Hospital - a strange, new experience

My second experience of hospitals came not long after my first visit when I was once again at the Accident and Emergency department after my symptoms returned. Yet again, within 5 minutes of registering at the main reception desk, I was seen by the triage nurse, had my blood pressure and temperature taken and more blood taken for testing and was immediately seen by a doctor who once again put me on a drip for rehydration. The results of the tests came back shortly afterwards and I was told that unfortunately this time I was being admitted for further investigation and observation.

As I was now officially an “in-patient” and it was lunch time, I was given a meal and a drink much to my surprise. Shortly afterwards I was taken up to the ward which was actually a room with just 2 beds-it was much more like a private ward than a national health one-it even had an en-suite toilet complete with shower.

Mid afternoon I was given a snack and later that evening I was given dinner. At about 11pm I was offered a drink of either fruit juice or milk. (In total, 4 meals are provided during the day-breakfast, lunch, mid afternoon snack and evening dinner-and a night time drink is also provided)

The next day I had some more tests done and early afternoon I was moved to a ward on my own-officially I was put into isolation as I’d got a bacterial infection which was contagious (caused by antibiotics that I had been taking previously). All visitors had to put on a gown, face mask and gloves before entering my room and then had to remove them and leave them in the doorway when leaving to prevent any infection leaving the room.

After having more tests on the 4^th day, I was finally told I was clear of the infection and would be allowed to go home. The doctor gave me a piece of paper with all the information about my stay, tests, etc and was told I had to take this to my own doctor for her to update my records. 

There were several differences between British and Spanish hospitals that I noticed during my stay. One of the major and most surprising differences is that you are allowed to use your mobile phone virtually anywhere in the hospital and you do not need to switch it off when entering the hospital.

Another difference I came across was the fact that you can have visitors any time, day or night and there are no official “visiting hours”. The hospital also expects your family or friends to stay and assist you if you are not mobile e.g if you need a bedpan, they are expected to get it for you and empty it and they are also expected to help you shower and with general matters of hygiene. In your room they even provide a reclining chair for your visitor to sleep on when they stay during the night.

At mealtimes an announcement is made over a loudspeaker through an intercom to let you know that the meal will be arriving shortly so that you get your table ready. The family or friend helping you is expected to do this for you.

Another difference I came across was with regards to medication. An hour or so before your meal, a nurse comes in with your medication and leaves it with you and tells you take it with your meal-they don’t come back to see if you take the medication, they just trust you to take it at the right time. 

The nurses do not normally come in on a regular basis to check on the patient-they normally only come in when they take your blood pressure or temperature or blood sugar levels or when they have to carry out any other tests or take blood. You are given a keypad which has a button to press if you want a nurse and when you press the button, it goes through to the nurses’ station and the nurse talks to you via the intercom to find out what you need. They will then come and see you if you need them.

The hospital was very clean, bright and very well maintained and all in all, the hospital treatment and service is of an exceptionally high standard.

An Insight Into My Local Spanish Hospital (Hospital Universitario Los Arcos Del Mar Menor)

I have read several free newspapers where ex-pats have written letters about their bad experiences of hospitals here in Spain but I recently experienced the Accident and Emergency department of our local hospital (Hospital Universitario Los Arcos Del Mar Menor in San Javier, Murcia) myself and must say that I found it fantastic.

Within 5 minutes of registering my details at the main reception desk, I was seen by a triage nurse who took my blood pressure, temperature and general information about my symptoms and no more than 30 minutes later, I was examined by a doctor, put on a drip to rehydrate me and to stop the stomach pains, had blood taken which was sent for testing and was taken to the X-Ray department. I was finally taken to a mini ward to await the results.

A few hours later the results came back and the doctor gave me the diagnosis and then told me I could go home. She gave me a piece of paper with the diagnosis and a list of medication I needed to get and told to take this to my doctor. All in all, from registration to when I was discharged was 4 ½ hours which I thought was very quick considering all the tests and examinations carried out.

Several people I know have also been treated in the Accident and Emergency department of this hospital and have also experienced a very good standard of service from them.

My next post will give you an insight into what it’s like to be an in-patient.

Life In Spain-Semana Santa (Holy Week)

Easter Week in Spain is known as Semana Santa (Holy Week) and is celebrated much more in Spain than in most of the European countries. There are evening street processions in most of the Spanish towns starting from Palm Sunday right through to Easter Sunday.

In the processions, statues of saints are carried on wooden platforms or on floats by religious brotherhoods and they are also responsible for organising musicians. The people carrying these are known as “costaleros” and many of them use a small cushion, called a “costal” to prevent themselves from getting sores from the wood rubbing against their skin during the processions.

They are followed by people dressed in outfits which are similar looking to the Ku Klux Klan, but they are in fact depicting the clothing worn by the Nazareños (people from Nazareth).

The Easter week processions end on Easter Sunday and church and cathedral bells can be heard ringing throughout the whole of Spain.

Three Kings Day (Dia de los Reyes Magos)

Dia de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) is celebrated on January 6^th and is almost as important as Christmas day itself especially for the children as this is the day when they get their presents.
The evening before most major cities have a parade to commemorate the arrival of the three kings or the three wise men who made the journey from the East to see the Baby Jesus. The Three Kings lead the procession of huge floats through the streets and they throw sweets to all the children who line the streets waiting with their plastic bags or even umbrellas to catch them in.
After the parade the majority of families go home for an early night and before they go to bed, the children put some milk and biscuits next to the Christmas tree for the Three Kings and also some water for the camels. They also put their best pair of shoes for the Three Kings to fill them with presents.
The next day (January 6^th) the children find out how many presents they've received. There are a lot of presents if they've been good but if they've been naughty, they'll get coal. (Nowadays it's actually made of sugar but in older times it was actually a piece of coal).
For breakfast, the family eat a piece of roscon (a fruit-filled bread with a sugar frosting on it) and there is usually a novelty inside (such a coin or small gift) and tradition says that the person who finds this in their portion of roscon will have good luck for the next year.

 
It's a day that's enjoyed by the whole family but unfortunately, it's also the day that marks the official end of Christmas.
All the shops and restaurants are closed on this day so that everyone can enjoy the celebrations.

New Year's Eve Spanish style

New Year's Eve (nochevieja) in Spain is a time for a partying just like in any other country in the world and it's also a time to spend with your family. There is an ancient tradition which dates back about 100 years and was started by some farmers who had too many grapes left after the harvest. They decided to eat 12 grapes, 1 at a time, each time the clock chimed at midnight. Since then, it's become a custom to do this and it's believed that if you don't, you will have bad luck for the next year.

All the Spanish TV stations show the same celebration which takes place in Puerta del Sol, Madrid. The presenters do a countdown (just before the actual chimes of the clock there are 4 higher pitched chimes which are known as “los cuatros” (the 4) and these announce the start of the actual chimes) and then everyone starts to eat the first grape, the next and so on at each of the chimes until all the 12 grapes have been eaten (often you're left with a mouthful of grapes as it's very hard to eat 12 grapes in such a short time). For each grape eaten it's believed to bring 1 month of good luck.

After eating the grapes, the parties start in earnest and often go on until about 6am. Even the children are allowed to stay up and celebrate as it's such a special time of year for the whole family.

Traditions in Spain:Turrón (Nougat)

Turrón (nougat) is a popular traditional sweet at Christmastime which is believed to have been invented in Jijona, a small town which is about 30 miles north of Alicante, over 500 years ago by the Moors (Arabic people).

Much of Jijona's economy is based on turrón production and there is also a museum which shows the production and history of it. This museum is based in the factory that makes the popular brands “El Lobo” and “1880” and if you are lucky enough to visit the museum from mid-June to mid-December, you can actually see it being made from a balcony high above the factory floor.

Traditionally, there are 2 basic types: soft Jijona or turrón blando, which is has the consistency of peanut butter and hard Alicante or turrón duro, which is a thick almond nougat candy which is very similar to peanut brittle.

Honey is a really important ingredient of turrón and this is produced by the bees who feast on the wild flowers which grow on the mountainsides all around Jijona. The honey and also the almonds which are found in the nearby orchards are mixed together to form the delicious turrón which is made by the candy makers who are known as turroneros. A Denomination of Origin for turrón was created in 1939.

Alicante and Jijona Turrón
In order to make Alicante or turrón duro, the almonds are chopped and mixed with the honey and then this is simmered over heat and is constantly stirred using large wooden spoons. Egg whites are then added in order to bind the mixture together and then it left to cool. It is then cut into pieces shaped like bricks and then it's wrapped in paper-thin wafer and is sealed in plastic and then packed. This is a relatively simple procedure, however the procedure for producing Jijona or turrón blando is more complicated. It's made by grinding the cooled turrón duro blocks with almond oil to form a sticky paste. It then gets reheated and is beaten for hours til it's formed a soft even mix. Egg white is then added to bind it and then it's cooled in square metal containers and then it gets cut into thick slices and is packed in plastic.

Other Varieties
There are many new different varities of turrón such as yema (egg yolk), praline, chocolate and kiwi.

Qualities of Turrón

There are different qualities of turrón and there are strict rules applying to the labelling as “Suprema” (supreme) or “Extra”. The best quality is the “Suprema” and to get that label, the soft turrón has to have at least 60% almonds. The hard turrón has to have at least 64% almonds. The next categories are the “Extra”, “Estánder” (standard) and “Popular” (popular). Most factories only produce the turrón “Suprema” or “Extra”. When the typical Spanish housewife visits the supermarket to buy the turrón for her Christmas dinner, she will look out for for the words “Suprema” or “Extra”. The chocolate turrón is delicious and has different qualities based on the percentage of cocoa and milk it contains: “Extrafino” (superfine), “Fino” (fine) and “Popular” (popular). It's made from a base of cocoa butter which is extracted from the cocoa beans. Some chocolate turrón has dried fruits and nuts mixed in the centre.

December 8th: Inmaculada Concepcion (Feast of the Immaculate Conception)

December 8^th: Inmaculada Concepcion (Feast of the Immaculate Conception)

This day was originally called the Conception of Mary and was founded in the 7^th Century in the Eastern Catholic Church but then spread to the West in the 8^th Century and the name was finally changed to the present name of the Immaculate Conception in the 11^th Century. Since the 18^th Century it has become a festival in the Roman Catholic Church.

It is based on the Catholic opinion that although she became pregnant, the Virgin Mary did not suffer the “original sin” because she was “filled by god” and therefore the conception was classed as “immaculate”.

It is a public holiday and is celebrated throughout Spain and is typically a day of additional church services. Whilst it's origins are of a religious nature it is also a popular feast where partying is just as important as the prayers to Mother Mary.

In Seville, a group of 10 choir boys dress in 16^th Century constume and perform “los seises” (the “dance of six”) which is an elaborate ritual of rhythmic dances and melodic songs and are performed in front of the Gothic cathedral in Seville.

Every university in Spain has “los tunos” which is an acoustic band formed by students and at midnight groups of traditionally dressed “tunos” sing and play old serenades to Mother Mary.

Throughout Spain people congregate in cities to get together to play a part in the street parties that go on.


As the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is a National holiday throughout Spain the majority of businesses close but most restaurants, cafes and bars usually open.