Madrid. The city is so full of life, colors, plants in iron ledges, guitar players in plazas, summertime sunshine, friendly madrileños, and much more. During my time here, I think I´ve found a nice balance of both traveling and staying in the city. I equally enjoy weekends wondering around the city as I do renting a car camping up in the north in Galicia or visiting friends in Basque Country.
I've been very busy the last few weeks, with my internship, weekend trips, and trying to take advantage of all the amazing things this city has to offer while I'm here for this short time. It been fun but also very exhausting!
