Humilidad y Amor.

¡Hola, todos! It's my first night hearing thunder here in Spain, and I couldn't be more thankful. We just finished a dry, hot 10 days in the meseta (the part of the camino that, especially during July, is basically a desert) by climbing into the mountains. We had a tough walking day today as we reached the highest point on the Camino - 1500 meters - but the change in weather and scenery were a blessing. The last couple of weeks have been some of the most challenging of my life in many ways, which has provided plenty of opportunities to push myself outside my comfort zone and start learning the true meaning of 'love for self and others.'

It is a Camino tradition to carry a stone from your starting point to the Cruz de Ferro at the highest point on El Camino.
I decided to leave behind a bandana and some reflections on my trip as well.

My Camino family continues to grow in strength and number. Our group from the first few days is still going strong, and I feel like we have developed a bond that will last long after we reach Santiago. Each of us has sacrificed something - whether it be changing a train ticket, pushing an extra 5 kilometers to the next town despite being exhausted, or letting go of our own schedule - to stick together. This is not something I was expecting to encounter on my journey, but it has been a greater blessing than I can express. Who knew that a Teach For America volunteer, an anthropology/environmental sciences major studying abroad in Madrid, a modern-day female Chuck Norris-turned-counselor, an electronic media major who knows the lyrics to nearly every song ever written, and a doctor-wannabe would click in such a profound way. And beyond this, our extended Camino family continues to grow as well; we have met some incredible people that we tend to run into every day or two. This includes everyone from Roxanne, an incredibly funny and passionate English professor from California; to Alex, a French business student with a great sense of humor; to Brett, a soon-to-be-seminarian who has decided to join us for the rest of the trip. I believe our arrival and time spent in Santiago may be the largest and most emotional family reunion I have ever been to (which is saying a lot considering my dad has six brothers and sisters).

A fairly-recent family picture--- night out in León!

Model pilgrims.

It is hard to distill down all of the stories from the past two weeks into something that is short enough for me to type (and for you to read without falling asleep). So, aside from pictures, I have got one story that more or less sums up my journey so far. Here goes….

We were in the middle of the meseta (so be thinking VERY hot and dry, no shade, etc) making about a 30-kilometer trek for the day. The first few hours were great, and then as late morning arrived we came to one of our biggest obstacles of the journey so far-- 17 kilometers (around 12 miles) of a long, straight road with no shade or towns (which also meant no water sources) the entire way. We stocked up on food and water in the small town beforehand and got on our way.

This is a gross understatement of how we felt during a couple days on the meseta...but it's the best I can do.

Shortly after beginning the walk, I started to feel some tightness in my right hip. At first, I didn't think anything of it. As the tightness started to turn to pain, I took off my pack for a few minutes and stretched. This helped for a short time, but before long the pain returned and started to feel like more of a throb. Before I knew what had happened, I was limping along, with around 8 miles left to walk. I have never felt more defeated or frustrated. In my mind, I was expecting to have no problems with the Camino after having just trained for and run a marathon, and now I was the weakest link. My pace slowed, and I told my group to keep moving ahead at their own pace. Tim offered to stay behind and walk with me, and he ended up being my sanity that day. Our deep conversations slowly turned to grunts as we became exhausted, and I could not have made it to the next town without him sharing most of his water with me. By the time I arrived at the cafe in the next town, I felt absolutely terrible. 

Then, a beautiful thing happened. I have always had trouble accepting the generosity of others, especially when I have nothing to give them in return. But in this moment I was so weak, so beyond humbled, that for one of the first times in my life I was able to graciously accept the love and charitability of others. Tim switched to walking in sandals and gave his shoe insoles (which had much more support than mine) to me. Mark gave me vaseline for my feet to help with the blisters. Becca gave me some topical ibuprofen creme (we have got to get this in the States!) and her walking stick. Jessica insisted that I give her the heaviest things from my pack. And Roxanne bought me what may have been the best-tasting beer of my life. I was absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity of my new friends and overcome with gratitude for them and for the experience as a whole. I learned a lot about humility and accepting generosity that day, and I could not be more grateful for those life lessons.

A little piece of paradise during our walk one day...
David has been setting up a donation-run refreshment stand (complete with couches and a hammock) for nearly four years. Absolutely amazing.

Some days it is still difficult to wake up and know that I have got to walk at least 15 miles to keep on track to finish before I fly home on July 25. However, I am amazed at how my body is adapting, and even more-so, how my spirit and attitude are remaining upbeat. The Camino is all about relationships: with oneself, with God, and with others. As I push through the hard moments and soak in the rewarding ones, I feel myself learning to love in new and deeper ways. I thought I was good at loving before, but realized early on that I had a long way to go. Each day I am making progress on breaking down barriers within myself that I use to hide the parts of me I don't like, and I am learning how to love those parts of me. And I am learning to love other people for who they are and where they are, not for where I would like them to be. Definitely a fantastic journey so far, both inside and out.

Until next time, buen camino. 

Paz,

Nico

I just met an incredibly life-giving, selfless person tonight in the most unexpected place:
a restaurant.
His name is Diego, and he is in the middle of the picture above. He waited on us for our 'night out' tonight and won his way into our hearts as he brought us fresh cheese, sausage, and flan after our meal (on him).
Then, after we had made the half-mile trek back to the albergue I realized I had left my water bottle at the restaurant, and so Tim and I decided to walk back to get it. We had barely walked 20 feet when a car sped by honking. Diego burst through the doors with the water bottle, and finished by wishing us luck with huge hugs. This is undoubtedly one of the greatest acts of kindness I have experienced so far, and it thrills me to see the spirit of El Camino so alive and well. 

Caminando sin cesar.

Hola de españa, todos! I'm currently sitting in a small cafe next to our albergue (shelter) in the small town of Grañón, about 160 miles into my 500-mile trek across El Camino in Spain. The last month has been a complete whirlwind. I never thought hiking with a pack for 15-20 miles per day would seem like time to slow down, but that's what it has become! A few quick updates since my last post…

The end of my time in Colorado was great, even though it was really difficult to leave. I got to show my parents around the Fort Collins/Denver area and see the Rockies from a hot air balloon with them when they visited, finished my first marathon and met up with some great friends in San Diego, spent a few great days in Las Vegas experiencing the behind-the-scenes action of an audition, and survived jumping out of a plane from 14,000 feet with a guy named JK strapped to my back and my friend Vanessa a few hundred feet below me (like a true gentleman, I let her jump first). I got a whole 30 hours at home to get ready for my trip to Spain and then got on my 6 AM flight from Omaha to Dallas, TX, completely exhausted. 

Hot-air ballooning with my parents and Adyson. No better way to see the Rockies!

In Dallas, I met up with my friend (and fantastic travel buddy) for the Camino, Jessica. We spent the day-long layover exploring her hometown and saw everything from the grassy knoll where JFK was shot to the Dallas Museum of Art. It was great! I spent the nine-hour flight across the Atlantic catching up on some movies and trying to sleep as best I could. The plan was initially to sneak into first class for some more comfortable seats but the flight was full…so that will have to wait until the flight back home. We arrived in Madrid with some bad jet lag but ready to fight it in order to take advantage of our one day in the city. Our afternoon trek across the city (which appropriately started with a Starbucks run) ended up being great. We saw Madrid's major highlights including parks, cathedrals and palaces, and even accidentally got our palms read by some gypsies. Don't worry, mom, they told us our predictions weren't valid since we didn't have enough money to pay them. 

First day in Spain -- attaching the El Camino pilgrim shell to my backpack to get ready for the journey.
Tradition says that the shell collects the energy of 'the way.' 

After barely making our train to the Camino's starting point the next morning (who knew you needed to have a special document to buy the cheap student tickets in Europe?!), we arrived in St. Jean Pied-de-Port, France, ready to start the Camino the next day. The owner of our hostel, Eric, gave us some great tips for the Camino while also telling us about the three main gifts each pilgrim receives during the 500-mile-long trek: humility, love for self, and love for others. As I fell asleep that night in our smelly albergue room, I was full of anticipation for what the coming days would bring. 

Jessica and I set out the next morning after breakfast, ready for the challenges our 3000-foot climb over the Pyranies mountains would bring. I quickly realized that while it was very liberating to be carrying my life on my back, it was also exceptionally painful. Adrenaline pushed us through that first day, though, and we made it to Roncesvalles with energy to spare. 

Done with our first hike over the Pyrenees! Jessica and I, as well as our new friend, Tim.  

We quickly made some new friends along the way that we have been traveling with ever since, and the sense of community is absolutely incredible. I never would have imagined how quickly people could learn nearly every facet of another person's life…but walking for 7-10 hours per day with nothing to do but talk and think will definitely get relationships forming quickly. 

Our grupo! Some amazing people. 

In one short week, the Camino has taught me much more than I could have imagined. I have made a lot of memories already, and I have also learned a lot about myself and my humanity. Some quick notes about my journey so far:

We found a WINE FOUNTAIN on the way.
Whoa.

-Walking with a 20-lb pack for 15-20 miles each day makes you incredibly sore. It was brilliant to have the Camino run through Spain, where good wine only costs around 2.50 euros per bottle. This is the best Camino medicine there is. 

-Never miss an opportunity to talk with someone new. A great part of El Camino is that people come from all over the world; it is its own unique melting pot.

-Walking down hills isn't as easy as you would think, for several reasons. First, it is hard on your feet and knees. Second, it means there is most likely another hill close by that you will need to walk up. We don't like hills.

-Nothing will make you more humble than having blisters and aching muscles but still needing to wake up early and start walking anyway. And nothing will make you more patient than seeing a city one mile away and knowing that while it would only take you a moment to reach in a car, that it will take 20-30 minutes to reach on foot. 

It has been a great journey so far, and I am learning more about myself, my humanity, and other people than I was expecting. And in the end, I guess that is what the Camino is all about--- surprises. Here's to some time full of openness and humility, while always experiencing all life has to give us.

The site where St. Ignatius was shot in Pamplona, Spain. Cool detour for the day!

Hasta pronto, buen camino.

Paz,

Nico

Cambios y Oportunidades de la Vida.

¡Hola y bienvenidos al verano, todos! Winter – including several feet of snow in April and early May – has given way to summer (we sort of skipped spring I think) here in Fort Collins, and both my work schedule and summer plans have changed almost as much as the weather.  In the last six weeks I have become a certified barista, taken a quick trip to DC for an interview, played in my roommate’s sister’s wedding in Omaha, and been blessed with some unexpected surprises that have reminded me how important it is to chase opportunities when they arise.

Going-away dinner for Sabrina (right), who is rocking the volunteer work in Peru this summer. 

Life in Colorado has been fun, hectic, and filled with new friends and experiences. Work has been keeping me busy and I am learning new things each day. I am feeling really comfortable at the homeless shelter now and rarely need to look at the cheat sheet I made for myself to help keep things on track for the daily schedule. I have also had some great opportunities to use my Spanish with one of my coworkers and some of the clients.

Kelsey, Jenna and I ran the Horsetooth Half Marathon in late April. So many hills...but amazing friends.

I am officially a certified barista at Starbucks as of early April! It is so nice to be able to walk in to work and not have to wonder “how many pumps of mocha does that drink get?” when someone orders a drink. I have become really close with my team and love going into work each day --- even though sometimes that means waking up before 4 AM for the opening shift…

As I mentioned earlier, the last few weeks have brought a lot of change and surprises. I am embracing each one as it comes, even though it means regularly changing my plans for the rest of my year off. I faced the most daunting part of the process last week: I gave my two-week notice at work. This was harder than I thought it would have been when I started in February, mostly because of the relationships I have built with my co-workers and managers. My time working in Fort Collins has been an amazing journey and has helped me become more open-minded, developed my ability to be present in each moment, and taught me how to give more effective feedback. I am also really good at remembering names and faces (and people’s favorite lattes) now. J

I got to fly home for a day when I was in Omaha this weekend.
Wine, grilling, beautiful weather and family made for a perfect 24 hours.

The next few weeks promise to be a bit of a whirlwind, and although I am a little overwhelmed I couldn’t be more excited. With reunions, a marathon, hot air ballooning, an audition and skydiving all thrown in the mix, it should be anything but boring. I am also getting ready for one last big hoorah before school starts up in August: El Camino. I’ll be walking the 500-mile-long pilgrimage across northern Spain with a great friend from undergrad and am thrilled for the six-week trip that I’ll be leaving on in mid-June. If anyone has done it before and has some tips, send ‘em my way!

On my flight home this weekend...one of my favorite air shots. 

With so many changes coming my way in the next few weeks (and months), I have been spending a lot of time thinking about relationships: the strong ones I treasure with my family and close friends, some more transitive ones I have formed in Fort Collins, and the new ones I am going to be establishing on El Camino and in DC. I have learned a lot of things in the past five years, but I think the most important realization I have come to is the importance of people and continually working toward developing and maintaining meaningful relationships. It has been exactly one year since I graduated from Creighton, and the road has been a tough one sometimes. Relationships are what have gotten me through, and I could not be more thankful for them…for you. Thank you for joining me on this journey, whether it be through following the blog, making a phone/Skype call or two, or sending thoughts and prayers. Here’s to the next two months and all of the challenges and opportunities they hold – and to telling those people we love that we appreciate them.

Georgetown: my new home for the next five years as I work toward an MD/MBA dual-degree.
Couldn't be more thrilled!

I’m hoping to post again before heading out to Spain, otherwise I will talk to you from El Camino! Un abrazo fuerte para ti.

Paz,

Nico