I just wanted to share a little bit of my journaling for today. It's a little long, but obviously no one is obliged to read it. It's been a different day.
Today our family stepped out of a taxi at around 2pm at the entrance to the Albergue in Astorga, taking our packs out of the back of the taxi and walking straight in to the Albergue. My eldest daughter (16) looked around at the other pilgrims and told me she felt like a cheat. I felt like hiding in shame as I shared her feelings, however I knew that we had done the right thing. The Camino required me to do something that I didn't want to do.
...Around nine hours earlier our day had started very typically. I woke in the dark, picked up my iPad (we tend to be in a room with just my family, there are seven of us) and checked emails, weather, our plan for the day, social media and so forth. My wife woke a little after me, and the lower bunks were aglow with our dimmed screens. Around 6:15ish my wife got up and was picking up something from her pack when my daughter (8) stirred. Moments later she cried out as she fell to the floor from the top bunk, immediately my wife leapt to her, and my daughter yelled, "my nose is bleeding". I sprung out of bed and went for the toilet paper roll in my pack, nothing there. Meanwhile my wife fumbled for the towel in the darkness and I turned on the light. Blood was pouring from a gaping wound above my daughter's eye. I pinched the wound shut with the towel and now my whole family (5 kids) was awake, fumbling around.
We sought the hospitaleros', she clearly needed medical assistance. They were awesome, driving us (my daughter and me) to the medical centre in Astorga where they told us that they couldn't assist as the wound was too deep, that it would need layers of stitches internally and externally and that she would need to see a surgeon or paediatric specialist in León. Without hesitation the hospitalero drove us to León.
Arriving in León we went through emergency, then after X-rays and tests on the muscles in her eye, she was stitched up. The doctor was brilliant; warm, empathetic and competent. He shared photos of his children with my daughter and discussed what he was doing, in broken English when he could.
We then went through the administration as we had to arrange payment (which I had learnt about two days earlier in León when my 2 year old son had to be hospitalised for falling and splitting open the back of his head when playing with his sisters). There were questions about reciprocal arrangements, insurance, and cash payments (€101.41 for emergency treatment in León hospital if you are curious!)
The hospitalero then drove us back to the Albergue (in Ironically Hospital de Órbigo). In our absence my wife had helped the other hospitalero clean the Albergue and my elder daughters had finished assignments for school (they are working via email after walking most days).
We spoke with the priest who strongly recommended we either stay another night, or get a taxi to Astorga. We discussed staying, wanting to walk, but also wanting to leave where my daughter had hurt herself (which doesn't really make sense, as they hurt themselves at home all the time and we don't move!). We discussed getting a taxi part of the way, but worried about her starting to bleed (which she had as we drove to Hospital de Órbigo from León). The path looked ok leading into León, but we were told that the last section was through urban areas (the worst for us with our two year old). We discussed the idea of pilgrimage with the priest, who was lovely and insightful. We ended up opting for a taxi for the whole stage.
...around two o'clock a whole family got out of a taxi and walked straight into an Albergue in Astorga.
Today our family stepped out of a taxi at around 2pm at the entrance to the Albergue in Astorga, taking our packs out of the back of the taxi and walking straight in to the Albergue. My eldest daughter (16) looked around at the other pilgrims and told me she felt like a cheat. I felt like hiding in shame as I shared her feelings, however I knew that we had done the right thing. The Camino required me to do something that I didn't want to do.
...Around nine hours earlier our day had started very typically. I woke in the dark, picked up my iPad (we tend to be in a room with just my family, there are seven of us) and checked emails, weather, our plan for the day, social media and so forth. My wife woke a little after me, and the lower bunks were aglow with our dimmed screens. Around 6:15ish my wife got up and was picking up something from her pack when my daughter (8) stirred. Moments later she cried out as she fell to the floor from the top bunk, immediately my wife leapt to her, and my daughter yelled, "my nose is bleeding". I sprung out of bed and went for the toilet paper roll in my pack, nothing there. Meanwhile my wife fumbled for the towel in the darkness and I turned on the light. Blood was pouring from a gaping wound above my daughter's eye. I pinched the wound shut with the towel and now my whole family (5 kids) was awake, fumbling around.
We sought the hospitaleros', she clearly needed medical assistance. They were awesome, driving us (my daughter and me) to the medical centre in Astorga where they told us that they couldn't assist as the wound was too deep, that it would need layers of stitches internally and externally and that she would need to see a surgeon or paediatric specialist in León. Without hesitation the hospitalero drove us to León.
Arriving in León we went through emergency, then after X-rays and tests on the muscles in her eye, she was stitched up. The doctor was brilliant; warm, empathetic and competent. He shared photos of his children with my daughter and discussed what he was doing, in broken English when he could.
We then went through the administration as we had to arrange payment (which I had learnt about two days earlier in León when my 2 year old son had to be hospitalised for falling and splitting open the back of his head when playing with his sisters). There were questions about reciprocal arrangements, insurance, and cash payments (€101.41 for emergency treatment in León hospital if you are curious!)
The hospitalero then drove us back to the Albergue (in Ironically Hospital de Órbigo). In our absence my wife had helped the other hospitalero clean the Albergue and my elder daughters had finished assignments for school (they are working via email after walking most days).
We spoke with the priest who strongly recommended we either stay another night, or get a taxi to Astorga. We discussed staying, wanting to walk, but also wanting to leave where my daughter had hurt herself (which doesn't really make sense, as they hurt themselves at home all the time and we don't move!). We discussed getting a taxi part of the way, but worried about her starting to bleed (which she had as we drove to Hospital de Órbigo from León). The path looked ok leading into León, but we were told that the last section was through urban areas (the worst for us with our two year old). We discussed the idea of pilgrimage with the priest, who was lovely and insightful. We ended up opting for a taxi for the whole stage.
...around two o'clock a whole family got out of a taxi and walked straight into an Albergue in Astorga.
