Week 3 - Juggling Projects, AI, and Life by the Sea
This week has been busy once again. Even though I’ve been here for less than two weeks, I’m already working on three different projects. I’m responsible for the user interface on all of them, and I also contribute to improving the user experience to make workflows more efficient.
A big part of our work involves web development with AI integration. Since AI is such a hot topic right now and helps reduce effort in many tasks, it’s exciting to work with it. At the same time, as a software development apprentice, I sometimes can’t help but feel like I’m working on something that might replace my job in the future, well, that’s inevitable, I guess. But after all, web development is my passion, and I really enjoy the creative side of these projects.
Event with Alfmed
This week, my work wasn’t limited to the IT company — I was also involved with the agency Alfmed. They are helping organize a local cycling event called “66 Degrés Sud,” which will take place next weekend. Since they arranged my internship, I was invited to attend meetings after my regular work hours.
During the meeting, we were briefed on our roles as volunteers. Our job will be to hand out bananas to competitors for a quick energy boost. The event aims to attract more tourism to the region, especially outside the peak summer season, which is already very crowded. Events like this, particularly in April and May, are important because tourism is usually quieter during this time.
The volunteer group is quite international. There’s a large group of Spanish students — still in high school — who are doing a three-month internship abroad. There are also students from Italy, and even someone who is only fifteen at the company is doing a one-month internship. It seems like this kind of international experience is quite common here, for students that attend high school with job training programs. We’ll all be working together during the event next weekend.
Learning Experience
Overall, the work here is good. At first i do felt a little bit overwhelmed with the amount of work, but I guess it’s very much a “learning by doing” experience. In that sense, I feel like I’ve improved a lot in just these few weeks.
Weekend & Beach Time
Over the weekend, the sunny weather made for a perfect afternoon at the beach. I finally got to relax, lie down, and do some reading. After that, I went back into the water — though at around 20°C, it still takes a bit of courage to get in at first!
One great thing about this area is that Le Barcarès isn’t too crowded this time of year. The water is also very shallow for about 50 meters from the shore, making it quite safe for families and children.
There was also a huge biker event at the beach, complete with motor stunt shows. I checked out some really cool vintage cars, as well as lots of Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles.
Trip to Collioure
On Sunday, I drove to Collioure, which was voted one of the most beautiful towns in France in 2024. It’s a charming tourist destination with colorful houses, and it has inspired many artists — including Matisse — to create beautiful works of art. The town is also famous for its anchovies, so I bought some as souvenirs and plan to use them in a few delicious meals.
Well not the best weather but still nice
A funny moment: in the three hours I spent there, I saw at least seven different beagles. It honestly made me wonder if there was some kind of beagle gathering happening nearby.
Cultural Differences
And finally — a funny cultural detail: the proper way to carry your baguette in France 😄
