Earlier this month I attended my 8th chiropractic neurology training, and since you guys know how much I like to write about those and how much I love the topic, you can expect an *exciting* summary blog on that soon.
In the meantime, Racheal is back from her European vacation! (A very special thank you to Jamye for stepping in and helping these past weeks. It was fun having you back and it means the world that you’re still connected with the office and able to help out).
Looking at Racheal’s pictures and swapping travel stories with you all has me remembering the years I practiced in other countries. So, I thought what better time for me to do a quick recap of my travels and share some insights from those years. I’ve been back here in Fitchburg for the past 10 years, but before that, had the chance to see the world doing what I love:
- Garca, Brazil: chiropractic volunteer work
- Wausau, WI: started my first practice here in 2003 (after a few years, decided I wanted to travel!)
- Spain: bought a 1-way ticket to visit a friend practicing there and to look for opportunities
- Hong Kong, China: short-term office coverage
- Lima, Peru: short-term office coverage
- Calcutta, India: chiropractic volunteer work
- Barcelona, Spain: started a practice here with a friend (4 years)
- Pamplona, Spain: moved here to help a friend with her office (3 years)
As you can imagine, there’s quite a long version to each one of those chapters. But today, I’ll share a few of my take-aways from working in these really different places.
Culture:
The rules we live by, the values we build our lives around, vary. Expectations that end up causing us stress and affecting our health are really different depending on where you live.
Each place certainly has its blind spots. But here are some of the things I loved about Spain, and that I think support well-being:
- More relaxed and very family centered
- Multigenerational living was just fine
- Schedules were built around quality of life (common to take a 2 month holiday every summer)
- People would stop and rest in the middle of the day, with a 2-3 hr. lunch and maybe a nap
- Some of this I never got used to: I’m an early riser, so eating dinner at 9 pm wasn’t ideal. And, I was too clenched to enjoy those relaxed summers… (I saw my primary goal as building a business, and …. where were all the people?!)
Chiropractic and Adjusting:
- I learned to adjust in a different way. More often than not, I couldn’t communicate well with the person I was working with. This forced me to find ways to understand neuro-spinal dysfunction OTHER than just hearing about where the pain was, which often doesn’t point to the root cause.
- Here, there’s a chiropractor on every corner. People have a certain understanding of what we do, which is usually limited, and tend to either love us or hate us. In Spain, chiropractic was pretty much unknown. There was a freedom that came with having a blank slate and open expectations – I got to create a very holistic, vitalistic version of chiropractic (more than just back pain).
- I was able to do trainings around the world, which helped me specialize in Network chiropractic technique (I’d often catch a quick flight from BCN to Lake Como, Italy where a lot of these trainings were held). This helped me step out of my box, and experience a radically different approach without turning the whole ship of a practice. It helped my learning curve so much.
- With a small group of amazing chiropractic leaders from around the world, I helped start Barcelona College of Chiropractic – the first bilingual chiropractic college in the world. Fun!
Priorities becoming coming clear:
With more time overseas, the things that were important to me came into focus. Any vacation I had those last few years was spent flying back home to see new babies or be part of other family milestones. I knew it was time to return for good after my nephew’s 5th birthday. He got mad that I couldn’t make it back for the party, and I realized that was exactly where I wanted to be.
Those family events had become more important than seeing the next Mediterranean beach or Gothic cathedral.
Most surprising part:
That it all fell into place. I found these opportunities by showing up, sending emails, posting flyers (with my picture and contact info) at the seminars I’d go to in Europe, and not thinking too much about how it was going to happen.
What I miss the most:
That feeling of culture shock which I’d get walking through the streets of Barcelona on my way to work. Winding through the narrow streets of the Gothic quarter, I’d feel totally awake, alert, energized and engaged with the history I was stepping through.
Thanks for reading,
Dr. Laura