Matt Andrew

My name is Matt Andrew, and I did my internship in Sofia, Bulgaria at Eye Clinic Day. They are a blended optometry/ophthalmology clinic that deals with glasses, contacts and various ocular disease treatments.

I shadowed and observed the doctors and learned about different treatment methods and practices. I was also able to shadow them on surgeries and learn of the methods they implemented.

One thing I learned on my internship was how to appreciate and learn from other cultures. Social interactions among Bulgarians are much different than they are between Americans, and as a result I had to change my way of thinking and adapt to their customs in order to understand them.

I learned a lot of new medical and professional vocabulary and practiced my language abilities. My language improved over the course of the internship because I was able to practice and speak with native speakers for the majority of the day.

My favorite part of my experience was meeting new people and having them teach me about their culture. I met with a few people who taught me how to cook authentic dishes and others who taught me some history. It was great to see the pride that they have for their country.

This internship helped me solidify my choice to become an optometrist and helped me gain unique experiences that will help prepare me for the type of optometrist I want to be.

Central European Internship: Sofia, Bulgaria Summer 2019