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Certainly the wonderful Arroyo San Bol on the Frances, for one.I have to say, from a pilgrim viewpoint, that I detest the idea of live-in hospitaleros. I never came across them on any of my walks, but I see that they are quite common nowadays. I enjoyed my stint as an hospitalera, and I would volunteer again, but it's unclear to me whether there are still refugios where the hospitalero/as retreat at the end of the evening, and leave the pilgrims to it.
The Xunta albergues in Galicia only have municipal employees that come in to register pilgrims in the afternoon, and I presume that they or someone else goes in to clean in the morning.it's unclear to me whether there are still refugios where the hospitalero/as retreat at the end of the evening, and leave the pilgrims to it.
I walked the Camino Frances in 2021 and worked as a volunteer in the wonderful hostel Perigrinos do Porto in the city of Porto, Portugal in April, 2023. I was there for two weeks before starting the Portuguese Camino. It was a great experience. Our routine was cleaning after all pilgrims had left in the morning. This was the most intense work time of the day. We had a rather late lunch all together which was a great way to bond. I would say the most important thing to remember is that there is a routine already established. It is for the new hospitalera/o to fit in. Ask questions of the person who is the team leader and follow their instructions. Part of the work is also to be aware of the psychological state of some pilgrims and to tactfully be open to listening to them, reassuring them, referring them when necessary.Hi all,
Are there tips or advices when volunteering?
Looking forward but it’s also exciting
Thanks!
Hi,I walked the Camino Frances in 2021 and worked as a volunteer in the wonderful hostel Perigrinos do Porto in the city of Porto, Portugal in April, 2023. I was there for two weeks before starting the Portuguese Camino. It was a great experience. Our routine was cleaning after all pilgrims had left in the morning. This was the most intense work time of the day. We had a rather late lunch all together which was a great way to bond. I would say the most important thing to remember is that there is a routine already established. It is for the new hospitalera/o to fit in. Ask questions of the person who is the team leader and follow their instructions. Part of the work is also to be aware of the psychological state of some pilgrims and to tactfully be open to listening to them, reassuring them, referring them when necessary.
Thank for your answer. I am a social worker so I hope dealing and listening to their problems is not the most difficult for me, but dealing with blisters etc… I am not a nurse.I don't know what it's like nowadays, but back in 1999, I volunteered in the refugio in Belorado, which was run by the Swiss Confraternity, iirc. My day began quite early - going to the refugio and giving it a good clean, and also helping any stray pilgrims who, for one reason or another, hadn't been able to continue. In those days, fresh pilgrims would start arriving very early, from 10 a.m. onwards, and would leave their packs lined up outside the door, while they went off to find breakfast/lunch etc.
Once we opened the doors (1 p.m., I think, or earlier if we finished cleaning quickly), we registered the pilgrims, and then stayed with them to help out with whatever until clocking off around 8 p.m.
The thing I most remember is how many people arrived in a sorry physical or mental state. It was easy enough to deal with blisters, tendonitis, exhaustion etc., but those who needed something else - well, they could require hours of your time. I heard some horrific back-stories. I probably lost count of the number of people who thanked me and told me they felt much better for unburdening themselves. I always felt glad that I'd been able to help, but the stories stayed with me, long after they'd walked on, feeling lighter, and I sometimes dreaded the next wave of pilgrims, because I wasn't sure I could cope if one of them had a sad story to tell.
I'm a retired social worker too The place soon becomes your home. I was happy to have a tiny little bedroom all to myself right next to the bathroom dedicated to the hospitaleras.Hi,
Thanks for responding. I am going there too in januari, it’s quite exciting I feel. I am a social worker so am not insecure about that part, but staying 2,5 weeks in a strange place , bit nervous.
I would say one of the most enjoyable parts for us was to be a temporary part of a community. The pace of life was different and for us very enjoyable. In small towns, we would get our shopping cart and walk to the bakery, the fruit and vegetable store, maybe the meat shop or cheese shop, and stop off at the grocery store for anything else. I enjoyed attending church with the locals. Everyone of course knew us as Los Hospitaleros and liked to stop us and chat about the numbers of pilgrims and where they might be from. In the smallest towns it was a form of entertainment and news especially for the older women to know the goings on at "their" albergue. At Christmas one year we were invited to as impartial judges for the local community nativity scenes and we got to participate in the local festival by cheering on racers and sampling baked goods.Hi,
Thanks for responding. I am going there too in januari, it’s quite exciting I feel. I am a social worker so am not insecure about that part, but staying 2,5 weeks in a strange place , bit nervous.
I'm not a social worker - I'm a teacher (think there's an element of social work in there!). Learning how to deal with minor physical ailments is very easy, even if you're a bit squeamish! I think the 'being a shoulder to lean on' thing is amplified by the fact that sometimes you have to try to offer comfort/advice in a language which may not be your own!Thank for your answer. I am a social worker so I hope dealing and listening to their problems is not the most difficult for me, but dealing with blisters etc… I am not a nurse.
But I am looking forward though I also feel bit nervous how it will be 2,5 weeks
I totally agree. For that reason, Belorado will always have a special place in my heart! Hoping to revisit it for the first time in many a long year, at the end of February next year. I never actually worked at the municipal refugio in Hornillos del Camino, but I was great friends with the hospitalera, Hortensia. I did, however, spend my weekends and summer holidays working in the only bar in the village (at that time), Casa Manolo, and similarly got to know all the permanent residents (pop. 18) extremely well.I would say one of the most enjoyable parts for us was to be a temporary part of a community. The pace of life was different and for us very enjoyable. In small towns, we would get our shopping cart and walk to the bakery, the fruit and vegetable store, maybe the meat shop or cheese shop, and stop off at the grocery store for anything else. I enjoyed attending church with the locals. Everyone of course knew us as Los Hospitaleros and liked to stop us and chat about the numbers of pilgrims and where they might be from. In the smallest towns it was a form of entertainment and news especially for the older women to know the goings on at "their" albergue. At Christmas one year we were invited to as impartial judges for the local community nativity scenes and we got to participate in the local festival by cheering on racers and sampling baked goods.
I'm a retired social worker too The place soon becomes your home. I was happy to have a tiny little bedroom all to myself right next to the bathroom dedicated to the
Yes that’s not easy but I think when not speaking the language the other person can feel comfort and understanding I hope. And maybe use google translate when important story to tellI'm not a social worker - I'm a teacher (think there's an element of social work in there!). Learning how to deal with minor physical ailments is very easy, even if you're a bit squeamish! I think the 'being a shoulder to lean on' thing is amplified by the fact that sometimes you have to try to offer comfort/advice in a language which may not be your own!
AgreeMy husband used Google Translate to talk with a distressed woman from Russia one year for more than an hour. She was "looking for an answer to a question" while she walked and she and Phil talked about this using their phones quietly in the corner. It seemed a great comfort to her as she said she spoke only Russian and had met no one else who could understand her. Just listening is a beautiful skill...
I volunteered last year with Camino Companions, based in Room 6 of the Pilgrims office. We offer a welcome to English speaking pilgrims. There's tea/coffee available and a chance to get together with other pilgrims to share experiences. We also offer a one to one session for anyone who needs it. We also help to facilitate the Mass in English, celebrated by the wonderful Fr Manny, who really involves the pilgrims in the Mass by inviting them to introduce themselves and to light a candle and/or say a prayer of intention. I found the experience so rewarding, but sometimes emotionally tiring. I'm due to return for 2 weeks next Spring.Hi all,
Are there tips or advices when volunteering?
Looking forward but it’s also exciting
Thanks!
Manny is a gem.I volunteered last year with Camino Companions, based in Room 6 of the Pilgrims office. We offer a welcome to English speaking pilgrims. There's tea/coffee available and a chance to get together with other pilgrims to share experiences. We also offer a one to one session for anyone who needs it. We also help to facilitate the Mass in English, celebrated by the wonderful Fr Manny, who really involves the pilgrims in the Mass by inviting them to introduce themselves and to light a candle and/or say a prayer of intention. I found the experience so rewarding, but sometimes emotionally tiring. I'm due to return for 2 weeks next Spring.
Where I volunteered more than twolve months spread over 4½ years, the owner of the building required to have one staff member on site all night. Had a bed in the office that pilgrims couldn’t get to. Everyone else was in another house in the village or in another village two kilometers away. Once in a great while the “night person” had to reset the circuit breakers.I have to say, from a pilgrim viewpoint, that I detest the idea of live-in hospitaleros.
Hi Gail - when in Spring will you be back with the CCs? I’m hoping to volunteer at the Pilgrim Office again the last two weeks of May next year - it would be wonderful to catch up if our dates coincide! It would be three years in a row!I volunteered last year with Camino Companions, based in Room 6 of the Pilgrims office. We offer a welcome to English speaking pilgrims. There's tea/coffee available and a chance to get together with other pilgrims to share experiences. We also offer a one to one session for anyone who needs it. We also help to facilitate the Mass in English, celebrated by the wonderful Fr Manny, who really involves the pilgrims in the Mass by inviting them to introduce themselves and to light a candle and/or say a prayer of intention. I found the experience so rewarding, but sometimes emotionally tiring. I'm due to return for 2 weeks next Spring.
I am curious. Why such a strong reaction to resident hospitaleros?I have to say, from a pilgrim viewpoint, that I detest the idea of live-in hospitaleros. I never came across them on any of my walks, but I see that they are quite common nowadays. I enjoyed my stint as an hospitalera, and I would volunteer again, but it's unclear to me whether there are still refugios where the hospitalero/as retreat at the end of the evening, and leave the pilgrims to it.
I have to say, from a pilgrim viewpoint, that I detest the idea of live-in hospitaleros
Me too. What is the objection to live-in hospitaleros?I am curious. Why such a strong reaction to resident hospitaleros?
I have to say, from a pilgrim viewpoint, that I detest the idea of live-in hospitaleros.
I am curious. Why such a strong reaction to resident hospitaleros?
Me too. What is the objection to live-in hospitaleros?
Thank you for your explanation.a@Kirkie @dick bird @Flog
I have not mastered the art of quoting, clearly. Why do I dislike the idea of live-in hospitaleros so much? I think it's because it seems rather like being nannied. Why on earth do adults need a nanny? I was lucky enough to do a wonderful first camino, and one of the places I stayed in was Grañon. It was a fantastic, unmanned refuge - its motto, something like 'leave what you can, take what you need' - remains with me to this day, 25 years later. I recently watched a video - I think it was one of @NadineK 's, in which she stayed at that refuge. It looked horrific - yes, let's encourage people to explore their musical side, whether others want to listen, or not. Let's get everybody to open up about themselves, whether they want to, or not. Hospitaleros front and forward. It made me feel sad - the magic of that refugio, for me, was the welcome, and then the silence. Once again, let me reiterate, this is my own personal opinion, and I'm well aware that others love the communal dinners, and the 'sharing'. Just not my thing. From an hospitalero point of view, as I've mentioned above, depending on your level of empathy, dealing with pilgrims can be emotionally draining. I think it's healthy for the hospitaleros to be able to retreat elsewhere.
Hmmn...what you dislike is what I loved and why I wanted to volunteer there. We are all different.a@Kirkie @dick bird @Flog
I have not mastered the art of quoting, clearly. Why do I dislike the idea of live-in hospitaleros so much? I think it's because it seems rather like being nannied. Why on earth do adults need a nanny? I was lucky enough to do a wonderful first camino, and one of the places I stayed in was Grañon. It was a fantastic, unmanned refuge - its motto, something like 'leave what you can, take what you need' - remains with me to this day, 25 years later. I recently watched a video - I think it was one of @NadineK 's, in which she stayed at that refuge. It looked horrific - yes, let's encourage people to explore their musical side, whether others want to listen, or not. Let's get everybody to open up about themselves, whether they want to, or not. Hospitaleros front and forward. It made me feel sad - the magic of that refugio, for me, was the welcome, and then the silence. Once again, let me reiterate, this is my own personal opinion, and I'm well aware that others love the communal dinners, and the 'sharing'. Just not my thing. From an hospitalero point of view, as I've mentioned above, depending on your level of empathy, dealing with pilgrims can be emotionally draining. I think it's healthy for the hospitaleros to be able to retreat elsewhere.
Unfortunately, not all adults are capable of behaving like responsible adults, and sometimes, more often in these times of personal entitlement, there needs to be a responsible and accountable adult on hand, as simple as that.Why do I dislike the idea of live-in hospitaleros so much? I think it's because it seems rather like being nannied. Why on earth do adults need a nanny?
Yes, there are those places, where it has become institutional to share and open up in a forced way that many of us are uncomfortable with and I largely share your view on this. Two such places in particular, that are regularly gushed about on this forum come to mind..I was lucky enough to do a wonderful first camino, and one of the places I stayed in was Grañon. It was a fantastic, unmanned refuge - its motto, something like 'leave what you can, take what you need' - remains with me to this day, 25 years later. I recently watched a video - I think it was one of @NadineK 's, in which she stayed at that refuge. It looked horrific - yes, let's encourage people to explore their musical side, whether others want to listen, or not. Let's get everybody to open up about themselves, whether they want to, or not. Hospitaleros front and forward. It made me feel sad - the magic of that refugio, for me, was the welcome, and then the silence.
As I think I've said on more than one occasion, this is my own personal opinion, which I appreciate is not shared by everyone. A chacun son goût, as they say.Hmmn...what you dislike is what I loved and why I wanted to volunteer there. We are all different.
In no way do I wish to disparage the people who give up their time to do this. Being an hospitalero/a is a time-consuming/emotionally-consuming activity. I respect and admire all those who do it.Unfortunately, not all adults are capable of behaving like responsible adults, and sometimes, more often in these times of personal entitlement, there needs to be a responsible and accountable adult on hand, as simple as that.
Yes, there are those places, where it has become institutional to share and open up in a forced way that many of us are uncomfortable with and I largely share your view on this. Two such places in particular, that are regularly gushed about on this forum come to mind..
But volunteer hospis give up their time for free to help others, let's appreciate that..
From my pilgrim point of view it generally doesn't make a difference to me where the hospitaleros choose to sleep, although I can see that it may be advantageous to have a hospitalero handy were an emergency to crop up. I've slept in albergues where there was no hospitalero present, where one just came to sign you in, where they stayed around and may or may not have left (I didn't always pay to much attention to that) and where they were living on site. Having them around didn't detract from my pilgrim experience, certainly not enough to make me detest having them live on site.I have to say, from a pilgrim viewpoint, that I detest the idea of live-in hospitaleros.
I guess the difference may be that I don't necessarily see it as being nannied. Maybe it is just the place that is available for the hospitalero/a/e to sleep. Some people make their homes into albergues. Should they be looking elsewhere to sleep? I think the sense of being nannied comes more from the attitude of the hospitaleros than from where they sleep.Why do I dislike the idea of live-in hospitaleros so much? I think it's because it seems rather like being nannied. Why on earth do adults need a nanny?
There are still plenty of places where the hospitalero checks you in, helps with any issues, then retreats to their own space. Best wishes and hoping you'll find places that fit your hospitalero style.As I think I've said on more than one occasion, this is my own personal opinion, which I appreciate is not shared by everyone. A chacun son goût, as they say.
Yet, it seems it has, escaped your notice.It hasn't escaped my notice that I've had not one comment of support or agreement
Once again, let me reiterate that I simply stated my own opinion, and that I have the utmost respect and admiration for those who give up their time to volunteer. It hasn't escaped my notice that I've had not one comment of support or agreement, so I suppose I must just be an exception to the norm.
Hi Jenny!! How lovely to see you on the forum. It was great seeing you in Santiago earlier this year. Kelly and I will be volunteering for 2 weeks, arriving on 22nd April and finishing on 5th May. What a shame our dates don't co-incide. I know both Kelly and I would love to see you again. Kelly may stay on after her volunteering stint, so you never know ....Hi Gail - when in Spring will you be back with the CCs? I’m hoping to volunteer at the Pilgrim Office again the last two weeks of May next year - it would be wonderful to catch up if our dates coincide! It would be three years in a row!
Best, best wishes from Sydney -
Jenny
And PS - Fr. Manny truly is a Camino Angel.
Hi Gail -Hi Jenny!! How lovely to see you on the forum. It was great seeing you in Santiago earlier this year. Kelly and I will be volunteering for 2 weeks, arriving on 22nd April and finishing on 5th May. What a shame our dates don't co-incide. I know both Kelly and I would love to see you again. Kelly may stay on after her volunteering stint, so you never know ....
Thanks JennyHi Gail -
It’s wonderful you and Kelly are volunteering together again! You two are the “A” team (awesome team!) of volunteers. Have a brilliant time together.
Fingers crossed that I might catch up with Kelly … that would be fantastic.
xx J
Fair point - my language was probably too strong. Thank you for pointing it out!Yet, it seems it has, escaped your notice.
But to state that you 'detest the idea of live-in hosptaleros' is a singularly negative statement. It isn't likely to illicit many positive or supportive comments in fairness.
I would like to acknowledge your freedom of spirit. My own experience of being an hospitalera was such that the only other place to sleep might have been the church porch...Fair point - my language was probably too strong. Thank you for pointing it out!
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