Ongi etorri berriro!!! (Welcome back!)
Today, we embarked on a journey to the very end of the metro line—23 stops and 45 minutes of classic stop, go, stop, go action. Bilbao reminds me of the bipolar nature of the biomes in the US.

Just outside the city, the landscape turns into rolling hills that reminded me of southern Pennsylvania. Ten stops later? A full-blown jungle, complete with thick vines and towering trees. And by stop 23, we found ourselves gazing at rolling cliffs and stunning beaches. Mother nature is as unstable as the Spanish are with sleep schedules. Please tell me why everything closes at 10 but dinner starts at 9???

Our destination was a rehab hospital perched along the coast. We were given two choices: take a 40-minute bus ride that would drop us at the front door, or walk 40 minutes through the chill. It was cold—so naturally, we chose the bus.

Big mistake.

This wasn’t just any bus ride. We snaked up narrow roads through tiny country farms. At one point, the bus turned around not once, but twice. Then, without warning, the driver pulled over, got out… and just ran off. Gone. For a solid 5–10 minutes. No explanation. After today, we have all made a pact to start walking more.

Once we finally got to Hospital Gorliz, we were met by the lovely staff of the hospital. We listened to a long presentation about the hospital’s past, present, and future goals. The rehabilitation hospital was originally a hospital dedicated to the treatment of children needing long-term care. The coastal sun and beach breeze provided a calming environment that motivated the children to participate in rehab. After chronic child diseases decreased, the hospital was incorporated into the Basque hospital network and opened up to the rehabilitation of adults as well. Now they have a dynamic hospital that has a variety of treatment and rehabilitation techniques for both inpatients and outpatients.

While at the hospital, we had the chance to visit four different departments. Our group started in the neurology nursing unit, where we were immediately struck by the incredible view—many patient rooms had massive windows that opened up to the ocean. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, you’re lucky if your hospital room overlooks a construction site… maybe with the added bonus of a broken fire hydrant flowing like a DIY fountain. Majestic, really.

One of my favorite parts of this unit was their magnet board system. Each room had a board with interchangeable magnets indicating the patient’s treatments, needs, and precautions. It was simple, smart, and incredibly efficient. Honestly, who knew a little bit of magnet-based organization could impress me so much?

After that, we visited the Pediatric care unit. If you are curious about what that looks like here in Bilbao, the answer is a normal rehabilitation room if all the devices were shrunk with a shrink ray and painted the color of the rainbow. In this department, they have began utilizing more virtual reality to help older kids find interest and motivation in their exercises. We watched as our guide showed us how to hit targets, move the character, and meet the point goals. While she explained the concepts of the rehab, she neglected the program avatar, and the program still gave positive reinforcement. I wish I had gotten that kind of motivation in my physics 2 class.

Next, we got to walk through the gym section of the hospital. We witnessed patients of all ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds perform different activities. We were able to try their dynamic balance mat. Don’t worry, guys, I have pretty good balance for a 19-year-old, but I am embarrassed to say that my knees hurt now after 30 seconds of exercise. Following my not-so-great rehab experience, we got to see the best and most expensive assistive robot in the world. Costing roughly 1 million euros, this machine can aid patients in the journey of relearning how to walk. It helps the user walk with proper gait and can record the forces the patient puts on the ground. Additionally, the user engages in another example of virtual reality as they move penguins in a race. Overall, this was my favorite part of the hospital tour.

Lastly, we got to visit Dr Herrero’s lab, where we saw the balance machine I mentioned in an earlier post. A quick summary for the readers, this machine can move a platform up and down and side to side to test a person’s balance through their center of mass. It records the forces put on the plate and if the patient puts force on the surrounding support bars. We were able to try it out, and it seems a lot easier than it was. Thinking it was my time for redemption, I eagerly jumped up to try to balance on the machine, but after the engineer running it asked me if I was trying to stay still, all hope was lost.

After all 4 stops, I learned some key things about Spain as a whole;

First off, Spain has transport ambulances that pick up and drop off patients so they can attend rehabilitation sessions at the hospital. These are free of charge. Yep, you read that right. No bill, no hidden fees, no “out-of-network” surprises—just a ride to get the care you need.

Another thing I found fascinating is their use of warm salt water in rehabilitation. They pump saltwater straight from the nearby ocean into therapeutic pools to help patients with movement and recovery. It creates a healing environment that’s not only gentler on the body but also naturally restorative.

And then, just when I thought the public service was already top-notch here in Bilbao, I learned about their education support system. Let’s say a family moves to a rural area where the public school teaches only in Basque. Even if the child speaks only Spanish, a nearby private school that teaches in Spanish is required to accept them, and the government pays the tuition. On top of that, the child is given free language classes to help them adapt and thrive. Honestly, I don’t have a joke or comedy for this part. It’s just… inspiring. A quiet reminder of how far we still have to go in the U.S. when it comes to supporting people—especially children—in every corner of life.

In the evening we attended a lovely Tango and Argentinan concert in their old-time theater. A friend of mine, Sophie, made a great remark on how we mostly associated the accordion as a street music instrument, but how it was shocking to see how beautifully it was played in parallel with the opera soloist. We got to see strings, a chorus, and a delicate accordion play a variety of fun, upbeat music. Our very own Dr. Herrero, or to us, Saoia, was one of the many talented members of the choir. It was truly a lovely evening (Just be glad it wasn’t me singing).

We ended the night off with a classic flair: PINTXOS!!! If you know bruschetta, it is like that, but commonly with a croquette on it. On… to Friday. I hope you enjoyed today’s post! Sorry if the humor was a bit dry. I learned that my humor turns off at the sharp time of 12:00 in the morning. I will make sure to add some extra on day 5.

-Saioa amaitzea (signing off- Basque)