And just like that, 5 weeks have come to an end! My time spent in Almansa, Spain has been the best time of my life. I jumped into a new language. I learned from amazing doctors across a variety of specialties. I immersed myself in a new culture with delicious food. And to top it all off, I have made new friends from all over the United States and Spain!

This experience has really made me reflect on my time in college so far. Over the past two years, I have grown immensely and learned a lot about myself. I have talked with a lot of older peers about their college experience and listened to their “one piece of advice for incoming college students”. After these five weeks, I think that I have figured out my piece of advice: put yourself into situations that make you uncomfortable.

Believe me, I am not one who is the biggest fan of awkward situations. I pretty much hate confrontation and asking people to do things for me. However, this experience in the hospital in Almansa has forced me to step outside of my comfort zone. Not only did I need to follow around doctors everyday and at times feel like a burden to them, but I also needed to ask a million questions due to the language barrier. In the end though, I have much more knowledge than I did five weeks ago.

In my experience, putting myself into uncomfortable situations has almost never ended badly. I am definitely one of those people who build situations up in my head to be 1000x worse than they ever actually turn out. More often than not, people want to help you and enjoy being a friendly face. And when I think about it, it comes to no surprise. Personally, I find myself feeling a big satisfaction after helping someone or teaching a lesson.

I have wanted to study abroad for as long as I can remember, and my time in Spain this summer has exceeded my expectations. It can feel scary to enter a new part of the world and become the foreigner. But, that is how you grow. For the rest of my life, I plan to continue to embrace uncomfortable situations no matter how much I am screaming internally. After all, it never hurts to take a step forward and ask the extra question.

I am sad to see my program end, but am extremely happy about my experience! I am very grateful to the PLA for helping me step outside of my comfort zone. I had a blast!