O Caminho de Bem Estar...
...has cat colonies along the way
The spring weather continues here as we inch closer to actual spring. Here’s what kept us busy through the end of February…
Fun with private healthcare
Discovering Colónias de Gatos
Quick hits
Let’s get to it!
Our healthcare journey continues…
Hilary and I are seeing the same doctor at a private hospital for our general health checkups. We both had appointments with her a couple of weeks back and she ordered a huge battery of tests and exams to gauge our baseline health.
We completed most of these exams last week, and one major difference from normal US healthcare was immediately noticeable: they use advanced medical tools here for normal examinations, not just when you’re deep in some medical problem.
We both had ultrasounds of our carotid arteries, hearts, and all sorts of other parts, just to assess our general health. I also had a CAT scan of my abdomen and a barrage of bloodwork. This was all covered by our private insurance with just a co-pay (I paid around 260€ for something like 30 tests).
The test results are coming in, and so far, so good. But it shouldn’t be this revolutionary to know in my mid-40s whether there are early signs of any heart troubles, plaque in my carotid (stroke warning), prostate warning signs, etc.
I have a few things that I need to start paying attention to and had I continued my standard medical journey in the US, I would never have known about them until the problem was way worse.
Discovering Colónias de Gatos.
Hilary has been participating regularly in some form of cat rescue for over a decade, whether it’s adopting/re-homing strays, donating to CAT through PDX Green Team’s Giving Back program, or fostering/raising money for The Pixie Project, she has made a huge difference in many furry little lives.
We knew that it wouldn’t take long for us to get involved once we landed here, and within a couple of months, Hilary found a local shelter where she volunteers once per week and brought home a difficult kitten to socialize and foster.
One very cool thing we have discovered is Porto’s Colónia de Gatos program – a feral cat colony plan that includes a catch/sterilize/release service as well as monitored shelter, food, and cleaning for colonies of strays.
We are constantly stumbling upon these colonies in back alleys, near tumbledown ruins, and alongside abandoned lots. There’s a cute little blue sign indicating that the colony of strays is being managed, and often times you’ll see little cat houses or other infrastructure for them. Of course, there are cats, too.
More great news - when Hilary was first reaching out to shelters to volunteer, she was told “we have plenty of funding for workers, we need people to adopt!”
We are not in a position to commit to adoption at this time (we are traveling too much), but how awesome to live in a place that values funding for animal rescue and management. Just another reason we love this town.
Quick Hits
Here are a few bright moments from our past week:
Hilary signed us up for a vegan dim-sum brunch hosted by Hangry Wifey on her backyard patio. It was Hilary’s first dim sum (not traditionally veg-friendly) and we enjoyed a few hours in the sun meeting like-minded folks. This is a great, hyper-local private dining experience. The food was absurdly delicious.
We discovered a new place to catch the sunset - Parque das Virtudes. We spotted it the other day while riding the bus downtown. On Sunday we wandered over and discovered a very popular spot for a diverse crowd of locals to gather, socialize, imbibe, and dance. It was one heck of a party.
I got my Portuguese driver’s license in the mail already! Only about two weeks after I turned in my Washington DL. Sometimes bureaucracy can actually move fast and efficiently. Poor Hilary is STILL waiting for her residency card, which she needs before she can do any of this other stuff. Time to start being a squeaky wheel with SEF.
We discovered the University of Porto’s botanical garden is a short walk from our front door. While it’s not the wilderness we’re used to near Portland, it’s a great place to go be in the trees (or cacti) for a little bit and escape the city. Bonus points - it gives off serious post-apocalyptic vibes, with overgrown greenhouses and all.
What’s new in your life?
Thanks for reading!
Japan also has this novel idea of proactive health screening each year, including all the bloodwork and ultrasounds. Seems crazy we don't do the same here.
As someone who just shelled out for an MRI this week, your 30 tests for 250 Euros sounds...better. (Just a tweaked back, not to worry.) Thanks for sharing the continued details of the benefits (and complications) of living in Europe! Love all the bright photos, Porto knows what's up.