Tag: cultural diversity

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Pilgrim camaraderie

By Eric Funk

Although it is somewhat difficult to remember each individual stage on the Camino in terms of the origin and destination of each one, there is one day that I will never forget, that being the very first. Walking from Leon to Villar de Mazarife would ultimately set the precedent for our trip, and, as I would find out later, would play a larger role in the future. The day started out like I expected it. I woke up early, or what I perceived as early, and began to pack up my things and have a small lunch. Luckily I didn’t have to worry about being quiet due to the fact that many of the other pilgrims had already woken up and were chatting in the kitchen in the next room. After grabbing my things and scalding myself with insanely hot coffee, in a glass, I met everyone else

in the common area to prepare to leave. Carlos, an incredibly nice volunteer at the Albergue in León, was there to say goodbye to us all and gave a few of us a hug that seemed to last forever, but sent the message that he hoped that, with all his heart, that we found what I was looking for on the Camino and that it be a life changing experience. Meeting people with such an abundance of kindness would come to be a common occurrence on the Camino, and I am honored to call many of them, my friends. Walking through the city would prove to be challenge, due to the concrete and asphalt,but the real Camino came out when we left León behind. All that you could hear was the sound of boots walking along a dusty dirt road, the wind blowing across the open landscape, and pilgrims occasionally talking and wishing each other “Buen Camino.” It was so serene yet exciting. We had all the time in the world to think, to listen to the sounds of the Camino, or meet people from all corners of the globe and hear their story. Close to the end of the walk for the day, me and few others stopped for a small lunch, obviously a bocadillo jamon y queso con cola. While eating we met a woman from Canada, who we had run into earlier, and few others from various countries. Funny enough, we would run into many of them time after time, and become friends with the Canadian down the road. Upon arriving at Mazarife, we quickly found our Albergue, Casa de Jesus, and found it to be incredible. Great service, wonderful people, and a nice courtyard to relax after a long day. Of course, the viking ship in the corner of the yard didn’t hurt either. I would come to absolutely love these afternoons and the entire Camino, all pain aside.


 

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Expanding the palate…

By Ellie Moody

 

When visiting a foreign country, its important to immerse yourself in the entire culture to gain a really thorough and incredible experience. As an aspiring Spanish teacher, this is especially crucial, because I want to be as knowledgeable about the culture as I can for the sake of my future students. With this in mind, when I sat to down to dinner in Triacostela and I saw cow tongue on the menu (a spanish delicacy), I knew that I had to try it.

I am so glad that I did. When I took the first bite, I almost fainted it was so good. Lengua de Vaca tastes just like pot roast, which is one of my favorite meals from back home, so experiencing that flavor in a piece of tongue was a truly pleasant surprise. Although trying a piece of random food may seem like a benign thing to talk about when there are so many bigger things to see and explore, the smaller experiences are really the ones that allow you to fully delve into the surrounding culture. When I become I a teacher, I am going to drill that idea into my students’ heads. The Camino is all about trying new experiences and meeting new people and eating things you normally wouldn’t eat, and if you don’t try new things, you can’t really grow as a person, because you are not taking the opportunity to grow. Had I not walked on this Camino, I would not have had the chance to try cow tongue, and I would never know the delicious taste that it provides. Although to some people it may just only be cow tongue, to me its a reminder that you have to try everything in life, even if it seems a little strange.

Editor’s note – All the hikers enjoyed some octopus for lunch yesterday in the city of Melide, which has a reputation for its pulpo.

 

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The spirit of acceptance…a treasured souvenir to bring home

By Kelsey Brandt

Along the Camino I’ve met other pilgrims from all over the world. I expected this, but what I didn’t expect was the sense of camaraderie among them. It’s very easy to forget your toothpaste somewhere, or to get a blister when you have no bandaids. However it’s never hard to find someone who can help, and most of the time without you even asking. Several times I have been rubbing my feet during a break because of normal aches and pains and have had pilgrims walking by offer me bandaids or tape to wrap my feet, or even just advice and words of encouragement. I wear a knee brace occasionally, and every time I do passing pilgrims ask how I’m feeling and how my knee is holding up on the many downhill portions. Never before have I been in an environment with such a diverse group of people that share the same goal and care so much about each other’s success. It reminds me of the environment at Virginia Tech, but on a wider global scale.

The kindness of other pilgrims has inspired me and the rest of the group to contribute to the spirit of the camino in our own ways. One student was able to help an elderly pilgrim carry his backpack up a difficult portion. Several of us lent supplies to a Canadian pilgrim whose backpack had been lost by her airline, so for a few days she only had the clothes on her back. She then graciously shared a bottle of wine with us while we all talked about our reasons for making the hike to Santiago. Traveling in such a large group, we are not the typical pilgrims, but we have all felt accepted into the pilgrim community nonetheless. We have only two more days left on the trail, but I hope once we have arrived we can all take the pilgrim spirit back home with us.

Photo – Kelsey, on the far right, with Olivia, Ashley, and Tom.

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Camino connections…

By Eric Funk

Now that we are approaching our very last day walking the Camino de Santiago, I feel that the time has come to truly reflect on the experiences that have come before me on this life changing journey. One aspect of the Camino that really defines what I will take home with me is the other pilgrims that I have met along the way. From the U.K to Switzerland to South Korea to Germany, I have met and walked with people from all walks of life, and around the world. On a typical day, I walk with a few people from our original group, with two hilarious guys from Germany, and a very outspoken Boston native, and each and every day I have an amazing time, despite the distance we walk. The countryside is always absolutely gorgeous, and the conversation, to put it lightly, is entertaining. However, I can safely say that I have learned so much just from talking with them along the trail about just about everything. Every person on the Camino has a story, and listening to them has completely changed my life for the better. To top it all off, I have made some amazing new friends that I will continue to cherish for quite some time.

Eric, front and center, with Camino Hokies and newfound buddies from Boston and Germany.

 

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Professional Courtesy

By Caleb Smith

 

It is during the siesta periods of Spain that you can really find the time to sit and talk to some of the locals. What surprised me the most is just how many locals are willing to talk to foreigners.

 

During our stay in Astorga, while most everyone else was taking a nap, I decided to walk around and explore a bit. I strolled from plaza to plaza, stopping here and there, just seeing the town. After about an hour or so, I entered a small corner cafe and sat down for a cafe con leche, the local go-to blend of coffee and milk. While the barista took my order, two local police officers walked in, both younger guys, perhaps in their late 20’s. I noticed them looking around the small barroom and then, to my surprise, sit down next to me.

 

The older-looking of the two was the closest to me, and in a purposefully-slow accent asked me where I was from. I answered that and the usual barrage of questions that come from the locals; why am I here, who am I with, what school do I go to, all of that. However, one answer I gave seemed to interest them the most. The younger-looking one asked what I am planning on doing now that I am out of school, and without hesitation I answered, “Policia.” Both of them seemed shocked, and asked again as if they had heard incorrectly. I responded again with “Si, policia.” Now the conversation took a completely different turn. We talked about why I want to do law enforcement at a local level, what it’s like being an officer in the U.S., about our fathers who are all police officers. After around 15 minutes or so of this, I realized that we were really all the same. A thousand miles away from home, I was just like these two young officers. The thin blue line wraps around this entire planet, and every law enforcer has to fight the same fight.

 

After a few more minutes, I excused myself to use the bathroom. When I came back, they had already left. Figuring that they had to go out to a call somewhere, I paid no mind to it and went to close my coffee tab. I asked the barista for la cuenta (the bill) and she simply said, “No tienes una cuenta. Gracias los policias.” The two officers had paid my tab while I had been in the bathroom.

 

They say that law enforcement is a brotherhood that connects every officer in the world. That moment I realized how true that was.

Caleb flashes the VT sign at a early rest stop on the Camino.

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International studies on the Camino

By Serene Cherian

 

One thing that I really love about this experience is how it greatly pertains to what I want to do in the future. Being a double major in international studies and Spanish, I believe that being here and doing the camino has really opened up my opportunity to be more independent and practice my Spanish. There are also people from all over the world, some who don’t speak Spanish, that I also talked to. For example, I met a couple from Belgium, and I was able to exchange information about our reasons for doing the trip and our experience thus far. It has been very rewarding to be able to interact with so many people from different places. I chose international studies because I love learning about different countries and individual cultures and traditions, and this experience has really allowed me to do all of that. So basically, not only am I able to interact with the natives of Spain, but I am also able to learn about people that come from everywhere, doing the same thing that I am doing. I am looking forward to the last few days of the camino and absorbing all it’s worth.

Serene hikes with Julie on the Camino.

 

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Do One Thing To Support Cultural Diversity and Inclusion

Did you know this about today, May 21:

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) in partnership with UNESCO and a wide coalition of partners from corporations to civil society is launching the world campaign “Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion,” aimed at engaging people around the world to Do One Thing to support Cultural Diversity and Inclusion.

This day raises awareness on the richness of world cultures and the opportunities that cultural diversity can bring to societies. This study abroad opportunity to the El Camino, offered by the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, is living this campaign to its fullest.


What have you done today?