Newbie/Safety/Privacy

[HannahWalker]

I posted this in camino frances before I realized there was an introduction board.

Hi. I'm 22, from South Carolina (but go to school in New York), and my name is Hannah. I will be walking the camino frances in late summer with my two college roommates as a celebration of graduation before beginning our life in the "real world". My one roommate is jewish and a direct descendant of jews expelled from Spain in the 15th century, my other roommate is of strong Basque heritage, and I am both a fairly devout catholic and a spanish minor, so we just thought this made a perfect almagamation of all of our cultural backgrounds and interests to do this.

We are all athletic (two of us played sports in college) and are currently taking hiking trips on weekends for preparation for the Camino.

I have two major areas of concern that I wanted to ask about:

1) Safety. I know that Spain is incredibly safe, and the Camino even moreso. But how safe, specifically, is it for three young girls walking the Camino alone? My parents let me study abroad in Spain and the Czech Republic, yet now suddenly they are freaking out about the camino (although they are generally supportive). What are your thoughts about three 22 year old women walking alone?

2) Privacy. For my own, personal, religious reasons my modesty is very important to me, but I know that albuergas are very NOT private. I am not very worried (at all) about changing, showering, etc around other women. I am a swimmer and use wide open, communal showers nude on an almost daily basis. I also have three sisters. So I'm not overly prudish, but I am modest.....inasmuch as I define modesty more about being undressed around the opposite sex. How private are the showers, not so much from other women, but from men? Are they on opposite ends of the albuerga? what about changing into/out of clothes? I definately don't want to be nude below the waste around any man, and I really wouldn't want him to even see me in my underwear (at least not below the waste). I'm a bit less resolute about above the waste because I realize that breasts are not considered sexual in spain (I almost went topless once during my study abroad, but decided it didn't quite feel right for me....so therefore while I am worried about that to a degree, my primary concern is really below the waste). What is the situation? What can I do? Sorry to be asking a question that probably wouldn't bother most people. I'm usually pretty easy going, and I'm not trying to fixate. But I don't want to completely turn away from my own moral compass either, even as I'm respectful of other people's comfort levels and moral compasses.

Thanks for any help, and if anyone feels more comfortable talking rather than posting, feel free to contact me on yahoo messenger

 

[Tia Valeria]

Hola Hannah and welcome,
My trek towel was bought to be big enough to wrap around me and would give some privacy dressing if needed. Think 'beach towel'. It can be difficult to find one long enough but there are 'giant' sizes out there. A little extra weight maybe but it could help solve the problem.
I also tend to keep my bra on in albergues. Change briefs on first trip to bathroom in the morning. (I wear T-shirt and longjohns - 140gms - at night, or a dress -180gms - if it is hot.)
My scarf (45gms) is very wide and would make a modesty strip too.
Buen Camino

 

[Peronel]

Hola Hannah!

The first question is easy - Spain, as you say, is very safe, and pilgrims specifically are considered 'special'. You will be looked out for. I walked alone, I had no problems, I can't imagine having any problems. Is there the occassional bad apple? Yes, of course, but they're vanishingly rare.

The second is more difficult. Albergue dormitories are mixed sex. There are no private changing areas. There are lots of bodies - old, young, male, female, in very close proximity. I didn't see any communal showers. The norm is a room with one/two/many shower cubicles, mostly with a curtain or door. They may or may not have a little changing space where you can keep your clothes dry. Sometimes there's a male bathroom and a female bathroom, but often not.

You will see men walking around in nothing but their tighty-whities and (occassionally) in even less than that. But it's amazing how quickly it becomes normal and no more immodest than seeing someone without a hat on. By and large, people are pretty good about not staring. It's not sexualised at all.

Within days, getting dressed and undressed in a room full of strangers felt perfectly okay. I'm not sure how to describe it, but you sort of create privacy in your head and by where you look. Would I have felt uncomfortable is someone had stood and stared? Yes, but noone did.