I have now completed my 6 weeks in San Jose, Costa Rica, where I took a class called “Advanced Spanish for Medical Professions,” explored the city of San Jose, and most importantly, secured my Spanish fluency by speaking Spanish with anyone who would converse with me. I learned a lot about myself, my future goals, and especially the population of patients I hope to work with in the future.

Personally I saw growth in the way I lived, as I learned that I am someone who adapts well to change. I saw growth in my Spanish language abilities, and learned that I love speaking in a foreign language, mastering my vocabulary, and especially learning slang, even when I find myself struggling to find a word or feel misunderstood. I saw myself grow in the way I connected with other individuals of completely different cultures and lifestyles, spending a lot of time talking at meals with my Costa Rican host family, Roxanna and Luis, who guided me through my language improvement and cultural knowledge.

Academically, I grew in becoming a confident learner, as I tried my hardest on every task, even if it felt impossible. As a student who entered the first week of class not aware of the word for “blood pressure” in Spanish, I developed into a student who was confidently taking blood pressures, explaining their meaning, interpreting height and weight of patients, giving suggestions and offering treatments, and even being able to diagnose a patient in a full medical visit setting with Eczema. I found myself to be resilient, and grew by working hard to overcome difficulties I faced, especially in terms of overcoming cultural barriers. I especially grew in the way I learned Costa Rican specific language, like using the “vos” form instead of the “tú” form we are so often taught in school, as well as learning “mae/mai” as slang for “bro.”

Professionally, I grew in a way of learning to respect and honor the different health ideals and wants of Costa Rican patients, in a country where holistic health predominates over western medicine. This at first was hard for me to grasp, but I know that the acquisition of this view will help me better respect and appreciate the ways my future patients will go about their health. I also grew in how I learned to speak Spanish in a healthcare setting, learning blood pressure, height, weight, illness, injury, and treatment terminology all in Spanish, as well as using a professional and kind tone. I have gained a lot of insight into how to talk to my future Spanish speaking patients, respect their needs and views, and aim to culturally understand them from my experience abroad.

_{A trip to the holistic health farm with my classmates, Abby and Cait}

From my program abroad, I strengthened my goal to become a certified bilingual provider in the United States through my improvement of my Spanish language skills, the acquisition of my medical terminology and bedside manner in Spanish, and my perspective on different medicinal practices in foreign countries. I hope that I can be a physician that my future patients rely on to understand their preferred treatment, and someone that will hear their struggles in the language that they feel the most comfortable speaking. I hope that they feel comfortable in telling me the cultural differences they face and that they feel comfort in my support. Overall, I hope to be a physician that is both culturally and linguistically competent enough to treat patients of all backgrounds, histories, and lifestyles equally.