Some Photos from My Retirement Party at the OCC

My work friends, Andy and David, sent me the video and the photos they took at my party.  I'd like to share a few of these with you.

Below is a link to a video on YouTube of the gathering of colleagues and talks that my director, best work friend and I gave at my party.

Video of Retirement Party and Talks


Here is the link to all the photos from the party.
All Photos from the Retirement Party

Chris

Life can be very unpredictable and can present us with gifts and opportunities that do not fit into our best laid plans.  At least I am experiencing this phenomena at this time.  Over the last couple of months a very loving relationship has been developing between Chris and me.  And especially over these last five days, it has intensified and deepened.  It was an amazing Valentine's Day weekend, spending almost 24 hours a day with Chris.

What is utterly incredible for me is to see the emotional maturity in both of us to fully embrace the deep love we feel for each other and at the same time know and accept that on March 10 I will be leaving for Barcelona.  You might think it is crazy to get involved in a relationship that will involve indeterminable separation within the next few weeks.  I certainly thought so.  But the feelings that we have both felt
for each other were undeniably real and as we danced around those emotions, we both discovered a strength inside each of us to expose ourselves to both the joy and the pain of this reality.

I don't know how all of this will turn out.  But I do know how rich this relationship has been and how much this has taught me about my own capacity for love.  I also continually hear messages from Chris about how much he has learned and has grown as a result of this honest and caring exploration of each other's love.

Neither of us knows what will become of "us".  But underlying all of this is a deep trust that this is good and right and that it will give birth to more good for each of us, whether together or apart.

Spanish Bank Account

One of the mysteries of moving to Spain was opening a Spanish bank account.  Part of the reason for that is that there are so many obstacles for Americans to open foreign bank accounts due to the restrictions that have been put into place by the US on owning off-shore accounts in order to prevent money laundering, financing terrorism, and  tax evasion.  So even though there are Spanish banks which have branches here in the US and there are US banks that have branches in Spain, there is an impenetrable barrier to bank in both countries from one account.

A friend of mine who is also moving to Spain soon decided to go with Citibank and opened a "Gold" account, which requires a minimum of $50,000 remaining in the account to avoid a number of bank transaction fees when transferring money from a US Citibank account to a Spanish Citibank account.  I considered this, but I was put off by the high balance that I would need to maintain.

My Spanish Real Estate agent recommended to me a Spanish bank called NovaGalicia that have local branches in Barcelona.  She used to work for the bank and helped me to obtain favorable conditions with the bank manager.  Spanish banks generate many more fees than US banks for its clients, so I was appreciative of this offering.

I also learned from a book on buying property in Spain about "Foreign Exchange Specialists" that can provide one with the ability to transfer money to foreign banks with favorable exchange rates and minimal fees - much better than banks.  I decided to go with USForex and opened an account with them.

Over the last few days, I provided the bank with my NIE number (it's a number that I received with my visa, like a social security number, and allows me to make financial transactions, including opening a bank account and buying a house) and other information showing my work status as retired with a pension.

Just this morning I received confirmation about my new Spanish bank account!  That with a US accountant to ensure that I am in keeping with US tax laws, I believe I now have my basic financial structures in place for my upcoming move.

Packing & Moving - Ugh!

In four weeks I will be taking all the boxes that I will have packed up to Baltimore, which then will be shipped by boat to Barcelona.  At first I thought I would just take two suitcases with me and start everything anew.  Well, that thought didn't last long!  But I am constantly trying to find a balance between those "things" that I really do want and need in Spain and the other "chachka" that really holds no significance or serves no future need.  In spite of this constant examination, I will probably take a little more than what I actually should, with the emphasis on "a LITTLE more".

I decided to go with International Cargo/Export Shipping Co.  The information on their website is excellent and their rates seem reasonable.  Having 5 weeks of not working, I decided to do my own packing.  And it just so happens that my new neighbor across the street is in the military and just got back from Italy with tons of sturdy boxes that can be reused.  So I have 8 boxes packed so far.  I'll probably have another 7-9 boxes before I'm done.

I have not moved often in my life and so I find this process to be somewhat exasperating and painful.  My mother used to be a pack rat and I've inherited some of that (just ask Tom!).  This process really reveals my attachment to things.  My Buddhist training is serving me well in seeing those feelings just as they are - feelings - and then deciding whether I should keep it, give it away or toss it.  It's actually pretty liberating!  But I also find that it doesn't get easier, at least up to now.

They said that the shipment should arrive by around April 1. I was actually hoping it would take longer! I may need a temporary storage facility until I find my future home.

My Last Week At Work - Quite Exhilarating!

It was quite a week for my last week at the OCC (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency).  The two big highlights were the Retirement reception, which was held on Wednesday afternoon, and the lunch with some of my colleagues from my department, held on Thursday, my last day.  On Wednesday, I was truly overwhelmed by the turnout - over 100 colleagues from a large cross-section of the agency came to the event.  During my 19 years at the OCC, I worked in our IT department, our Economics department, and in our Supervision area.  Also, over the last 2 1/2 years, I started and facilitated a mindfulness meditation group, which drew in over 130 people from all across the agency at headquarters.  So, I guess it wasn't that surprising.  But I was still surprised!

My immediate supervisor did an amazing job of organizing this reception and started lining things up 3 months in advance.  We had Spanish music playing, photos projected on the big screens, and super-sized pictures of parts of Barcelona and areas of Spain around the wall, as well as the Catalan flag on some of the walls.  Besides the food that was catered by the agency, some friends made Spanish and Catalan dishes to share.  A colleague who is also a professional photographer took photos and another colleague did videos (I felt a little self-conscious having the video camera videotaping many of my conversations with friends - but I know that it will be worth it since the quality of the work from both of these colleagues is superb!).

We tried to keep the speeches short and we only had 3 speak: my director, my best friend at work Carol (I

Some members of the FINDRS V2 team

consider her my work wife!), and me.  The words and the feelings that they expressed touched me deeply.  It was also very heartening to talk to so many colleagues afterwards expressing their congratulations, good wishes and appreciation.  I was deeply moved by some of those who regularly attend our weekly mindfulness meditation session sharing with me how helpful it was for them to learn that practice, to practice together with the group and to begin to experience the benefits of meditation in their daily life.

I understand that I may not see the photos and videos until I get closer to when I leave for Barcelona.  I'll post a few of them here when I receive them.  In the meantime, I've posted a photo taken with some of the team that I worked with over the last few years at the OCC.

Working at the OCC has been a great experience in so many ways, in spite of the few bumps along the road.  I will miss my many work friends there.