There's a new story that's blowing up across Spain (click here to read) about a 10-year old girl from Romania who just gave birth in the town of Jerez, in the Andalucian province of Spain. I try not to be political. I try to make my blog something interesting to distract you friends for a minute, maybe make you smile at some of my misfortunes. But this is not okay.
The fact that their is debate to let the 10-year old keep the child is not okay. The fact that the parents of this child see nothing wrong with their daughter giving birth at 10 is not okay. I know time's are a changin', but sometimes I worry about the world our kids will grow up in.
Talk soon.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Carolina Connections
When I tell people I'm from "carolina del norte," I never expect them to know where that is. Everyone knows the big cities...NYC, LA, DC. But North Carolina?? Wrongggg.
From day 1 in Spain, I've met plenty of people who have some attachment to the state. I've made a list of what I can remember...I guess it just shows I miss home a little:
1. My old roommate Amar was seeing a girl who grew up in NC, went to ECU, and just moved back to attend grad school at NC State. Turns out I don't know her, but we have some friends in common!
2. At orientation in Madrid, there are Fulbrighters from Davidson, UNCG, UNC, Wake Forest, and Duke.
3. My current roommate Chrstina lived in Greeneville for 1 year when she was a kid
4. Dr. Miro will be going to UNC in 2012 to research the Emergency Department Residency Program
5. Dr. Hernandez is heading to UnC in May to attend a conference on rheumatology
6. I met a girl wearing an old school Larry "GrandMaMa" Johnson Charlotte Hornets jersey. This doesn't belong here, but it was hilarious
My stolen sillyband...looks a lot like NC, no?
From day 1 in Spain, I've met plenty of people who have some attachment to the state. I've made a list of what I can remember...I guess it just shows I miss home a little:
1. My old roommate Amar was seeing a girl who grew up in NC, went to ECU, and just moved back to attend grad school at NC State. Turns out I don't know her, but we have some friends in common!
2. At orientation in Madrid, there are Fulbrighters from Davidson, UNCG, UNC, Wake Forest, and Duke.
3. My current roommate Chrstina lived in Greeneville for 1 year when she was a kid
4. Dr. Miro will be going to UNC in 2012 to research the Emergency Department Residency Program
5. Dr. Hernandez is heading to UnC in May to attend a conference on rheumatology
6. I met a girl wearing an old school Larry "GrandMaMa" Johnson Charlotte Hornets jersey. This doesn't belong here, but it was hilarious
Santander
Santander lies on the northern coast of Spain, on the Atlantic Ocean. It's known for it's beautiful sandy beachs, rocky costline, cliffs, and, at times, dreary weather. The plan this weekend was to be outdoorsy, and we were able to do just that.
We explored most of the coast, up to a sweet lighthouse hanging on one of the cliffs. The waves crash harder there...makes me miss the Atlantic just a little. There's also a large castle on an opposite cliff which was built for an English King in the 1800s...this helped spark tourism to the city.
We went climbing Thursday evening at a local bridge. We met up with 4 other Spaniards who were also scaling the 50ft bridge side. Other than a top-rope, we were clinging to small mortar holes and rock overhangs on the side of this bridge. I haven't climbed like that in years. My roommate Jose also climbs, so the next free weekend we'll make our way around Barcelona to do so. After climbing, we met up with Roger's ultimate frisbee team for some night sessions. I've never played ultimate frisbee, nor was I ever a huge fan, but I had a lot of fun, and met some cool people. About 2/3 of the folks were Spaniards, with the remainder being American Auxiliares (similar to the Fulbright English Teachers, Auxiliares are from all over the world and teach language to schoolkids in Spain).
Friday we set out on an excursion to a pueblo outside the city. There's a 150ft freestanding rock formation in the ocean that we want to work our way up to climb. It's pretty sick, but I don't think I can complete it in one piece. After exploring a small cave by the water, we made our way back to meet up with some of our friends from Madrid who made their way up. Friday night turned out to be awesome. I ran into 10 people I met at orientation and spent the night out with them. A light night led to an early morning plane back to Barcelona...
We explored most of the coast, up to a sweet lighthouse hanging on one of the cliffs. The waves crash harder there...makes me miss the Atlantic just a little. There's also a large castle on an opposite cliff which was built for an English King in the 1800s...this helped spark tourism to the city.
We went climbing Thursday evening at a local bridge. We met up with 4 other Spaniards who were also scaling the 50ft bridge side. Other than a top-rope, we were clinging to small mortar holes and rock overhangs on the side of this bridge. I haven't climbed like that in years. My roommate Jose also climbs, so the next free weekend we'll make our way around Barcelona to do so. After climbing, we met up with Roger's ultimate frisbee team for some night sessions. I've never played ultimate frisbee, nor was I ever a huge fan, but I had a lot of fun, and met some cool people. About 2/3 of the folks were Spaniards, with the remainder being American Auxiliares (similar to the Fulbright English Teachers, Auxiliares are from all over the world and teach language to schoolkids in Spain).
Friday we set out on an excursion to a pueblo outside the city. There's a 150ft freestanding rock formation in the ocean that we want to work our way up to climb. It's pretty sick, but I don't think I can complete it in one piece. After exploring a small cave by the water, we made our way back to meet up with some of our friends from Madrid who made their way up. Friday night turned out to be awesome. I ran into 10 people I met at orientation and spent the night out with them. A light night led to an early morning plane back to Barcelona...
Alicante
I decided to take the train to Alicante, mainly because there aren't really any cheap flights there. Alicante lies on the eastern coast of Spain, about halfway between Barcelona and Sevilla. Many people recommended the city, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.
Alicante doesn't have much to see...it's like the rest of Spain on the Mediterranean...beautiful beaches, mountains inland, and perfect weather. What enticed me was this city in no way felt like a tourist town. My friend who I stayed with lives in the barrio which is filled with nightlife and great resturants. I like to think of the city as Spain's college town...most of the inhabitants were Spaniards or ERASMUS (European Exchange Students) and the city catered mainly to them. It's one of those cities where if you lived in for more than 2 weeks, everyone would know your name. I like that about the south...people are nicer and approachable.
The main attraction in Alicante is the palace on the top of the mountain, overlooking the beach. The view was beautiful, and highly worth the climb. Other than that, I was able to see most of the city during a moderate run.
We also ventured to two other nearby cities...Bennidorm and Altea. Bennidorm is where Europe "summers." The city is relatively new with highrise apartment buildings very unlike Spain. As summer is now over, so too are the tourists. Altea is home to the largest Norewegian population outside of Norway. It's quite a city with tiny white homes all over the place.
Alicante doesn't have much to see...it's like the rest of Spain on the Mediterranean...beautiful beaches, mountains inland, and perfect weather. What enticed me was this city in no way felt like a tourist town. My friend who I stayed with lives in the barrio which is filled with nightlife and great resturants. I like to think of the city as Spain's college town...most of the inhabitants were Spaniards or ERASMUS (European Exchange Students) and the city catered mainly to them. It's one of those cities where if you lived in for more than 2 weeks, everyone would know your name. I like that about the south...people are nicer and approachable.
The main attraction in Alicante is the palace on the top of the mountain, overlooking the beach. The view was beautiful, and highly worth the climb. Other than that, I was able to see most of the city during a moderate run.
We also ventured to two other nearby cities...Bennidorm and Altea. Bennidorm is where Europe "summers." The city is relatively new with highrise apartment buildings very unlike Spain. As summer is now over, so too are the tourists. Altea is home to the largest Norewegian population outside of Norway. It's quite a city with tiny white homes all over the place.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Shopping...kinda
I'm not a big shopper. Most of the clothes I have were purchased by my mom or sister…I accredit them for my taste. But in an effort to fit in a bit more, I started making what I call "European" additions to my wardrobe. A few problems with this:
1. Clothes in Spain are fairly cheap. And cheap price is, unfortunately, synonymous with cheap quality. Sure they are trendy, and they are designed to do just that. Last as a trend, fall apart after 4 washes, requiring you to buy new stuff next season. That's fine, but I'm used to buying things that last. My favorite shirt is probably 10 years old. Nothing bought in Spain will last that long.
2. Sizes. I hate trying on clothes. Sizing here varies tremendously from store to store. They have different size socks, and a medium is more like a small. And if you pick up the wrong size, go home and try it on, and come back to exchange it, you're outta luck. Returns/exchanges aren't very common, so make sure you like what you are buying…you're getting exactly (and only) what you paid for…
3. I will never, til the day I die, understand why there are 3 H&Ms, 3 Zaras, 2 Cort de Ingles, and 3 Mango department stores all within 100 yards of each other. Seriously, I can walk out of Zara and see the competing Zara across the street, five stores down. It makes no sense, but what do I know…
4. We all know Europeans dress fashionably (read: differently). That's great, except I have a personal problem shopping in a store where I can't tell where the men's section ends and the women's begins. It's especially difficult with pants. Skinny jeans are in for men, as are baggy-ish jeans for women. When you put them right next to each other, the poor American will get confused…
The Art of the Puente
I'm not sure if "puente" has any real meaning, but next to actual holidays, it is Spain's favorite day. Well, that's because puentes are actually the day next to the holiday.
For instance, Tuesday, Oct 12th was a holiday here in Spain. I'm not completely sure if it was to commemorate Columbus Day or a festival in Zaragoza, but it automatically made Monday, Oct 11th the puente. And on puentes, people don't work. Many shops are closed, business take off, and people enjoy the long weekend.
Apparently if a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, the puente will automatically be the Monday or Friday. The Monday puente is ideal when you couple it with the customary Friday half-day. If you plan it right, you're looking at a 4.5 day weekend.
I asked my roommates what happens if the holiday is on Wednesday. They laughed and said "que piensas?!" (what do you think?!?)
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Down to Business
It's been a little over a month and things are finally starting to sink in/settle down. There are still plenty of distractions (fiestas), but I'm getting into a little "routine," especially at work. My goal for the first 2 months while I'm studying/completing applications is to get about 20 hours of work in at the hospital, and scale up to a full-time schedule eventually.
I'm working directly with Maria Asenjo, the Cap'de Econoadministritiva in the Emergency Department, roughly the same position as an Administrative Director. She's very smart (MBA from ESADE), very well connected (husband is the CEO of another hospital outside BCN), and extremely nice. Unfortunately, she is also very busy, especially with all of the changes that are going on in the department.
Since my unofficial title at the hospital is "Interno de Econoadministritiva," I've been asked to help conduct a few analyses for a few of the physicians in the department. One, which has been quite interesting, is the economic cost of psychiatric overdose patients. I'm working specifically on one case, organizing direct and indirect costs, and analyzing the outcomes of procedures. It's interesting because the patient has tried to committ suicide 3 times, with her latest try destroying her liver. Because she was young, she was put on the top of the liver transplant list and had an operation within 2 days, while others on the list wait months. Because of the reimbursment structure, the hospital lost a lot of money on this specific patient, who will likely (statistically speaking) try suicide again. Moreover, this patient used resources which could have been spent on others. Public healthcare draws lines, and while I'm not drawing it, the research I'm doing will help to quantify the resources spent to keep these types of patients alive.
Another study I'm involved in is on the cost of Acute Heart Failure descompensation in Spain. I'll be crunching numbers again, but it looks like I have the opportunity to be published in 3 articles while here on my Fulbright (the 2 mentioned above and one of my own). I guess that's pretty exciting, even though I never saw myself as an actual researcher.
What's funny is I'm realizing that help isn't free, even in Spain. I'm apart of a barter system and where I give a little, I get a little. For helping Maria, she has offered me use of her cabin in the mountains for a ski trip this winter. My roommates were stoked to here this, especially as we began planning a few trips together. Dr. Miro has baited me with all of his connections and the opportunity to visit other hospitals, including one in the Canary Islands, San Sebastian, Cordoba, and Alicante. I can't say no to that...
This weekend has been fairly chill. I've been cooking a lot more and got back on my running regiment. I'm signing up for a lot of upcoming races across Spain as it will be a great opportunity to supplement my travel. Talk soon
I'm working directly with Maria Asenjo, the Cap'de Econoadministritiva in the Emergency Department, roughly the same position as an Administrative Director. She's very smart (MBA from ESADE), very well connected (husband is the CEO of another hospital outside BCN), and extremely nice. Unfortunately, she is also very busy, especially with all of the changes that are going on in the department.
Since my unofficial title at the hospital is "Interno de Econoadministritiva," I've been asked to help conduct a few analyses for a few of the physicians in the department. One, which has been quite interesting, is the economic cost of psychiatric overdose patients. I'm working specifically on one case, organizing direct and indirect costs, and analyzing the outcomes of procedures. It's interesting because the patient has tried to committ suicide 3 times, with her latest try destroying her liver. Because she was young, she was put on the top of the liver transplant list and had an operation within 2 days, while others on the list wait months. Because of the reimbursment structure, the hospital lost a lot of money on this specific patient, who will likely (statistically speaking) try suicide again. Moreover, this patient used resources which could have been spent on others. Public healthcare draws lines, and while I'm not drawing it, the research I'm doing will help to quantify the resources spent to keep these types of patients alive.
Another study I'm involved in is on the cost of Acute Heart Failure descompensation in Spain. I'll be crunching numbers again, but it looks like I have the opportunity to be published in 3 articles while here on my Fulbright (the 2 mentioned above and one of my own). I guess that's pretty exciting, even though I never saw myself as an actual researcher.
What's funny is I'm realizing that help isn't free, even in Spain. I'm apart of a barter system and where I give a little, I get a little. For helping Maria, she has offered me use of her cabin in the mountains for a ski trip this winter. My roommates were stoked to here this, especially as we began planning a few trips together. Dr. Miro has baited me with all of his connections and the opportunity to visit other hospitals, including one in the Canary Islands, San Sebastian, Cordoba, and Alicante. I can't say no to that...
This weekend has been fairly chill. I've been cooking a lot more and got back on my running regiment. I'm signing up for a lot of upcoming races across Spain as it will be a great opportunity to supplement my travel. Talk soon
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