BeatriceKarjalainen
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Finished: See post signature.
Doing: C. Levante
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Well I don't know if anyone else would be interested, but I'd like to know about bathrooms along the way.....is it possible to walk that far without ever using the great outdoors? What is the longest stretch between real bathrooms (toilets)? And how do you hide yourself while "taking care of business" with others walking the same pathway? And how about shared bathrooms and showering in the over night places? Is it possible to hold onto any modesty along the way?
Thanks for asking my question. I'm starting in September as a newbie and I was wondering the same thing.Well I don't know if anyone else would be interested, but I'd like to know about bathrooms along the way.....is it possible to walk that far without ever using the great outdoors? What is the longest stretch between real bathrooms (toilets)? And how do you hide yourself while "taking care of business" with others walking the same pathway? And how about shared bathrooms and showering in the over night places? Is it possible to hold onto any modesty along the way?
Well I don't know if anyone else would be interested, but I'd like to know about bathrooms along the way.....is it possible to walk that far without ever using the great outdoors? What is the longest stretch between real bathrooms (toilets)? And how do you hide yourself while "taking care of business" with others walking the same pathway? And how about shared bathrooms and showering in the over night places? Is it possible to hold onto any modesty along the way?
On Tuesday I'll visit my mother in laws church 550 km from home to talk about walking the Camino and show some of my photos.
I think I will bring my backpack and my gear with me.
Any suggestions on what to bring up? What would you as a person who have walked a Camino talk about and what would you who is planning a Camino want to know?
Right now I have written down:
*how did I come up with the idea/what brought me there
*how did I prepare and what to think of during the camino
*where to eat/sleep
*what to bring
*traditions on the Camino
*how it was to walk, my thoughts during the walk
*the route I walked and why did I select the options I did
*the Camino family
*resources for more info
*the "camino bug"/blues/never ending longing back to the camino
Thanks to all contributors for all this very useful info.
I start SJDP 27th April, raising funds for charity, and have been asked to do a couple of talks when I get back to help raise money.
It would be so interesting were you to write a talk now and then read it after your Camino!!
Good luck on the 27th, Enjoy. Buen Camino!
Here's a thread where I got some help:
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/help-presentation-to-local-school.12081/
Here are the photos I used. Most will be of little use, but the maps might be nice. Feel free to use any of them. The first part is history and background, the second follows biking from Prague to Santiago.
https://picasaweb.google.com/116116...&authkey=Gv1sRgCKu8qIOX977DNg&feat=directlink
I walked in a hiking skirt (Macabi) and whit a skirt it is easier to hide your private partsWell I don't know if anyone else would be interested, but I'd like to know about bathrooms along the way.....is it possible to walk that far without ever using the great outdoors? What is the longest stretch between real bathrooms (toilets)? And how do you hide yourself while "taking care of business" with others walking the same pathway? And how about shared bathrooms and showering in the over night places? Is it possible to hold onto any modesty along the way?
The talk is advertised as Béatrice is talking about the camino and showing pictures so I'm not sure what they are expecting. I know that at least one in the audience is preparing for a camino starting in August. I'll try to mix both practical info while on the walk as well as my own thoughts. I'll do as you suggested with the things.I think its a great idea to bring your pack, I would lay out all the items you brought alonside the pack so people will see what you can actualy survive with on the way, then pack it at the end and let people feel the weight. This is the kind of stuff I was interested in before I walked, practical stuff as well as the route and spiritual. I went to a talk before I walked by a journalist who had walked with his daughter but I came away as wise as I went in, it was more about the book than the practicalities of the walk. I hope it all goes well for you Beatrice.
I'll do my best. I was probably not the most social person on the camino as i was walking fast but I tried to be social in the evenings. I found it easier to be social when there was other solo pilgrims, couples and groups tend to stick together and not letting other people in as much as the solo pilgrims.Talk about how "social" the Camino can be.
He he that might be a problem I think I talk faster then I walk. I'm just a "speedy" person. But I'll keep your words in mind.Just don't talk as fast as you walk, cause you'll quickly lose them.
I'll show the elevation as well. As I'll have a projector for showing pictures I can show stuff like that in the presentation. But the compostellas (I have 3 and 1 Muxíana and one Finisterra) and the credentials (have 2 one for Francés and one for Inglés) will go with me. I'll also make a picture with a map with the place we are at in the center and a circle showing where they would end up if they started to walk from there and did the length of Camino Francés.I gave a talk on my return, which went down very well. I included a section about statistics, relating to age, nationality, gender, starting places, mode of transport (ie, by foot, cycle, horseback, wheelchair). I think most people are very interested in the dormitory conditions and how it feels to sleep with snoring strangers. And maybe tell your audience how you changed both physically and mentally during your walk.
I had never given such a presentation before. I put a great deal of effort into it, and ran through it many time before the 'big day'. I was quite nervous but actually enjoyed the experience and it all went very well.
I took my backpack loaded to the weight I carried, my walking poles, credencial, compostellas and the printout of the elevation profile for each stage.
Good luck - preparation is everything.
I'll try to give the people who might consider walking some encouragement to take the step, trust in them self. But I would not talk from own experience as I didn't felt any of that my self. I was just curious, I knew that I was strong enough to do it. The only thing I worried about was the flight to and from as I'm terrible afraid of flying.In addition to your list and many great suggestions I would add:
Fear...
A lot of people seem to have feelings of fear/apprehension, and I think that is understandable.
There are issues of distances between toilet facilities. Distances between albergues, bars, shops restaurants. People question if they are physically able to to do it, whether they will be alone. Is it selfish to undertake such a journey and leaving loved ones behind? My Spanish is non-existent, will I be able to communicate?
I have seen many more questions here in the forum, these are some that spring to mind. Many people I've met had thoughts along these lines before they started walking, and some kept those thoughts at the beginning of their journey. However, they often seem to become less important as people take one step after another.
I would have liked someone to say to me:
"It is ok to be a bit scared, it shows that you have thought about a few things, but - it's great that you do not let the fear of the unknown stop you. There will be hard days, and there will be easy days and they will all be important to you. When you complete your journey those fears from the beginning will seem insignificant and you will have learned that you're much stronger than you thought. Buen Camino"
I will try to get hold of some numbers (I know that someone posted a link here a while ago).I like all of the above, especially visual information and the practicalities of what you carry and why and what you leave behind and why.
I have been invited to speak in two churches about my first aid mission to pilgrims and the pilgrimage so I am going through a similar process.
I think the trick is to not have any notes - as a pilgrim you already have all the information in your head so order of info is the only thing you need to prepare.
All I would say is to remember that most of the people in front of you may not actually know what the pilgrimage is or why it is, or even exactly where it is, so a brief history could be a good way to start ... the numbers are really interesting I think ... in a supposedly secular age pilgrim numbers have been increasing dramatically each year ... and why did you go? What was it that called you? The wide variety of types of people, from so many countries, and so on. Plus, for certain, intersperse your tale with both funny and sad anecdotes ...
perhaps you could enter kitted out as if you were on Camino?
Oh, and Enjoy!!!
Thanks for the link. It's a good suggestion. It is worth thinking of.On the link is a talk that the auther John Brierley gave in Dublin this year and at 19 minutes into the video he gets the audience to do something for one minuet have a look it would make a good starter for you
Thanks, I'll have a section of recommended info and will try to print it out for them. Unfortunately I'll not be at work before the talk. Hmm I might have to see The Way soon. It was not easy to find here in Sweden. None of the streaming services has it and neither the video stores. I guess I have to buy the movie from another country.Hi Beatrice -
Great responses everyone. Something else you can do is provide a 'Further Information' sheet that everyone can take home with them. Include the following:
When I did a presentation to my yoga group last year (some of whom had never heard of the Camino) I printed out a stack of the information sheets and rolled them up scroll fashion, tied with blue and yellow curling ribbons. The info sheets were a great success.
- A short list of recommended Camino books (eg the Brierley guide and a memoir or two)
- The movie 'The Way'
- Your favourite Youtube clips
- Forum link (guess which one!)
- Details of one or two particularly good blogs that you've followed.
- At the bottom of the sheet include your favourite quote and of course, a Buen Camino! This is my favourite quote:
“20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” - Mark Twain.
Good luck with your presentation!
The spiritual part of it will be included as it was a part of my own pilgrimage.You have some good ideas yourself, Beatrice, and many more great ideas from the people here. As it is a church group, and the camino is originally a spiritual pilgrimage (and still is for many) I would also delve into that aspect. I would mention that for many, they feel it to be a calling that gets answered when 'it is time', rather than when they think it is convenient. I would also point out that as much as we plan, the camino (or God/Spirit) always has its way. When we embark on this journey, it is a walk with God (or Spirit, or whatever way we view the Divine). In that walk we touch something special. We discover our strengths and we see our weaknesses. We come across wonderful people, and we also encounter some horrid ones who reflect something that we need to learn. On the camino people can be selfish and thoughtless, and others can be warm, embracing and we see the beautiful side of human nature. I don't know if this was your type of focus, Beatrice, but you might want to mention it for those in your audience who are spiritually motivated by such journeys. Have a good time sharing!
Lovely to have the camino in front of you and then the oppertunity to relive it while making the talks. Buen Camino!Thanks to all contributors for all this very useful info.
I start SJDP 27th April, raising funds for charity, and have been asked to do a couple of talks when I get back to help raise money.
I have a map of different routes showing that the camino is not one way. In fact I did first CF and then out to Finisterre and Muxía and back to SdC and went on to Camino Inglés directly after that. Loved the Inglés so you have a really nice camino in front of you. I'll include some history. 10 favorite memories, just then it is sooo hardI find I get a good reaction to the history of the camino - how folks walked it as a penance for their sins etc. and also details of the 31 routes leading to SdC .... including the Camino Ingles, which I start in 3 weeks!
List your ten favourite memories of the camino.
They're also fascinated by the pros and cons of albergues, and mixed dormitories ....[aren't we all?!?]
Buen camino!
Thanks I'll check the thread. I have an album with over 700 pictures so that part I have covered and some maps but I'll check if there is something I have missed.Here's a thread where I got some help:
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/help-presentation-to-local-school.12081/
Here are the photos I used. Most will be of little use, but the maps might be nice. Feel free to use any of them. The first part is history and background, the second follows biking from Prague to Santiago.
https://picasaweb.google.com/116116...&authkey=Gv1sRgCKu8qIOX977DNg&feat=directlink
Thanks David, I think you might have a good idea there, a pre-written talk might have less swear words in it.
Some of us are VERY shy: crumbs, I don't want everyone looking at my ...... socksAre there any cons about mixes albergues? Didn't think of that
Some of us are VERY shy: crumbs, I don't want everyone looking at my ...... socks
ooooo .... more weight in my back-pack!Wear three socks?
I have a suggestion if you want to be a little creative with your next presentation - Open with a short story that takes the audience directly to the core of your experience - e.g. The most beautiful morning on the Camino / an encounter with an inspiring person / a "family' meal with fellow pilgrims / a remarkable natural scene that touched your heart. No preamble. You can skip back to "Who am I" and "The routes I walked" after that.I will remember those things for my next presentation.
Did that when presenting my photo exhibition. Asked them to close their eyes first. It is a good way to start. I agree. Thanks for reminding me.I have a suggestion if you want to be a little creative with your next presentation - Open with a short story that takes the audience directly to the core of your experience - e.g. The most beautiful morning on the Camino / an encounter with an inspiring person / a "family' meal with fellow pilgrims / a remarkable natural scene that touched your heart. No preamble. You can skip back to "Who am I" and "The routes I walked" after that.
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