Spoiler Alert: Heck Yeah!
As my brain runs at a million miles an hour, overwhelmed with the lessons to be prepped, the trips to be planned, and the friends that need to be caught up with, yet I am put at peace – for this is all I have known. Attending laboratory meetings in the hallway outside of my lecture hall before class. Sprinting four blocks to meet my friend on time for boba (and, by on time, I of course mean 15 minutes late). Rushing through meals to get an extra 30 minutes to study for my midterm. Trapped in the endless cycle of how my American culture has raised me, I even rushed to Parque del Retiro in my placement city of Madrid to write this blog post.
However, once I arrived and began to ponder what I wished to communicate in this post, I finally opened my eyes to the unfamiliar. Mindlessly gazing at the birds gliding in the sky as if they were kites. Watching as the sun slowly sets and further deepens the hues of the fall leaves. Letting my mind rest as the intricately carved lions on the gates to Parque del Retiro stared at me. All of this finally brought me to my question: What is a gap year?
What a Gap Year Means to Me
Is it a year meant to be spent as every other year was: in pursuit of professional goals? Or is it simply a blip in your life that is meant to be forgotten? When people ask me why I pursued a gap year in Spain, they often assume it was a necessity meant to accumulate more clinical hours or achieve a higher MCAT score prior to applying to medical school.
In reality, however, I intend to pursue zero of the stereotypical experiences related to medicine. So then, why am I here? To take a breath and not only immerse myself in Spanish culture but also recognize how my own culture colors my view of the world. To take a breath and feel the immensity of the world as I travel. To take a breath and develop myself as a person through furthering my patience (yes, your teachers growing up were all correct, teaching requires an immense amount of patience), communication (learning Spanish is harder than it seems), and persistence (travel mishaps are more common than drinking water in Europe) before I delve into the profession I love.
If I Did It, So Can You
Suppose you are considering taking a gap year in Spain but are scared of this uncertain time-space that allows you to take a breath. Good! You should be! It is how we were raised. However, if you are willing to push through that fear and fight to the death for an apartment in Madrid, deal with the chaos of obtaining a TIE appointment, and memorize a million of your students’ names (worst case scenario… just say Martina…there is always one in every class), then come to Spain. Take a breath and let the year be what you make of it. A breath that will help you realize that this year is not a hiccup in your road to achievement but rather the springboard off of which you will flower into the worldly, empathetic professional that this world so desperately needs.
