For all the dream crushers out there

So I found out my next door neighbor, let's call him Ariel, is an emotional drunk lol. Last night my neighbors and I were drinking and dancing at the colmadón accross the street. When we were back at the building, he began telling us a story about his ex-girlfriend who said he could never make it as a doctor, and how he had a dream that he was saving her mother. According to Ariel, he's absolutely certain that one day he will save his ex-girlfriend's mother's life, and that that will serve as the slap in the face to show her he made it. But then he got deeper. He began sobbing (loudly), because he's afraid when he returns to Puerto Rico people will think he's  a "come mierda (that literally means "shit eater," but it's just Dominican slang for bougie [sorry NY slang lol], a sellout, or basically an elitist who thinks he's above others)." The point is Ariel is aware his life is changing, that his status in life constantly rises the longer he remains here studying medicine, and he's afraid that instead of congratulating, others will despise him. Just to tell you a little more about Ariel, he's 19 years old, came to D.R. straight after high school to study medicine. and volunteers at the local hospital, El Hospital Musa. We actually got into it one night (we used to bump heads a lot when I first got here, but we good now lol) because in his oppinnion, I should be hungry trying to get my hands on people. Meaning at the Musa he puts casts on people, he sutures patients up, he even writes prescriptions! Don't get me wrong, I can't wait till I get tot he point where I can put down the text book and begin to get my hands dirty, but every med student has a different approach. When I put the text book down I want to be confident that there's nothing (or very little) in that book that I need to reference. I mean we're talking about people's lives here, and this isn't a game. As good as your intentions might be, if you're not a professional you can put someone's life in jeopardy. Hence the reason why I don't go to the hospital here unless I happen to be bleeding profusely from my carotid artery and about to have a stroke. They let med students (I mean he's still in pre-med for goodness' sake!) suture people in the E.R. I'm sorry but I don't want NOBODY who don't know what they doing practicing on me!! Sorry. Again don't get me wrong, Ariel is doing amazing stuff in there (and the hospital is understaffed for sure), and he said last night he doesn't know how it comes to him, it just does. As he sobbed some more, he told us that this life saving instinct causes him sadness becauuse he gives of himself to strangers and they thank him profusely, but those close to him he tries to help whom he wants to come up in life with him chose to remain below and then refer to him as a come mierda. Sigh, here's my assessment: Ariel is very young, and as mature and bright as he is (medicine requires a definite level of maturity) I don't think he's figured out the precise role in his future yet, besides the fact that he wants to become a physician and heal and save lives. He doesn't understand yet that medicine is not something you do to receive gratitude, you do it because it truly fulfills you. I mean, I see a disconnect here when you help people and you don't feel good about it (don't you)? He doesn't see that he doesn't need to save that lady's life to slap his ex in the face, that title (Dr. of course) before his name will do all of the slapping for him. I'm not gonna lie, I've day dreamt over and over about going back to the office of director of premedical studies at City College (the one who told me I should think of another career and had me sobbing all crazy in her office) and making her address me as doctor the whole time LOL, but I've realized God will take care of all those people. (Maybe it's the Christian in me IDK). I just know as long as you do something with vengance in your hear you're doing it for the wrong reason. Nevertheless I feel you Ariel! I'm not saying I'll go back to that director's office to show her how I made it despite her crushing my dreams for a minute, I'll just say I hope I randomly run into her and tell her that! ;-D