So this trip came really unexpectedly. I always say how much I hate ads on Instagram, but there was this one that popped out too many times, titled "Coding challenge for senior developers. Win a trip to summer camp.". I must admit I am a fan of good competition (and free things, not gonna lie), so I decided to click on it and check it out. I applied and after a week or so they sent out a coding tasks for 3 tracks: Python, Cloud and Javascript. I chose Python track as I was most comfortable with it at the time. There was 2 hours to complete a few coding tasks, similar to algorithm tasks in the interview using some online coding platform. I did it, pressed submit and completely forgot about it. Almost two weeks later I got a surprising email:
I almost jumped through the roof when I read it. They followed up with travel and accommodation instructions. Basically 7 days all expenses paid trip to Barcelona. All I had to do was to participate in a summer camp where they teach tech stack they use and make some final project using their APIs to show off what I learned. Back then I was still clueless, that this was headhunting event where they wanted to see us in action and extend offers to the best participants. So I asked my boss if I can take a week off to go on a vacation.
There was around 30 participants, 10 for each track. We got 3 penthouses to share and they were really nice, close to the work and beach. Most of us arrived a day before so we spent it getting to know each other and enjoying the sun and the sea. The schedule for the next 7 days was full with camp activities. Every day from 9 to 5 we had lessons, one day for final project and a surprise trip on our last day.
First day we got some breakfast and then the camp officially started. There were so many topics for each track, but the real challenge will come as part of the final project where all 3 teams will mix into smaller teams, a few people from each track and work together to create backend, frontend and deploy everything into the cloud. A lot of hot new cool tech was used like Google Cloud, Big Query, k8s, Docker, gRPC and GraphQL.
The first thing we did was customize our office.
After the long first day the hosts took us to La Boqueria for a cooking class. So we got to cook traditional Spanish food for ourselves. To be honest I never cooked before so it was a completely new experience for me. We got to make traditional paella, soup, mince meat pastry and Crème brûlée.
For the next few days they had a lot of activities planned for us after work, they took us on a boat ride, tapas night, sightseeing around the city and a big party on the rooftop of their office in Barcelona.
Best barbecue I ever had. Special treat was grilled pineapple, I couldn't believe it can be so tasty. After the big rooftop party I got a mug as a gift, they were amazed how much alcohol Serbian people can drink. Now that I think about it, no wonder I am so fat lol.
For me personally, the best part of the whole trip was the last day. We woke up early and they took us on a surprise trip. As someone who is really into hiking and climbing mountain tops this turned out to be a real treat for me. Even though it was raining and foggy it didn't stop me from climbing all the way to the cross. Here are some highlights from Montserrat.
I am so grateful to kiwi for going above and beyond to host us and make sure we enjoy every moment. From great learning opportunities to activities in free time. Hope that they will continue with this great project in the future.