With my last few weeks in Spain flying by, looking back on the memories of my time here is so nostalgic!
Intense immersion through living in a Spanish home while integrating myself into my neighborhood helped me improve my Spanish conversational skills. With my school work consisting of phonetics and literature, I was able to address technical components of increasing my fluency in Spanish, which was a major goal of mine.
Having gained so much insight into Spain's regional variations - whether it be the types of language, forms of art, geography or languages spoken, my perspective on how diverse Spain is has truly expanded. I am already considering all the next adventures I would love to have on my return to Spain! Studying abroad has greatly improved my cultural competency, enabling me to understand how ths Spanish lifestyle varies from that of the United States, allowing me to better serve a larger patient population in the future as a doctor. Examples of such positive takeaways for me are the significant emphasis on maintaining strong social connections, here, as well as the difference in daily schedules and mealtimes.
Volunteering abroad in Spain has tremendously impacted me as well. I worked with a local organization called Nadie Solo, which translates to "Nobody Alone".
