I have recently completed the Global Health in Spain study abroad program. This two-and-a-half-week program taught me so many important lessons about the world of global health and made sure the focus of the study abroad was on experiential learning. The program began in Málaga, Spain, for the first week. The study abroad program then traveled to Tangier, Morocco, for three days, returned to Málaga, and lastly completed our journey in Barcelona, Spain. This was an action-packed trip since the group had activities almost every day, including weekends, and we visited three cities in not even three weeks.
Starting on our very first night in Málaga, the Global Health in Spain program fully immersed us in the culture with a welcome dinner containing specialized local cuisine. I found this meal to be very interesting since the food tells the story of the local area. Since Málaga is a port city on the Southern tip of Spain, many of its dishes contain seafood. I thought it was really neat to see the cuisine match the environment. Also, while in Málaga, we visited Arrabal, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that helps improve and defend the rights of all individuals in Spain. Arrabal works by providing jobs, training, and education to those in vulnerable social situations. This organization taught me the importance of NGOs and how they can improve the lives of people every day.
While in Morocco, our program visited Foundation Orient Occident, another NGO that works to help vulnerable people achieve refugee status. I found this organization to be especially fascinating because I had no idea all the work that has to be put forth to earn refugee status. I also wasn’t aware of all the different ways a person could qualify. Additionally, while in Morocco, our study abroad group took a cooking class to learn how to cook a local dish. I’m not very good at cooking, but the class was easy to follow and extremely enjoyable. We used charcoal kilns to cook the chicken, which was a really cool experience.
The Global Health in Spain program concluded in Barcelona. During the final three days in Barcelona, we visited Women in Global Health, attended a flamenco show, and had an authentic farewell meal. Our trip to Women in Global Health taught us about the important discrimination and underrepresentation happening to women in the healthcare field. Both the flamenco show and farewell dinner highlighted the unique culture that Spain has to offer.
This study abroad program was an amazing opportunity for me to go outside of my comfort zone and travel abroad for the first time. I learned a great deal about global health and how important having a unified front against world problems can be. I hope to take these new experiences into my future career as a Physician Assistant so that I can be the best provider possible for my future patients.
