Where East Meets West

In the short span of one month I returned to Kiev, Ukraine to spend time with Chris, enjoyed 10 days with Chris in Istanbul, Turkey, and did a day touring the Flower show in Girona, Catalunya, north of Barcelona.

Kiev

This was my second trip to this Eastern European country where Chris lives.  Spring weather made Kiev much more alive and enjoyable than the first time in the heat of August.  Also, Chris has gotten to know the city pretty well so we visited some areas and streets that were more attractive and pleasant.  My six days there were very relaxing, waking up late and leaving the apartment late morning, going to the shopping malls (a favorite pastime of Chris!), and enjoying some delicious meals in the city.  I also got my final tattoo there for a very good price,  It took two sessions and 7 hours.  But I am happy with the results.

But what I enjoyed most about my time there was the hours upon hours that Chris and I could talk and share our lives and our love.  It was just wonderful!

Istanbul

This is the city that spans two continents - Europe and Asia, and the most muslim country that I have every visited.  It was amazing the number of mosques that occupies the city.  At first I thought it seemed excessive, but then I remembered the city of Washington DC and the number of churches that there are, averaging one every couple of streets, and on 16th Street one or two on almost every block!

What would seem an oddity in DC or in Barcelona was the norm - the majority of women with their head covering (hijab) to varying degrees, men wearing either western clothes or muslim robes, and call to prayer five times a day from speaker systems attached to the towers of the mosques.  Having so many mosques close together made for a cacophony of calls that sometimes competed with each other.  The cityscape of mosque domes and towers created an exotic allure, at least for this westerner. Between that and the incredible harbor with three intersecting bodies of water (the Golden Horn estuary, the Bosphorus strait and the Marmara sea), makes Istanbul one of the most beautiful harbor cities in the world, rivaling Sydney, Australia.


Tourism apparently was down, according to one of our waiters, due to the bombings that occurred in Istanbul this year.  We also had some doubts about going, but we decided to go through with our plans and we glad we did.  As a result, we did not have to deal with huge crowds in all of the tourist places that we visited, which made our excursions very easy.  We also were very impressed with the public transportation system.  The trams and metro were very clean and modern.  The buses and ferries were quite good as well.

Having 10 days (8 full days) gave us plenty of time to see all the major sights and not be too rushed.  We felt very safe throughout our entire visit there.  We are considering returning to Istanbul for a 4-day weekend since it's very easy for Chris to find flights to Istanbul.

Girona

Although I didn't get home from Istanbul until 7;30 pm on Monday, May 9, I had indicated that I

Game of Thrones is filmed in Girona, thus this theme

wanted to go with a small group of friends to Girona to see their annual flower show the very next day.  It's an unusual show in that the flowers and other decorations are displayed throughout the historic part of the city.  There are displays in patios, in parks, on bridges, in waterways, in churches, on building steps, each one created either by private citizens, businesses or the city government.  Most of these flower displays are filled with creativity and are a delight for the eyes.  We escaped the rain most of the day but the drive back to Barcelona was brutal with heavy rains.  As usual, I had the pleasure of meeting some new friends on this trip.

My Hiatus (Month-long Meditation Retreat)

Before

My good friend Carol came to Barcelona for a two week visit.  It worked out that she could come
around the time that Chris and I would be going to Gran Canary for some R&R before I headed off to my retreat.  I got some alone time with Carol and we picked up just where we left off when she was here last September with her husband and friends.  It was great to catch up and and spend time together.

Chris got here a few days later and we got to spend the day and evening together before we flew off to the Canary Islands.  It was great to have some beach time, down time, and fun time together.
You would think that we couldn't go deeper in our relationship or that our love wouldn't intensify more, but my experience has been that it continues to grow.  And for that I am truly grateful.

During

At the end of my month retreat, I was very content and glad to have done it.  I certainly didn't feel that way in the beginning.  It was a shock to the system, going from a leisurely retired lifestyle in Barcelona to a rigorous and disciplined schedule of meditation and contemplative activities.  Plus I was taking on a new role as a meditation instructor, which gave me additional responsibilities in supporting the group as a whole (there were about 60 of us) and also working with a few participants individually.

But I see that it was all worth it.  I have deepened my meditation practice and have developed more skill in working with others who are on this path.  But actually being a good meditator is not the goal.  It is the means by which I can rediscover my basic and intrinsic goodness, develop confidence in it, and express it in words and action with intelligence and compassion, not only to benefit my own well being, but also for the well being of others.

And what an ideal place to make this discovery.  Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, in the beautiful rolling countryside of southwest France, we were nestled on the grounds of Dechen Choling Meditation Retreat Center, one of the land centers of Shambhala, an organization that is based on trust in human dignity and which offers a path of meditation practice and contemplative arts oriented towards modern life. We woke up early, did some sitting meditation and body movement before breakfast, returned for meditation afterwards which many times included outside meditation walks and experiencing the land waking up to the early Spring.  On some mornings or afternoons, we would listen to talks given by the retreat director on topics such as meditation, fear & fearlessness, the ego, working with emotions, doubt, waking up to the world, etc.  They were always timely and very motivational.

We all had our little work assignments that most of us did after lunch.  Then back to meditation

practice in the afternoons, dinner and a final shorter meditation session afterwards before some free time in the evening.  Many times I would take night walks in the cool, fresh air and appreciate this time in nature that I rarely ever have the opportunity to be in living in Barcelona except for times when I go on a hiking trip in the Catalan mountains with friends.

The participants and staff were from all over Europe.  There were Germans, French, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, British, Irish, Scottish, Austrian, Dutch and Belgian folks with age ranges from early twenties to late sixties. And besides myself, there was only one other American who came over from the States specifically to be in this retreat.  Most spoke English and the retreat was conducted in English with translation offered for those who spoke French.  There were some who were very new to Shambhala and meditation practice and others who have been with Shambhala for many years.  But more than the demographics, the people themselves were genuine and sincere and very interesting to get to know.

In our short stay there, we created a little society, experiencing some of the same issues and problems that we have in our everyday lives.  But in this environment, we had the time to look at those issues and the habitual patterns of reacting to them and by slowing down, we had the opportunity and skillful tools to work with them and ourselves to possibly make some better choices that we could carry back to our regular lives.  I feel that was the case for me.

After

Sunset, our cat, was thoroughly pampered by her Uncle Oscar in his home.  I arranged to pick her up and slowly reentered back to living in Barcelona and seeing friends after being away for a month.  I am now getting ready to take another trip this Friday to visit Chris in Kiev and help celebrate with him his birthday.  I am so much looking forward to that and to enjoy Kiev from Chris' perspective after him spending almost 9 months there since my first visit last August after Chris had just arrived himself.  I then come back to Barcelona for only a week before I fly to Istanbul to meet Chris again and spend 10 days there.

Leaving Barcelona (Briefly)

I thought this would get your attention.  Before I talk about my short term exodus from Barcelona, let me share with you what's been happening over the last few weeks.

Taxes and Declarations

It's tax season in the U.S.  And because I will be gone for around a month, I wanted to be sure that I had everything in order.  In the past I did my own taxes, but both last year and this year I am using an American accountant who specializes in clients who live overseas.  Tax year 2014 was very complicated with finishing work, retiring, selling my part of the house, moving to Barcelona, etc.   For 2015, it will be less complicated, but having begun receiving Social Security payments in 2015, along with my continued government pension, I wanted to be sure that it was handled properly.  I am still awaiting on my tax statements for my retirement and non-retirement investments, but I already sent off the rest of the documentation to my accountant, which she very much appreciated.


Although Spanish taxes are not due until June, there is an annual Declaración de Patrimonio (Wealth Report) that is due by the end of March for residents.  It only needs to be filed if  you have accumulated assets anywhere in the world that exceeds 50,000€ in at least one of three areas; bank or cash accounts, property (other than your primary home unless it was purchased for over 300k €), and investment accounts.  There are HUGE penalties if you do not declare your assets and are caught, enough to wipe out your entire assets.  These penalties are very controversial and my Spanish accountant told me last year that it is being challenged in Spanish court, but it will take many years to obtain a decision.  He also said that many people here, both citizens and foreign residents, have not filed, either intentionally or by ignorance.  But I did not want to risk my financial savings by following their example.  So last year I filed.  This report does not in itself require any taxes to be paid.  However, during the Spanish tax season, it does become incorporated into taxes owed to the Spanish state.  Let me explain further.


When you file your taxes in June, you may also need to file your Wealth Tax report if your accumulated world-wide wealth is over a certain threshold.  That threshold in Spain is different depending on the region (called Autonomous Community), like Catalunya, in which you reside.  So, last year I had to pay around 700€ for just that part of my Spanish taxes.  What I found difficult to accept at first is that one has to pay tax on the same wealth over the set threshold each and every year.   In the U.S., that is inconceivable.  Once you paid tax on a set amount of money that was earned in a given year, it is never taxed again.  This Wealth Tax in Spain is not unique.  Many other countries also have a wealth tax, including France, Norway, India, Italy and Switzerland.  I just look at this tax as the small price that I pay to live in this beautiful city and country.

First Hike After Surgery

Last Sunday I decided to go on my first hike after my knee surgery.  It was probably somewhat precipitous in hindsight.  The distance was short, only 7 kilometers.  But what I didn't know was that there was a steep descent at the beginning of the hike, which put a lot of pressure on both knees.  We went to a beautiful pueblo called Rupit, and nearby was a waterfall and magnificent cliffs.  I enjoyed it, but I've been paying for it this week, slowly getting my knee back to where it was before the hike.


Leaving for France for a Month

Chris arrives on Feb 27 and the next day we will be going to Gran Canaria for 5 days.   This is one of 7 main islands that are called ¨Las Canarias¨.  They are part of Spain but sit on the Atlantic off the coast of Morocco.  So it's the perfect destination in the winter if you want some warmth, sunshine and beach.  I know that Chris is in need of a break from the Ukrainian winter and of course it will be wonderful to be with each other again.

The day after we get back to Barcelona I will be taking the train to the Shambhala Meditation Retreat, Dechen Choling, which is located in France for a month-long retreat, called a Dathun in Tibetan.  I've been there twice before.  It's a beautiful rural center, a serene, idyllic and bucolic setting.  I will be there to assist the program.  I am very much looking forward to it.  Sunset, our cat, will be taken care of by my friend Oscar in his home and another friend will be stopping by the house often to be sure that everything is okay.

My next blog article will be in early April.

Maintaining the House and Body in BCN

All homeowners know about home maintenance and the eventual replacement of small and large appliances.  Well, this one struck early and the heat pump that heated and cooled the house gave up the ghost.

Before going on, let me give you some background information about heating and cooling in

Typical Heating/cooling units in Barcelona

Barcelona.  Barcelona has a mild climate, especially during the winter (they hardly ever have snow and most evenings during the winter are well above freezing).  That fact has hit home for me just recently hearing about the winter snowstorm in Washington DC and the very cold and snowy weather that Chris is enduring in Kiev.  Summers are a different story and although tempuratures rarely go higher than 28º C(or 86ºF), the humidity is so high (higher than DC) that it feels like 100ªF at times.  Living on the top level of my building, it's especially important to have good air conditioning.  Now, most homes do not have heat pumps with a central forced air heating/air conditioning system.  Some, like my friend Jordi, have no heating or air conditioning system in their homes.  Others have radiators or individual units to heat the home during the winter. During the summer, some have a wall unit that will cool one part of the house.

But what is also interesting to note is that the expectations of staying comfortable indoors for Catalans & Spaniards are different than for most Americans.  Possibly due to the relatively cheap energy in the U.S. (compared to Europe), we have been spoiled in having our heating/cooling system on most of the time, except on those spectacular days during the Spring and Fall when the weather is perfectly comfortable (California is a different story - for example, my brother lives in San Luis Obispo and does not need cooling system and rarely turns on his heat because of the ideal weather there).  The opposite is true in Barcelona.  Unless it is absolutely unbearable, most Barcelonians will not put their heat on and only when they can't sleep at night will they have their air conditioning on during the summer.  In winter they are satified with wearing triple layers of clothing inside to stay warm and during the summer they endure the heat and humidity much more so than Americans do.

Heat Pump and Ceiling Unit for our home

So, most people here do not have central air and I was fortunate to have found a home that had it installed (I believe most heat pump units are more used in businesses or if used in homes, they are for a specific part of the house, since most homes do not have a duct system throughout the home). But the prior owner did not maintain the unit as he should have and after around 15 years, it died.  The cost to replace it here is about the same as it would be to replace one in the U.S.  But to a typical Barcelonian, that seems outrageous.  Be that as it may, I decided to bite the bullet and they started the installation on Friday and will finish it on Monday.  The rest of my winter days & nights will be toasty warm and summers here with Chris will be cool and comfortable.

Building Issues (Continued)

A couple of articles ago I talked about the water issue that my neighbor below me has and the mystery about the source of that leak, which only occurs during heavy rainfall, which is rare here in Barcelona.  I also checked with my homeowner's insurance company but they do not cover problems caused by possible faulty construction in the home.  To move forward with this, I agreed to allow the contractor of the building to break through a large tile in the bathroom near the toilet and to pick away at the cement that was covering the drain pipe (burying pipes in concrete is common here).  They think they discovered the source of the problem, but it's difficult to prove.  They found a couple of cracks in the building's Y connector that takes waste water from my home to the building's drain pipe.  Hopefully they will conclude that this is a building issue and it will be fixed and paid for by the condo association.

Health of the Body

My knee is coming along nicely.  I've finished physical therapy and I'm no longer seeing my surgeon.  Now is the slow process of recovery.  I'm walking just fine and can do that for some distance, but I am still not able to run or do hiking excursions.  That will come in time.

I've depended on my Federal insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield. for my medical needs.  It's worked, but I have to pay most things up front and then get reimbursed a month later.  The only time I didn't do that was for the knee surgery but I had to constantly be on top of it, communicating to BCBS, the provider, who knows nothing about our medical insurance system and has to trust me that the process will work.  I have seen doctors here, but they tend to be for special things.  I have not had a good physical check-up since I've arrived. Then there are the copays, which are not insignificant.  It works, but it takes time and money.

So I've been thinking about possibly buying private health insurance here.  There are some plans that

have no co-pays and have a network of many physicians, clinics and hospitals.  I would keep my American insurance but only use it here for medication and for special needs.  I calculated that my premiums here would have equaled the co-pays that I spent last year.  So it seems logical to go through with this idea.  It would just a matter of choosing the best network and taking the leap.  We'll see.

Politics and the Holidays

Big things have been going on politically here in Barcelona and in Spain.  The first big change was

the Sept 27 regional elections in Catalonia.  The result is that the two parties that are in favor of becoming an independent nation and separating from Spain together received the majority of seats in the Catalan Parliament, even though they received less than 50% of the popular vote (which is not uncommon here).  These parties have announced for months beforehand that if they received the majority of seats, they would pave a path for independence.  This they started on Nov 9, when a resolution was passed to begin the process toward the creation of an independent Catalan state in the form of a republic.  Currently, however, they are at an impasse because the smaller of these two parties will not support the prior president of the Parliament, Artur Mas, to continue in that post.  Some news reports stated that by law the Catalan parliament had two months from the elections to elect a president, which has long passed and they are still debating.  Other reports stated that after the second vote held on Nov 12, which Mas failed to obtain a majority, two months are now open for new debates.  If after those two months, a president is still not elected, then elections will be repeated early in 2016.  I just heard from a friend that Jan 10th is the deadline.  Sometimes I get the feeling they are making this up as they go along, but I digress.

The other big news is that on Dec 20 Spain had its national elections.  Unlike the national elections of four years ago, this time no one party received the absolute majority in Parliament, although the conservative party, Partido Popular (PP), received the highest number of seats.  But in order to form a government, a candidate has to be elected among the representatives to be President (or prime minister).  This year, it requires at least two or more parties to form alliances, a difficult task at best, as the parties that have more in common still would not have the sufficient number of seats to form a majority and would have to join with parties that are idealogically very different.  If a solution is not found in early 2016, new elections will occur in May.

Personal Thoughts

I am still very new to the politics of Spain and Catalonia, so my opinions are still forming.  The path to independence for Catalonia, if it moves forward, will be fraught with pitfalls and obstacles, I believe.  It won't occur in the near future.  It is much too complicated and Spain is diametrically opposed to an independent Catalonia.  Although those in favor of independence believe the new state would be more prosperous after separation, I believe Catalonia would experience very hard economic times that would continue for a while before finding its economic balance and begin to prosper again, as I'm sure it will.

The recent Spanish elections show a very divided electorate still reeling from the economic crisis that has not ended, and a profound disgust for the high level of corruption that has infected all levels of government, to some degree or another.  They are also very concerned with the very real possibility of Catalonia attempting to separate, which would have a devastating affect on Spain. Whatever government eventually is elected to govern Spain, it will most likely be weak and ineffective to move its agenda forward.

The Holidays

This year I decided to stay in Spain for the Holidays (last year was my first and only visit back to the

My favorite pastry place!

States). Holiday lights were turned on Dec 1 throughout the city.  Around Dec 19 four blocks of wooden/steel booths were set up on the Gran Via on both sides of the street, just two blocks from my home, filled with all types of small stores, from candy to children's toys, to jewelry and artesan products of every kind.  On almost every corner there is a Churreria, where they make fried dough that is in the shape of a long, thin tube, sprinkled with suger and can also be dipped in hot chocolate. This will stay up until Three King's Day (Dia de los Tres Reyes - see below).

In Catalonia, families gather on Christmas Eve evening and/or on Christmas Day to exchange presents and have their Christmas dinner.  They also have the following day, Dec 26, St. Stephen's Day,as a holiday, with a big meal that includes canalons, where the leftover meat from the previous day are ground and stuffed in a pasta roll and covered in a bechamel sauce.

A friend who I've known for a few years and who lives in Madrid invited me to spend Christmas with him and his brother and niece in the northeastern coast of Spain in the city of San Sebastian, which is the Basque region of Spain.  I took the train up and back, long but relaxing.  It was a great time.  I've only been to San Sebastian once for less than a day, so it was a real treat to be there with a friend that was born in that area.  The city is beautiful on the Cantabrian Sea (or the Bay of Biscay).  It's also well-known for its amazing cuisine and delicious tapas called pintxos.  Besides San Sebastian (or Donostia in Basque), we also visited the picturesque town of Hondarribia which is on the sea and borders France, as well as a small and historic town called Oñati, where we visited some friends of mine who live there.

Chris is crooning away at our New Years Eve party

Of course New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated here, with the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes when the clock strikes 12 midnight, eating one grape with every chime.  You generally stuff your face with grapes in order to eat all 12 within a minute.  Chris arrived on New Year's Eve after visiting his family in the U.S. and we celebrated New Year's Eve at the home of one of our friends.  One of the guests brought the latest version of a kareoke machine (all contained within the microphone and connected to a flat screen TV).  We had a lot of fun singing Spanish, South American, American and English songs.

The last holiday of the season is Three King's Day, which is the same day as Epiphany, this year falling on Jan 6.  This is the traditional day when children receive their presents, although many receive presents earlier so that they can enjoy them before going back to school the day after Three Kings.  Here in Barcelona, the "three kings" arrive by ship to the Barcelona port the day before, where they are greeted by the city mayor.  A parade is formed and traverses throughout the city.  We are planning on seeing the parade at our friend Jordi's home, where his balcony overlooks the parade that passes on his street.

Chaos at Condo Meeting (Reunión de Comunidad)!

What an ideal condo meeting
would look like

Almost everyone lives in condos or apartments in Barcelona.  There are very few detached homes in the city.  And every condo building has a condo association or as we would say in Barcelona, Comunidad. Each association contracts with a company who is licensed and dedicated to administer the maintenance of the building.  Additionally, in my association, a president and a vice president are elected by the owners.  By law, the condo association needs to call a meeting of the owners at least once a year.  This usually occurs in December and we had ours on Dec 3, which I attended.  And it was a doozy.

I arrived late because I had my Catalan class that afternoon.  Although we have 22 condo units and two commercial units, only 6 condo owners attended and the 2 owners of the commercial units, one which is a restaurant and the other is an artificial flower shop.  The administrator of the condo association company presided over the meeting.  His assistant, the President and the Vice President were there as well.  We went over the income and the expenses of the building for the year.  We also talked about the indispensable need for repairs to this 100+ year old building and the need to temporarily increase our reserves, as the administrator earnestly suggested to us.

This is how our condo meeting felt like
most of the evening

That was the bird's eye view of the meeting.  However, at ground level, it was a chaotic discussion.  My level of confusion only increased as they constantly switched from Spanish to Catalan and back again and again.  The two commercial owners had a list of complaints and their diatribes almost reached the level of blatant insults to the condo company.  The restaurant owner insisted that we were paying way too much money to the condo company for the little work that they do.  The flower shop owner felt that the figures that were presented to us were not correct since she was not able to balance them to her satisfaction.  My next door neighbor, who had major water damage to her unit due to water leaking from the unit above hers, kept insisting that the condo association should fix this problem, although it was already determined that the issue needed to be resolved between the insurance companies of the two units.  Six conversations at once would erupt at various times with the administrator attempting to bring order to this very unruly meeting.

I was barely able to understand all the reasonable and unreasonable issues that were being raised. But one thing became clear to me.  The interests of the commercial owners are very different from the condo owners.  They want to minimize costs at any expense.  Any increase to our association fee, which is currently quite low, means to them a 5 fold increase, since they occupy 5 times the amount of space that a typical condo unit occupies.  The other thing that is clear is that this building is in desperate need of maintenance.  We recently had the front facade renovated.  There are major cracks on the sides of the building, the patios have water leaking in them, the back balconies need to be repaired, and a host of other minor repairs need to be attended to.

I truly don't know how we got there, but in the end most of us agreed to increase our condo fee by 100 euros every quarter and to begin to do a thorough assessment of the repairs needed and to prioritize those that need to be done first.

Getting More Personal

Speaking of building issues, for the past year, my neighbor below me has been having water leaking into his condo every now and then, generally during heavy rain storms, which we do not have often here.  The mystery is where this water is coming from.  He had his insurance company looking at it, the condo association insurance company investigating it, and when we had the facade of the building renovated, the contractor who did that work also was involved in trying to determine where it might be coming from.  My neighbor is a very kind and reasonable man, in his late thirties, early forties, I presume.  He and these other agents at various times also wanted to look at my bathroom, which is above the location where he is having his water issues.  BTW, his water issues started occurring before I bought my flat.

The possible culprit in this Y junction

Finally, about two weeks ago, they discovered that inside the large drainage pipe that goes down the outside building and passes my bathroom, using a powerful flashlight, they could see what seemed to be another drain pipe that was coming out of the building, apparently from my bathroom, and protruding into the community drain pipe.  This could very well be the cause of the problem.  You see, when there is a heavy rain and water is streaming into the drain pipe from the roof terrace, the theory is that it would hit the protruding pipe and the water would build up and back into the building, which would then leak into the space between my floor and his ceiling.  The other issue is that the Y junction that goes from the building into the vertical drain pipe is at a low downward angle, making it easier for the water to back fill.

When they discovered this, they, being the condo administrator, the vice president, the condo contractor and my neighbor, while visiting my place again, discussed the option of opening up the wall behind my toilet to verify their suspicions.  When I asked about who would pay for this, the answer seemed vague.  This is where my level of Spanish may have been lacking.  In principle I was agreeable to have them do this work, but I first wanted to have my insurance company also look at the issue and to find out that if it was coming from my condo, whether they would cover the cost of the work.

My insurance company did come and my neighbor was also here for their two visits, but they did not think that my policy would cover this cost.  Most insurance contracts do not cover problems that are the result of faulty construction.  Whoever worked on the bathroom under the prior owners seemed to sloppily install the drain pipe that leads out of my condo.  I am now waiting on my insurance company to make a final determination.

The hopeful news is that my neighbor explained to me the full contents of the conversation that he, the administrator, the vice president and the contractor had in my presence, but I did not fully follow, which was that the association would replace the Y junction, which is the property of the building, with a more inclined Y junction.  At that time, they would also ¨fix¨ the protruding pipe coming out of my bathroom.  They talked about sharing the cost, since it would be repairing both the community property and my property.  So, in most likelihood, I would not bear the full cost of this repair.  I will know for sure in the next few weeks.

Knee Progress and Medical Records & Privacy in Barcelona

It's been now 4 weeks since my knee surgery.  I had my surgery on Nov 5.  Since then I feel that I have been treated like a sports athlete, since this doctor specializes in using Growth Factors to help regenerate some of the torn meniscus that was removed from the knee and to facilitate quicker healing.  I've received 3 injections of my own plasma enriched with other substances into my knee to promote healing.  I have also received Ozone Therapy, which reduces pain in joints, which in my case is my knee.  I feel like the famous Barcelona football player, Messi, although he has not been getting good press recently.  These treatments are not FDA recognized so I need to pay this out of my own pocket.  But I believe it's worth it.

Progress

After my first two weeks on crutches, I was able to go the third week with just one crutch and in the

house without any at times.  After the third week I have not had to use crutches at all.  I could go grocery shopping on my own again!!  The knee is stiff and a little painful, especially when I bend it.  I will be starting three weeks of physical therapy this week.  The physical therapist that examined my knee said that it is healing very nicely and is in good condition considering that the surgery was so recent.

When I talked with my surgeon on Wednesday, he said that mid-way through my therapy sessions I can begin to do light sports activities.  After the 3 weeks of therapy I can do moderate exercise, and in January I should be back to normal.  We'll see how all this goes.

Medical Records

Unlike in the U.S. where there has been a big push to store all medical records electronically (which has had mixed reviews, especially among U.S. medical professionals), here in Barcelona, many records are still written on paper.  I was amused when I went into the doctor's office the other day and they had large index cards with information about me on it.  There are file folders, and envelopes and index cards and paper documents to keep track of my records.  Of course this hinders the ability to easily communicate to other health professionals working with the patient.  But it also reduces the amount of administrative work that US health workers are burdened with.

Medical Privacy

I also noticed that there is not the rigor to keep an individual's medical information absolutely private.  I am not saying that information is indiscreetly shared, but there seems to be a more casualness to sharing.  In my case, I found this doctor through a good friend who highly recommended him.  One day, I was talking to my friend.  He mentioned that the doctor had told him that when they went into my knee, they found that there was a lot more torn meniscus there than what they were expecting.  He said that the doctor told him that it was pretty beat up.  I already knew this information, but I was surprised to hear it from my friend who had heard it from our mutual doctor.  Although I was not offended by this, my initial shock came from my experience of the strict standard in the U.S. for professionals to never share medical information about their clients.  I don't know if this was an isolated incident or whether this is a common occurrence.