One of the highlights of walking a Camino centers around meeting people from around the world. The Portuguese Camino is no different. I meet a woman from my Scandinavian ancestry; I meet a woman who knows good friends in Atlanta!

Lisa is from Sweden like my paternal ancestors. An older woman who was rather upset when I met her. She had just realized that her last two hours of walking consisted of walking in a loop! Frustrating! Her very walking is a miracle. Over the past several years, she has had two surgeries to remove brain tumors. One of the surgeries lasted 13 hours. Wow! I’ve learned that not all the hikers are well-mannered and well-off retired folk. She divorced her first finally after she could no longer take the physical and emotional abuse. She never told her very young children about that abuse. She wanted them to learn for themselves how terrible he treated others, which they eventually did. Fortunately for her, a friend let her move into a room in his place. Having a place to stay meant that she could earn enough money for other essentials; however, she has never made much money. Twice she asked at restaurants if they were discarding any day-old bread. I offered to buy her lunch. “No, I’ll manage.” I couldn’t imagine how she had afforded the trip from Sweden to Portugal. She didn’t. Her daughter had purchased a round trip ticket for her.. When we went our different ways, her final words “maybe we will see each other again; maybe we won’t. Buen Camino!” A very realistic, not fatalistic, attitude. Probably like the way she faces life in Sweden.

Roxanne has shared China experiences and expertise with a couple who are my good friends in Atlanta. I meet Roxanne and Martin at the same hotel and the same Airbnb. Although we don’t walk together, we share two dinners. They live in the Catalonia region of France and have been together for seven years. Roxanne is an East Asian specialist. In 1978, Deng Xiaoping began China’s Open Door policy which began to allow some private enterprise as well as welcome some western ideas and companies. In this period of loosening restrictions, some western scholars were allowed to do research in China. In 1983-1984, Roxanne received a post-doc allowing her access to the Nanjing archives in 1983-1984. During that same period, my friends John and Penny were also in Nanjing. Their experiences were not all positive. The winter weather was very harsh and their lodgings were not always sufficiently heated. On a more somber note, they all recall the truck loads of “social misfits.” These were criminals and political enemies who were taken to the local sports field and summarily executed.

Besides talking about China and our mutual friends, Roxanne, Martin and I talked about the Camino, especially about our proclivity in getting lost. Roxanne was insistent that she followed every sign. “There had to be some signs missing!”

Walking the Caminos allows one to make new friends. During these early days, I meet a woman from the land of my ancestors; I meet a woman who knows two good friends from Atlanta. Nothing missing here!