Where did Penn take Me?

GRIP: Medical Ethics Intern at World Medical Association in Ferney-Voltaire, France

Cover image: Picture of Aare River taken be Me.

Penn Global once asked me a question: Where will Penn take you?

I thought I knew the answer.

Ferney Voltaire, France, Medical Ethics intern at the World Medical Association, I imagined. An internship. A new experience.

I did not expect the answer to be eleven cities, five countries, countless train rides, and a version of myself I had never met before.

Geneva taught me that the world can fit inside a conference room. Sitting among people from different countries and backgrounds, I began to understand that global health is not simply about medicine, it is about people, systems, cultures, and the responsibility to listen.

Lausanne was slower. Lakeside walks and mountain views reminded me that not every moment has to be productive to be meaningful.

Then came Annecy, where the water seemed almost unreal. I remember looking around and thinking about how strange it was that this beautiful place had become part of my ordinary summer.

In Chamonix, the Alps mountains made me feel small in the best possible way. Some places remind you of how much you have accomplished. Others remind you of how much more there is to see.

Marseille felt different; louder, warmer, more alive. I learned that traveling is not always about finding places that feel familiar. Sometimes it is about letting somewhere completely different change you.

In Bern, I found myself thinking about time. Walking through the city associated with Einstein, I wondered how quickly a person can change when given the freedom to explore. Maybe time is not only measured by clocks. Maybe it is measured by the moments that stay with us.

Milan showed me to appreciate beauty without rushing past it.

Lyon showed me beauty in getting lost.

Munich showed me that independence can feel both exciting and uncomfortable.

Paris reminded me to dream without needing to know exactly where the dream will lead.

And then there was London, another city, another language, another train, another reminder that the world was suddenly much bigger than the campus I had known.

Eleven cities later, I realized I had been searching for an answer to Penn’s question without even knowing it.

Where did Penn take me?

It took me beyond the classroom

It took me across borders, through unfamiliar streets, onto trains, buses, and tramps I almost missed, and into conversations with people I may never see again.

It took me to places where I had to navigate without knowing the way, and taught me that sometimes, not knowing the way is the point.

Most importantly, Penn took me somewhere inward.

I left for GRIP thinking I was going abroad to gain experience.

I came home having gained perspective.

I saw mountains, lakes, coastlines, museums, train stations, and city lights. But what I remember most is the feeling of realizing that the world is so much larger than I had imagined, and that there is still so much of it left for me to discover.

So, where did Penn take me?

Far.

But perhaps the better question is:

Where will I go next?