El Camino de Santiago

Alright, so first things first: thanks to the advice of my lovely friend Shea, I've changed the layout of this blog a little so it's easier to read and to look at photos without having to click on them beforehand. Shea operates her own blog here, with lots of lovely photos and insightful tidbits and super-aesthetic fashion. I give it a five out of five.

Secondly, I've finally decided upon my Semana Santa (Holy Week) plans:

Hiking the last ~100 kilometers of El Camino de Santiago. (!)

(If you're unaware, El Camino de Santiago [literally, "the walk of Santiago"] is a religious pilgrimage that many people take to the shrine of Saint James, who is the patron saint of Spain. Lots of people also just hike the trail as an opportunity for self-reflection, spiritual growth, or simply life experience.)

This decision was informed by a variety of factors (including sky-high ticket prices), but really, I think that it accurately reflects my attitude toward the whole study abroad experience. Before this, I'd never been to Europe, and had all sorts of excessive dreams about visiting every country and seeing every piece of history. As the semester progresses, I realize more and more that that's not remotely possible. The world is huge, and though life is finite, I like to hope that I have at least another fifty or sixty years to come back and experience more. Considering that I chose to come to Spain to immerse myself in its culture and its language, it only seemed appropriate that I stay in-country and explore Galicia, an entirely different part of Spain.

Plus:

1. The idea of hiking the El Camino during Semana Santa and arriving in Santiago de Compostela on Easter Sunday sounds unbelievably exciting.
2. I will get a neat little certificate when I am finished, and I'm a sucker for neat little certificates.
3. There will be lots of fascinating people along the way and I might make some new friends.
4. Hiking will probably be safer than going to Morocco alone like I'd originally intended.
5. Perhaps most meaningfully: My Catholic grandparents were some of the best role models I could have asked for and two of the most impressive, intelligent, generous people I've ever known. Though I don't necessarily share their piety, I like to think they would be incredibly excited if they were alive to see me do this.

Needless to say, I probably won't have access to the Internet during this time, so I'll have to schedule lots of nice things to post in the interim, but rest assured that I'll have stories upon my return.

Hooray!