What is a parent’s biggest fear when sending their child off to school or on a trip? Most would say having the kid getting hurt or sick and being too far away to help. Well my parents had to live through that.

They were having a casual Thursday night watching Game of Thrones on the couch when suddenly my mom’s phone started ringing. When she picked it up she was greeted by me sobbing so hard I was barely able to speak. I kept repeating “I hurt my knee” and “I can’t walk”. Of course, they went into a panic. I was 3,600 miles away from them and claimed to be seriously injured. A parent’s worst nightmare.

I dislocated my kneecap two days before my flight back to the United States. My program director picked me up from my apartment and took me to the emergency room, for my first experience with the Spanish healthcare system. The process was painless (thankfully, because I was in enough pain already). I was wheeled around the hospital getting XRays and talking to different doctors. Everyone I interacted with was kind, thourough and patient. I was in and out within 2 hours. The efficiency was shocking to me, and what was even more shocking was the fact that native Spaniards get that level of care for no cost. If I was in the US, I would have spent 2 hours just in the ER, then the examination room, XRay room and finally diagnosis. Not only would it have been extremley more timley, but much more expensive as well.

Following my hospital visit, I was offered an appointment with a Othropedic doctor to get an opinion from a specialist, and if I was staying in Spain longer I would have accepted. Thankfully I was at the end of my trip and had gotten to do (almost) everything I desired. On my journey home I was wheeled throughout the airports, grouped with the other handicapped passengers and crutched into my families arms when I made it back to Boston. Although I was glad to be home to a healthcare system I was familiar with, I was grateful for the experience I had at the hospital in Alicante. Turned out that my parents had to live one of their biggest fears, and it wasn’t so bad after all.