Hi guys, this is Sidra Zammam, and my time in London has sadly come to an end. This has truly been the best summer of my life, and I can say that with conviction. Meeting new people, visiting new places, and getting to experience an unfamiliar healthcare system has been enriching. I’ve made friends that I can speak to about anything, or nothing at all. I’ve been able to go anywhere I wanted to go at the drop of a hat and see new places I otherwise wouldn’t have seen staying in Pennsylvania for the summer.

My mom always said that learning two languages gives you the wisdom of two people. This experience taught me the inner workings of an entirely different healthcare system than the one we know, and I felt as though I learned the language of British healthcare, which in turn made me more contemplative on English healthcare. By understanding one, I now understand more about the other. I also feel as though this experience has developed skills I didn’t know I was lacking in. True, I have always loved talking to other people, but I didn’t know how to do so professionally, and I found myself becoming more comfortable quickly formulating an educated response to another’s question. I realize that the project King’s College Hospital assigned to me gave me the ability to think more critically about how many people it takes to achieve a goal and collaborate effectively; I learned just how much policy and governance shape how people experience a hospital. For that, I thank the University of Pittsburgh and King’s College Hospital for this entire experience.

My last night in London, my roommates and I explored our neighborhood for the last time. We walked up to the Exmouth Market, a beautifully lit and lively area that are home to different restaurants and pubs. Knowing this was the last time I would experience London like this, I found myself looking around longer and trying to freeze myself in the moment. I put my phone down, talked to my friends, and we laughed for hours. Later, we would have to clean out the entire fridge and kitchen, but I wouldn’t think about that until I was forced to.

When I come back to campus for class, I know I’ll be coming back happier than I was last spring. I’ll come back knowing how lucky I am to have had this experience.

Thank you for reading!