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Study Abroad in Seville, Spain

I studied abroad in Seville, Spain, during the Spring semester of 2025. Going into study abroad, I was very nervous about my internship and how I would fit into the work environment there. I had moved countries when I was younger, and during my freshman year, I did a study abroad program in Mexico, so I felt confident that I would be able to adjust at some point, but the internship aspect really worried me. Because of that, one of my main goals coming into the experience was to form meaningful relationships with the people at the hospital where I would intern. After seeing some of my friends spend a semester abroad, one of my biggest expectations was to travel a lot, especially to lesser-known cities I would not normally consider if I were just travelling in Europe for a couple of weeks. 

An important cultural difference that stood out to me was the informality in what would usually be formal settings, like the hospital. The patient-provider interactions felt much more natural and trusting, as the doctors and nurses asked the patients more questions about what they were experiencing. I think this is amazing for their patients because it is easy to see they feel comfortable sharing emotional details and uncomfortable topics with their providers, which is ultimately beneficial for their treatment and progress. Along with this, I noticed that Spanish people are very comfortable with physical contact with anyone they meet. This was not such a strange habit for me since that is how I grew up in Brazil and had to leave that custom behind once I moved to the United States, so it was nice to have the familiarity of people being so welcoming. It could be someone at the grocery store, a doctor, or even someone walking by the street, but they were always welcoming and wanted to have a conversation.

My internship was a key academic experience for me during my time abroad. At the time I got to Spain, I was in the middle of completing my clinical medical assistant certification course, where I was learning about clinical skills, medications, and procedures. It was very beneficial to be in the hospital setting while I took a break from the course, and to be able to see everything I was learning in the hospital setting. The nurses and doctors were very open about explaining and showing us anything that came to mind, which is why my time at the hospital was so informative.

At first the experience was overwhelming since I did not know where to go, or who to ask questions, so the first couple of weeks were a lot of anxiety and distress. Some of the rotations I was put on were more engaging and some of them had nursing students, so they were easy to talk to and loved to explain everything to us since it helped them reinforce their learning as well. About halfway through, I was put on a rotation I really liked at an external wing where they performed blood draws and wound care, so I stayed there for the rest of my internship. This was an incredibly rewarding experience because a lot of the patients were regulars, so I got to know them well and understand the progress of their treatment. Also, because the staff was made up of a couple of nurses who would rotate, I was able to form close relationships with them. These experiences are significant for my career goals because they will help me be a better medical assistant during my gap year, and eventually an even better physician assistant.

An experience that had an important impact for me was when my family came to visit at the end of April. When they visited, I was able to show them around without a map and tell them about the endless experiences that I had had in all these different places in Seville. I got to introduce them to the nurses I worked with at my internship and introduce them to all my friends that I had made. This was so important to me because it was when I realized how much I had accomplished during the last few months of living there. I felt proud of myself and all that I had done, especially since I had doubts in the beginning that I would be able to do them. In the beginning I felt a lot of anxiety and struggled with understanding the accent in the Seville Spanish. I kept in mind that like any other things in life, time usually works all these concerns out on its own. My family visiting me was proof of all the progress I had made on my own, and how much I felt at home.

This experience will influence my future because it gave me a lot of confidence in myself and my ability to adapt to new cultures and places. I started off in a strange city, only knowing one or two people, and I ended up traveling to so many places and making best friends that I get to visit all the time now. I had the privilege of getting to know the people at my favorite food spots, and the staff at the hospital, all people who helped me become more familiar with my surroundings. This experience helped me become a better communicator in Spanish, as I had to become comfortable with telling people I was confused or did not understand what they were saying. These skills will be incredibly important for my future especially as I near graduation and think about my next steps.

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