[Gocamino] No cell phones, computers or I pods

[Rosina]

Hello you all,
Someone just sent me the message below: 


"Fifteen students will be walking to the "end of the world" in the fall 2011 semester on the Camino de Santiago study abroad trip.

A seasoned professor of the Pierce Walk, Douglas Challenger proposed the idea for the Camino last year.  So far, there has been a lot of interest among members of the student body.  With only nine spots left, there are still a number of applications to go through and more coming in each day, according to Stella Walling, director of the Study Abroad program.

There is also an interview process in order to be fully accepted into the program. Walling said, "There needs to be a flow in this group; their personalities have to fit in order to endure the trip."

Walling, who walked a part of the Camino in 2009, said, "Young and old walk this to find something within themselves."

Throughout the course of the walk, students are not allowed to have cell phones, computers, or iPods. "You forget you have another life. They don't want or need things like they used to," she said.

Unlike the Pierce Walk, students will not be left to nature's elements by sleeping in a tent. The Camino students will sleep in hostels or refugios (shelters) along the church route and will keep all their belongings in their backpacks, which they carry for the entire trip.


About a thousand years ago St. James, a popular figure amongst the Catholic and Christian faiths, walked a trail from Paris, France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. To this day, travelers walk the same 1040 mile journey for many different reasons; pilgrims and hikers alike keep the trails that are over a thousand years old popular and alive.

When the Romans controlled the area, they used the route as a way to trade, and it was called the Finisterrae, which is Latin for "End of the World." Back when the world was thought to be flat, it was a popular belief that the westernmost point of Cape Finisterre on the Galicia coast was once the edge of the world.

In the medieval ages, it became one of the most popular pilgrimages amongst the Catholics to the shrine where the supposed body of St. James still lies today.

On the trip, students will purchase a "credencial," which imitates a passport, but has the perks of a student I.D. The "credencial" is stamped by town halls and allows the traveler to stay at a refugio and serves as proof that they walked the path. Once the traveler has completed the walk, they obtain their "compostela," which is a certificate of completion.

Some notable figures who also walked the trail are Shirley Maclaine, Lorenzo de Medici, St. Francis, Anthony Quinn, and Jenna  Bush."

The students are from Franklin Pierce University, and for further details one may go to piercearrownews.com.  It is interesting that the students will not be allowed to take cell phones, etc.

Hugs!
Rosina