My journey began on September 15 when I first arrived in Florida. I remember looking out of the airplane window with so much excitement, passion, and even a little fear regarding this new adventure. However, as the first few days went by, I actually felt at home not only with the people I shadowed at the clinic but with Florida itself.

Regarding the clinic, on my first day, I was quite shy because that’s just my personality. However, I didn’t expect even a shy girl like me would feel so comfortable at this clinic because everyone was just so nice and helpful that I didn’t need to be afraid. They were also so interested in my background (I’m from Egypt) and even the patients were fascinated when they asked me about my country! Sometimes, the patients would even buy us donuts and treats too.

Moreover, I learned so much from the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant. They would do thorough checkups for patients and detect the smallest possible cancerous lesions. That was pretty mind-blowing to me because even though I was interested in dermatology, I thought it would be so hard to differentiate between skin lesions because they sometimes look similar and unclear. Actually, this clinical experience really helped me understand the skin and what to look out for and what’s just genetic and benign. Even if I don’t specialize in dermatology, this was so beneficial for my medical knowledge and will probably make studying dermatology in my coming years of medical school much easier.

Regarding Florida, I had one of the most magical nights of my life. I went to Disney World! It was so fun riding rides like the Epcot space ride especially. It showed us history from the ancient Egyptians (yay that’s where I’m from!) to the Greeks and Romans and even all the way to the future.

Not only were the rides fun, but the food was delicious! The funnel cake was my favorite. It was covered with cream and strawberries, which probably already sounds pretty delicious. I also bought a Minnie Mouse headband and took lots of cute photos with it. Then came Disney’s magical night: the firework show. As the lights dimmed, the fireworks lit up the night sky as if I were really in a Disney movie like tangled when they flew lanterns in the sky. It was warm and bright and filled with smiling faces and people singing along in synchrony.

If I get another opportunity like this, I would honestly look forward to it. I’m so grateful for this happy ending (since I was talking about Disney earlier, now I have a happy ending too regarding the clinical experience!) and ready for the possible upcoming beginning.