As my program has come to a close, I am trying to soak everything in. I am so grateful for this unique opportunity and everything that I experienced on my trip. A large obstacle for me was adapting to a new lifestyle and different customs, and I gained a lot of small but crucial life skills along the way.
Adjusting to a new lifestyle can be scary. I was dealing with a different language, means of transportation, and just overall ways of life. Additionally, traveling foreign country on my own in itself was a large change for me. Through these cultural differences, I learned to embrace the change. I realized that I needed to have an open mind, and I had to be willing to adapt. After adjusting my mindset, I was able to better appreciate Bilbao culture and the differences in their traditions, and I was able to see a unique perspective.
While change was a significant aspect that I faced on my journey, I learned some important lessons about communication. Going into this trip, I had not spoken to most of the other students. Half of us were nursing students while the other half were engineering students. I loved being able to collaborate with everyone, and I think being able to work in teams is an important life skill. Everyone has different ideas and perspectives, and I think that this really helped us all be supportive of one another while being respectful but also collaborative. Additionally, as someone who is fairly shy around people I don’t know, I think this trip forced me to branch out, and it helped me improve my social skills.
All in all, this trip not only allowed me to discover a new country, but it allowed me to discover different parts of myself. As I plan to get my BSN and work as a nurse, all of these skills will be crucial to me. I will be starting clinicals in the fall at Pitt, and working in the hospital and just the medical field in general requires a lot of flexibility. Additionally, a strong team is what lays the foundation for the hospital, and a team cannot be successful without good communication. Not only will I use these skills at Pitt, but I will continue to carry them with me to my future career as a nurse. Additionally, I think this trip strengthened my sense of independence which I think is super important as I continue to grow older. While the lessons I learned were very valuable, I also gained some lifelong memories and relationships, and I have so much gratitude for everything.
