Spring break is known as a time of relaxation, where things, like stress and work, are put on the back burner. This spring break however, took a turn I was never expecting; and ended up being my biggest learning experience of the semester.

My roommates and I had planned our entire spring break excursion together. We decided to start our break off on the beautiful island of Santorini. For half the week we were going to explore this remarkable, volcanic island. Then, we planned to fly to Barcelona and finish our spring break on the beaches of Spain. We all agreed to the plan, and booked our planes and trains eagerly. After a rigorous week of cramming for finals, we made the trek to Santorini, Greece.

Oia is one of the most famous towns on Santorini.

After a few days of exploring the marvels of this island, we decided to rent ATVs and do a day trip to the famous Red and Black Beaches. Our first stop was the Red Beach. We followed the coastal trail out and stood in awe at the beauty of this volcanic wasteland. After spending an hour or so at the Red Beach, we decided to hop on our ATVs and cruise over to the Black Beach. This is when our spring break to a turn for the worst.

One of the most famous beaches in Santorini. It gets the red color from volcanic rocks.

One of our roommates, AnnMarie, lost control of her ATV and drove into a brick wall at 35 miles-per-hour. It took the rest of us about one minute to realize the gravity of the situation. AnnMarie was seriously injured, we were miles away from the only hospital located on Santorini, and we were all phoneless. It was obvious that AnnMarie had broken both her arms and she needed to get to the hospital.

The ATVs we rode across the island to get to the Red and Black Beaches.

Luckily a local was driving by right after the crash and was nice enough to help. The man did not know anything about us, and I did not even know his name, but at that moment in time he could see the seriousness of what had happened and was there to help. As a group we decided two of us would go with AnnMarie to the hospital, and the rest would drive the ATVs back to Fira.

I was one of the people who went with AnnMarie to the hospital. Between calming AnnMarie down in the back while trying to communicate with a man who spoke no english, it is safe to say it was a stressful ride back to Fira. I have been lucky enough to never face hospitals in other countries, and I hope I never have to enter one ever again. The biggest problem was communication. I had to explain to the doctors what happened, while they had to communicate back to me what the next steps were going to be. AnnMarie had to get X-rays, and eventually the doctors called me back into the room to deliver the news. She had to fly back to Athens to get surgery.

From there it was a downward spiral of finding surgeons and hospitals in Athens, figuring out healthcare coverage, and contacting home. It was a long day of making decisions, very big decisions. Eventually it came down to AnnMarie flying back to Athens and meeting our other roommates, who luckily were staying there for part of the week.

Now, three weeks later AnnMarie is healthy and well. She is almost fully recovered and gets her casts removed in one week. The casts might be gone, but I know I will never forget my trip to Santorini. Broken bones are a common occurence; I have even broken a few myself. But when you are in a foreign country, where you do not speak the local language, and do not have a way of contacting anyone, the situation changes completely.

I learned a lot about myself over spring break. I learned how to deal with real life, scary situations. I learned how to communicate with people, in a way where we both can understand each other. I also learned how to comfort a friend, in a situation that most will never have to experience. Being abroad I have faced some obstacles that have been very hard to overcome. But that is all part of the learning experience, to overcome the challenges that are thrown your way.