Studying abroad was absolutely the most incredible experience I’ve had thus far in my life. Never have I had the opportunity to let go of the responsabilities I had back in the US and the make my time in Madrid about discovering myself and delving into Spanish culture and language. As a relatively international city, being in Madrid as a Spanish language learner is difficult when it is easy to fall back on English and get too comfortable with your study abroad peers. I knew this coming into the program and was absolutely determined to tailor my experience in order to find a smaller local community and further my Spanish language competency.
Coming into the abroad program, USAC Madrid, I had already reached out to my advisor regarding internship opportunities, only to find out that none of the internships available were related to my career path. As a Spanish and Biochemistry major on the pre-med track, I knew that I wanted to be involved in medicine, and was flexible with any type of patient care opportunity. Within the first week of starting my abroad experience, I reached out to my program advisor, who was incredible, and really listened to what I wanted out of my experience abroad and helped present options. In USAC Madrid, I studied in La Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in the Vicálvaro campus; since there were a multiple URJC campuses in Madrid, my program advisor was able to connect me to the science and medicine campus, URJC de Móstoles. Through that, she paired me with a volunteer coordinator with whom I corresponded to find the right internship experience for me.
It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. At the initial stages of my study abroad, I was exposed to the international aspect of Madrid, and never had been in a setting that was homogenously Spanish. I remember the orientation I had, and found myself in an auditorium filled with only Spanish students. The volunteer coordinator read all their names as a roll call, where they had one first name and two last names–when she read my name with my singular last name, everyone turned and stared at me. It was a unique experience, because I was one of the first and few students that was put in this program. Being insecure in my Spanish-speaking ability propelled me further and gave me the motivation to capture the linguistic essence of peninsular Spanish. I also am incredibly grateful of the volunteer coordinator, because I expressed my concern and the cultural and language barriers that I felt were present, but she assured me and supported me to the best I could.
One of the best forms of support was that I was paired with a Spanish student who had already been volunteering in the hospital, which made it easier for me to understand the style of the hospital and particularly how healthcare and Spain worked. However, I was hit with the news that she quit, so I spent the remainder of my shifts alone after my initial training–I was horrified. The situation forced me to be independent, work with my resources and the hospital staff in order to deliver the best patient care experience I could. My principal job was to assist patients by taking them to their appointments, giving them directions in the hospital, and have general conversation to make them feel comfortable. From my patient interactions, I truly was able to open my mind to a different cultural perspective–and my background being Asian-American was always a hallmark conversation.
From my interning experience in the university hospital associated with the science/medicine campus of URJC, I was able to have a truly local experience and get a taste of what volunteerism looks like in Spain. Moreover, the healthcare knowledge I captured was priceless; to see a different type of healthcare in a setting where I utilized my medical Spanish and delivered effective intercultural communication was humbling and deeply introspective for me. Through this experience, I was able to extend myself deeper in the local Spanish scene, and to particularly escape the “American buffalo herd” of US Abroad students.
My advice to any student planning to study abroad is to set goals and milestones of what your experience is. If there is not an internship available for you, then reach out to your resources to tailor your experience to what you paid for. Having the right mindset was critical for me to make my abroad what I wanted it to be, and looking back, I am very proud of what I was able to achieve personally, culturally and academically.