Author: Michelle Heiser

A lot has changed since I last wrote from the rain of Santander. We finished our portion of the coastal route and joined the Primitivo. This meant the terrain changed from the sweeping coastal views to more rolling countryside. Something in both of us shifted from “when will this end” to “we don’t want this to end”. I’m not sure exactly how or when it happened but part of it is I’m reminded of how much I love fall!

The weather has started to change. We start walking in the dark most mornings now and the mornings are cooler and foggier. Everyday we are out from 6-8 hours, walking or resting and we get to notice things we are often moving too fast to notice: Spider webs in the morning, slugs, snails and lizards, fog lifting and the sounds of the birds and wind moving through the trees. What I have loved the most are the farms. The fields filled with harvest. We have seen trees filled with figs, apples, pears, and chestnuts, and full grapevines. The farmers out hand picking potatoes or gathering kale. Others moving the cows from one field to another. We even saw sheepdogs herding sheep to another pasture. Beans and corn are being dried for storage. The smells of mint and eucalyptus along the road. We have even gotten used to the smell of silage.

We’re reminded of the importance of slowing down and taking notice of life all around us. Even the act of sitting down to have a cup of coffee rather than taking it to go. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to incorporate that one at home but I can try.

Enjoy the changing of seasons at home for us! We love you and miss you.

Today it is raining so we are taking the morning to pause, rest, regroup and reflect. We have walked something like 200 miles so far (most of those Camino miles but some around town). We are on day 15. I have never walked this many days in a row and definitely not this far before and I’m not sure I want to again. It is remarkable the number of people we have met that are on there second or third plus Caminos! We are in the minority as first timers.

My Cousin in Germany’s 15 year old son asked me in all honesty, trying to understand why. The day we were leaving he asked, “Is this fun for you?” Those words keep ringing in my head. The answer so far is…well it depends.

When we are getting started in the morning and stuffing our things in our packs and walking that first two km. No

Once we’ve warmed up and come to some amazing views of the countryside or cobble street roads or views of the coast. Yes

Walking along highway stretches of tarmac with no shade or breeze and cars going by fast. No

When we make it to the albergue and see the new friends we are making and sit and share stories and have a beer. Yes

I still can’t say I know why I am walking this. And I have had moments when I want to quit because it feels too hard. But then something changes and the next day I want to keep going. I have heard it compared to childbirth and that you forget the pain only to remember it the next time around, in this case – every morning. I do have three children so that was true for me.

One step at a time, one day at a time, we will see where we end up.

I do know that i think about home a lot…more than just my bed and couch…all of you. I think about school starting and all the prep that everyone is doing. I think about fall coming and the changes that will bring. I think about the fires and smoke. You are in our minds and hearts. We love you and miss you.

Don’t worry mom we are just fine and not in jail!

It wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Marcos. Let me back up a little bit. Our first night the albergue (home for pilgrims) was full so they put us in overflow housing. That’s where we met Marcos and 4 other Spanish women. We went to dinner and started out the next day with them.

After lunch the women went on and we slowed our pace and walked with Marcos. He has walked some version of the Camino every year for 20 years. At lunch someone asked him if he had ever not had a place to sleep? And he answered no it hadn’t ever happened.

WELL, because we were a little slower and stopped a couple of times when we got to the albergue, it was full. No problem, we thought, there will be overflow housing. No! So while Jim stayed at the albergue Marcos and I walked to town to find a solution. He was determined that we would have a bed.

First the Visitor center-No everything is full in town

Then the church, certainly they won’t turn away a pilgrim! No, they had a bad experience once.

Then the bar, it’s not how you picture it. In the small villages the bars are the restaurants and meeting places. No luck.

Let me explain that in each of these places Marcos did the talking all in Spanish and my job was to look desperately tired (which I was).

Also I need to explain Marcos has total faith in humanity- that someone will be kind and generous.

Ok so next stop was the bench of older people in the town square. Certainly older people will have compassion and understand. Nope not these ones.

Ok another bar…the bartender sounded promising and she made a call to her boss…but sorry no.

I was ready to give up, and get a cab to somewhere? Not sure where.

Then Marcos saw the police officer. He told her the story, something like this:

“This very kind couple need a place to sleep. They are Americans and speak no Spanish. Her husband is 68 (not true, but if it helps) and they shouldn’t sleep outside. They have no mats or tent and they have walked all day.” I think it got more exaggerated each telling.

Next thing I know Mikal (the officer) is on the phone, then Marcos is hugging her and I start crying.

She called her husband and told him she was bringing home two English people who needed a home for the night. (According to her husband, Jakes, she wants to bring home lost puppies too). They not only gave us a bed (their son’s bed) they fed us and incredible dinner, fed us an amazing breakfast, offered us a shower, dried our clothes AND made us lunch to take with us today.

Unbelievably kind, hospitable people. We sat around their table for over an hour and visited, with Jakes translating for Mikal into Euskara (language of the Basque area of Spain).

Tonight we are in an old convent set up for pilgrims who knows where we will sleep tomorrow, we will sleep somewhere, that’s a guarantee of the Camino.

And my lesson… Marcos is right there are kind, hospitable people, you sometimes just need to trust and not give up asking.

Peace

Thinking about this as a whole year seems overwhelming to both of us and can make us panic, so a wise friend said think of it as many little trips. With this idea, we have just completed part 1. We drove just over 2000 miles through parts of Germany, France and Holland. We went through cities which have existed for well over 1000 years and some which have been destroyed and rebuilt several times. We saw remnants of wars and memorials to those who fought for their rights and the rights of others. All in a matter of 11 days. And honestly some of it is a blur like the lines we passed on the roads. But what stands out in our minds are the people we met. We stayed in Airbnb’s (which I fully recommend) which allowed us to meet some locals. Regular people: a counselor, a farmer, a single mom, a retired couple, a family in a new home…all just living life in their own ways.

There are also the characters we met along the way. The shop keeper who recommended a restaurant to us and then came back to check on us a few hours later just to see if we really did heed his excellent advise. The close to 100 year old woman in the French countryside who wanted to help us find our way but spoke no English, was hard of hearing and didn’t know Guillamo (our next host…we had lost our GPS signal) I wish I videotaped this interaction. There was the Dutch couple we met at lunch and sat with for over an hour talking or the British couple we sat next to at dinner and Jim ended up trying her dessert at the end and the Irish Greek gentleman who has stood beside his cancer stricken wife for a year and multiple operations and had just learned she was 100% cancer free. The news was so fresh he was suspended between joy and disbelief, but all the time praising God for this miracle and the opportunity to live life each to their fullest.

These are the parts that will stay with us. We share stories of home and all of you.

So now we sit patiently at the airport and wait for our flight to take us to part two…the Camino. We are nervous and excited to begin. We anticipate many more souls along the way. One step and day at a time. Peace to all of you on your journeys.

I am going to go back a week and share my journal entries from the second night.

I’m not sure if it is the jet lag or the caffeine I had at 3:30 but I am up at 4:00am, wide awake, so I thought I would write the first post.

It started the day before we left. Jim was running last errands and my car broke down-overheated. I borrowed my neighbors truck- thanks Rori- and was driving to go rescue him and all I kept thinking was we have too much to do for this to happen today. The tow truck was going to be four hours. I wanted to find a different tow truck, no matter what it cost…that’s when I realized how often I want to exercise my place of privilege when I am inconvenienced or uncomfortable. Privilege…what does it mean and how can I use it for good in this world not for my advantage?

Patience is the other word that comes to me. Waiting for the tow truck, waiting in Atlanta 90 min…no 21/2 hours…no 6 hours for our flight, waiting is something we do a lot of in life. I think patience is more about how you wait.

I think we will learn a lot about these two words this year.

Walking the Camino to me is symbolic of learning lessons as we journey. But we don’t have to be on a trail in Spain to do that. We can be on I-90 or in the Atlanta airport.

Happy Journeying.

It’s hard to believe we leave Seattle in less than one month! Let me explain how this all began…

I teach English Language Learners in Seattle and I have always wondered what schools and education look like in other parts of the world. Well I was dreaming out loud one day and Jim said let’s go see! I’m not sure if he meant it 100% but I took it and ran with the idea. I gave notice for my leave of absence in March, we found someone to rent our house and Madeline agreed to watch Max…so here we go.

We will be going to all the continents except Australia and Antarctica between August 2018 and August 2019. We will be in 9 countries before Christmas and another 9 or 10 after that. I am hoping to visit and volunteer in many schools along the way.

Jim works with coffee farmers mostly in East Africa but also in Asia and South America and so we will visit and meet many people connected to coffee growing and exporting along the way as well. He has been doing most of the planning and logistics so far and will continue to be the travel agent for our adventures.

I forgot to mention we will start this year adventure by walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the way of St. James. This should take us about 45 days as we walk the northern coast of Spain. Again this has been a growing dream of mine to walk this pilgrimage and my brave and adventurous husband decided it sounded like fun. I think it will be a perfect beginning and help set the tone of discovery of the unknown for the year to come.

So if you pray please keep us in prayer and we will keep you all updated on our adventures!

Peace,

Jim and Michelle

Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving. – Terry Pratchett