When I remembered that the Arts & Sciences First Year Global Program sign-up deadline was in a couple of days, I decided to apply on a whim, excited by the idea of being part of the first group of people in this program. As I looked through the location options, I saw that the group traveling to Bolivia would be immersed in education surrounding Indigenous people and gender dynamics in Bolivian society.

I immediately designated Bolivia as my top choice. I have always believed that an intersectional worldview holds immense value because different aspects of an individual’s identity can greatly affect their life experiences. As a student interested in working in the healthcare field in the future, I know that marginalized groups such as women and people of color (and especially individuals who belong to multiple marginalized groups) often receive poor treatment from the American healthcare system compared to majority groups. A goal I have while I study abroad in this program is to learn about marginalized groups in a nation different from my own, see how their identities impact their experiences receiving healthcare, and make connections between the American and Bolivian healthcare systems that will hopefully give me guidance about how I can improve the American healthcare system as a future doctor. Additionally, learning about how they experience other parts of their lives (such as education) could help me gain a more nuanced view about how I am able to best assist those groups or people in similar situations.

Now that I have completed 2 out of 10 sessions in the program, I have realized that studying abroad can help me in plenty of ways apart from expanding my worldview. With the A&S First Year Global Program being ran for the first time and also my first time traveling to a different country without my family, I have experienced many obstacles that I didn’t previously consider. For example, I was asked not to bring a checked bag and was limited to only a carry-on and personal item. Packing my bags made me think about what to prioritize and how to take care of myself with limited resources. Additionally, my group missed our last flight because we were not able to register our visas in time due to a very long line. We ended up waiting around 2 hours to finish registering our visas and then around 9 hours during our layover before the next available flight. I felt annoyed and tired, but I figured out how to maximize my time during the experience. I got ahead of the required readings for the program and got to know some of my peers a little better while waiting.

The sights I have seen and the knowledge I have gained so far makes me feel that my slightly impulsive decision to study abroad in Bolivia was very much worth it. I look forward to continuing exploring a culture I was once not familiar with at all and developing as a person in ways I wouldn’t have thought of before.