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Karla

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Hi all....

I am HAPPILY back home in Oregon.... I did not find what you all have talked about for the last year that I have followed this. I am still trying to figure out what the problem was, but I was not having a bit of fun. I found the people were rude, not helpful at all... I don't know that it was because I was older with white hair, a snorer or an American. I felt completely alone and freaked out most of the time. Add the 95 degree heat to that.... no thanks. I am old enough now (and having had a stroke two years ago) that I don't do anything that is not fun or something I want to do anymore.

After a few really unsettling sleepless nights at refugio's, I'd decided I'd had enough!! Plus I didn't want to inflict my snoring on other pilgrims.

Part of me wishes I'd have had the experiences that I read about for a year. I realllllly expected some things in English. I didn't expect to be "catered" to... but I did expect there would be some English written somewhere. In Oregon, everything is both in English and Spanish. I didn't find the Spanish people to be helpful to me at all. This was nothing like I'd read about, prepared for, hopefully expected.

I hope you all find what you are looking for.... I did too... my home in Oregon with my husband and kids. There truly is no place like home!

Karla
 
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Every Camino has lessons and often they include the importance of home and family. I personally think your efforts were commendable, and hope that there were a few moments of fun mixed in between the times of stress. For the rest of us, I think one lesson is about starting a Camino with a "vacation" in another country. That vacation can be a distraction. Jumping right into the trials and tribulations of an arduous physical task, surrounded by like-minded and like-stressed pilgrims, has some real advantages. Everyone knows what you are up against and is on your side, even if the language barrier is a problem. Karla, you can continue to get some Camino spirit by reading in this forum the thoughts and experiences of others, so stay with us!
 
Karla, there are few lessons in life of more worth than coming to an understanding of the worth of one's own family; our own spouse and our own children. That is a rare gift you have been given.

On an aside, just from reading your several posts about your experience it is apparent that you were not prepared for travel in a foreign land. Americans, in particular, may have a thought process that demands that everyone speak their language...at least a little. More importantly, that those in foreign lands must do things the "right" way, which is the American way. I hope that you have not given up entirely on traveling abroad, but before you go next time you will find a wealth of books to read about what is demanded of those who travel to to lands with different cultures, languages, and social mores.

Regardless, know that your Camino is not ended, but that you now have the knowledge the grass is not greener "out there". There is no place like home.

Michael
 
MichaelB10398 said:
SNIP...
it is apparent that you were not prepared for travel in a foreign land. Americans, in particular, may have a thought process that demands that everyone speak their language...at least a little. More importantly, that those in foreign lands must do things the "right" way, which is the American way. I
....SNIP
Michael

It is interesting that Michael, Karla and I are all close neighbors in the Pacific Northwest. Karla is in Oregon and Michael and I are in and close to Seattle.
We have traveled in all parts of the world very extensively for the past 10 years and have to disagree with your generalizations about Americans. We have run into the type that you describe...but far rarer than other nationalities. The experiences that Karla described are hard for us to comprehend. We did run into a few people (not Americans) who gave up and quit after a week or two, but basically it seemed that they just could not dig up the physical and mental discipline to keep going. I don't think Karla's problems were the result of being from Oregon or being an American. The descriptions Karla gives of rudeness just do not fit any situation we experienced on the Camino. I am certain that we are much older than Karla and our gray hair surely did not earn us any disrespect from fellow Pilgrims or the Spanish people along the way.
I am really amazed that Karla ever left home to attempt this adventure.
 
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So I live in Oregon, too. I am not sure where in Oregon Karla is from, but everything is NOT in English and Spanish and we Oregonians are not that accomodating to "others" as we like to think we are. Oregon has quite an interesting history regarding the "other" that no one likes to talk about. The majority of signage and whatnot in Northern Oregon, near Portland is in ENGLISH. The only place you find SPANISH signs are in areas where there are more migrant workers, like Hillsboro or Woodburn. Otherwise, if they could get it on the ballot, Oregonians would probably make English the state language. (I say this with some sarcasm....being a "bleeding heart liberal" in Portland, where the rest of the state is actually quite conservative....similar to Seattle/Washington, I assume)

Anyhow, I read her blog with interest, being a fellow Oregonian and all. I found it to be quite interesting and something I can learn from as I prepare for my Camino next year.
 
Despite their successive governments, nearly every US citizen I've ever met has been open, friendly and positive. :arrow: (UK governments are pretty crappy too.)
 
What a blog... No wonder everything went wrong: It was set up to go wrong from the very first day.

I simply guess some are searching and exploring, others want it homemade.

It seems to me that much/all of the reason for going so utterly wrong was that things were not like at home: Food, language, transportation, people, accomodation, etc. Also, some people could not communicate in English. Others did not pay enough personal attention/care to her :roll:

Well, that's called experiencing new cultures. As for not seeing English signs and explanations in small Spanish villages: They REALLY ought to do something about that, don't you think :?: :wink:

I taught myself important Spanish basics before I started: I made great Spanish friends from that:

Thanks to Guiseppe from Barcelona (57) for walking with me and teaching me some Spanish for 2 days.

Thanks to Adrian from Madrid (25) who I met earlier on the Camino, and who proposed to share a room in a Santiago pension for 2 nights when I was lost, cutting living expenses by 50%.

Thanks to the friendly young Spanish girl I walked with for several hours in 40 C on a huge plain, helping each other with water, food, and later, accomodation, after having met her under the only tree shade for 13 kms.

Thanks to all hospitaleros/hospitaleras who made it possible for me to sleep through the nights for 3-8 euros (with earplugs) :!:

Thanks to all cafes and bars that served me food, beer and coffee with a smile. Especially beer on those hot days, at very favorable prices :D

Thanks to the old owner couple in a cafe in Santiago who went out of their way to serve Adrian and me a great local dinner together with explanations of food traditions and culture (in Spanish, of which I understood barely 50%, but that was enough to make us friends).

I could have said a lot more about the kind Spanish hospitality and friendliness, but I refrain: It was maybe due to the fact that I tried (and succeeded in trying) to come there a little on THEIR terms in stead of demanding that they should know MY culture and speak MY language... Jeezzz

Looking forward to my next Camino Frances. Already thinking and planning. 8)
 
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Wow! Just found this thread. Seems like Carla was not cut out for it.

My wife has a cousin from Alabama, who doesn't speak any languages other than southern accented 'merican. She is old and overweight. She flew to France last year to visit us in our French hideaway and wouldn't let us pick her up at the airport. She caught a train to Aix, toured that town, took several buses to reach our isolated town of 1200 people, and rolled her suitcase up the 20% grade to our front door. She said that was all part of the adventure, and that the French were great to her.

Karla must be a special case. Our house in Oregon, just over the Cascades from Karla, proudly displays a blue and yellow scallop shell tile on the front.
 
Wow... it's so wonderful to be judged by you all. I thought I had done my homework... mentally and physically. I spent a year preparing and starting to learn the language... enough that I thought I could get by. I didn't expect anyone to cater to me nor did I go there as an "American"! I've had almost a year at home now and have done lots of thinking about it. I honestly can't say I'm happy I went but it was an experience. Sadly everything I thought I'd learned went right out the window when I was so stressed.

I think my biggest mistake was going alone. I know, I know... lots and lots of you do and love it.... but I don't think I'd have been as overwhelmed and terrified if I knew anyone who I could actually talk to. I'm still trying to comprehend why it all went the way it did. I consider myself an open and friendly person. I'm that person who talks to everyone in every situation. So I'm still confused other than I guess that Spirit had other plans for me. And if I ever thought of doing it again, I would definitely fly into Spain and getting walking... Ireland was a huge costly mistake. I have traveled quite a bit but it was in the military where it's a pretty protected environment.

When I spent the better part of a year reading this website and hearing all the fabulous stories, I couldn't wait to begin. I do think alot of them are very misleading. I wished I'd read one like mine to know that it's not all a bed of roses. I can't imagine I'm the only one who had such a crappy experience, maybe the others just don't want to post theirs and take all of your comments.

I'm happy for all of you that love it.... I'm happy for me loving just walking around my home. So judge me however you want... makes no difference whatsoever in my life.

Karla
 
Karla, I hope your experience is a not burden for you, but rather an event that has made you stronger. Our objective is not to judge, but to seek some answer that might have improved your Camino and thus help others that read of your experience.

Should you feel the call of the Camino again, I hope that you can go with someone else as you mentioned. That might really be the key for you to more easily enjoy a pilgrimage. On the other hand, one need not travel to foreign lands to go on pilgrimage. As you have found out, it can be done near your own home in Oregon.

I remain convinced that you have been given an incredible gift in understanding the value of your family. God bless you on the Camino you still walk.
 
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Hello Karla,
When I read your story, I thought, Ow dear can this really happen to someone who is wanting to walk the Camino. And i am sure, that you really wanted to do this, otherwise you would not be here at this moment. Maybe you can start walking the Camino with someone else. So you can share your daily experiences with this person. Maybe not walking each day together, but seeing each other at the end of the day. And if it is not for you, you will know it already.

Greetings from Holland
 
Re: Karla (camino disappointment)

It´s not just the pilgrims who experience disappointment on the Camino.
Sometimes it´s the hospitaleros! I am dealing with one such situation right now: We have an enthusiastic first-time volunteer in an isolated albergue, loving the place and the pilgrims, but being driven to tears every day by her fellow hospitalero. She´s fed up with the abuse and ready to bail out. She´s crushed.

I only hear one side of the story. It is hard not to be judgemental. But all kinds of things can happen out there on the trail, and in the albergues. The Camino is a voluntary activity... none of us (unless he´s a juvenile offender from Belgium!) is obligated to come here and do this strange thing to ourselves for so long, surrounded by other people forever ready to compare our performance to theirs. Not everyone is cut out for this. A lot of people, for all kinds of reasons, aren´t going to finish it... at least not the "official" way!

We all are pilgrims somehow.
Reb.
 
Re: Karla (camino disappointment)

It´s not just the pilgrims who experience disappointment on the Camino.
Sometimes it´s the hospitaleros! I am dealing with one such situation right now: We have an enthusiastic first-time volunteer in an isolated albergue, loving the place and the pilgrims, but being driven to tears every day by her fellow hospitalero. She´s fed up with the abuse and ready to bail out. She´s crushed.

I only hear one side of the story. It is hard not to be judgemental. But all kinds of things can happen out there on the trail, and in the albergues. The Camino is a voluntary activity... none of us (unless he´s a juvenile offender from Belgium!) is obligated to come here and do this strange thing to ourselves for so long, surrounded by other people forever ready to compare our performance to theirs. Not everyone is cut out for this. A lot of people, for all kinds of reasons, aren´t going to finish it... at least not the "official" way!

We all are pilgrims somehow.
Reb.
 
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I think sometimes people have unrealistic expectations of themselves and of others.
A trek like this is not for everyone.
I think it's good Karla recognized this and bailed.
Why hurt yourself?
The purpose of life is to have joy!
If what you're doing doesn't bring you joy, then do something else...

I personally don't see anyone "judging" Karla on this thread.
I'm sorry she feels attacked.

I think it's good to analyze the outcome of other people's experience.
It's how we learn without touching the stove.
 
Karla may be right in that she would have been better off to have been accompanied, and that she should have started walking right away. Reading through her blog, there were a series of minor problems in the earlier part of her journey which likely disconcerted her.

The blog suggests that she might have been unrealistic in her expectations of the availability of English-language service along the Camino—and this is where her lack of companion left her isolated and likely increased feelings of vulnerability. On my first Camino, I soon discovered that my really bad Spanish was going to have to serve, or I would go very hungry. Whenever anyone has consulted me on this, I tell them to learn to order in Spanish and get their change in Spanish and, while people will be hospitable, they encounter too many languages among pilgrims to learn one or the other. Spain is Spain is Spain, and they should not expect it to be Oshawa.

Certainly, my first week of Camino-ing in 2002 was spent in a clouded haze of exhaustion and incomprehension, and I still cannot say why I kept on going. I found the first 5-10 days to be overwhelming and draining. I have encountered pilgrims who felt unable to continue and it might be that, for them, the experience of the Camino was not what they needed at that time. For Karla, I would have prescribed what an English friend did, who walked while her husband drove ahead, to greet her at the next stop, with a room booked at a hostal, so that they could balance the considerable demands of the Camino with a nightly refuge (rather than a nightly refugio).
 
This reads like the best argument that can be made for getting good guidebooks to study before you leave home. Something like Rick Steves' Ireland guide and Brierley's Camino Guide would have not only prepared her for what to expect but would also have provided her with guidance that would have prevented her from making so many wrong turns.
 
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I'm starting El Camino May 27th, I have expresses anxiety, perhaps fear to start this journey alone, but I really want to try it!
I herd about the woman who has not being found, and now Karla's experiences? Is there any tracking devise that we can purchase?I have the guide book and already order my passport and shells through Ivar. I have being training for a month, and I feel ready. Meaning that I will do only what I can do.
I'm fluent in Spanish.
This is usually such positive forum!
Please a little encouragement!:confused:
Thank you
 
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Yolanda..you have found a very old thread. Karla's experience baffled us all when it was first posted in 2009.
We are still at a loss to understand how her experience could be so different from the rest of the folk who post here.
I have not ever read a similar blog or post. They may exist but are extremely rare.


On May 27th you will start the adventure of your life. Be prepared to smile every day...even when exhausted and wet.:)
 
@yolanda Mejia speaking Spanish gives you a huge advantage over most of the people on this forum. Having that advantage I am sure you will be fine. But you are doing something new and brave and different, so be kind to yourself and expect to be unsettled until you get into your Camino "rhythm".

I think Carla was experiencing culture shock from the very beginning, in Ireland. She never really had the time or circumstances to recover. I don't think we give enough credence to culture shock, or to the emotional discomfort that is part and parcel of travelling alone. Being suddenly wrenched away from those you love involves a real loss, and grief is natural. Even though I've travelled overseas since the age of seven, and made my first unaccompanied international journey when I was 13, I still take a few days to adjust. The difference is that I know and expect it and can plan for it. That is why it is especially important having the first few nights in places that are welcoming and that cater for new pilgrims.

It also helps to have an intense curiosity, an intellectual commitment to understanding and celebrating the differences we are seeing. My husband is wonderful at seeing the odd and quirky, letting his intellect have fun with exploring the new. It is an opportunity to learn and to grow in mind as well as body and spirit.

The lesson for me in this thread is that we should all try and look beyond ourselves when we walk the Camino; seek out the person who seems alone and a bit lost. No need to impose, just make sure they are OK and help with anything practical. Everyone needs a friend.
 
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Kanga's post has reminded me of something that Karla's original 2009 post triggered with us on our Caminos.

We have always tried very hard to watch out for those who seem to be outside of the groups...eating alone..not interacting with others..alone and looking lost.
We always extend a low key offer of friendship and company. Sometimes it is rebuffed or is not as it seemed. We never bother anyone..just let them know they are welcome with us and whoever we are with.
This has become such a normal part for us that I did not give it a thought until Kanga mentioned it.
It is a simple act of kindness.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I'm starting El Camino May 27th, I have expresses anxiety, perhaps fear to start this journey alone, but I really want to try it!
I herd about the woman who has not being found, and now Karla's experiences? Is there any tracking devise that we can purchase?I have the guide book and already order my passport and shells through Ivar. I have being training for a month, and I feel ready. Meaning that I will do only what I can do.
I'm fluent in Spanish.
This is usually such positive forum!
Please a little encouragement!:confused:
Thank you

Some people need to walk a road less traveled ... and the camino only gets 200000 per year ... so go for it.

As for tracking devices ... you can purchase a manually activated personal locator beacon that runs on SARSAT for $500 . You can purchase a SPOT device for about $80 that runs on GlobalStar and transmits GPS data with manual activation. SPOT also allows you to send a text message to a prearranged e-mail address daily. The disadvantage of SPOT is the MRC and the fact of GlobalStar not having global coverage. -I reiterate that you have to activate the devices to send an alarm-.
 
Some people need to walk a road less traveled ... and the camino only gets 200000 per year ... so go for it.

As for tracking devices ... you can purchase a manually activated personal locator beacon that runs on SARSAT for $500 . You can purchase a SPOT device for about $80 that runs on GlobalStar and transmits GPS data with manual activation. SPOT also allows you to send a text message to a prearranged e-mail address daily. The disadvantage of SPOT is the MRC and the fact of GlobalStar not having global coverage. -I reiterate that you have to activate the devices to send an alarm-.

I have had a SPOT tracking device for some years, as I travel alone in mountainous areas. I have used it to report my location to family on my many solitary journeys into the wilds of western Canada, and last year in New Zealand. I like that I can activate it in emergencies and that it only costs $100 a year for monitoring and satellite coverage. It works for me.
 
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Thank you, Karla, for sharing.

But already the 4th sentence in Karla's blog explains the reasons and that is not language, hair, food... See here "I would still be on the Camino instead of home with my husband as he goes through a second surgery this year." Things happen for a reason. No Camino that was. Her husband needed her home and she was returned home. Actually I read that as a touching love story not a Camino gone bad story. That was just technicalities.

(I only do things that allow themselves get organized fluently. If I encounter more obstacles than normally, I think twice - maybe next time, maybe thats not for me.)
 
I'm starting El Camino May 27th, I have expresses anxiety, perhaps fear to start this journey alone, but I really want to try it!
I herd about the woman who has not being found, and now Karla's experiences? Is there any tracking devise that we can purchase?I have the guide book and already order my passport and shells through Ivar. I have being training for a month, and I feel ready. Meaning that I will do only what I can do.
I'm fluent in Spanish.
This is usually such positive forum!
Please a little encouragement!:confused:
Thank you
Yay! I figured out how to reply with a previous post. Yolanda you state in your profile that you do not have a sense of direction. Not to worry, it is difficult to get truly lost, sidetracked yes, maybe. Especially if you are like me and easily distracted by streams, butterflies and flowers, but you can easily get back on track. As a Spanish hospitalero once told me, this isn't Africa, you are never far from civilization. I have done the Camino Frances three times, gotten sidetracked on each one,fallen down on each one ( more than once),and can't wait for my Camino Portuguese in Sept. Like you, I speak fluent Spanish and it will add immensely to your experience, you can converse with the people tending their gardens, the shopkeepers, well of course all the Spanish people,etc. You will have a wonderful time and a difficult time and a lonely time and all the times that go along with life, but it is so worth it!

Buen Camino!
 
Yay! I figured out how to reply with a previous post. Yolanda you state in your profile that you do not have a sense of direction. Not to worry, it is difficult to get truly lost, sidetracked yes, maybe. Especially if you are like me and easily distracted by streams, butterflies and flowers, but you can easily get back on track. As a Spanish hospitalero once told me, this isn't Africa, you are never far from civilization. I have done the Camino Frances three times, gotten sidetracked on each one,fallen down on each one ( more than once),and can't wait for my Camino Portuguese in Sept. Like you, I speak fluent Spanish and it will add immensely to your experience, you can converse with the people tending their gardens, the shopkeepers, well of course all the Spanish people,etc. You will have a wonderful time and a difficult time and a lonely time and all the times that go along with life, but it is so worth it!

Buen Camino!
Thank you for caring La Barre, I will inject some of your confidence in me. You are right I could ask around or wait till I see some one else, and look for signs, I'm not the first or last person to do it alone, I do believe that the Lord will guide me, occasionally I fear.:)
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Some people need to walk a road less traveled ... and the camino only gets 200000 per year ... so go for it.

As for tracking devices ... you can purchase a manually activated personal locator beacon that runs on SARSAT for $500 . You can purchase a SPOT device for about $80 that runs on GlobalStar and transmits GPS data with manual activation. SPOT also allows you to send a text message to a prearranged e-mail address daily. The disadvantage of SPOT is the MRC and the fact of GlobalStar not having global coverage. -I reiterate that you have to activate the devices to send an alarm-.
Thank you! I will do it!:)
 
Kanga's post has reminded me of something that Karla's original 2009 post triggered with us on our Caminos.

We have always tried very hard to watch out for those who seem to be outside of the groups...eating alone..not interacting with others..alone and looking lost.
We always extend a low key offer of friendship and company. Sometimes it is rebuffed or is not as it seemed. We never bother anyone..just let them know they are welcome with us and whoever we are with.
This has become such a normal part for us that I did not give it a thought until Kanga mentioned it.
It is a simple act of kindness.

Grayland, this may be simple kindness, but it's not so common, even amongst us pilgrims. As a rule we're good at this, really we are. But today I've been thinking a bit about Denise (the woman who is missing) and can't help but reflect about not only the importance of offering connection to people who may be in difficulty or trouble, but also simply noticing and paying attention to our fellow pilgrims.
 
I have had a SPOT tracking device for some years, as I travel alone in mountainous areas. I have used it to report my location to family on my many solitary journeys into the wilds of western Canada, and last year in New Zealand. I like that I can activate it in emergencies and that it only costs $100 a year for monitoring and satellite coverage. It works for me.
Thank you Falcon. :)
Yolanda..you have found a very old thread. Karla's experience baffled us all when it was first posted in 2009.
We are still at a loss to understand how her experience could be so different from the rest of the folk who post here.
I have not ever read a similar blog or post. They may exist but are extremely rare.


On May 27th you will start the adventure of your life. Be prepared to smile every day...even when exhausted and wet.:)
Thank you Grayland I guess I have to do it! I'm all set for it no matter what.:)
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.

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