What Makes Someone Walk 500 Miles?-Again-
“What motivates someone walk 500 miles across the North of Spain” I asked two years ago as I prepped for my first Camino, the Camino Frances. Over 41 days, 560 miles, and many blisters later, I found my answer, and more importantly, I found not just why people do it, but why people needed it, myself included. The Camino Frances was to this day, my favorite travel experience. It was everything I was hoping for and more. The best way I can describe it to people quickly is I tell them it was like going into a book; with its unique characters you meet of all nationalities, beautiful landscapes, shared goal of making it to Santiago, shared pain both physical on the trail and as we shared our struggles from home. Everyone on the trail was seeking something larger than themselves whether it was peace, adventure, or personal growth. It wasn’t a vacation or a trip but more of a quest, a pilgrimage. To be honest, I wasn’t much of a believer in pilgrimage before I completed the Camino Frances, but now I’ve fully drank the Kool-Aid and now with 3ish months free (More on that later) I find myself yet again at the foot-hills of another Camino; The Camino Del Norte to be specific.
The Camino Del Norte, much like the Camino Frances is an ancient 500+ mile pilgrimage to the tomb of the apostle St. James the Greater in Galicia Spain. It has grown to be one of the world’s most popular and moving pilgramages with thousands completing it every year. This particular pilgrimage begins at the border of France and Spain in Irun, spain and lines the coast of Northern Spain until it reaches Santiago Compostela, the location of the tomb of St. James. I’ll go with nothing but what I can carry on my back, staying in hostels along the way, a humbling but hopefully satisfying experience.
Camino Del Norte Route
With The Camino De Santiago already crossed off my bucket list, many ask why do it again? Why not go to a place you’ve never been an experience you’ve never had? The pressure to constantly go to new places is heavy among backpacking communities, to check another country off of your list. However some of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had have been returning to the same country. For example, with family in Mexico, my repeated visits not only have made it a place that I’ve visited and experienced but a place with which I can have a relationship. As I’ve visited more places, I’ve also realized that the trips are much more fulfilling based on seeking a specific experience in that place rather than the place itself. After all, the Camino Frances was my second time visiting Spain (The first being a weeklong vacation to Catalonia) both experiences were radically different to a larger degree than even visiting another country would’ve been.
So why now? What is the nagging to have this experience again? Well I’ve found myself in a transitionary period of life. After surviving one-too-many quarter life crisis, I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my beloved job The Director of Graduate Support and Enrichment at San Miguel School of Tulsa and pursue my an accelerated nursing program. San Miguel, a non-tuition private Catholic school for low-income students is a place I have poured my heart and soul into the last five years, even allowing me the opportunity to establish the graduate support program as well as various after school and sports programs. Although I am excited for what the future will bring, taking leaps is always hard, walking away from a community I love is hard, but I know to better myself, future, and grow in my abilities to serve the community, It is a decision I needed to make. So in this transitionary period, what better way to take a step back and reflect on whats been and whats to come than fill it with the thing that created so much space for reflection the last time; a Camino. This time however, I also want to use this journey to catalyze an opportunity to give back and am using my Camino and departure from San Miguel as a way to fundraise for the creation of a scholarship fund for alumni of San Miguel pursuing post-secondary education.
While leading graduate support initiatives at San Miguel, the number one question I would get always revolved around “How can I get scholarships” or “What scholarships can I apply for”. With the creation of this scholarship fund, the hope is two-fold, aid our alumni financially as they pursue their dreams and might not otherwise have the opportunity, and also send them a message, that yes, you belong in higher education.
So as you follow my journey I please ask you take some time to generously donate to this project of mine. As not only a farewell to the community I’ve grown to love but also to support the futures of the most vulnerable. I hope to post regularly and challenge myself creatively with this blog and other forms of media. Buen Camino.
Fundraising Goal $5100 -$10 for every mile of the Camino Del Norte
*Any one who matches my initial donation of $500 will receive a blessed Shell, the symbol of St. James and the pilgrimage,
*Include any intentions you’d like me to carry with me on this pilgramage on the comments section of the donation page.
To Learn more about the impact of San Miguel’s mission, please watch the video below
