I met a Spanish woman named Pepa near the end of my walk from Gontan to Vilalba. Slim and short in stature, she managed to keep a good distance between us the entire walk no matter how hard I tried to quicken my pace. In the outskirts of the city, I saw an elderly man sitting on a rock outside of his house approach her, which made her come to a halt. “Aha! I’m going to catch up finally” I thought to myself. “Hola, buenos dias” I greeted them both as I walked by. “Hola de donde es usted?” The elderly man with white hair asked. “ Soy de Washington, Estados Unidos.” And just like that, he tangled me in his web of conversation and I was trapped. The elderly man made every attempt to keep our attention. He tried to crack jokes and I looked over at Pepa who was getting impatient by the minute. Finally she turned to me and said “This old man spends too much time alone. He will keep us here all day if we let him.” She abruptly ended the conversation explaining that we had to keep walking. Once we were well on our way, she turned to me and said “I was very excited to look back and see a female walking El Camino alone! It is generally ok. You haven’t had any problems being alone I’m sure.” I smiled and asked if she was walking alone. I learned that Pepa has walked the Camino before. She decided to walk alone this time around and planned on arriving in Santiago the same day as I, June 21. Pepa only had a couple weeks of vacation before returning to work. Lost in conversation, we soon arrived at her hotel. She told me that it was a very good price and I decided to stay there as well.
As the elevator took us up to the fifth floor, she asked what I did for a living. I told her I was a full time college student pursuing a degree in medicine. She looked at me surprised and said “Ah! We share a common interest then. I studied medicine for 11 years to become an internal medicine specialist.” Ding. The door opened and she stepped out. I was left in a state of shock.
That same morning on my walk I was thinking about the direction of my life moving forward. Since the beginning of my higher education, I had been set on a career in healthcare. My prior occupation in medical assisting had reiterated this desire. My long-term goal was to become a mid level healthcare provider, PA-C. So as I walked along that day, I wondered whether the Camino would give me a sign, even the slightest one, to show me I was moving in the right direction. I thought it was possible but very unlikely.
The next morning I walked down to the Hotel’s cafeteria for breakfast. I sat down at the small square table with my zumo de naranja and piece of toast. “May I sit with you?” A familiar voice asked. I looked up to see my new specialist friend Pepa. I asked about her educational journey. Pepa told me that she studied in the second oldest medical school in Europe (I cant recall the name). She is currently working as an inpatient internal medicine specialist. She said that Spain has a very aging population. Many patients that she sees are in their 90s. That would explain why I see so many elderly people in the towns I pass! She said that being a doctor is the occupation that allows for most stability as it pays well and there is always a need for healthcare professionals.
She mentioned that those who decide to pursue a higher education in Spain wait to have children until completion of their degree. She didn’t agree with such norm because more and more younger women in their 30’s seek fertility treatment due to prolonged use of contraception. She had her first child at the age of 20. While it was difficult to raise a child and study, she said it was worth it. Her second child she had 9 years later and was more difficult because of her age. She said “I remember chasing my son around at 20 years old and it was no problem. Can you imagine doing the same at 30 years old? There is no energy left by then.” She advised me to think about starting a family sooner than later.
Her final advice:
Those who decide to pursue medicine need to have a passion for it because he/she will be required to put his/her life on hold to obtain their degree. Study hard! There’s no waiting until the last minute to study for the test because all material goes into depth and is critical to know. Be prepared to spend long hours with the books and completing contact hours.
I was most certainly grateful for having the opportunity to meet and chat with Pepa. I didn’t anticipate the Camino granting my request and definitely not so soon! They say that the Camino will give you what you need. Today, I have received the reassurance I need to keep walking on the Camino I have started. I will not question my direction any longer, I will simply keep moving forward.