Today was our last day in Bilbao, which honestly felt bittersweet. It’s hard to believe how quickly the trip went by and how much we experienced in such a short amount of time. We started the day with another presentation from Saioa, who explained how the healthcare system in Spain works from a patient’s perspective. I thought it was really interesting learning more about the differences between healthcare in Spain and the United States, especially regarding pregnancy and maternal care. Hearing about healthcare from the patient side rather than just the provider side gave me a much broader understanding of how different systems can impact people’s experiences and outcomes.
After the presentation, we toured more of the engineering labs around the university. One group of students was working on a prosthetic arm, and it was really impressive seeing the amount of detail and technology involved in creating something that could improve a person’s everyday life. We also visited the electrical engineering department, where students were building electric guitars from scratch. That was definitely one of the coolest things we saw, and Meli got the chance to show off her guitar skills, which made the experience even more enjoyable.
Later in the day, we had one final reflection discussion where we talked about everything we had learned throughout our time in Spain and the cultural differences we noticed along the way. It was interesting hearing everyone’s thoughts and realizing how much this trip impacted all of us in different ways. Between the hospitals, engineering labs, museums, hikes, and group dinners, every day taught us something new not only about Spain, but also about ourselves.
Afterward, we visited Vizcaya Bridge, also known as the Hanging Bridge, and that was probably the most terrifying part of the entire trip for me. I am absolutely terrified of heights, so walking across it was a huge challenge. I only made it about halfway before I had to turn around and head back. Even though I couldn’t finish it, I was still proud of myself for trying because it definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone.
To finish off our final day, we had our closing dinner together as a group. The food was amazing, I had a cheeseburger and a brownie for dessert, but what made the night special was being surrounded by such incredible people one last time. Over the course of this trip, we shared so many experiences, laughs, challenges, and memories together, and it made saying goodbye really emotional. I truly hope we all stay in touch and continue making great memories together in the future. Overall, this trip was an unforgettable experience that taught me so much about healthcare, engineering, culture, and myself, and I know it’s something I’ll carry with me for a very long time.