"Sara Bush"

I'm convinced that one of the best ways to get to know a city and its people is by checking out the hospitals. Unfortunately I've been to quite a few here in Madrid. I think my body is confused as to why I'm in a big city with real weather (4 seasons!). In any case, there is a bright side of these visits. I get to know different neighborhoods of Madrid as I walk all over the place to find these clinics and I now understand the private healthcare system in Spain.

But the best thing is you get insight into the culture as well. I notice that couples are together, young and old, supporting one another for doctors appointments. I have seen entire families waiting with their grandmother/mother/sister in urgent care, knowing that they could be there for hours. I'm sure many of them took the day off work to be there with their loved ones. And I noticed this for patients who didn't necessarily seem to have a life-threatening issue when they were in urgent care - they probably were in pain enough to not wait for an appointment a week later. In any case, the sense of "family" is strong and endearing.

Now that I have you in tears, let me share with you a completely surreal experience I had today. I went to urgent care today (because there aren't openings for an appointment for another week) because my wrist has been bothering me. Anyway, here is what happened:

1. They call me via intercom: "sara yunay ledifora to room 4, sara june ledenega to room 4"
2. I enter the room and see 2 doctors eagerly awaiting me to find out where I'm from (due to the weird name)
3. I explain that I'm American. More smiles and the other doctor now leaves, so it's just me and "my" doctor.
4. "Sara Bush!" he says with a stupid smile like he just made the most brilliant joke in the whole world.
5. I give him my xrays of the wrist and explain everything and he just wants to talk about Bush and anything American. He tells me he spoke rather good English at some time, which I totally believe considering how much he BUTCHERED my name.

Sara Bush. If I only could use my left hand/wrist, I would have put it to good use.