Callie Parker, Pitt in Spain Summer 2024
Before studying abroad, I had taken only a few Spanish classes. I would try to learn some on my own as well, but it often felt like an extra task on top of my other schoolwork and responsibilities and led me to feeling a little overwhelmed. I chose to go to Spain not only to learn more but to learn in a different way than my typical classes and hopefully motivate myself to continue learning back in the United States. Right now, I am working towards becoming an occupational therapist. The study abroad program and the experiences I had really encouraged me to continue learning Spanish. Getting inspired to continue to learn Spanish through the study abroad program has influenced my career goals. I think that speaking Spanish as a health care worker is a great skill to have because it can make you more valuable as a healthcare worker and expand your opportunities while also allowing you to help more people. I am also someone who loves to travel and plan to do more of it in the future, so being fluent in Spanish could allow me the opportunity to be an occupational therapist in a Spanish-speaking country.
This program also influenced my personal goals. If I were going to Spain outside of the program and was not in the process of learning Spanish, I would not have had the same experience. Being able to speak some Spanish gave me the opportunity to speak to locals and ask questions, really immersing myself in the culture. Even small things such as being able to read fliers or understanding menus made me feel like I was getting a lot more out of the experience. I felt comfortable that I could get help if I needed, express my needs, and navigate or get help navigating my way around. Being able to do these things made the experience less stressful. It also allowed me more opportunities to learn more about the culture by talking to other people. For example, in a taxi ride in Valencia, my friends and I were able to chat with the taxi driver, who was a local, and find out about the best paella places in the area. Paella is a very popular dish in Valencia, but there are some restaurants that serve less authentic versions of the dish. Speaking to a local who knows the area well and was able to give recommendations allowed me to have an authentic experience that may not have happened otherwise. For this reason, I think it is now very important to me to continue learning Spanish to enhance my future travel experiences and to expand both the services I can provide and the people I can help as a future occupational therapist.
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