Two Weeks in Country: Status Update

For a person that planned to write something every day I have surely not met my goal.  Somehow writing a blog post consumes a higher imaginary effort than posting on FB or sending an email to a friend.  I will try and do better.

Plaza España: The Main Square of Astorga

Much of what we do is mundane and the rest is climbing an uncomfortable learning curve. Taking for granted that you can communicate politely with others around you is an example of this dichotomy.

Think about this in a small restaurant at home.  We sit down and a few minutes later a waiter asks what we want.  We order Café con leche (coffee with milk) for both of us and he goes to prepare it.  Then another waiter comes by to take our order, and I want to say "The other guy already got our order."  Simple, right?  Not really.  I could type that string of words into Google Translate and a minute later have some words, but would this be the way this concept is handled in Spain?  Likely not. So I fall back on a smile, glance at the other waiter and gesture.

I'll be asking Maria, our language teacher, about the correct way to handle this tomorrow at our lesson. And this is what I mean when I say I want to learn Spanish Culture and Language. Words are one thing, communicating is another.

But I can report that we are pretty comfortable finding all the places we need to go, no longer walking around with a map and/or phone in hand.

We are recognized at our bank branch now due to frequent questions about how things work and at one of the little restaurants on the square where we have evening coffee and pintxos most days.

It is one of the places on the right in the picture at the top of the page. This plaza becomes an open air market on Tuesdays and I'll try and get a picture for our next blog post to compare sleepy Sunday with fun-filled market day.


Because this town is on the Camino de Santiago, many of the foreign clients are one-day visitors.  So seeing us for many visits a week makes us stand out.  Don't confuse that with outstanding.

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The Other Jew of the Day is Samuel ibn Naghrillah (born 993; died after 1056), who "was a medieval Spanish Talmudic scholar, grammarian, philologist, soldier, merchant, politician, and an influential poet who lived in Iberia at the time of the Moorish rule. His poetry was one area through which he was well known. He was perhaps the most politically influential Jew in Muslim Spain."

Working on the ‘To-Do’ list

Checking off another task ...

On the list of things that need to happen here in our new town as we learn Spanish language and culture are things that would be much easier if we knew Spanish language and culture.  And one of those items involves using the health care system to get a prescription refilled for Ann.

We started at a pharmacy.  We met and enjoyed working with a pharmacist, Marisa, who understood and spoke English and understood the medication that Ann needed.  She explained that the product available in Spain was not the same as the US version Ann was used to, so dosage might need to be adjusted over time, requiring lab work and a visit to the doctor.  She told us the name of a doctor who worked with our insurance provider and warned us that the clinic would not be open until 5pm.

Many medications that require a prescription in the US are available for the asking at any pharmacy in Spain.  But the one Ann ran out of does require monitoring and an Rx, and an email from our doctor in the US was not enough, it had to be from a local doctor.  Maria helped us find a clinic to visit.  We walked there, and as promised, it was closed until the regular hours from 5 - 8pm.  So we planned to go back later that evening.  Well things happen and we missed the time. Dinner takes so long...  But passing by this morning we noticed lights on and the door open.

In we go - no one in the waiting room.  The doctor greets us, we let him know we didn’t speak much Spanish and we began the process of telling him what we needed with giving him a copy of our medical insurance information.  He made a copy while working patiently with us, with help from Google Translate, and written notes and many smiles back and forth.

He finally did what we wanted which was to arrange a lab test to check levels before prescribing.  He gave us a paper for the lab which we will visit tomorrow morning.  We wanted the lab results to establish baseline data using European methods and units rather than compare future results with past US lab results.

But the real special moment came after his time with us, still not one other person in the waiting room or anywhere else that we could see. As we were leaving he reminded Ann not to eat before the blood is drawn and I thought to ask his office hours.  He simply said and then wrote on a paper “1700 - 2000.”  That is 5pm to 8pm.  We were there in mid-morning.  He wasn’t even open and he spent a difficult hour helping us.

Like I said yesterday on Facebook, we make a new flesh-and-blood friend every day.  And we are thankful!

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The Other Jew of the Day is Hasdai ibn Shaprut (915 - 970) a Spanish Jew who was “appointed physician to Caliph Abd-ar-Rahman III (912-961), he, by his engaging manners, knowledge, character, and extraordinary ability, gained his master's confidence to such a degree that he became the caliph's confidant and faithful counselor.” 

Lessons Learned on a 14 Day Transatlantic Cruise

Cruising Notes

While on the cruise ship we had no internet connectivity - a choice I made to lessen distractions and increase our chances of getting some well needed rest. Thus no blog posts, but I did take some mental and written notes on what I was learning on my first cruise experience.

The cruise remind me in some ways of the Camino. In addition to the fact that we had a defined start and end point, we were traveling in the same direction towards new territory each day even if the ‘terre’ is deep ocean water.

And one meets people from many nations, hears many languages spoken, including English with many accents from New Jersey to Jersey.

I learned that octogenarians are out there having a great time!  It encourages me to know that I can do that too!

And then there is the Camino like leisurely eating and coffee times. And an occasional glass of Vino Tinto. We enjoyed many new culinary treats. So far, if the scale in the fitness center is correct, I have gained no weight, partly I suspect, because I have been walking around the boat and in the few town's we have visited. Most days resulted in over 10,000 steps for me - my target at home. Not quite Camino distances, but more than on many vacations by car, plane or train.

Frankly, I was concerned that all this free time would be challenging - make that awful - but it was truly relaxing. I caught up on my sleep, felt very grateful for the rest time, reading time, and internet-free time. I think we napped every day.

Not signing up for the internet access package tested my ability to do something other than stare at a screen as I am doing right now. I have taken a few pictures, and read Kindle books, but low total screen time.  We did access WiFi in towns briefly which allowed me to keep up with family and my friend Michael who was walking the Camino while we were on the sea.

The overall lesson learned is that I can apply my ability to get to know people anyplace, even on a huge cruise ship.  Ann and I both enjoyed it and plan to do it again.

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The Other Jew of the Day is Moses Cohen Henriques a well known Sephardic Jew who operated from Jamaica and captured Spanish treasure ships.  Who would have guessed ...