Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, I never knew The Camino even existed. It wasn't until my junior or senior year in college (located in St. Augustine, Florida, the nation's oldest city first settled by the Spaniards), that I learned about it in one of my classes. I started out as an accounting major, but ended up taking a Spanish language class and fell in love with the language and all things Spanish. I took on Spanish as a second major, and graduated with dual majors in Business Administration and Spanish. I worked for a financial firm for a number of years servicing our Hispanic clients. After the birth of my first baby, I left the firm and became a stay at home mom. I'm sure this is probably more information than you care to know, but I want to demonstrate how all of these experiences converged to mold me into the person I've become and how it's lead me to something I feel very passionate about.
Once my daughter started school, I "fell into" a teaching position at a middle school teaching both math and Spanish. It was during this period I stumbled upon the movie "The Way." I ended up watching it so many times because each time I watched it, I'd take away something different I hadn't realized the previous time I watched it. I guess you could say the movie had a transforming effect on my life. I felt incredibly inspired by the movie and became so passionate about "El Camino de Santiago" that I dove deeper into the history of it and created a unit for my middle school Spanish classes. At the end of the unit, I've shown "The Way" as a culminating activity (with edits). My kids have all loved it. Now I'm teaching high school and showing it again in my classroom. Throughout the years, my teaching unit has transformed and each time I teach it, it feels like I'm doing it for the first time. The movie has given me so much valuable insight, knowledge and motivation to break out of society's "chains" and live---really and truly live my life. The movie does an excellent job capturing the essence of the Basque people and showcasing the rich culture of Northern Spain. Every time I watch this movie, I feel more and more motivated to walk The Camino. I never make it through without my eyes welling up with tears because it evokes such an emotional response. Some of my favorite scenes are El Alto del Perdon and one of the most beautiful quotes I've ever heard, "Donde se cruza el camino del viento con el de las estrellas". I love the scene of the gentleman who offers his home as a place of refuge to peregrinos hiking The Camino and the fellowship enjoyed by peoples of different ethnicities around the large outdoor table (this is very typical in Spain). The scene at La Cruz de Ferro gets me every time as the characters in the movie leave their stones at the foot of the cross to unload their burdens. The scene at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela never ceases to amaze me as I'm astonished by its grandeur. The comradery shared by peregrinos on the way is a testament to how people should treat one another. I truly can say this movie is the best I've ever seen, and motivates me to hike El Camino Frances. The Camino is calling, and I must go!