Special people (not) preparing for the CP

[Emia]

This certainly is a once in MY life adventure

Although our young adults got their walking boots & dito socks about four months ago, they are not willing to train. Not one meter. In my nightmares I see bleeding blisters, lost toenails, aching legs and etc. I can only hope my "training schedule" will work while we're actually on our way: Matosinhos 10 km, Lavra 11 km, Vila do Conde 13 km. Then we have a "resting day" - only 5 km to Povoa de Varzim and a bustour to Vila Praia de Ancora. Seixas 15 km, Vila Nova de Cerveira 12 km, Valenca 15 km and after visiting the fortress on to Tui (5 km). Please tell me they are going to be fine after a full resting day in Tui... O Porrino, Redondela, Pontevedra, Portela de Barro, Caldas de Reis, resting day, Padron, O Milladoiro, SdC.

Some of my friends got together and donated a few € for one really nice & special accomodation, so I booked 4 rooms in Villa Idalina (Seixas). Apart from Valenca and Portela (albergue municipal) I made reservations in simple hostels with shared bedrooms, a youth hostel and some pensions with double rooms. The campingsite in Lavra with the big tents is probably going to be a nasty surprise, but there is a pool!

Booking our flights with Ryanair was easy. One check-in bag because of walking poles, pocket knife and other stuff that is not allowed in the cabin, like larger bottles of toiletries. Our actual backpacks are small and light enough to take as handluggage.
But... I didn't consider the fact that a 15 year can only fly when linked to an adult (+16 yo) and can't check in online by herself.

The second surprise: I hadn't realised that having 4 foreign backgrounds/nationalities other than German among 8 people might cause some difficulties, or at least some alertness. I have a Dutch ID. One has a Russian passport with a longterm permit of residence, one was born in Columbia but she has a German ID, and one has a Turkisch passport with a longterm permit of residence. That'll be fun at the checkin counter But I checked, doubled checked and triple checked all the forms we need, so hopefully we're not in for a negative surprise.

In German and in Dutch we say: some mills grind very slowly. It took me about 8 months to organise the financial part. All I heared was: "yes, of course, I'll check it out, but it shouldn't cause any problems, I'll give you feedback as soon as possible". And I never got any feedback at all. They only told me it was not allowed to book the flights or accomodations online. The reason? Maybe I would book all of it for a couple of my private friends?!? Sigh.

As I said: this is a once in MY lifetime adventure.
Honestly, I'm already looking forward to my solo camino - next year from León to SdC

Anyway, I hope we'll arrive safely in Porto on Sept. 24 and enjoy a lifechanging (and for some of the young adults lifesaving) Camino. Along the coastal route we might not meet very many other pilgrims, but from Tui we'll follow the pilgrims' flow. Please talk to us if you meet our crazy bunch.

Buen Camino to you all.

Emia

 

[martin1ws]

This certainly is a once in MY life adventure

Although our young adults got their walking boots & dito socks about four months ago, they are not willing to train. Not one meter. In my nightmares I see bleeding blisters, lost toenails, aching legs and etc. I can only hope my "training schedule" will work while we're actually on our way: Matosinhos 10 km, Lavra 11 km, Vila do Conde 13 km. Then we have a "resting day" - only 5 km to Povoa de Varzim and a bustour to Vila Praia de Ancora. Seixas 15 km, Vila Nova de Cerveira 12 km, Valenca 15 km and after visiting the fortress on to Tui (5 km). Please tell me they are going to be fine after a full resting day in Tui... O Porrino, Redondela, Pontevedra, Portela de Barro, Caldas de Reis, resting day, Padron, O Milladoiro, SdC.
...

I would think that most people would be fine with these short days without training... if their shoes fit (and are not too heavy; boots should really be broken in) and their backpacks are not overloaded. But if they really do not walk with the shoes / boots... they will not know until they are there on the camino.

But do not be too scared... I saw many pilgrims with boots that did not fit or with overloaded backpacks... who got terrible blisters or other problems in the first days... e. g. had to buy new shoes...
And if you would ask most of these pilgrims at the end... they would say they had a great camino.

 

[David Tallan]

They should be fine. Young adults are hardier than you think. I went on the Camino Frances with one (turned 16 on the Camino) in 2016 and we had absolutely no training as well. After the first 22 km day, we did three short ones of 15 km before upping the daily distance to 20-30 km. He made it to Santiago. There were some blisters, especially when the distances were longer, but he didn't let them stop him. Your team, with those distances and resting days should have no problems.

 

[VNwalking]

Heartfelt Buen Camino, Emia!
I do hope you're not the only chaperone when you're walking, and have a back-up plan in case things begin to get even more 'interesting.' This sounds like it's already a huge challenge.
Please let us know how you go.

 

[Emia]

Heartfelt Buen Camino, Emia!
I do hope you're not the only chaperone when you're walking, and have a back-up plan in case things begin to get even more 'interesting.' This sounds like it's already a huge challenge.
Please let us know how you go.

There are two of us: my co-worker is 50 and I am the granny (58). The kids are between 15 and 20.

Our only back-up plan (apart from the whip and blackmail) is to send the backpacks by transport service (in Spain). And to have a close look at their 16 happy feet every evening. In case of emergency my co-worker would either bus/train back to Porto or forward to SdC and get the injured kid on a plane. But I'm more concerned about the psychological aspects since all of them have double or even triple trouble:

sexually abused, stubborn and angry by nature, emotionally neglected, social fears, anorexia, self-injuring behaviour, toatal lack of confidence and stamina, learning difficulties (special school), borderline and slight schizophren issues...


But the first challenge will be to teach them how to pee in the wood

 

[SYates]

... since all of them have double or even triple trouble:

sexually abused, stubborn and angry by nature, emotionally neglected, social fears, anorexia, self-injuring behaviour, toatal lack of confidence and stamina, learning difficulties (special school), borderline and slight schizophren issues...

Eight youngsters with this kind of challenges and only 2 adults to accompany them???

SY

 

[Tincatinker]

Eight youngsters with this kind of challenges and only 2 adults to accompany them???
SY

And you SY, and me, willing them on and wishing them good fortune. And every decent, kind hearted, pilgrim who has dealt with their own stuff, and probably carried other burdens too, who they will meet along the road. And Santo Domingo to give them a good road; and hope. There is nothing wrong with a bit of hope.

It might all read like 'train-crash" television but it doesn't have to be like that.

Buen camino amigas

 

[Emia]

Eight youngsters with this kind of challenges and only 2 adults to accompany them???

SY

Sorry about the misunderstanding - we are two chaparones and "only" 6 kids/young adults

 

[Emia]

And you SY, and me, willing them on and wishing them good fortune. And every decent, kind hearted, pilgrim who has dealt with their own stuff, and probably carried other burdens too, who they will meet along the road. And Santo Domingo to give them a good road; and hope. There is nothing wrong with a bit of hope.

It might all read like 'train-crash" television but it doesn't have to be like that.

Buen camino amigas

Thank you!

I don't know the meaning of "train-crash" television, but this really is my daily job. And in my group we deal 24/7 with 12 young adults of this kind.

 

[Former member 49149]

Thank you!

I don't know the meaning of "train-crash" television, but this really is my daily job. And in my group we deal 24/7 with 12 young adults of this kind.

You can count on lots of support from many parts of the world, though you and your colleague will be the ones on the ground. Reminder, please, of your dates. Sorry, I forget... I will put it in my calendar in the kitchen!

 

[Kitsambler]

sexually abused, stubborn and angry by nature, emotionally neglected, social fears, anorexia,... total lack of confidence and stamina...

I'm not sure this is so different from any grouping of pilgrims, and then different only by degree rather than kind. It's just that their issues are known by others, for this group, and there are professionals in attendance. May the journey be fruitful and healing, and may you be a blessing to each other.

 

[twh]

What a wonderful gift you are giving to these kids. I hope they have a great experience. You may be aware from reading other threads on this forum that bed time in an albergue can sometimes be difficult for groups (or the other pilgrims around them). Lights out and quiet time is generally 10pm. I've read stories on here about chaperones who did not sleep in the same space as their group of kids and had no idea of the noise, commotion and disturbance that resulted. Due to your professional background I can't imagine you would be so naive to make a similar blunder. Walking those short distances each day they may still have lot's of unspent energy at 10pm each night. Buen Camino y Buen Suerte

 

[elleley]

This certainly is a once in MY life adventure

Although our young adults got their walking boots & dito socks about four months ago, they are not willing to train. Not one meter. In my nightmares I see bleeding blisters, lost toenails, aching legs and etc. I can only hope my "training schedule" will work while we're actually on our way: Matosinhos 10 km, Lavra 11 km, Vila do Conde 13 km. Then we have a "resting day" - only 5 km to Povoa de Varzim and a bustour to Vila Praia de Ancora. Seixas 15 km, Vila Nova de Cerveira 12 km, Valenca 15 km and after visiting the fortress on to Tui (5 km). Please tell me they are going to be fine after a full resting day in Tui... O Porrino, Redondela, Pontevedra, Portela de Barro, Caldas de Reis, resting day, Padron, O Milladoiro, SdC.

Some of my friends got together and donated a few € for one really nice & special accomodation, so I booked 4 rooms in Villa Idalina (Seixas). Apart from Valenca and Portela (albergue municipal) I made reservations in simple hostels with shared bedrooms, a youth hostel and some pensions with double rooms. The campingsite in Lavra with the big tents is probably going to be a nasty surprise, but there is a pool!

Booking our flights with Ryanair was easy. One check-in bag because of walking poles, pocket knife and other stuff that is not allowed in the cabin, like larger bottles of toiletries. Our actual backpacks are small and light enough to take as handluggage.
But... I didn't consider the fact that a 15 year can only fly when linked to an adult (+16 yo) and can't check in online by herself.

The second surprise: I hadn't realised that having 4 foreign backgrounds/nationalities other than German among 8 people might cause some difficulties, or at least some alertness. I have a Dutch ID. One has a Russian passport with a longterm permit of residence, one was born in Columbia but she has a German ID, and one has a Turkisch passport with a longterm permit of residence. That'll be fun at the checkin counter But I checked, doubled checked and triple checked all the forms we need, so hopefully we're not in for a negative surprise.

In German and in Dutch we say: some mills grind very slowly. It took me about 8 months to organise the financial part. All I heared was: "yes, of course, I'll check it out, but it shouldn't cause any problems, I'll give you feedback as soon as possible". And I never got any feedback at all. They only told me it was not allowed to book the flights or accomodations online. The reason? Maybe I would book all of it for a couple of my private friends?!? Sigh.

As I said: this is a once in MY lifetime adventure.
Honestly, I'm already looking forward to my solo camino - next year from León to SdC

Anyway, I hope we'll arrive safely in Porto on Sept. 24 and enjoy a lifechanging (and for some of the young adults lifesaving) Camino. Along the coastal route we might not meet very many other pilgrims, but from Tui we'll follow the pilgrims' flow. Please talk to us if you meet our crazy bunch.

Buen Camino to you all.

Emia

And a Muy Buen Camino to you and your tribe, Emia. As twh said, you are giving a wonderful gift to these kids and to yourself. You know it won't be easy, but that's not why you're doing it, I suppose. Look for the helpers along The Way. They are there to support all of you. Wish we would cross paths, but I will be a couple of weeks ahead of you ( I hope/think)....will leave positive thoughts along the Way for you.
May the Way rise to meet you. Ultreia!
elle

 

[Emia]

You can count on lots of support from many parts of the world, though you and your colleague will be the ones on the ground. Reminder, please, of your dates. Sorry, I forget... I will put it in my calendar in the kitchen!

We're starting in Porto on Monday Sept. 24. Seeing the sights in a city doesn't make the kids happy, and apart from that they are really exited & nervous, so it seemed a better idea to hit the road immediately. If all goes well we'll arrive in SdC on Oct. 11.

 

[Emia]

What a wonderful gift you are giving to these kids. I hope they have a great experience. You may be aware from reading other threads on this forum that bed time in an albergue can sometimes be difficult for groups (or the other pilgrims around them). Lights out and quiet time is generally 10pm. I've read stories on here about chaperones who did not sleep in the same space as their group of kids and had no idea of the noise, commotion and disturbance that resulted. Due to your professional background I can't imagine you would be so naive to make a similar blunder. Walking those short distances each day they may still have lot's of unspent energy at 10pm each night. Buen Camino y Buen Suerte

It will be a much bigger problem to keep all of them awake till after dinner

They are not used to any walking distances, so even these shorter stages will be a huge challenge. And the overdose of fresh air will definately make them groggy by bedtime.
As far as possible I booked safe spaces - like a seperate 6-bed dorm for the kids, and my co-worker and sharing a dorm with ? other pilgrims. Or two 4-bed dorms. On a few occasions we'll stay in a larger dorm or an albergue municipal, but I would never ever leave my kids alone by sleeping in a completely different area.

 

[MaryB2624]

This certainly is a once in MY life adventure

Although our young adults got their walking boots & dito socks about four months ago, they are not willing to train. Not one meter. In my nightmares I see bleeding blisters, lost toenails, aching legs and etc. I can only hope my "training schedule" will work while we're actually on our way: Matosinhos 10 km, Lavra 11 km, Vila do Conde 13 km. Then we have a "resting day" - only 5 km to Povoa de Varzim and a bustour to Vila Praia de Ancora. Seixas 15 km, Vila Nova de Cerveira 12 km, Valenca 15 km and after visiting the fortress on to Tui (5 km). Please tell me they are going to be fine after a full resting day in Tui... O Porrino, Redondela, Pontevedra, Portela de Barro, Caldas de Reis, resting day, Padron, O Milladoiro, SdC.

Some of my friends got together and donated a few € for one really nice & special accomodation, so I booked 4 rooms in Villa Idalina (Seixas). Apart from Valenca and Portela (albergue municipal) I made reservations in simple hostels with shared bedrooms, a youth hostel and some pensions with double rooms. The campingsite in Lavra with the big tents is probably going to be a nasty surprise, but there is a pool!

Booking our flights with Ryanair was easy. One check-in bag because of walking poles, pocket knife and other stuff that is not allowed in the cabin, like larger bottles of toiletries. Our actual backpacks are small and light enough to take as handluggage.
But... I didn't consider the fact that a 15 year can only fly when linked to an adult (+16 yo) and can't check in online by herself.

The second surprise: I hadn't realised that having 4 foreign backgrounds/nationalities other than German among 8 people might cause some difficulties, or at least some alertness. I have a Dutch ID. One has a Russian passport with a longterm permit of residence, one was born in Columbia but she has a German ID, and one has a Turkisch passport with a longterm permit of residence. That'll be fun at the checkin counter But I checked, doubled checked and triple checked all the forms we need, so hopefully we're not in for a negative surprise.

In German and in Dutch we say: some mills grind very slowly. It took me about 8 months to organise the financial part. All I heared was: "yes, of course, I'll check it out, but it shouldn't cause any problems, I'll give you feedback as soon as possible". And I never got any feedback at all. They only told me it was not allowed to book the flights or accomodations online. The reason? Maybe I would book all of it for a couple of my private friends?!? Sigh.

As I said: this is a once in MY lifetime adventure.
Honestly, I'm already looking forward to my solo camino - next year from León to SdC

Anyway, I hope we'll arrive safely in Porto on Sept. 24 and enjoy a lifechanging (and for some of the young adults lifesaving) Camino. Along the coastal route we might not meet very many other pilgrims, but from Tui we'll follow the pilgrims' flow. Please talk to us if you meet our crazy bunch.

Buen Camino to you all.

Emia

We stayed at Villa Idalina in Seixas just a few nights ago and it was wonderful!

 

[valevenga]

The kids may love Porto! It’s an awesome place with plenty to do for all ages.....bless you and your friend for doing this! What a wonderful exciting adventure for you all! Ultreia!

 

[Former member 49149]

We're starting in Porto on Monday Sept. 24. Seeing the sights in a city doesn't make the kids happy, and apart from that they are really exited & nervous, so it seemed a better idea to hit the road immediately. If all goes well we'll arrive in SdC on Oct. 11.

On the calendar! If you come across my hat... joking! I lost it in Porto in a very strong wind. I am trying to think of what might be of interest to your group, but how could I possibly? Wait till you see the distance markers with so many minutes to the next point! There was a guy from Lisboa who played a little game with me - he moved ahead, and kept leaving me encouraging messages (not litter, I picked them up). All the very best to you all, bom caminho!

 

[Isabelle Maclean]

This certainly is a once in MY life adventure

Although our young adults got their walking boots & dito socks about four months ago, they are not willing to train. Not one meter. In my nightmares I see bleeding blisters, lost toenails, aching legs and etc. I can only hope my "training schedule" will work while we're actually on our way: Matosinhos 10 km, Lavra 11 km, Vila do Conde 13 km. Then we have a "resting day" - only 5 km to Povoa de Varzim and a bustour to Vila Praia de Ancora. Seixas 15 km, Vila Nova de Cerveira 12 km, Valenca 15 km and after visiting the fortress on to Tui (5 km). Please tell me they are going to be fine after a full resting day in Tui... O Porrino, Redondela, Pontevedra, Portela de Barro, Caldas de Reis, resting day, Padron, O Milladoiro, SdC.

Some of my friends got together and donated a few € for one really nice & special accomodation, so I booked 4 rooms in Villa Idalina (Seixas). Apart from Valenca and Portela (albergue municipal) I made reservations in simple hostels with shared bedrooms, a youth hostel and some pensions with double rooms. The campingsite in Lavra with the big tents is probably going to be a nasty surprise, but there is a pool!

Booking our flights with Ryanair was easy. One check-in bag because of walking poles, pocket knife and other stuff that is not allowed in the cabin, like larger bottles of toiletries. Our actual backpacks are small and light enough to take as handluggage.
But... I didn't consider the fact that a 15 year can only fly when linked to an adult (+16 yo) and can't check in online by herself.

The second surprise: I hadn't realised that having 4 foreign backgrounds/nationalities other than German among 8 people might cause some difficulties, or at least some alertness. I have a Dutch ID. One has a Russian passport with a longterm permit of residence, one was born in Columbia but she has a German ID, and one has a Turkisch passport with a longterm permit of residence. That'll be fun at the checkin counter But I checked, doubled checked and triple checked all the forms we need, so hopefully we're not in for a negative surprise.

In German and in Dutch we say: some mills grind very slowly. It took me about 8 months to organise the financial part. All I heared was: "yes, of course, I'll check it out, but it shouldn't cause any problems, I'll give you feedback as soon as possible". And I never got any feedback at all. They only told me it was not allowed to book the flights or accomodations online. The reason? Maybe I would book all of it for a couple of my private friends?!? Sigh.

As I said: this is a once in MY lifetime adventure.
Honestly, I'm already looking forward to my solo camino - next year from León to SdC

Anyway, I hope we'll arrive safely in Porto on Sept. 24 and enjoy a lifechanging (and for some of the young adults lifesaving) Camino. Along the coastal route we might not meet very many other pilgrims, but from Tui we'll follow the pilgrims' flow. Please talk to us if you meet our crazy bunch.

Buen Camino to you all.

Emia

May see you along the way and will definitely say hello,leaving Porto October 1.

 

[David Tallan]

May see you along the way and will definitely say hello,leaving Porto October 1.

Maybe I'll see you and say hello. I'm also leaving Porto on October 1.

 

[Former member 49149]

This certainly is a once in MY life adventure

Although our young adults got their walking boots & dito socks about four months ago, they are not willing to train. Not one meter. In my nightmares I see bleeding blisters, lost toenails, aching legs and etc. I can only hope my "training schedule" will work while we're actually on our way: Matosinhos 10 km, Lavra 11 km, Vila do Conde 13 km. Then we have a "resting day" - only 5 km to Povoa de Varzim and a bustour to Vila Praia de Ancora. Seixas 15 km, Vila Nova de Cerveira 12 km, Valenca 15 km and after visiting the fortress on to Tui (5 km). Please tell me they are going to be fine after a full resting day in Tui... O Porrino, Redondela, Pontevedra, Portela de Barro, Caldas de Reis, resting day, Padron, O Milladoiro, SdC.

Some of my friends got together and donated a few € for one really nice & special accomodation, so I booked 4 rooms in Villa Idalina (Seixas). Apart from Valenca and Portela (albergue municipal) I made reservations in simple hostels with shared bedrooms, a youth hostel and some pensions with double rooms. The campingsite in Lavra with the big tents is probably going to be a nasty surprise, but there is a pool!

Booking our flights with Ryanair was easy. One check-in bag because of walking poles, pocket knife and other stuff that is not allowed in the cabin, like larger bottles of toiletries. Our actual backpacks are small and light enough to take as handluggage.
But... I didn't consider the fact that a 15 year can only fly when linked to an adult (+16 yo) and can't check in online by herself.

The second surprise: I hadn't realised that having 4 foreign backgrounds/nationalities other than German among 8 people might cause some difficulties, or at least some alertness. I have a Dutch ID. One has a Russian passport with a longterm permit of residence, one was born in Columbia but she has a German ID, and one has a Turkisch passport with a longterm permit of residence. That'll be fun at the checkin counter But I checked, doubled checked and triple checked all the forms we need, so hopefully we're not in for a negative surprise.

In German and in Dutch we say: some mills grind very slowly. It took me about 8 months to organise the financial part. All I heared was: "yes, of course, I'll check it out, but it shouldn't cause any problems, I'll give you feedback as soon as possible". And I never got any feedback at all. They only told me it was not allowed to book the flights or accomodations online. The reason? Maybe I would book all of it for a couple of my private friends?!? Sigh.

As I said: this is a once in MY lifetime adventure.
Honestly, I'm already looking forward to my solo camino - next year from León to SdC

Anyway, I hope we'll arrive safely in Porto on Sept. 24 and enjoy a lifechanging (and for some of the young adults lifesaving) Camino. Along the coastal route we might not meet very many other pilgrims, but from Tui we'll follow the pilgrims' flow. Please talk to us if you meet our crazy bunch.

Buen Camino to you all.

Emia

I was thinking of you and hope that things have begun well. You may not have time to post, but just letting you know you are being ‘followed” ! Buen camino, bom caminho