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.

Prague & Knee Surgery

Chris and I went to Prague during his Fall break (the British are so much more sensible about providing breaks during the school year!).  He wrote a great blog article on his blog site, which is http://travelguychris.blogspot.com.es/2015/11/a-few-more-highlights-of-prague-and-new.html .

Here are just a few additional observations about our trip there.  Prague is an amazing and beautiful city.  The oldest part of the city is paved with cobblestones, ancient churches, building and squares, unique stores and many restaurants with delicious food.  AND it is filled with tourists like Chris and me.  We were there in the Fall, so I could tell that the city could accommodate many more tourists than were there at the time we visited.  Many restaurants had few people sitting at their tables and we could get into most sites easily with no line.  Even so, sometimes in certain places the number of tourists was overwhelming.  I likened the Gothic-style Charles Bridge, started in 1357, as the Rambla of Barcelona, because all the tourists seem to live on that bridge, with many tour groups stopping beside the many statues on the bridge, causing huge massive jams trying to walk from one side to the other.  I can't imagine what the city would be like in the middle of the summer with even more hordes of tourists.

But besides the tourists, Prague was magical for us.  It's probably one of the most romantic cities in Europe and the changing of the Fall leaves made it even more beautiful.  It was the perfect backdrop for us to continue to grow, learn, live, and deepen our relationship.  Feeling so close to Chris, it's hard to believe that I could feel any closer, and yet that happened on this trip.

One Last Small Hike Before Surgery

I went on an hike (more like a long walk) the weekend before my scheduled knee surgery.  It was an enjoyable walk with some friends besides the Besòs River, which more or less defines the northern border of the city of Barcelona.  We then had a pleasant meal nearby at the home of one them.



Knee Surgery

Last Thursday I had arthroscopic surgery on my left knee to repair the torn meniscus that was found from an MRI.  Last August, on my trip to Amsterdam, I began to experience swelling and pain there, which did not dissipate after returning home.  I decided to see a specialist, who thought it might be interior torn meniscus and ordered the MRI, which confirmed his initial diagnosis.  I scheduled surgery on Nov 5.  It turns out that there was a lot of torn meniscus, which he removed.

I am now confined at home and can get around using crutches and my office chair, which has wheels on it.  For Post-Op, this doctor uses Growth Factor treatment to help repair and regenerate the meniscus and worn cartilage, which I received my first treatment last Monday.  I am expected to get two more treatments and then some physical therapy.  The doctor initially said that my recovery time will be about 1 1/2 months.  Unfortunately, this treatment is not recognized in the U.S. but I thought it was worthwhile doing and will be paying for this on my own.

This is the first major medical procedure overseas.  So far, my Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance is working well.  I had to tell them in advance about the procedure.  But it still takes constant vigilance and communication with the provider and insurance company.  The surgeon's office has been patient with the mysteries of working with a foreign insurance company and will be submitting the invoice and my medical record to them.  BCBS says it takes around 30 days to process and pay.  Later I will be billed for the difference (my copay).  Fingers crossed!

Great Support!

A visit from some of my friends

Chris, of course, has been a tremendous support before, during and after the operation.  I have also had the immense outpouring of support from friends both here and in the U.S.  I have had many offers from my friends here to help me with my food shopping and some will even cook for me!  I have had some very nice visits from friends, which has been very enjoyable and lessens the sense of loneliness and claustrophobia.  I feel very fortunate indeed!!

Learning Catalan - An Uphill Climb

It's been now 5 weeks since starting the first level of Catalan and it's been an interesting experience so far.  The good news is that I am understanding some of the basic structure of the language and some of the most commonly used words and phrases.  Already my eyes are comprehending much better store signs that I read in Barcelona and sentences that I encounter (almost all store signs and local commercial publications are written in Catalan in Barcelona, not in Spanish).  I see the potential of accessing much more information and appreciating much more deeply all that Barcelona and Catalunya has to offer.

And, as I had surmised, I have a much better appreciation of the difficulty of learning a new language from scratch, especially as an adult who is in his early 60's.  Chris, of course, is much younger, but he also comments about the ease in which his own 4th grade students can pick up a language, as he too is struggling with continuing to learn Spanish with his Spanish teacher in Kiev.  Also, the urgency in learning Catalan is less than when I learned Spanish in Spain in 1978 in a small city in the Castilla region where hardly anyone knew English.  Here in Barcelona everyone knows Spanish so the necessity to learn Catalan to communicate is much less.

I am lagging behind in my listening comprehension of and expressing myself in Catalan.  But I need to continue to remind myself that this is a beginning course and that this will take time to become basically fluent.  It helps that I know Spanish pretty well, as there are some similarities to the Catalan language.  Also, since the large majority of the class are Spanish speakers, the teacher will default to Spanish to explain some words and concepts when she knows that we will not understand her explanations in Catalan.  But contrary to some people's perceptions, Catalan is not a dialect of Spanish.  It is a completely different language but has similar Latin roots.  Also, here in Barcelona, there could be some "castellanismo" of Catalan, similar to Spanish in Puerto Rico blending English words into its vocabulary.

But what motivates me is knowing that I will eventually be able to take local classes, go to the theater, watch other TV channels, understand friends when they switch to Catalan, and much more.

Upcoming Knee Surgery

On my trip to Amsterdam, I started to experience chronic knee pain.  It did not spoil the trip, but I thought it would be wise to get this checked out.  I went to a doctor who specializes in knee surgery and who was highly recommended.  He ordered an MRI which revealed torn meniscus.  I will have surgery done on Nov 5.  It has been interesting coordinating the logistics with my U.S. Blue Cross/Blue Shield international coverage.  I think it will all work out coverage-wise, but we'll see how it all unfolds.

Prague

Speaking of trips, on Monday I will be flying to Prague where Chris will meet me and we will spend a week together.  I can't wait to be with Chris again (it's been two months since we were last together) and to explore Prague together.  Everything I have read and heard about Prague makes me very excited about spending 7 days there with Chris.

Being a Tourist vs. a Resident in Barcelona

The month of September was filled with memorable times with visitors.  My sister and her partner John spent a week in Barcelona.  I had my good friend Carol who this year stayed in Barcelona for a month, renting an apartment nearby and had her husband and friends visit with her here.  I also had a long-time friend who visited me here and who I hadn't seen for 24 years.  These visits plus my own trip this month to Berlin caused me to reflect on the differences between being in another country as a tourist versus living as a resident.  But before I begin to philosophize (I really need a glass of Catalan red wine to accompany me for that!), let me give you some highlights of the month, which includes a funny story about my sister's stay here.

Bernadette, John and I waiting for our paella

With my sister Bernadette and John, the plan was for them to stay with me and together visit the tourist sights of the city.  We went to Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, went up to Montjuic, felt the spray of the magic fountain, saw a concert at La Palau de la Musica Catalana, spent the day at Montserrat, ascended to Tibidabo to see the breadth of the city, had a tour of the Gothic Quarter, walked down La Rambla and visited La Boqueria market.  We also ate very well and I hosted a gathering with my friends at a local wine bar/bodega to meet my sister.  It was very special for me to have my first family member visit me here in Barcelona.

As I said, the plan was for them to stay with me the entire week.  But after three days, John's allergies with my cat Sunset caused us to consider having them move to a hotel for the last three days.  Of course we wanted the hotel to be close but my first choice, a hotel just a block away, was already filled.  The next closest hotel was three blocks away.  It is a brand new upscale hotel, Axel II, which caters to mostly the gay community but is hetero-friendly.  My sister and John were nonplussed about that and had three enjoyable nights in a cat-free environment.

Carol with Jordi and his brother
Roberto

Carol was close by in a very nice and spacious apartment.  She had various visitors, and at its height, had four other people staying with her.  We met up a few times, but they were pretty busy with sight-seeing, cooking classes, the beach and day-trips.  She got to spend four days at my place with Sunset while I was in Amsterdam at the beginning of her stay here.  It seems that she got plenty of opportunities to speak Spanish and yet spent a lot of time in English with her husband and friends.  My friends are very fond of Carol and were also very welcoming of Carol's entourage when we had a few dinners together.

Projection on
Casa Batllo

An old friend Joe, who I knew when I was in the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington DC, was visiting.  He had moved to Denver 24 years ago and we hadn't seen each other since.  He was going to be here with his partner and his sister.  We got to meet one evening for tapas and to visit one of the many spectacles of the city, the projections on the Gaudi house Casa Batllo, during the festivities of La Mercé.  I combined that with local friends, so they got to meet some of them as well.

Also, this month, I went to Berlin for the first time.  Shambhala had a leadership conference for two days there and so I stretched that to 4 nights and got just a glimpse of the city.  Not knowing German, I was in full tourist mode, trying to

At the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin

make my way around this expansive and energetic city in the few days I had there.  I only had one full day to see Berlin, so I ran around using the public transportation system, which I felt comfortable with by the end of my stay.  Chris and I hope to visit the city soon together, since it's a good halfway point for the both of us.

It's been a long time since I was a tourist in Barcelona.  It's not for the faint of heart!!  Barcelona is the fourth European city with the most tourists, surpassing 7.5 million visitors in 2013.  They are not everywhere in the city, but they concentrate in the tourist areas (duh!) and as such can be a battle making your way in these areas.  As much as I enjoyed my time with my sister, it was exhausting being a tourist again!  In my time in Berlin I found much more energy touring that city, since it was my first time there.

I find that the goals and aspirations of being a tourist are very different than being a foreign resident.  The typical tourist is in a city to visit the tourist sights and may be less interested in touching base with the language and culture of the city.  Of course, language can be a major barrier to connecting with the people who actually live there, as well as time.  It was interesting to introduce my friends to visitors and the varying degrees of interest that they had in getting to know them.

As a foreign resident, it has always been my goal to integrate myself as much as possible with the culture of the city that I live in.  Being a part of the hiking group, cultivating a group of local friends,  being involved in the local Shambhala group, improving my Spanish and now beginning to learn the basics of Catalan are all ways for me to be more connected.  I find that this connection revitalizes my spirit and renews my energy.

End of Summer - More Travel in Store

The rest of my time in Kiev with Chris was great.  I got to relax with no real agenda except to be together and explore more of Kiev.  Since then, with Chris starting work, getting to know his fellow-teachers and meeting other new people in his new city, he has discovered many other urban gems that I am looking forward to getting to know the next time I'm back.

We did have one rude awakening after I returned to Barcelona.  The very next weekend was a 3 day weekend for Chris and we planned to meet up in Amsterdam.  Unfortunately, it was not clearly explained to Chris that he cannot leave the country under any circumstances until his work visa

With Arie & Kevin in Amsterdam

papers are fully processed, which takes about 45 days.  I was bummed out, but luckily Chris got a refund on his airline tickets.  I did go to Amsterdam and met up with some long-time friends that I knew in Washington DC, all who were associated with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington when I was in that group.  It was great to spend time with Arie and Kevin, & Andy and his husband Sjef.  It was also a magnificent weekend in Amsterdam weather-wise.  I pretty much stayed outdoors most of the time as a result and didn't get to any museums, except for the Heineken "Experience", which was a tour and high-tech interactive museum in what was before the original brewery.

Learning Catalan

It's interesting that my general plans for the first two years in Spain are coming to fruition, at least up to now.  I figured that the first half year would be devoted to finding and buying my flat, furnishing it and settling in.  After that I wanted to improve my Spanish and devote myself to refining my language skills, which I did by attending the city-sponsored language school and completing the last two levels that they offer, levels 4 & 5.  But I also thought that after that it would be good for me to begin to learn Catalan.  As many of you know, most Barcelonians are bi-lingual and speak both Spanish and Catalan.  Depending on the person and his/her background, some of them express themselves better in Catalan than in Spanish or it may be just their preference.  I find at times in a middle of a conversation within a group, some individuals will switch to Catalan.  Also, my Friday night Shambhala meditation group, in group meetings, prefers to converse in Catalan.


For these and other reasons, I will start taking Catalan classes this September.  It's a first level course that the city offers for free, which consists of two classes per week, 3 hours per class, for 9 weeks.  I just got my book and have started to review the first few pages and take notes.  This experience will also help me to better understand and appreciate Chris' early language learning process in Spanish, which I went through myself, but over 35 years ago.

Upcoming Trips

Shambhala Europe is having a leadership conference in mid-September in Berlin.  I've never been and I felt that I should be there.  I'm getting there a couple of days early so I can get to see some highlights and a sense of the city before the conference begins.   Of course at a later time I would like to spend more time in this very fascinating city with Chris.

In mid-October Chris and I will finally be back together again, meeting up in Prague.  We are renting a very nice apartment in the center of the city.  We will be there for 7 days, so we are sure to not only get to know this city, but to also explore other cities nearby in the Czech Republic.

Oh, BTW, my other general plan was that starting in Year 2 of living in Europe, I would begin to travel and take advantage of my proximity to many amazing and beautiful cities.  This also is starting to unfold this year.

Kiev, Ukraine - the Good, the Okay and the Ugly

I've been here in Kiev for about five days so far.  I'm so glad that I came just a couple of days after Chris arrived to help him settle in to his new home and to explore Kiev together.  It's a huge city and I felt culture shock the first couple of days after I arrived.  There are aspects of this city that are very nice, others that are so-so, and some things are hard to bear.  I'll take these one at a time.  Please keep in mind that these are only first impressions.  I'm sure that Chris will have a lot more to say about Kiev with a lot more substance over time.

The Good

Chris lives here!!  That's so good!!!  He's only four hours away from Barcelona and we'll be seeing each other more often, traveling to other European cities for weekend-plus getaways.  Already we have a trip planned at the end of this month in Amsterdam and a week-long trip in October to Prague.

We have visited some beautiful parts of Kiev.  The orthodox churches here are stunning, with their unique onion domes, common in this part of the world, and the ornate and iconic sanctuaries.  It seems that religion is a big part of Ukrainian life, similar to Poland, although it's too early to verify that.  On Sunday afternoon in St. Michael's Golden Dome Church, many long, thin devotional candles were lit and at least 5 women, with their heads covered with kerchiefs, were cleaning parts of the sanctuary with buckets and rags.  All the other women in the church had their heads covered and as they entered a certain part of the church they would cross themselves three times.  Much of this felt like a throwback to my early years as a child in my Catholic parish, but without the opulent orthodox church decor.

Kiev has some super-sized shopping malls, very modern by western standards, and with air-

conditioning, which is necessary with highs of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) these last few days, but at least it is a dry heat. They also have super-sized modern supermarkets where you can find just about everything and the food prices for most products are much cheaper than in either Barcelona or Washington DC.  The city center is a very pleasant area to walk around as well.

Chris' home is only a 7 minute walk to his British International school, which is located behind a gated community with many high-rise residential buildings and the most luxurious gym that I have ever seen, which I believe Chris will be joining in the next week or so.  The school itself is a pleasant and well-equipped facility and it seems like it will be good working environment for Chris.

We had the added pleasure of meeting some locals.  The day after I arrived, we joined a small group of members from the local Shambhala meditation group for their weekly meditation session at one of the member's home.  It was also her birthday, so we were invited to stay and enjoy food, wine and conversation with them.  They were all very kind and their English was good enough for us to have some good discussion.  They also contacted a member who was not there but is a museum docent for the Mikail Bulgakov Museum.  We visited the museum on Sunday and she gave us a personal tour of this author's home and hear the fascinating story and display about his life in the early 20th century.

The Okay

The Metro has three lines, each in a different color and each station with a unique number.  Before the 2012 Euro World Cup in Kiev, the lines were not color-coded.  People knew where to go by just knowing the names of the station, which of course is hard for tourists to read in Cyrillic.  

Speaking of tourists, Kiev is so different from Barcelona in that regard.  There doesn't seem to be any tourists!!  I'm sure there are, but they are in hiding, I think.

Back to the metro, it wears on you very quickly.  It feels very old, although the first line was built in 1960.  It is almost always filled with people and toward the city center you are crammed into the metro car like sardines.  It is very unusual that you would ever find a seat.  It jerks you around as if you're on a roller coaster ride.  And it is super loud.  You have to shout to your neighbor to be heard.  And yet, when it comes to talking on the metro, it is very unusual to hear or see that. People don't speak to each other.  There are few smiles and laughing is hardly ever heard.  

In Barcelona, when I would talk with Chris in English in the metro system, people would turn and glance, even though English is spoken with much more frequency there than in Kiev.  Here however, there is no sign of curiosity, no head-turning, no glancing.  Everyone is in their own world.  I wonder whether this is the result of years of Soviet repression and fear-induced self-containment.  It does feel cold and barren in these public areas.  However, at stores and restaurants, the service is very good and the customer gets very good attention, probably more so than in Barcelona.

The Ugly

There are beautiful sections of the city and the Dnipro River is very pretty.  But the city as a whole is very run down.  There are large swaths where you feel you are in a 3rd world country - many abandoned buildings, torn-up sidewalks, dilapidated apartment buildings, etc.  The closest hospital to Chris from the outside seems like it was in a war zone.  I doubt that would be the hospital that Chris would go to, but it is an example of how the city infrastructure seems to have been neglected for many years.   I would think that if Ukraine goes forward in eventually joining the European Union, it will get the investments that it needs to make these critical changes to this very historical and richly cultured city.

It's Only Getting Better - Chris in Barcelona

This morning Chris left to go back to the U.S. after five wonderful weeks of having him here in Barcelona and a taking a trip together to Bilbao.  Things didn't turn out exactly as we had planned but they were exactly as they were meant to be.

Changed Plans

One of the things that was planned was for Chris to attend an intensive Spanish class for four weeks.  What was unknown was how fast the pace would be and how the teachers seemed to gear their lessons toward those who already had some basics of the Spanish language under their belt, even though it was a level 1 class.  I was at a retreat during the first week that Chris was in class, but when I got back I quickly understood his situation and how Chris was feeling that with each passing day, he was getting further and further behind.  Although we worked on some of his homework together and in spite of Chris spending 2-3 hours after class studying (that after 4 hours of class each day, every day), Chris decided to drop the class after 2 1/2 weeks.  He also had to take care of his visa for Ukraine and other essential matters during this time.  I supported Chris' decision in this and his plan to spend some of his newly found free time to review the materials that he had received from the class in the weeks remaining in Barcelona.  Chris will also be taking a Spanish class once he gets settled in Kiev.

Another plan we had was to spend a half day on a Saturday in the country about an hour outside of

Barcelona with the Shambhala meditation group  for group meditation.  Well, we never quite made it.  I haven't figured out yet how to ensure that I actually board the correct train when riding the regional trains (these are called Rodalies in Catalunya or Cercanías in the rest of Spain).   You see, there are many different trains that use the same tracks and come within minutes apart.  Although they may have a name (like R1 or R3 or R4, etc), depending on their final destination, they may take different routes or they may not stop at certain towns.  So you really need to know your geography of Catalunya, know your train schedule, and know that the town that you want to go to is on the route of the train that is displaying its final destination.

To me it's very confusing.  I study it beforehand, but in the moment, I can sometimes board the wrong train. That's what happened that Saturday.   We got on an R4, which was going in the right direction, but not exactly the same route as the train we should have been on.  However, since there is no graphical display of all the stops of these trains (like on the Barcelona metro), we didn't realize this until we had spent over an hour on this train.  We got off at the next train stop, waited 40 minutes and took the next train back to our starting point. We lost four hours and lost the opportunity to do group meditation.  But Chris and I did spend a little meditation time together at home afterwards.

New Plans!

Since Chris had the final few weeks without class obligations, we decided to take a short trip to the north of Spain - to Bilbao in the Basque country.  It's only an hour trip by plane.  I bought the tickets for the both of us.  A few days later, before we were going to Bilbao, Chris went to the Ukranian Consulate in Barcelona with all his paperwork to obtain his work visa.  They told him that that they needed to keep his passport and he would get it back in a week's time.  As we were going back home, I got the sneaky feeling that we might have a problem going to Bilbao, which was before Chris would be able to have his passport returned.  As I investigated this, I found out that no other ID for Chris was sufficient for air travel - not his American driver's license, not even his passport card (this is relatively new - the U.S. gives out a passport card for North American travel at the same time it issues a new passport).  The only way to fly to Bilbao was for Chris to get his passport back or we would lose our money with our airline tickets.

On Monday, Chris returned to the consulate with his airline tickets.  He explained the issue and had to wait most of the morning as the consulate talked with the embassy in Madrid before he was told that they would return his passport at that time and that they would still process his visa the Monday after he got back from his trip.  Whew!  That was a close call!

Bilbao was great!!  It's a very nice city, we had excellent weather, we ate very, very well, and we got to see the Guggenheim Museum with temporary expositions of Jeff Koons and Jean Michel Basquiat as well as the Museum of Fine Arts.  To top it all off, as we were posting some Facebook photos, a friend that I met in Barcelona contacted me.  I didn't realize that he lived close to Bilbao and he and his partner invited us to the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, about an hour bus ride from Bilbao for the next day to have lunch with them and their family and to visit the ancient cathedral there, which is in the midst of a major renovation.  It was fun to spend time with them and their family and visit the cathedral.  In the late afternoon, they drove us back to Bilbao and we spent some time in the old city center having a drink and enjoying each other's company.

Reflection

More than just doing activities together, Chris and I got to be with each other, share more about our lives, deepen the love that already has a solid base, and even practice Spanish together!  It has been an amazing five weeks.

Next Up!

Chris will be in the U.S. soon for a whirlwind trip to attend his nephew's wedding in Kentucky.  He'll be doing his final packing for Kiev and will arrive there on Aug 4, where he will be welcomed by the school, given a tour of the city and given the keys to his furnished apartment.  I'll be arriving on Aug 6 and together we'll get to explore Kiev together until I go back to Barcelona on Aug 15.  Chris starts work on Aug 17 with a week of teacher preparations.  He has a three day weekend before class starts and we'll be meeting each other in Amsterdam from Aug 21-24.  He will meet his students on Aug 25.

First Two Weeks With and Without Chris

Chris arrived on June 29 without a hitch.  He had a wonderful send-off in the U.S. with two going away parties in his home town at his mom's home and in Washington D.C. at the home of a good friend.  With no regrets he came with his three bags of luggage to his home here in Barcelona.  He will be returning to the U.S. for a few days at the end of July for his nephew's wedding and then will be flying to Kiev on Aug 3 with his other 5 bags.  I'll be meeting him in Kiev from Aug 6 - 15 to help him settle into his new apartment.

The first couple of days were a whirlwind because just a day and a half later I was leaving for France

Chris took this pic as we met up with
friends who would be learning
Spanish at Chris' language school.

for a week-long retreat.  I wanted to get Chris settled into our home, set up his gym membership, get his phone working, ensure he was ready to start his Spanish intensive class on July 1, and meet a couple of other North American friends that were going to the same school.  All that on June 29, the day he arrived.  We didn't even have a chance to take a picture of us!  On June 30, Chris asked me to leave that day open for us to celebrate my birthday which was on June 26.  On that day, he gave me a fantastic relaxing gift at a luxurious spa and massage, where I floated in 7 various kinds of arab-like pools with a steam room after getting my massage.  I felt totally pampered.  We then had a very nice lunch and early dinner so I could finish up packing before my trip the next day.

Shambhala Meditation Retreat

On July 1, I left Chris back in Barcelona and rode in a car with three Spaniards for 8 hours to the mid-western part of France at Dechen Choling, one of Shambhala's land centers, for a week long retreat.  It was designed to train those who had the interest and demonstrated skills and knowledge to be meditation instructors.  There were 60 of us from all over Europe.  We were asked to study and prepare for this week, which I had done.  We received talks, extended times of group meditation, excellent food, as well as times working in small groups to practice and demonstrate the skills of working one-on-one with a meditation student.

Given that we were in Europe, where multiple languages are spoken, I requested that I could be assigned to an English-speaking group, so that I could express myself more easily and from the heart.  But it was not meant to be.  They needed a fourth person for the Spanish-speaking group.  However, it actually turned out to be the best thing for me.  I discovered that although I still need to continue to learn more vocabulary, expressions, etc, I am fully capable to converse in Spanish with a meditation student about meditation practice and how that is experienced in one's life.  The experience gave me the confidence to take this next step in my involvement with the Shambhala group in Barcelona and with Shambhala Europe in general.

Back on the Home Front

During my week in France, I had occasional contact with Chris, although internet communications are not readily available from there.  Some issues came up for him, including the changing of the front door of the building and receiving a new key, which Chris did not get immediately and was stuck outside for a little while.

When I got home, I realized that he was having a really difficult week in the intensive Spanish class.  Their pace was very fast and although he was starting at the first level, there were others in the class that had some prior experience and skills.  It was not a level playing field and I could see that Chris was somewhat discouraged.  We spent that evening going over his homework and I encouraged him to get out of the class what he could in the remaining few weeks.  I think he has regained his motivation and is diligently applying himself and at the same time taking time to relax some and enjoy his time here in Barcelona.


Over the last few days we went to a dinner party at a friend's home with a beautiful terrace overlooking the city and yesterday we spent the day at the beach with friends.

New Chapter Unfolding for me in Europe!

Chris is Coming!!

In about a week, my life will change in a very significant way.  Chris will be moving to Europe.  This will be a huge change for the both of us, and we can't wait!!  For Chris, this is a big leap.  He has sold or given away almost everything he owns, other than what he is bringing with him.  He has requested a sabbatical from his job in the U.S. (rather than just quit his job, he has wisely decided to take this option, as he explores and settles into a European lifestyle).  He is leaving family and friends, many of whom he has known most of his life.  I think this move is even more momentous for Chris than it was for me when I moved over a year ago because the idea of moving probably entered his mind just a couple of months before I left for Barcelona.  To be honest, I was shocked and amazed when he began to talk about his desire to move here and then even more shocked and more amazed at his persistence in trying to find a way to do so. And of course I was very happy that he found a way to continue his teaching career in Europe.  This puts us on the same continent and will increase our frequency of seeing each other fourfold.

Chris will be here in Barcelona most of the summer before he starts his teaching job in Kiev in mid-August.  We will have even more opportunities to deepen our relationship and our love, expand our Spanish as Chris will be taking an intensive Spanish course in July and we will introduce more and more Spanish into our conversations, and continue to explore the city and the beaches around Barcelona together.

To say I'm the luckiest man alive is an understatement.  I would not have imagined this possibility a year and a half ago.  But the love of my life will be more physically present in my life in just a few days, and for that I am both humbled and grateful for this incredible new chapter in our lives.

Passed Driver's Test

Yes, I passed! And I passed both the written and driving tests the first time around.  As I talk with more people here, I realize that this is the exception and not the rule.  For many, it takes two, three or more tries before they pass and obtain their driver's license.

What I learned later, however, is that almost all car rental agencies here will not rent cars to drivers who have their license in the first year.  I will need to investigate this further and see if in my case, since I have my U.S. driver's license as well, they will make an exception.  I can't use that license to drive, but I could possibly use it to rent a car but when driving the car, use my Spanish license.

Spanish Class

I have not mentioned much about my latest Spanish class, which started in February and ended with our exams last week.  It was quite a different classroom experience than the class I had last semester, and not for the better.  The teacher was diligent, friendly and dedicated.  But he was neither skillful nor capable of teaching at this level.  He confused more than clarified and did not have a coherent pedagogic structure to present different topics and skills, which left most students lost and frustrated.  At the very least, I have a better appreciation of the excellent teaching skills of my former Spanish teacher last Fall and have a better understanding of what is needed to increase a student's language level.

The exam consisted of five parts.  Speaking was done on a different day and was about an hour in length.  The other four parts, reading comprehension, listening, grammar and writing took place on a different day and was four hours in length.  It was grueling.  I won't know if I passed until June 26, when they release the exam results.

Shambhala Retreat

It may seem odd to most, but two days after Chris arrives, I will be going to France for a week retreat.  It's a program that has not been offered for a number of years and will not be offered again for quite a while.  Chris and I talked about this before I registered and he will be just fine here at our home while I'm gone.  He has been here three times already and knows his way around, has friends here, and will be very busy with his intensive Spanish class, which starts the day I leave.  There are two other non-Spanish friends of mine who will be going to the same language school in July and we will be getting together before I leave, so he'll have even more new friends, besides those that he will meet in his class.

This particular program that I will be taking in France at the Shambhala Retreat center Dechen Choling requires me to do some study and contemplation on the topic of meditation before I arrive.  I have been doing that over the last few months and have found it to be very enriching and is helping me deepen my practice.  I am looking forward to the retreat but will be missing Chris immensely.

Catalans and Catalunya

Over the last few weeks I had the opportunity to have some in-depth discussions with two Catalans, a man and a woman, regarding how they feel about themselves and their land in relationship with the country of Spain.  This isn't the first time that I've had discussions about this topic.  But what was different about these latest conversations was it was more about the heart than about the politics.  And I began to appreciate more the unique struggle that many Catalans feel in the current environment that they are in.

Sense of Identity

In talking with Miquel, one of the first things that he brought up was how much he does NOT feel

like a Spaniard.  He does not identify with being a Spanish citizen, although technically he has been one all his life.  He grew up in a pueblo outside of Barcelona.  There his family and his pueblo all spoke Catalan.  He learned Spanish (or Castellano) in school, but it was an academic language that he learned, not a language that he lived in.  All that changed when he moved to Barcelona, where as many people speak Spanish as they do Catalan.  What shocked him was how difficult it was for him to speak fluently in Castellano.  It took a while for him to feel comfortable expressing himself.   When meeting new people in the city, he always starts off speaking Spanish, because that is usually what is expected, but as soon as he knows that the other person can speak Catalan, he'll immediately switch to his native language, where he can speak more from the heart.  It irritates him a little bit that although he is in the capital city of Catalunya, he is not able to freely express himself in his own language.  Catalans, especially in Barcelona, are always adjusting their choice of language, especially in group settings when not everyone can speak Catalan, reverting back to Spanish, in order to be understood.

How Some Spaniards View Catalans

Miquel is weary of the demagoguery that some Spaniards express, especially politicians, of the character and integrity of Catalans. Catalans are a gentle, peaceful people, who simply want others to respect their language and culture and their right to self-determination.  But some people and politicians accuse Catalans as being terrorists if they are pro-independence.  He believes that Catalunya will someday be an independent nation, but it will only happen by peaceful endeavors, at least on the part of the Catalan people.  

My Conversation with Isis

Isis lives in Barcelona but she and her sister own the house where their parents lived in a town near Girona.  I went there with a friend to be part of the main festival of the year in this village.  Isis was having a dinner party prior to the festivities, which was right down the block from her place.  We got there a little late, and when we entered, she immediately started talking to me in Catalan.  My friend Oscar explained that I can only speak Spanish and English.  She immediately switched to Spanish and the first thing she told me was that I needed to learn Catalan.

Isis was a very gracious host.  She introduced me to her sister and her friends, all from Barcelona and were there to enjoy the festivities.  They were all speaking in Catalan with each other, but were very kind in switching to Spanish when I joined in on the conversation.

Even before I got to speak with Isis some more, it was obvious how her life and her friends were immersed in everything Catalán: the food, the drink, the festivities with Catalan music and dance (la Sardanya).  When I got to chat some more with her, she talked about the long history of injustice between the Catalan people and Spain; how their rights to self-govern, at least on a local level, and to speak their own language have been suppressed time and time again, for centuries.  Even in modern times, regardless of the political stripes, socialist or conservative, the central government of Spain has rarely supported or respected the life, language and culture of Catalunya.  In this last year, the current conservative administration has passed new laws to cut back the amount of Catalan that is spoken and taught in the Catalan schools, requiring more time to be spent teaching courses in Castellano.

Isis also is pro-independence and feels strongly that based on the economic strength of Catalunya and the disproportionate tax contribution that Catalunya gives to the Spanish state, that her country would survive just fine if it separated from Spain, but that Spain would not fair as well and would struggle with it's own survival without Catalunya.

I cannot say that these views are correct or not. I can say however, that there is a deep wound that has continually been exposed and festered, fed by prejudice, usurpation of power, injustice, and lack of understanding and respect.  I don't see much evidence today of this changing.  What is changing is the growing swell of voices speaking more boldly about being an independent country.  Those voices are somewhat muffled in the cosmopolitan city of Barcelona, but they are much clearer when you go out to the smaller towns and pueblos of Catalunya.

La Patum de Berga

On the day of Corpus Christi, this year was on June 4, the town of Berga, a pueblo near the Pyrenees and Andorra, has their century's old tradition of celebrating this day with music, fire and dance, in the plaza in front of the town hall.  It was an incredible event!  On the town hall building were a few Catalan independent flags and a count-down clock to the next elections on 9/27/2015.  They believe that these next elections will determine the future direction of Catalunya.

Personal Thoughts

What I have attempted to capture here is not a summary of the issues of Catalunya and Spain.  It's a complex issue with many different perspectives and facts to consider.  Nor am I choosing sides.  Personally, I believe that a permanent fracture between these two states would make my life living here much more complex with lots of unknowns.  But I am convinced that Catalans are longing to be understood and to receive the respect that they deserve.  If that doesn't change, I believe more and more of its citizens will seriously consider annexing themselves from Spain in a peaceful way, if given the chance.

Addendum

This topic is a sensitive one for almost everyone who lives in Catalunya.  I have only given the perspective of two individuals who's ancestors were from this region for generations.  However, there are many other voices who love this land including sons and daughters of immigrants from other parts of Spain and Latin America as well as other Catalans who want to continue to be part of Spain and yet seek to feel the freedom to express themselves fully as Catalans.  I hope to write more about these other viewpoints in future articles.

Below are a few of the videos that I took of the amazing festivities in Berga.

The Wisdom of Driver Training & Hike Around Besalú

This is my last entry about obtaining a driver's license in Spain, but I thought I would reflect on the benefits that I discovered from going through this process.

I was not a happy camper when I found out that I could not just transfer my Virginia driver´s license to a Spanish one and that I needed to take both the written exam and driving test to get a Spanish driver's license.  It's logical that Spain would require you to have a Spanish driver's license if you live here for over six months (U.S. states require the same thing), but I believe that because the U.S. does not have a national driver's license, but rather 50 driver's licenses from the 50 states, there is no nation-to-nation agreement for a U.S. citizen to transfer their state license for a Spanish license.

Here in Spain, they do not issue learner's permits and allow a person who already has a driver's license to accompany a person who is learning to drive.  One must use a car with two sets of peddles (one on the driver's side and the other on the passenger's side) and generally one must enroll in a driver's school.  The bottom line is that it costs.... a lot.  Probably I will spend around 400 euros, including the test fees and driving practices.  But in the end I think it was worth it.  Why, you might ask?

Well, as an American, do you know the difference between:

I know it's kind of small, but you get the point.  Some of the European signs are obvious to Americans, but others are not so intuitive.  Some of the signs above could land you a ticket and one of them, if not followed, could cause a serious accident or death!

And that's just the written test.  I have found that driving in the city of Barcelona is a very different experience than driving in an American city.  We have the same rules such as pedestrians have the right of way and yield to the car on your right.  However, our city roads are very much controlled by stop signs and traffic lights.  There are very few chances of error there.  Also, although theoretically pedestrians have the right of way, in reality the automobile rules.  Pedestrians need to watch out!

Not so on many Barcelona streets.  In residential areas, there could be 3-4 pedestrian walkways

within one city block!!  And pedestrians know they have right of way and may assume that the driver knows that too and will walk into the walkway, sometimes without really looking.  The level of alertness for a city driver has to be much sharper.  And in Barcelona, there are so many more pedestrians than we would typically find in a U.S. city, other than in tourist areas.  This is not to say that pedestrians here should not be alert and walk with precaution.  There are some crazy drivers here, especially some motorcyclists and moped drivers.  But the rules are followed differently here than in the U.S.

For example, yield signs are ubiquitous in Barcelona.  The driver needs to be aware, not only whether they need to yield, but whether the
driver in the crossing street should yield to you.  So you need to look for Do-Not-Turn-Right signs, which usually means that traffic is coming from your right and you need to yield, but not always!  Especially if they have a yield sign facing them, which you need to look for as well.

So, in spite of the expense, I am grateful for the training that I'm receiving.   My driving skills have definitely improved.  I take my driving test on May 28 and hope to pass on the first try.  The factors that will play into passing will be my own state of mind, the evaluator who will be assigned to me, and the conditions that I run across during the 35 minute driving session.  Wish me luck!!

Hiking in the Comarca of Garrotxa and Visiting the Town of Besalú

A couple of weeks ago, I hiked about 17 kilometers in the mountains around a beautiful medieval town called Besalú.  It was a warm but gorgeous day and a rigorous but fun hike.  Below are some pictures of the trip.

Driving 102 & Florence, Italy

From Theory to Practice

I took my written driving test last week and I passed!  I missed one question out of 30.  So I passed Driving 101 (my term).  Now I need to pass Driving 102, or the actual driving test.  I have two chances to do so.  If I fail both, I pay another 90 euros and start all over again.

I have driven a car since I was 16, 45 years.  You would think this would a cinch.  Think again.  First,

you are driving the Auto School car, which is unfamiliar and which is a stick shift.  I know how to drive a stick, so I didn't think that would be a problem.  But you also need to show that you know the functionality of the specific car that you are driving in, how to turn on the lights, the front fog lights, the back fog lights (which I had never heard of before I started studying for the written test), how to open the hood and the trunk, where the reflective jacket is that you are required to wear when you are on an interurban highway and your car has broken down and you need to get out of the car with the vest on, etc.  Then of course you need to drive around the city, listening to the evaluator's instructions of where to go, and watching for vehicles, pedestrians and all the various signs on the road.

I had my first practice test this Thursday.  It went okay, but it was not stellar.  I would not have passed if it was a real test.  So it convinced me that I needed to sign up for about 8 practice sessions (at 25-28 euros a pop) and shoot for the driving exam on May 20.  It's tough to set up these practice sessions.  There are two cars each hour from 7 am to 11:30 pm 7 days a week, but the slots are pretty filled up.  So I have two sessions for next week and six more the week afterwards.  Hopefully I'll be ready on the 20th.

Short Trip to Florence, Italy

I have not taken many European trips since I moved here, other than some trips within Spain and to London.  My first year was all about settling in Barcelona, improving my Spanish and becoming more integrated with life here.   That is still happening, but I will hopefully be taking some short trips over the course of this year, especially with meeting up with Chris, who will be living in Kiev and rendezvousing in various cities in Europe.

I had the pleasure of reconnecting with an ex-colleague from the OCC, Doug R.  He was in Barcelona for a month last August, loved it, and decided to take his next 6 month European stay from Florence, where he was living for the last two years, to Barcelona for 2015.  He needed to go to Florence for a week and asked if I would like to come.  I thought that would be a great opportunity, so I booked a flight and went there for four days, staying in the apartment that Doug rented.

Although the weather was a little cloudy and it rained some, Florence is a beautiful but small city.

Doug & I on Manuel's Terrace

 It's all very walkable.  The place is filled with tourists, which is the unfortunate part.  But the architecture and the art there is amazing.  Doug is good friends with a Bolivian named Manuel who has Italian roots and owns a property management business for short term rentals.  We arrived and we were soon on Manuel's roof terrace for a barbecue overlooking a gorgeous section of the city and chatting with his extended family in Spanish, all of which I was not expecting but enjoyed thoroughly.  We met up with Manuel two other times, once to go to the local soccer game (the team is called Fiorentina and they were playing Cagliari - a city on the island of Sardinia - Fiorentina lost) and have dinner, and the other time was to visit his business office and have some coffee before I jumped on the bus to leave.  It was nice to see a non-tourist aspect of Florence and to meet Manuel and his family.

Doug took me around most of the city and I spend a few hours visiting the Uffizi Museum, which has wonderful paintings and sculptures, some of them by DiVinci and Michaelangelo.  I also had my fill of genuine Italian pasta, pizza and wine.  I found it very interesting that the bread in Florence is unsalted.  I talked to one of my Italian friends from my Spanish class afterwards and she said that that is typical of Tuscany and that Italian bread is very different in different regions of Italy.  I also tried a very regional sandwich in Florence called Lampredotto, which is tripe very well cooked and seasoned so it is very tender, with an olive oil-based sauce in a bread roll.  It was actually really good.  My good friend Cristian who lives in Barcelona and is from Bologna, Italy, had never heard of it.


If the weather had been better, I would have gone to Lucca, a medieval town close to Florence.  I'll save that for another time, hopefully with Chris and we can do a Tuscany tour of Pisa, Florence, Lucca and Sienna.