As I’m writing this blog, I’m watching the soccer match most commonly known as el clásico. If you’re not familiar with this event, it’s when the La Liga giants and decades-long rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid play each other. It’s always a big deal, tensions are high, and the two teams couldn’t be different. Madrid is known for its style, flashy playing, and ultra-high-profile celebrity players (Cristiano Ronaldo being #1). Barcelona, while containing similarly insane starpower, is mostly known for being incredibly aggressive, dominating possession of the ball, and basically getting things done.

This clash of the titans is making me think about my summer—a lot. I’ve been in Barcelona mode lately, scheduling interviews and aggressively pursuing jobs and internships. I just landed one, working with the Illinois Attorney General. Yeah me! That Barcelona dominance paid off big time.

But here’s the thing: it’s a part-time internship, and more and more I’ve been sliding into a Real Madrid state of mind. While I can’t wait to start my internship and do really great, important work, I’m going to have time this summer to do something fun and flashy. Another part-time job could serve that purpose: working at a cool store or restaurant, getting some cool cash, hanging out with cool people. Real Madrid is synonymous is my mind with money: they have some of the most expensive players out there with some of the most extravagant lifestyles. While I’m not planning to turn into Sergio Ramos, having some pocket money would certainly be welcome. Did I mention two players in Madrid’s starting lineup are German internationals? Yep—let’s keep the fact that I’m going to need money for my study abroad trip in mind.

Right now, the score is 1:1. Barcelona was winning for a while, but Ronaldo just hammered home a really gorgeous PK that tied the game up. Although I’m a Madridista, I’d like the score to stay tied for my summer/el clásico metaphor to work. I’d like to be able to balance the two sides of my summer, my aggressive internship and my need to have fun and get money. But in the end, can I really go wrong? This is going to be a great summer for me, no matter which part of it takes priority.

Edit: A tie! This bodes well for my superstitious self.

P.S. I suppose I should spend a little more time talking about my internship! The interview I had for it went fantastically, although I was terribly nervous. It was scheduled for 11 AM Central Time, which I realized the day before was 9 AM here. While I’m usually up by that time, I’m not fully functioning until at least 10:30, after I’ve had my coffee and my shower and morning yoga session. So the day of the interview, I set three alarms for an hour beforehand—and managed to sleep through all three! I ended up waking up twenty minutes before, and instead of doing my morning ritual, I jumped around and listened to Shakira until the clock struck 9. Then, the interview: way easier than I expected. I explained certain things on my interview, talked about why I was qualified for the job, and then—the interviewer offered me a position! What luck!