After my program ended on June 29th, I spent an exciting 9 days with my family exploring London and Paris. A long weekend of travelling between Paris, London, Madrid, and finally home, left me exhausted and ready to settle back down in Pennsylvania. Now that I’ve been home for a full day, I’ve had some time to reflect on my experience in Spain.

I spent a total of 31 days in Spain, and a total of 39 out of the country. This is the longest I’ve ever been away from home, and my first time on the other side of the world! As I mentioned in my first blog, one of my goals was to become better at navigating by myself, and I definitely achieved this. I took a total of four flights by myself, found my way through new metro and train systems, took two buses to new cities, planned a weekend trip, and often took the role of navigator when it came to my study-abroad friends (I am never the navigator in my family)! My newfound responsibilities forced me to become more comfortable using a GPS and showed me that my memory of places and sense of direction is better than I thought. Having to plan trips also made me feel more confident in my ability to stay organized and be punctual!

After exploring Toledo and Madrid for the first few days, my time in Granada consisted of classes from 8:40 to 2:30 every weekday. Aside from my hour and ten-minute break, my class schedule was rigorous and filled with material. Since our classes were only 4 weeks long, everyday I was learning so much and of course, it was all in Spanish. Though it was overwhelming at times, I left with a whole arsenal of knowledge about Spain as a country, its history, culture, and art/architecture, and about Islam and its importance in Spain. As a biology major, I would’ve never dreamed about taking whole classes that covered such topics, but this trip granted me the opportunity to learn about new, relevant information!

Another one of my goals was to feel more confident using Spanish in day-to-day life. Living with my 70-year-old host mom that only knew one phrase in English forced me to speak in Spanish at all times. In my classes at Pitt, I am able to take the easy way out and give up if I don’t know a word or how to explain something in Spanish. My professors all know English, and I am able to lean on this, even if I’m not supposed to. My host mom, on the other hand, did not know any English, so I had to stumble through my sentences and find alternative words to replace the ones I didn’t know. Even though it made me feel dumb at times, I know that struggling is the only way that you get better at things. In combination with my speaking at home, in stores, cafés, taxis, with my Airbnb host, etc., I would be speaking in Spanish. Though a lot of people in Granada knew some English, I wanted to respect their native language and culture by practicing my Spanish (even if they could immediately tell I was American).

All in all, my study abroad experience was amazing and life-changing. I met so many wonderful people from all over the US and learned so many things that have enriched my life and will help me for my future career. My newfound knowledge of Spanish history and culture will allow me to approach my Spanish patients in a more-informed way. Also, my increased confidence in using Spanish, plus all the vocabulary I learned from being immersed in a Spanish-speaking place, will allow me to speak to my patients in their native language and hopefully make them feel more comfortable and welcomed. I am so excited to apply the things I’ve learned in my future classes and life in general. To anyone thinking about going abroad – DO IT!