[Gocamino] Santiago Holidays

[Blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all again,
As most of you know, children in Latin countries (European or American) do not get presents on Christmas, other than candies and such, but rather they get them on the sixth of January commemorating the date when the Magi reached Baby Jesus with their (strange) gifts.  Consequently, the 10 days or so before the 6th of January are, shopping-wise, like the week before Christmas in The USA.
-I was in Rome last year right before the sixth and the city was occupied by, I read, more than one million visitors who had turned Piazza Navone into a toy bazaar to end them all.  Also, in the area leading to Saint Peters from the Metro there were huge tents functioning as present-selling centers.  The city was so crowded that it was almost impossiblew to stay on the sidewalks!-
At any rate, because of a professional emergency, I left New York city hurriedly on the 28th with few travel or other essentials, except for a a dressy suit,(with no matching anything), my cameras and bloody-Mary mix. 
By necessity, barely an hour after arriving in Santiago I was on my way to El Corte Ingles. (By the way, El corte Ingles in Santiago is barely deserving of the name; the very best of them all is in Seville). When I got to El Corte I was dumbstruck by the signs everywhere reminding the shoppers that most of the victims of the seaquake had been children, and urging them to think about the needs of the suffering survivors before they made their gift purchases.  The message was repeated over and over through the loudspeakers, and leaflets were handed out informing the shoppers that the banks in Spain have opened accounts for the relief efforts into which anyone may deposit contributions.
This was on the 29th, that is, barely three days after the tragedy.
At all the Masses at the Cathedral, and everywhere, the message is being repeated.  During the closing of the Holy Door ceremonies the presence of a Nuncio (?) from India was announced and we were all reminded of the tragedy in his part of the world.
The newspapers here, and the TV news people from the BBC, suggest that while the USA government rushed to war with lightening speed it has proved sluggish and unenthusiastic  in responding to the greatest human tragedy of our time.
That hurts!
Nevertheless, I am sure that the American people themselves will speak for the American heart.  I spoke with Liz by phone yesterday and she tells me that all sorts of private and direct help organizations are being formed throughout the country, and that she and other friends are rushing to volunteer in any way they can.
I remember September 11.  I didn´t, and don´t. understand why Giuliani got the credit for the New York response to that tragedy, since it was the volunteers who sprang up spontaneously, and immediately, and who did all they could to help out: providing food, money, labor, cell-phones, directing traffic, cleaning the site, and on and on and on for days and weeks.  It was the people themselves who took the initiative and did the work, the New Yorkers.  I know because I was there. 
I also know, and much appreciated, the generous and warm help provided by people from all over the country. I still have letters and cards written to me, in sympathy, by telephone operators with whom I spoke while trying to make long-distance phone calls.
This is why I know that the American people will offer as much help as they can to those upon whom such unfathomable tragedy has been visited.
It has brought tears to my eyes to know that our fellow pilgrims, and Santiago friends of American pilgrims, do think of us, the people, as warm-hearted, generous and caring to a fault.. 
Well.. I thought I´d share that with you.
Big hug!
Rosina