Monday, August 25, 2008

On the Third Day

The Lord rose on the third day, and God willing, so will I. Thursday morning will be the last walking day, finishing up with a mild 20k as the gates of Santiago de Compostela open and I sink my palm into the handprint on the column at the entrance of the cathedral. It´s been literally up and down for the past few days as the path and my attitude rises and falls.

I´ve fallen in and out of some remarkable groups of people and shared meals and war stories with people in a pidgeon dialect of whatever language is best understood between Italians, Eastern Block, Spanish, and you-name-it. This afternoon was barrel of laughs with a suprisingly homogenious group of Spaniards(minus moi) over pulpo(octopus) and Ribadeira, a local wine. It´s been a nice balance of conversation and intense isolation over whatever book I´ve been able to scavenge along the way.

My injured knee has been cooperating nicely for the last five days, although it hurts like hell various moments/hours of the day. I need three more days out of it, and I hope it holds out. We have little conversations that go something like this:

ME "Well, how are you doing this morning as we start off our 25k day?"
KNEE "I fucking hurt, if you haven´t noticed, but you still keep making me walk ridiculous distances."
ME "I hear you, love, but we have to keep going until we reach the next cowshit town in Galicia where I promise I´ll get you a nice cafe con leche and let you rest for at least 15 minutes."
KNEE "Ooh. I do like those, but, hey, wait a minute! Then you´re going to make me go again! But maybe if you get me a beer the next time I´ll do my best. Maybe."

I won´t bore you with the rest, but it goes on and on in endless bargaining sessions that have ended in bus rides to the next town in the past. So I´m a little edgy because you´re supposed to walk the last 100k if you want the real experience. (I´m down to 65k if you must know.)

Anyway, thanks for the wonderful comments to my last blog-on-the-run entry. I laughed out loud as read your responses, and you better believe I´m calling your bluff when it comes to the chow. The spiciest thing I´ve eaten so far is the dish called Pimientos al Padrino that consists of roasted green peppers and some of them are hot, but not all! It´s like a little game to play while having tapas. I got a "hot" one that almost made me blink. Really hard core, Spaniards.

Here´s a poem that came to me while walking one morning.

Where Old Men Meet

It is always early morning where old men meet.
Absent words with wives
appear from thin air,
and suddenly there is time
and pretty young women
who find them
irresistible.

Coffee, bitter as the waitress who pours
flows eternally into the stained mug,
and if we are smart we all know
soon
we will sit on the stool
next to the cane
that rests precariously
on the counter´s
edge.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

On the Road

Joder= An important Spanish swear word that I have aquired, and appropriate for my state of mind.

After almost two weeks on the road, I have finally come across some accesible internet here in the historic town of Astorgas. I arrived via bus from Leon after giving myself the luxury/necessesity of a couple of days involving a hotel room where I can use the bathroom when I want, as well as some errands that needed to get taken care of during the blessed hours between siesta and evening. This has been a, well, interesting trip. So far I have:

1. Seen some beautiful scenery.
2. Walked about 200 k.
3. Injured my left knee during the descent of the Alto de Perdon.
4. Met a fascinating/fun assortment of Spanish, American, Italian, Australian, and French people.
5. Slept in more crowded, smelly albergues than I ever thought I could stand though I have 12 more days.

I was waiting for some real spiritual awakening, but instead I´ve discovered the following things:

1. I am SO done traveling alone in Spain.
2. I want to eat spicy food so badly that I would kill someone without batting an eye in exchange for some Thai yellow curry.
3. I can handle about a week of nasty living conditions and then I start becoming an animal.
4. I want to actually have a relationship with Dave instead of talk on the phone. (I won´t mention the other things I´m thinking about regarding Dave, but I´ve been gone since June 1st, so you do the math.)
5. I want to play MUSIC.

The Camino de Santiago has proven so far to be somewhere between a masochistic tourist trap and a cheap way to travel Spain and meet alot of cool people you would otherwise pass by if it weren´t for your joint suffering. I´m doing my girl scout best to try to have a good attitude, but it´s hard, god damn it. I´ve had some nice suprises along the way in the little things, like the fact that the bus station cafe was open this Sunday morning and I drank a kick-ass cafe con leche, and smoked two cigarettes before 8AM to the grooviest assortment of 80´s tunes. The guy behind the counter and I were equally enjoying the "Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey, oooooo, whoooa" of "Don´t You Forget About Me", and when you´re in my state of mind that means alot.

I can´t count on this miraculous internet time again, but if I do, I´ll tell you the rest of the story. Until then, say a little prayer for me while I´m "en camino."

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Turn Towards the Sun




Life changes in an instant, and I went from summer camp English teacher to a preparing pilgrim in a flash. My "month in a monastery" came to a delightful culmination Thursday evening when, Forenex, the company that runs the camp took all 20 of the teachers out for dinner at the unexpectedly chic restaurant here in population 500 Ulces. The food here has been -there's no other way to say it, bad, so the contrast of a tower of grilled vegetables topped with a round of toasted golden goat cheese made the girls at my end of the table groan in a decidedly sensual manner. It's hard to believe that I won't be seeing this great bunch of people together like this again this lifetime. Certainly lasting friendships were formed and there is the anticipation of reunions in New York City, San Francisco, and maybe even Madrid or Barcelona.
It was no easy task grabbing and holding the interest of 10-13 year old Spanish kids for five hours a day as they missed home, got sick, got frustrated, and generally bothered me to death. They did end up charming me in the end, and I think I made alot of new fans after both sets of clases sang one of my songs for their end of term talent show performance.
What I will really miss are the incredible acoustics in every room and hallway inside this beautiful building. I have become completley spoiled by pulling out my guitar and lightly strumming and singing in a wash of natural reverb whenever I want. I can see why monks would like it.
Now I've got one day to sort through my luggage and prepare a backpack that will supply me with what I need for twenty five days, but not break my shoulders. After living out of a suitcase for the last two and a half months I'll be happy to put on the one pair of pants and the same tank top without digging through a pile of clothes.
After talking to the Ever Patient Boyfriend on Skype, I realized that it would be wise to note my pre-camino state of mind. I feel a little less green as far as foreign travel goes, satisfied with the experience of getting TEFL certificated and having taught for a month, both delighted and tired from meeting and saying goodbye to so many wonderful people and kids, ready to kiss Dave and see friends, and am slightly excited about the last phase of the trip. A month in Ucles has certainly quieted my mind, but I simply don't know what to expect as I sail off to hours walking, looking, and thinking. As I look out on the fields of sunflowers you see in the photo above, I'm reminded of the simple, but lovley idea of a multitude of similar yet individual flowers slowly stretching to catch every ray of light offered to them. As I become a pilgrim along with so many who are walking the path, I will seek to do the same and become a breathtaking scene to whatever divine audience is watching.