Sunday, March 10, 2013

The Uneasy Return

It's difficult to start with this blog post since it has been over a year since my last post, but I will being with my sincere apologies to anyone who might have been reading my blog. Around this time last year, the site I use for my blog updated to a system that was incompatible with our school computers. Eventually we moved forward in our agonizing effort to keep pace with the modern technological world, so I can now use this webpage again! I plan to retrace my experiences from the past year in future posts, but I'll start with Project Week 2013 and my journey on the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

Every year in the beginning of March we have Project Week, which involves academic or communal engagement either locally or internationally for all of the students. This year there were projects ranging from a trip to Israel and Palestine to experience the social and political markers of the Arab-Israeli conflict, to a week spent volunteering at a local primary school, to a brave group of people that tackled the production of the school's yearbook. I had the incredible opportunity to walk 120km of the Camino de Santiago with 20 other students taking Spanish. Aside from the obvious physical challenge the trek presented, I was constantly aware of the distinctions between rural Galician culture and life in the city of Jacksonville or even the Welsh countryside. We stumbled back to school footsore and weary, but overwhelmed with memories made and friendships shared over the week.

The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage route that has branches in Italy, Spain, and other countries in Europe. It is translated as the "Way of St. James," and is a path of homage to the Cathedral of Santiago, one of the most important Christian sites in medieval times, and the location of St. James's remains. Modern pilgrims travel to the Cathedral on foot, by bicycle, or even by horse or donkey in imitation of their medieval predecessors. The entire path is marked with golden shells and arrows that point to the Cathedral and the end of the journey.

When we started the Camino, I primarily considered it to be a physical experience. However, the sheer novelty of being in a country whose language I was familiar with but by no means fluent in soon became a focal point of the project. I spent several of the hours we spent walking speaking to my Spanish teacher about the history of the Camino, the relation of Galicia to the rest of Spain, and the linguistic difference between Galician and Spanish. These conversations took place in Spanish where possible, with a lot of gesticulating and jumping on my part as I searched for the right word to express myself! Conversations were the prevalent method of distraction on the Camino: after a couple of days our feet were wracked with blisters that throbbed with every step, and talking was a surefire method of forgetting the general aches and pains of the journey.

Our route was characterized by rolling hills, local churches, and tiny hamlets. We saw only two towns before reaching Santiago itself, and our nightly stops were usually in isolated villages that boasted a hostel, a convenience store, and nothing else. The walk was picturesque in essence, and the villages we passed saw a slow and unstressed rhythym of life almost unheard of for many of us. Without exception, the people we met were amiable, caring, and ready to patiently listen to our broken Spanish as we struck up conversations. Another notable feature of Galicia was its delicious food. My friend Karen and I discovered our love of octopus, a dish I had never considered trying but found extremely tasty. We found cheese and chorizo, or spicy sausage, everywhere we went, and a fresh quantity at that! And of course on arriving in Santiago we had to try the famous chocolate con churros, which certainly live up to our expectations. There was no conceivably better feeling than sitting down and eating a bowl of Caldo de Gallego (traditional Galician hot soup) after walking 25km.

The Cathedral itself was a fitting end to our pilgramage. It is a splendidly constructed edifice with an altar of gold and small painted chapels surrounding the inner part of the building. Our Spanish teacher surprised us when we arrived by telling us that we were scheduled to sing at the next day's service, so we had better prepare an opening song and a song for communion! We ended up singing a three-part Latin round for the opening and 'Kumbaya' for communion, feeling pretty awed that we were singing in one of the world's beautiful cathedrals.

The service itself was done quite traditionally, and it was interesting to attend it with so many friends from all over the world. Even though only a few of the group were Christian, and an even smaller number were Catholic, the journey of the Camino and the Mass were respected by everyone. I think our individual spiritual experiences became very internal during the Camino. We all took some time for personal reflection, a need that is often obscured by a pressure-filled life. That internal reflection was just as important as the cultural lessons learned and the physical goals accomplished over the week. The Camino de Santiago was a unique opportunity, and one that I was so lucky to have through my experience at AC.

On a slightly more immediate note, I'm looking forward to coming back to the USA in a week. I'll be going up to the University of Virginia, and later back home for part of Spring Break. Second-years are in a limbo period for a few days: we just finished trial exams and haven't fully started reviewing for the IB yet. Many of my friends have heard back from universities, and we are starting to look past AC while still holding on to the time we have left! I wish everyone at home the best, and I'll see many of you soon!

Madi