Eugénie de Rosier
The Camino (path) de Santiago on its Camino Francés route, is an ancient spiritual walk from southern France west through the Pyrenees mountains into northern Spain to the Atlantic Ocean at Finisterre. 500 miles. Above, I stopped at the Mount of Forgiveness, with its wrought-iron sculptures of 12 medieval pilgrims heading to the city of Santiago de Compostela. I felt an historic connection with the Way’s pilgrims, who have walked the Camino since the 9th century.
Each time my driver and I went up the mountain to Lupang Pangako to work on the water project, we’d pass across two farmers’ land. They allowed traffic through, if each tresspasser would open and close the gates to their properties. Here, I’m out of the tricycle to open the gate for my driver.
A first tricycle ride. This vehicle is a common mode of transportation in the Philippines. Here I am riding from Nagwaling, Bataan, into Balanga, Bataan Province’s capitol. I spent the first three months in rigorous training in Nagwaling with a host family. May 2006.
Eleven years as a State of Minnesota writer brought me numerous first-place awards from the National Association of Government Communicators. I’m a former Norcroft writers’ resident, three times a finalist in fiction for the Loft Literary Mentor Series, a Peace Corps Worldwide book reviewer, hold a BA and MA, and am seeking publishers for a short-story and essay collections.
An able athlete, I competed in Turkey’s annual Independence Day global swim across the Hellespont Strait, 2013. With the Minnesota Senior Games, I’ve accepted a handful of gold medals in power-walk racing across six years. In 2011, I was honored to receive “Distinguished Alumni” recognition, the Humanitarian Award, from the University of Minnesota, Mankato, for Peace Corps service, 2006-2008.
While most Americans never leave the country, traveling the world offers a deep education. Seeing how other nations’ people live opens you up, and walking through their cities, small towns, and countryside broadens your global perspective. You’ll see that people in other nations often do things differently than we do in the USA. Life there, anywhere, gives you a chance to assess. Is there a better way to perform some task? How would it feel to speak in another language with ease? Or with struggle, and then note the appreciation on a foreign national’s face for your attempt. How would I look at Americans if I were a native of elsewhere?
Exploring on foot conveys an awareness missed by passing through on wheels. Feet engage you with the locals in conversation to get directions, discover the best eateries, find a public bath or a bed and breakfast, ensure your knowledge of the town’s cultural highlights.
I take notes and expect to write about these places, when I’ll be able to describe a cave’s interior, relive a parasailing thrill, demonstrate how to wield a scythe to clear land. My scribbles can deliver weather, remind me of an art patron’s disgruntlement after a program, prompt memory of colorful foods I’ve eaten, jar my recall of scary incidents, or evoke calm moments. A brief occurrence in Europe or Asia or transcontinental Turkey sparks my writing with authenticity and color, depth and texture, sound and taste.
Walking the Camino de Santiago—an ancient spiritual trek through the French and Spanish Pyrenees to the Atlantic Ocean—was accomplished with a nod to my physical strength, my regard for solitude, a wonder for nature’s diversity, and gratitude for my blessings. This 500-mile trek is trod by global pilgrims who come to reflect or test themselves.
Two years with the Peace Corps offered a chance to engage in the start and finish of a sustainable water system that improved the lives of 750 indigenous people in a mountain village above Iba, Zambales. My permanent site was in Iba, Zambales’ provincial capital located on Luzon, the largest island in the northern portion of the Philippine archipelago.
Being in rural Iba, population 35,000, let me develop and maintain solid connections with its business people, farmers, officials, entrepreneurs, civil servants, police, church and cultural communities, as a small business development specialist and friend.
My paramount goal was to express American values and represent the United States well. I tried to respond in warmth, hard work, thoughtful listening, and support for what each community wanted to better its lives. This effort is reflected in “A Chain of Green Jewels,” a collection of vignettes about this demanding and rewarding experience.