On the Road Again

It was an adjustment getting back on the road today, but it felt good in an "oh this is familiar" sort of way.  We've picked up another group member, Amy Johnson, who is a faculty member in the Seaver Business division.  She'll walk with us all the way to Santiago, and her energy is a welcome addition.

On our first rest day, I have a walking tour of Leon.  The students gave me an A+.  It's nice to know I'm still good at something.  Yesterday, I took Alex to the clinic as she is still battling a sinus infection.  The doctor saw us immediately, gave us drugs, and then didn't charge us.  Take note Obamacare, if socialized medicine is the future, this is how to do it.  

One interesting thing we ran into was a Communist Party demonstration, protesting unemployment, which stands at 27% nationwide and 65% for college educated citizens under 35.  That is not a typo.  I had to explain to the students that the most conservative political party in Spain is somewhat to the left of our Democratic Party and that the Communists hold a number of seats in almost every provincial government in Spain.

Other than that we mostly relaxed and ate.  We had a couple of good group meetings where the students processed through what they were thinking and feeling at this point in the Camino, and I gave the second part of my testimony to try and help them fit it all in to a frame of reference for life, their future careers, and other relevant stuff.  I had a request from the students to write a take off on Hunger Games with the Camino being the Arena and each of us the tributes, so I've been working on that with the students.  It's pretty entertaining.  Who knows if the story will be any good or not.

The hiking today was not strenuous, but neither was it particularly enjoyable.  I had some good conversations, but we elected to take an alternate path, as it will make the road tomorrow a bit shorter (17 miles instead of 19) and it will allow a couple of pepperdine friends who are traveling to meet us for a day or two to get to us more easily.  We are enjoying the last of the flatlands.  On Tuesday we begin the climb over the last couple of mountain ranges (still snow-covered) into Galicia.  It will be an interesting week.