My last month abroad was probably the best and most unpredictable month of my life. For the first week, my family came to visit. I spent my time in between classes showing them why I love Copenhagen so much. We walked everywhere and admired the colorful old buildings, we went on a harbor tour and a bike ride around the entire city, and at the end of the week, we went to a Europa League soccer game between Copenhagen FC and Celtic FC! The game ended in a tie but we had the most amazing time because of how intensely the fans cared about the game. The atmosphere at the stadium was unlike anything that I had experienced in America and I can’t wait to go back to Europe to see more soccer.
The next week I traveled with my “Medical Practice and Policy” course to Budapest and Vienna. My program is amazing not only because they take us on trips like this but because they combine incredible academic experiences to new countries, showing us the country through a cultural lens. After spending our three days in Budapest, it became one of the favorite places I’ve ever traveled to. The city has an extremely hard history, and instead of rebuilding with the aim of attracting tourists, Budapest remains proud of their identity without ignoring or denying their history. They have the most beautiful architecture and music in the streets. The entire city seems to be saying, “This is who we are and we’re not changing for anyone”. We went to the thermal baths, on a dinner cruise in the Danube River, and visited a children’s hospital, which gave us an insight into the Hungarian health care system and how they are trying to improve it. For the second half of our study tour, we went to Vienna where we saw a classical music concert, got to speak to two surgeons at one of the best teaching hospitals in Europe, and even got to go into the OR and watch part of a liver resection surgery.
Then I spent another great week in Copenhagen, going to my classes and on Saturday morning, my friends and I flew to Barcelona for the weekend! We only had two days in Barcelona but we packed absolutely everything we could into them. After we got there, we had the best mango of our lives at La Boqueria and then we went to watch FC Barcelona vs. Real Sociedad at THE Camp Nou. I will never forget the thrill of getting to see Messi in action and watch some of the best soccer in the world in a place that I never imagined I could really be at. The next day we visited Park Güell, a huge park with gorgeous Antoni Gaudí architecture, went to the beach, visited La Sagrada Familia, and then walked around the Gothic Quarter and saw the amazing architecture.
During this time, the Coronavirus had been getting more and more serious and spreading to more and more countries around the world. Within the span of just a few hours later that week, our program got canceled and a travel ban was announced that made us think we had only one day to get back into the United States. We all bought plane tickets home and I was on a plane seven hours later.
It has been hard to come to terms with the fact that my experience in Europe ended so abruptly and that I wouldn’t get to spend my full four months abroad. Even so, I had the most amazing time and am so grateful for what I was able to see and the friends I made. And now I know that I have to go back!
Willa Part 3
