Second Year Archives - THE ROVING DOCTOR

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II.III.IX HOME Constantly moving on from one adventure to another, I failed to notice my time in Colombia was almost up. On my last day, I opened my eyes and I was wide awake. I wanted to keep them closed, to go back to sleep. I wanted to stay in that moment right before you wake up, when things are […]

Added on January 24, 2017 Second Year , Life

Wandering

II.III.VIII WANDERING Just before we’d get to enjoy the city of Bogotá, we had one final road trip planned in order to cover as much ground as possible. Luckily, Pedro’s father offered his car for that. Our first stop was the Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá, salt mines extending some 650 feet underground with a church at their epicentre. Apart from […]

Added on January 10, 2017 Second Year , Life

Adrenaline

II.III.VII ADRENALINE As expected, tomorrow did come, and as hungover as we were, we had yet another trip to make. We took a plane to Bucaramanga, a city north of Bogotá where we’d start a road trip down south – a cascade of adventures along the way. We visited Barichara, a Spanish colonial town known for its cobbled streets and whitewashed […]

Added on January 3, 2017 Second Year , Life

Recovery

II.III.VI RECOVERY Our adventures in Santa Marta were soon over and the rest of Colombia was awaiting. We headed down south back to Bogotá once again, where we were given the warmest welcome by Pedro’s family before being cordially escorted to their bathroom. After four days without a hot shower, I could finally scrub myself clean from all the dirt […]

Added on December 27, 2016 Second Year , Life

Reconnected

II.III.V RECONNECTED read on the doe The long-awaited third day was finally upon us. The day we’d get to see the Lost City. I couldn’t believe we were almost there. All battered, bruised and blistered, I had persevered. It would still be a long way to go and really, we had only covered half the trek so far. But I […]

Added on December 20, 2016 Second Year , Life

Tairona

II.III.IV TAIRONA Somehow, against all odds, I woke up feeling better than ever. We got up, shook off our boots in case of spiders and scorpions (because apparently these things happen), and headed out before dawn in order to get a head start on what was to be the most challenging of days. We trekked along the riverside of the […]

Added on December 13, 2016 Second Year , Life

Wild

II.III.III WILD read on the doe My journey through Colombia led Pedro and me to Santa Marta, a city renowned for Tayrona National Natural Park, a wildlife sanctuary that is practically heaven on earth. Yet it wasn’t for this either that we had travelled there. It was for the Ciudad Perdida – the Lost City of Teyuna, an ancient settlement hidden deep […]

Added on December 6, 2016 Second Year , Life

Land of Passion

II.II.II LAND OF PASSION And hello Colombia – the promised land! But trust me when I say it really didn’t feel like it when I arrived in Bogotá, the capital. After four hundred million hours of travelling I felt disgusting and exhausted – kinda like a professional athlete at the end of a triathlon, only all I did was sit […]

Added on November 29, 2016 Second Year , Life

Departure

II.II.I DEPARTURE Colombia… Half the world away it stood. And I was going there. The furthest I had ever been from home was Manchester; three hours away from Malta by plane. And now I was going to friggin’ Colombia – some 10,000 kilometres away. “It’s okay, it’s okay – he’ll be there with me!” I told myself as I tried […]

Added on November 22, 2016 Second Year , Loss

Out

II.II.VI OUT Over the next two weeks of my summer general rotation, my passion for medicine only intensified. I saw all kinds of surgeries – some of which I’d be lucky to encounter again throughout my life. It was all I expected to see and then some. Patients that would forever remain immortalised in my memory. Especially the one with […]