I was raised in a small rural farming town called New Bethlehem, PA. My town has a population of about 900 people, and the nearest hospital is at least a twenty-minute drive. I share this with you to explain how unique it is for me, a person born and raised in the middle of nowhere, to not only be an honors student at the University of Pittsburgh, but to also study abroad in both Spain and Morocco.

Having previously only attended school in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains, moving to Pittsburgh for college was already a huge culture shock to me. Now I don’t want you to think I’m some hillbilly that’s never left my hometown. My parents took me to Pittsburgh at least once a month growing up so that I could experience the whole outside of small town, and we went on yearly vacations until I was fourteen. All that is to say, visiting the city isn’t new to me, but living in the city was a whole new experience. It’s now my junior year at Pitt, and I’ve acclimated to city life pretty well. The helicopters and traffic no longer wake me up at night, and I enjoy the businesses staying open past eight pm. So I decided I was ready to see and experience more.

Spain was perfect for my first trip abroad. I knew a little bit of Spanish (Not fluent by any means; really just vocabulary words), and Spain is home to so many different landscapes. The country has mountains, beaches, and valleys. It was the perfect place to see as much as possible for my first time abroad. This is one of the reasons I applied for the Global Health in Spain program. Academically, I’m passionate about both public and global health, but personally, I wanted to see as much as the world could offer me in such a short amount of time. After applying to the program, I learned that not only is the program going to Málaga, like I originally thought, but the study abroad also visits Morocco and Barcelona.

Morocco was such a gorgeous country to visit. The rocky shores left beautiful cliffs that overlooked the Mediterranean Sea. The country also came with some new culture shocks since I don’t speak any Arabic, but I also felt reminded of home after seeing how close the locals are with each other. During our tours, it was common to see children playing in the streets and people greeting our tour guide like an old friend. Barcelona was the last stop on our trip and breathtaking to behold. The architecture there is indescribable, and the city has so much to see that three days was barely enough for the highlights.

The Global Health in Spain study abroad program allowed me to live in a world outside of Western Pennsylvania, even if it was only briefly. I was able to see parts of the world that many people in my hometown will never get to see. I will forever cherish this opportunity and remember the gorgeous landscape in both Spain and Morocco.