When one chapter ends...

... you never know how the next one is going to begin.

I have been putting off writing this since I got home almost 2 days ago.

Saturday, my friend Sasha and I wandered around Vigo, did some shopping, had a nice drink, watched the sunset while eating dinner along the port, and enjoyed the last couple hours before sleep and her departure. The next morning was bittersweet, knowing we would both be home soon but aware that we were at the end of the journey.

Sunday morning, I spent time relaxing and preparing myself for a long journey and 2 days worth of traveling and airports. Not really hungry, I went to see what I could get for a late breakfast and found the frozen yogurt place at the mall just opening, and the guy working there realized that I spoke English and tried to help me. I spent a little time walking around the port before heading back to the hotel to grab my bags and head to the airport, thinking I would check in when I got there and see what I could do for the 6 hours until my flight without having to worry about all my stuff. Little did I know that the airport shuts down for siesta time, leaving me with nothing to do except hang out at the airport so I could keep track of my stuff. And there is nothing in Vigo airport, literally nothing but a little store and a cafe. It is so small. Six hours of sitting and reading or going through puzzle books or reading or people watching, I finally checked in my bag and got on the dinky little plane that took me to Paris airport. What a difference in size. I almost got lost in Paris airport because their lack of signs and direction-indicating displays was tremendous, and communication was a slight issue since I don't speak French. I finally found my way to where I was to meet my shuttle to my hotel for the night and waited.

The hotel was one of the nicest hotels I have stayed at in my life. The Hilton was conveniently located between Terminals 1 and 2 of the airport (1 being the more private airport and 2 being for the big commercial flights) and the shuttle took me there, and I got checked in, let my family know I had made it, figured out where I needed to go in the morning, and fell asleep in my giant bed to recover from a travel/dehydration-induced migraine.

I woke up the next morning and got ready to go, checking out a little before the first shuttle to the airport so I could ensure I had enough time in case I got lost. My first flight of the day was pretty nice. I watched movies almost the entire time, except for the 45ish minutes that I slept, and the 9+ hour flight went by rather quickly (or as quickly as a 9 hour flight can). After arriving in Atlanta, I braved the line at customs, which wasn't as daunting as I had heard it could be. The customs officer was even joking with me, which was refreshing and a nice change from the stoic border patrol officers in Paris that I had encountered both directions. Once making it through customs and rechecking my bag, I got my next boarding pass and prepared for another nice 8 hours in the airport. At least most the people spoke English, and there were more people for people watching, and I had good internet access and regular cell service. I somehow survived the long wait (I am pretty sure I walked the terminal enough times that people were looking at me funny for not walking to a gate) and got on my plane home. That was probably the most uncomfortable flight I had been on my entire trip, but it was also the smoothest landing. At least I slept a couple hours for my 4+ hour flight, and once I got into Sacramento, I was familiar with the airport so I didn't have to worry about getting lost.

Nunca camines solo.

This phrase is widely used by travelers on El Camino de Santiago, meaning "You never walk alone," and I think it is a good way to sum up this trip. I met so many smart, caring, amazing people, made so many new friends, and stepped way out of my comfort zone, and I will never regret that decision. It filled me with so much joy to be around people who had such similar interests and build such a strong bond in a short four weeks. I just hope that, one day, we will be able to connect again. Not saying that my friends at home are bad or that I don't have anything in common with them, but there is just a different bond I share with the group of individuals from this trip. I was always aware that there were people around me that were on the same journey I am and we were all going through each day together, whether being in the hospital or out on excursions. Galicia will always hold a special place in my heart. I have more motivation to pursue my dreams than ever before, and I now have a new dream to learn more Spanish and travel back some day.

I am so excited to see what the future holds, but I am so happy to be home.

Vigo sunset over the port.

Paris hotel room. (The picture above my bed is the closest I got to the Eiffel Tower)

Sacramento from the sky at night. I never realized how big it actually was.

Well, this is it on my trip. It has been quite a journey.
I hope to continue blogging throughout the year as I finish up my last year of my Bachelor's, so don't stop looking here.

TTFN, Kallie

The beginning of the end

Saying goodbye is probably one of the hardest things to do. But let's recap the week instead of talking about that. 

Thursday: hospital. Sweetest doctor with a British accent when she spoke English. She saw my interests and let me take time to look more into them and ask questions. Intensive care is exactly that: intense, but the amount of care and respect the doctors have for their patients in the Spanish hospital is incomparable. Thursday night, we had our final group dinner. We enjoyed delicious food and a nice glass of Spanish wine before the first couple people headed off. That night was spent in our last night out on the town enjoying each other's company. 

Friday: as it was my last full day in Ourense, I decided to give myself a break from the hospital. (That and something about seeing comatose people for that long was a struggle.) we had a nice breakfast and did a little shopping before saying goodbye to a couple more people of the group. After a nice siesta (nap time), I had my last English lesson with my student. The evening was time for the last meal with those of us that were left before a couple more departed. 

Saturday (today): the four of us that remained enjoyed a nice breakfast at the cafe that we had gone to every morning before the hospital. We thanked the ladies working there for all they did for us and they returned our thanks with our favorite breakfast foods. All of us spent the rest of the time in Ourense making sure everything was packed. Two more left. Shortly after, my friend Sasha and I headed to the train station to make our way to Vigo, where I am now. Will update about Vigo later. 

Here are some pictures:

Drinks with friends

The last four

Ttyl. Kallie

Hiking, climbing, and surgery selfies

Oi... The last week in Spain. 

Sunday: for our group trip, we did quite a bit. We visited two different monasteries, one that was set up as a historic site and one that was formerly a seminary and church and everything else but is now a 4 star hotel. Both were beautiful. We then went to our lunch place, by way of a scenic view over a valley. We ate lunch outside next to a creek before we headed out on what was probably the hottest hike/walk I have ever been on. It wasn't that long or that difficult, but this girl doesn't hike in 100 degree humid weather. I am pretty sure I sweated out all the water I drank at lunch. When we left the train and restaurant, we headed in the (thankfully air conditioned) bus to a winery along the river we had seen earlier. In Spain, a lot of wineries are built along rivers and other water ways so they require less artificial irrigation. We toured the small winery and tasted some wine (and maybe bought some). The rest of the day was spent relaxing and prepping for a busy week. 

Monday and Tuesday: surgery days. I was in general surgery, which meant the first day was spent on digestive tract surgeries and the second on a lot of outpatient surgeries. I was so thankful to be in an area where I could wear scrubs and spend time in an air conditioned part of the building. I followed around a medical resident, getting to watch her experience things for the first or second time in her first month of residency. The doctors were excited to show me things and learn things in English the entire first day. Surgeons are so calm on the outside and handled things like they were all routine. The strangest part of both days was the fact that most of the patients were awake during the procedures. I enjoyed it a lot, but they do so much work. 

Wednesday day: I was really nervous going into the day as I headed to intensive care because I knew there would be people who may not have any life left in them. All I could think about was my family, those I still have and those I have lost and what I would do without them. I was also kind of nervous about the fact that many of the people were in similar or worse (mostly worse, way worse) shape as my grandpa. (Shoutout to grandpa!! Love you and miss you a lot!!!) I didn't think I could handle it, but I decided to give it a try. The doctor I was supposed to be with wasn't there so the other doctors in the department welcomed me in and explained things to me as best they could until a doctor got there that I could shadow. To my surprise, the doctor I ended up with spoke near perfect English with a British accent and she was very willing to show me things. She noticed I took particular interest in the CT scans and let me look at them and try to analyze them with her help. I got to go with her to see a CT scan on a patient as well. While this particular patient may not have the best results from the scan, it made me realize again that radiology is something I truly have an interest in. I could definitely see myself doing radiology in the future. The career of an ICU doctor is difficult at times, but they all have such a passion for what they do and are so willing to show it. I am happy that I get to spend my last rotation there.

The evening consisted of a group adventure to the town of Allariz (or something like that) for some swimming and general wandering around the town before dinner. It was refreshing to get in the water and swim a little even though it was a little cooler than the last couple days. The old city itself was quaint. Lots of little shops with nice clothes and other things. My friend Alec and I wandered off to explore. I am pretty sure we walked almost the entire old part of the town. We may have struggled to find our way back, but we eventually found it and had time to spare before dinner. 

Picture time:

The bell tower of one of the monasteries. Yes, we did walk up there and everyone was terrified of I breaking and us falling. 

View from the winery. 

Surgery selfie. No hot lab coat for me, just a nice pair of hospital scrubs and air conditioned rooms. 

Walking down the old streets of Allariz. 

That's all for now. See you in the next update. 

Kallie