If there’s one thing this master’s journey is teaching me so far, it’s to expect the unexpected. Yesterday’s episode of that journey took me to the Santiago Bernabéu, where I volunteered with the media team for the NFL Madrid Game.

The experience actually started the day before the game. We attended a preparation and training session where the organizers explained how the entire event would work. They divided us into teams, assigned everyone specific responsibilities, and gave us the official merch we would wear during game day. We also went through all the important details: where we could go, where we could not, how the media areas worked, and what was expected from us throughout the event. Everything already felt incredibly professional and organized, which honestly made the excitement even bigger.

Then game day arrived.

I woke up that morning genuinely excited. I would not call myself a huge NFL fan, and to be completely honest, I still do not fully understand all the rules of the sport. But one thing I do know is that the NFL knows how to create a spectacle. The entertainment, the production, the atmosphere, the scale of everything, it is impossible not to feel excited being part of it.

Walking toward the Bernabéu that morning felt strange in the best way possible. A stadium I am so used to seeing through football suddenly looked completely different because of the NFL takeover. Everything felt bigger, more international, and incredibly organized.

Once we arrived, we were all assigned to our different positions for the day. I was placed in charge of helping around the Miami Dolphins press conference area. Throughout the day, I worked closely with an incredible security staff member who honestly became one of the best parts of the experience. We spent the entire day together checking accreditations and helping journalists, photographers, and media team members find their way around the Bernabéu, especially around the pitch area, mixed zone, dressing rooms, and press conference spaces.

What surprised me the most was how nonstop everything felt. There was always movement, always people needing directions, always media members rushing from one place to another trying not to miss moments. It gave me a real behind-the-scenes look at how much work happens away from the cameras to make an event of that scale run smoothly.

After spending the whole morning working, we were given lunch before kickoff. Then came one of the best surprises of the day: once the game started, they allowed us to enter the stadium and actually watch the game.

Even though I did not fully understand every detail happening on the field, I still enjoyed the experience so much. Ironically, I later heard from many people that it was apparently not even a very good NFL game. But honestly, that did not matter to me at all. What I loved was the atmosphere, how different it felt compared to football, how massive the event was, and how entertainment is such a huge part of the NFL experience.

And then came halftime.

I got the chance to watch performances from Bizarrap, one of my favorite artists, alongside Daddy Yankee. Sitting there in the Bernabéu during an NFL game watching artists I actually listen to felt like one of those moments where you just stop for a second and appreciate where life is taking you.

After the game ended, it was time to go back to work. I returned to the press conference area and continued helping with media operations before attending the Miami Dolphins press conference itself. Once again, I noticed how different the NFL media culture felt compared to football. There was no traditional press officer sitting next to the player, no formal setup with rows of chairs like I was used to. It felt more direct, faster, and very American in the way it was organized.

And that is how the day ended.

I went back home exhausted but honestly grateful. Lately, I keep finding myself experiencing things I once never imagined I would be part of this early in my journey. Football, basketball, media work, photography, press conferences, and now the NFL at the Bernabéu.

Sometimes you do not fully realize how special certain moments are until the day is over and you finally have time to think about them. And that night, walking back home after such a long day, all I could think about was how lucky I am to already be collecting memories like these.