HOPs 6: Katrina Orteza

"Do you have any med school love stories?"

​When I first started my journey in UPCM, finding love was the least of my priorities. Like every single medical student out there, my main concerns revolved around nothing more than grades. And again, like every other medical student, I soon learned that this was my first official mistake. 

Luckily, I was able to meet a lot of great people in UPCM who taught me how to stop and smell the roses. With these people, the load of medical school turned out to be much more manageable and enjoyable too. One of them includes my boyfriend, whom I met on the first day of classes in LU3. 

Back then, our schedules were exactly the same. We would spend almost the whole day together - from attending classes in Buenafe Hall to studying out in nearby cafes like Esso or Mr. Park’s ‘til we called it a day. Our friendship evolved from all the highs and lows of med school. We had toxic dissection days, stressful lab exams, and nerve-wracking OSCEs. But we also had fun breaks wherein we would attend parties, play sports, or just watch movies all night with our friends. 

After all the time we spent together, he became my go-to person whenever I needed to rant, joke around, or hear a pep talk. He made med school so much easier because in many ways, we complemented each other. Long story short, we just clicked.

From being best friends, we decided to give our relationship a shot. I still fondly recall how it all began with our first one-on-one “date.” He knew I was a huge sports fan and that I’ve always wanted to watch a live UAAP basketball game. Fortunately, at that time, UP had a semifinal game against Adamson during one of our intermodule weekends. This was an important game because after years of struggling, the UP basketball team finally had a chance of getting into the finals. I initially thought I was going to watch the game with him on TV, but he ended up surprising me with tickets! Proudly donning our UP gear, we headed to the game where he taught me all the school's cheers and gave me a crash course on UAAP basketball. After an intense two hours, UP ended up with the win and we left the colosseum with big smiles on our faces and butterflies in our stomachs. I mean, a rare UP basketball win had to be a good sign, right?

Fast forward to 2 years later, we’re both in LU5 now and we have completely different schedules. Because of all our online classes, I don’t get to see him as much as I used to. But even though we live in the opposite sides of Metro Manila, he still makes it a point to visit me at least once a week. We still try to keep that kilig factor alive by spontaneously sending each other small gifts, FaceTime-ing while studying, and finding new activities/hobbies we can do during our dates. 

"Having time for studying, extra-curriculars, and personal life can be really challenging. Would you have any advice for balancing med life and love life? " 
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So what is my advice for balancing med life and love life? My biggest tip is to set quality time aside for the people you love. In med school, it is easy to get lost in the never-ending stream of readings and exams. But, no matter how busy your schedule can get, there is ALWAYS time for the things you put first. If you think the relationship is worth it, then make your partner one of your top priorities and don’t take him/her for granted. Squeeze in a FaceTime call, a study session, or a date night every so often. Enjoy each other’s company and make memorable experiences together! Although grades are a priority, it's not the end-all or be-all. It's important to remember that there is life outside of medicine, and it can be just as beautiful and exciting.
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Personally, I consider myself lucky because I found someone who’s interested in medicine too. But even if you find a person who’s not in the same field, it is still possible to make the relationship work and keep that kilig factor alive. Trust me, this is doable! Literally, all 3 of my sisters are living testaments to this because they made their long-distance relationships work with their non-med boyfriends. So, no excuses!