Edom Girma is a Class of 2024 medical school graduate at the University of Vermont, Larner College of Medicine, and an incoming emergency medicine resident at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
In the following blog post, she reflects on her post-match, European break before the next chapter.
“Four weeks, five European countries, and 5000 calories/day seemed like the only logical way to celebrate four years of sacrifice.”
Viva Italia
Our laughter filled the quiet café on that fateful morning. I turned to my new companion and asked in my rough Italian: “Avresti dei consigli per le persone, per I turisti che vengono in Italia?” (Would you have some advice for people, for tourists, who come to Italy?)
Appearing as if I had just asked her a question she has been itching to answer for the 35 minutes we have known each other, the older, fabulously dressed woman enthusiastically responded: “Oh ma sì ma sì signorina! Magari esplorare I paesini, qualcosa di piú tipico … e soprattutto assaggiate TUTTE le specialità culinarie!” (Oh but yes, but yes! Perhaps exploring the villages, something more typical … And above all taste ALL the culinary specialties!)
She proceeded to list off all the beautiful towns near Rome and Florence, which, she argued, tourists are missing out on because of the so-called obvious tourist traps, like the Colosseum and the Pantheon. I gave her a thousand thanks, exchanged final goodbyes—failing to mention that I, too, fell for those obvious tourist traps.
Four Weeks, Five Countries
Just a couple of days after I *tearfully* opened my match envelope on stage, relieved by the fact that I was finally going to move to my dream city, I packed my bags and headed off to JFK airport. Four weeks, five European countries, and 5000 calories/day seemed like the only logical way to celebrate four years of sacrifice.
And that is how I found myself chatting up a local in the middle of Rome. What was initially intended to be a morning dedicated to completing my residency onboarding modules turned into an hour speaking with Signora Sylvia about topics ranging from the weather to who we were and what brought me to Italy. I walked away from this pleasant interaction with two things: proper grammar and, more importantly, recommendations for food in the area.
Like many medical students, the past decade of our life has been spent in academia. While some of our college peers were wise enough to pursue a profession that provided them with the privilege of time and financial liberty, we spent the majority of our days either cramming our cranial nerves in stuffy libraries or anxiously clenching our teeth in the hospital wards, hoping that one medicine attending would forget to question us about sodium regulation after morning rounds.
Solo Adventuring
When I was planning this trip, the most popular question I received was what prompted this inspiration to travel. After all, I had just spent the better half of medical school on the straight and narrow, limiting my travel to nearby cities (mostly NYC). Even more concerning to many was the fact that the first half of my trip would be done completely solo. My responses to my friends’ reactions were often short and sweet … “Well, why not?” Group trips are of course quite fun to be a part of. You are never alone and can safely get lost in new cities without feeling overwhelmed. But that was just exactly the downside … you were never alone—not a moment for yourself to actively reflect in a new environment. Now, this is not to say that the purposes of a solo trip should be primarily for the act of inward reflection, but rather it’s an added benefit if you’re going to live in solitude anyway.
But if I am being genuinely honest, I never have been the type to journal or do any morning gratitude (never got into it and I don’t think realistically I could just force myself to start). But through my solo travels, I have accidentally taken part in this daily reflection. While there are many reasons to travel alone, one crucial benefit I got from this experience was learning how to trust others—but most importantly, I learned how to trust myself. Every city and outskirts of town I ventured into, I was forced to give in to my own intuitions without the distraction of others’ needs getting in the way. After spending the past four years surrounded by people who are mostly, if not all, in medicine, this month I learned how to reconnect with people who are completely different from what I was used to. In Volendam, Netherlands, I had lunch with two strangers in a busy restaurant during rush hour (something I probably would never do in the U.S.). In Paris, I befriended the owner of a small but homey brasserie who provided me with a glass of Beaujolais even though they only sold it by the bottle. And of course, how could I forget my Italian friend, Sylvia, whom I bonded with over coffee and a delicious piece of maritozzo.
Finding Joy in Simple Pleasures
Even though there was the discomfort of not knowing what waited for me at my next destination, as the days went on I grew more confident and excited about the possibilities that lay within the unknown. Traveling became something entirely different from what I initially aimed for. It helped me be around others in a meaningful way. The more time I spent away from the stress that comes with being in medicine, I subconsciously hit that reset button. My early morning strolls started to seem a little more special, but I couldn’t tell you why. This trip revived my love for the simple things in life that didn’t seem all that important back in the real world. Every waking moment felt like an adventure, even on days when I really didn’t have anything planned.
I initially sought this trip fixated on enjoying the outer world as much as I could, but I returned with something more valuable. Although this blog is being written while I am still drowning in the high of these new experiences, being forced to be acutely present in every moment has allowed me to become a lot more intentional with myself and others. This introspection could not have appeared to me at a better time, as I highly doubt I would have come to this conclusion had I stayed in Vermont, post-match. In a few weeks, I will be in a busy NYC emergency room as a fresh intern, completely clueless until I find my footing as a physician. The following four years will be far more challenging than medical school … and at times, possibly soul crushing *awkward laughter*.
Culture Shock
But there is solace for me in knowing that I now know how to see the beauty in the chaos that awaits. One could argue that being a new resident provides you with the same culture shock as traveling to a new country. There are many parallels you could draw between the two experiences, even though they might appear to be completely different. The unfamiliarity of the environment around you, the patients you meet, and the thrill of the unknown are the commonalities I have found between the wards and traveling. There is excitement, albeit different, but familiar.
Now, I am not saying this feeling of wide-eyed wonderment will always be there. The real world will come with its own challenges and days when all I will want to do is sleep in all day. One of the reasons why traveling has felt like an escape for so many is because we have subconsciously wired ourselves to not get attached to any outcome (especially the negative ones). We know that every moment away is fleeting and worth holding on to because our circumstances are temporary. Every new country we visit, we enter with excitement that keeps us open and present. But the moment we come back into reality, we fall back into old habits as if we haven’t just experienced something that is worth remembering. But I am going to choose to remember this feeling, and I challenge myself to hold on to how I have felt this past month as I venture off into the next chapter of my life.
