Life in Spain: El Camino de Santiago
'El Camino' in our backyard!?
Walking around Alcalá de Henares comes with a whole new set of sights and sounds. It is refreshing to be in an area riddled with shops and ancient architecture at almost ever turn. Trying to capture each find reveals how history and culture brushes up against contemporary life all around you.
The route to my school, Colegio Lope de Vega, means I cross the city on Via Complutense: an ancient road established by during the Roman Empire. Other streets in the medieval 'Casco Historico' take me near a local Cathedral and through the neoclassical "Puerta de Madrid" on my way to school. Either way, my commute is a walk down memory lane and the more I learn the less this history is lost on me.
We're officially in Full swing at the La Universidad de Alcalá and at Colegio Lope de Vega, a K -12 bilingual charter school where I'll spend the year as a language assistant. Assisting means I design conversations and projects to active students' speaking skills and give feedback the support English language development. After getting settled into this schedule I feel comfortable and confident that this role will support the Masters in Bilingual Education that I will also be working on throughout the year. I've also started to make friends among my colleagues at Lope, both Spanish teachers and visiting language assistants like me.
Puerta de Madrid & Catedral Magistral
While I was out for a run along the same route as my commute, I stumbled on a golden shell embedded in the sidewalk. This sent me digging deeper into the life and times of the region. Oddly enough this jogged my memory and I was immediately taken back, back to early summer in 2011 when I hiked 'El Camino de Santiago'. These conchas (shells) and flechas (arrows) were and have always been guides and now I was encountering them in a whole new way 10 years later. This time I was surprised to learn that an additional camino had been established here: 'El Camino Complutense' leading from Alcalá de Henares to Santiago de Compostela.
The best trip I took during my time living abroad in 2011 was a 10 day trek on el Camino de Santiago. A few friends and I were absolutely HOOKED after learning about the trail's history and legend in our Art and Architecture course at Semester in Spain. As the trip got closer and my plans shifted, I realized that if I was going to do this then it might have to be alone. At the time, this experience felt like a miss for a handful of reasons, but by the end of "El Camino" none of those hurdles mattered when compared to the experience overall.
With this same energy I approached the Chicago OUTERBELT. I spent most of the time alone and similar to 'the Camino' things stacked up to be less than perfect. After completing the 210 mile trail this summer I am enticed by the opportunity to explore more of 'El Camino' than I did before. I don't know for sure if our trip will allow me to pursue the complete Thru-hike of "El Camino - Frances" or if I'll have the chance to experience a smaller section and see Fisterra on the Cape of Finisterre. But, not knowing doesn't mean I won't try. Walking the Outerbelt helped build up my stamina for adapting to the unexpected while restoring my endurance for hiking more than 10 miles at a time. It was crucial that I prepare my body, but also my mind, to respond to the obstacles and opportunities we face this year.
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