Our Rosa in Barcelona, Spain

Rosa in Barcelona: “I’m totally in festival mode here!”

Here I am, in our little apartment in the amazing Barcelona. When I look out the window of my room, I see our beautiful neighbor La Sagrada Familia standing there! My name is Rosa, I’m 20 years old and I’m a born and raised Amersfoort native. I’m in my final year of International Business studies at the MBO.

Internship

For a long time, it had been my dream to escape the cold Netherlands for a while, so when I got the chance from school to do my internship abroad, I wanted to go for it right away. I’m currently interning at an event agency that organizes all kinds of festivals and parties in Barcelona and across Europe, and many students and young people work there.

I’m a big fan of visiting festivals, so I was immediately very enthusiastic about this company. On my first workday, I quickly noticed that the atmosphere was very laid-back. People don’t have fixed workspaces; you can sit wherever you want — this can also be outside on the balcony or on the couch.

Some well-known festivals they offer packages for, including tickets, transport, accommodation, after and pre-parties, are for example: Sziget in Budapest, Oktoberfest in Germany, Las Fallas in Valencia, Carnival in Sitges, La Tomatina in Valencia, and many more.

I personally went along to Sitges where we celebrated carnival. Sitges is a seaside town near Barcelona where carnival is celebrated exuberantly! Of course, I had to help out, so I was the guide for one of the buses. At an event with so many people, things don’t always go as planned, so sometimes it was quite stressful. For example, check-in was incredibly busy, which made some people impatient. Fortunately, I heard positive stories from almost everyone!

I’ll also be going to Las Fallas and maybe to Springfest.

Barcelona

Life in Barcelona is going really well, especially the food! If you go to the non-touristy places, you can eat very cheaply and deliciously with the locals! Gracia, for example, is a nice neighborhood where many students live and few tourists come; you can enjoy great and affordable food there. Sometimes you can even eat for free if you know the right people. For example, I went with my housemates to a “never tell your boyfriend” dinner. This dinner took place in a club before it opened. Only a limited number of girls were allowed, and we ate incredibly well — all for free! After the dinner, the party started and more people came to celebrate.

The nightlife here is definitely not bad either. Last Friday, I went to one of the biggest clubs in Europe — very fun but also very expensive. You pay a lot for entry and drinks. That’s why I prefer the lesser-known but very fun nightlife spots in Barcelona. There are countless pubs and bars where you can get delicious sangrias and cocktails for little money. Many clubs have special Facebook pages where you can sign up on guest lists to get in for free.

During the day, there are tons of things to do, which is great, and not many people know about a beautiful spot with an amazing view over Barcelona. This spot is at the Bunkers del Carmel. We went there with some people, bringing blankets, wine, and snacks. It’s really fun to watch the sunset there and chat with friends.

As you might have noticed, I’m having an amazing time here. The great thing is I still have three months to go, the weather is only going to get better, and the festival season is about to start! Can’t wait!