September 27, 2018  | Andreina Martinez Amado, blogger guest of Julia Becerra

When You Belong Everywhere.  Millennials and Global Mobility.

A few months ago, when I was relaxing in a cruise spa, I ended up having a good conversation with one of the ship’s Physicians, Dr. Andreina Martinez,  who was  “on her half-an hour break” from an otherwise very busy schedule.

I was curious to know why a Medical Doctor would choose to work on a ship, where returning patients were impossible to have. Her story was interesting enough that I invited her to be my Blog guest.

So here it is the story on Andreina Martinez Amado’s own words:

 

XXI century generations believe that the world is so small, no matter where a person is  from or the social and economics capacity almost everybody believes, the world can be seen any time somehow.  It is something really good , I believe, especially if compared  with previous generations used to believe that you cannot do such a crazy thing like : travel and be free ..

I grew up as part of this millennium generation, on a small town in Colombia, 12 hours away by car from the capital city of Bogota. When I was at school I always felt different. All my girlfriends/ teenage classmates had boyfriends and big quinceañeras party’s (or sweet sixteen as they call it here in the USA), me? I was collecting a secret box with pieces of papers to the places I wanted to go, I don’t remember too much of my school life (because i didn’t have anything special) but I remember clearly how I use to feel: “I don’t belong to this place”

That’s why on my 15^th birthday I started to travel. My very first place was San Andrés Islands (an a island on the northwest of Colombia).  I have saved all the money that I got on my birthday for that travel and I really enjoyed the sea and freedom.  One year later I went to the Amazons wow!! Such a wonderful place.  Everything is green and exotic.  Interesting fauna and Flora … I really love that jungle 😍

When I finished high school I moved to Bogota (the capital city ) to attend medical school at the Nueva Granada Military university .  My studies kept me busy and living in the big city was interesting.  I liked it there, but I did not have any sense of belonging there either.

Medical school kept me away from traveling for a few years.  I was feeling trapped in a big city.  Walking the same streets eating at the usual spots, shopping in malls that to me all seemed the same.   After three years of that, I started traveling again, not as far as I wanted to but at least to other cities that offer a much different geography and culture, like Medellin.

The change was welcome!  After just an hour-flight I was in another world, the food, the people, the ambiance, it was all just so far apart from what I had experienced in Bogota. That is why Colombia is such an amazing country.  An hour or so flight can take you to experience another wonderful world of cuisine, outdoor activities and people.

On my next university break, I went to Bucaramanga, another totally different city which as with my previous trips, I explored alone.  Yes! I do like to travel alone.  Just me, and the new world!

I do meet people while I travel, and I enjoy it a lot, but my little voice continues saying, “Do not grow roots here, you don’t belong here”

By the end of medical school, I treated myself to a trip to Cartagena, a typical vacation destination for Colombians.  The old city right on the Caribbean Sea, with forts and castles.  Really nice.  I felt like I could stay on that city for a bit longer but perhaps what I really felt is that I wanted to sail to different ports and cities with forts and or castles.  I felt part of a bigger place, not of a country but of the whole Globe!

When I graduated from medical school, I was happy not only because I would reach my goal of helping people to stay healthy, but because I trusted my profession would provide good income to do what my heart wanted to do: To travel.

On my first year as a physician, I worked on my home town full time without a vacation or day off (something really common for doctor’s first job), it was a wonderful experience and I felt I was giving back a lot to a place that has given me a lot… but guess what ? —the little voice came out again “you don’t belong here!!”

And the end of that first work year, I finally had a vacation.  I went to a small island in Colombia: Santa Cruz del Islote , one of the poorest populations in the world !! On the middle of the Caribbean with the best sunsets that I ever seen in my life. But without water and electricity … that is so far my favorite place, I learned so much about being grateful with  the smallest things that for me was normal or usual to have  : toys , clothes, shoes , water , coca-cola !! LOL, TV , internet … all those things that we all take for granted.  Not of them existed there but the people of Santa Cruz del Islote had something better: Joy and happiness.   I was totally impressed when I witnessed how    ridiculously happy they were!!   Every person was friendly and they all considered each other a friend.  They will help you no matter what .. that’s why one-week vacation became a 3 month stay… I was doing community work there as a doctor and in return they allowed me to stay for free … of course, over there money means nothing close to what it means to us! …. after a while I got the “you don’t belong here” feeling again, I missed technology, internet, movies! And a cheese burger 🍔ha ha , so   I went back to  the other world and got a job at a Hospital.

During my -back to reality work- on that time I started to think: why I am the only one among all my friends that does not have a big desire to build a family or even to have a steady love relationship? Why I don’t have a car or a house? But most to all: why I always travel alone?? – maybe I’m not such a great woman, maybe I’m not good company because I can’t stay anywhere for more than a few months …

I started to feel the social pressure demanding me to  to become a mom, a wife, so I just ran away from that and I found a different job, but this time a cool one. One that satisfy my traveling desires: working on a cruise line as a doctor. My first time out of the country!!! Was so amazing! I when to Puerto Rico, Aruba, Curaçao , Mexico , Jamaica , USA , England, Hawaii .. I loved that life and when you’re in a ship your meet people frown everywhere , that’s my favorite part , you must work really hard (I mean RIDICULOUSLY HARD) but it’s OK with me because I was going to go all over the world .. being there make me feel better about the “you don’t belong here” feeling, maybe I don’t belong anywhere, maybe I belong to the world … and maybe that’s why I am always so alone .. there isn’t a lot of people like me even in this generation.

During my three-month vacation from my job on the cruise line, I get to go on vacation. I choose my destination from my little box that I have carried since elementary school times.  I know I will probably be visiting those destinations alone because I’m not dreaming to get married or have 2 kids and a big house, I’m dreaming with my next destination, probably is the price to be paid when you belong everywhere.

Do you ever feel that you belong to the World?

About the author: @amadoandreina Andreina Martinez Amado is a physician from Nueva Granada Military University in Colombia.  She is an amateur traveler currently working on a fine Cruise line with port in Miami, Fl.

 

 

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