Oh these amazing young German women.
The cool thing about the Camino is that you meet lots of people along the Way. Some of these people just pass thru once or twice and others seem to be in my “radar”.
I'm loving my radar!
I have met several young women along the way that have been so refreshing and delightful in their own individual ways!
First, there is Amelia. She is 18 years old and amazingly insightful about herself and her desire to grow and change. Her dad died a few years ago and she was walking the Camino to think about him. She apologized for her tears, but I found them beautiful.
She is carrying a small Polaroid ( yes. Polaroid) camera with which she takes one picture for each day of the trip,and writes about it. I admired her discipline, but she quickly assured me that she doesn't match the German stereotype of being super organized and disciplined.
This is a stereotype I was completely unaware of, so I pursued.
Soon...Olivia chimed in. Olivia is also 18 and fresh out of school. She is a delightful, intellectual “sprite”! With her impeccable English, she is little and feisty and full of love. Her hair is ¼ in. long. She hugs and prances and is constantly making little movies of her experiences. She delights in love and speaks easily and authentically about it.
Listening to Amelia and Olivia laughing and describing their “German identity” is delightful. They are both full of wonder and fascinated with so much about their adventures on the Camino. And they actually enjoy the company of a couple old folks like John and me.
The first time I met Sandra was while walking through a woodsy mountain path. She was listening to her music and singing along, but when we came into view, she quickly turned it off. When we caught up with each other I told her how I enjoyed her music, to which she replied, “Oh, you don't mind? I didn't want to destroy your peace.” Adorable!
I assured her we didn't mind and she gratefully went back to enjoying it, but not before John was able to snap a photo of us. She had long braids and was wearing a classic bowler hat.
Later in the journey I got to learn a little about her passion. Once she told a story of having discovered an abused dog howling in a shed. When she tried to rescue it, she was berated by the owner. But she persisted and gave up nearly a day on the Camino to find the authorities that could save the dog.
The next time I saw her, she hugged me and expressed her relief in seeing us because the previous night she had a heated discussion with a homophobic, bigot...and it was nice to be around “nice people”. What joy I felt in serving that purpose in Sandra’s journey. I just felt such compassion for Sandra, with her two moms, defending her beliefs and those she loved.
Maybe it was just coincidence that these German women were all less than 25 years old, but it all felt distinctly reminiscent of my past as a high school teacher and all the wonderful young women I got to know in those days. I love that I get to know these new women in this new way!
Yay radar!
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