Author with Richard

It was the morning of June 1st that I met a man named Richard. I had just set out to leave the small town of Vega de Valcarce en route to O Cebreiro, when I came upon a small building at the bottom of a hill. I heard a very loud voice speaking passionately in an American accent and, intrigued, I walked inside. I was immediately greeted by a man who seemed to be in his thirties. He introduced himself as Richard and told me he was from Chicago. We did not spend much time on small talk, however, since he wanted to hear about my experiences on the Camino. I spoke for a while on my story, and while we were getting to know each other, people of different ages and nationalities came to talk with Richard. He offered us coffee and tea. Curious about his familiarity with so many pilgrims, I asked him about the kind of work he does on the Camino. He told me his story. Seven years ago he was on vacation in Madrid when one day on the street told him his shoes would be great for walking the Camino. At the time he had no idea what the Camino was, but after some research he decided to walk, and two days later he was on his way. He fell in love with the Camino and decided to stay permanently, working as a Hospitalero helping pilgrims. During his 3 years as a Hospitalero, he noticed many tensions between the pilgrims and the local people. For this reason, he started Project Brigid, an organization that fosters a sense of unity between those of different cultural backgrounds. He leads workshops such as classes on cooking, arts & crafts, and languages. His project is still very much in its beginning stage, but his passion along with support from pilgrims and locals is moving it in the right direction. He relies heavily on pilgrims he meets to help him raise funds for his project. Richard and his project left a great impression upon me as a pilgrim, especially since I too am trying to best understand the culture of the Camino and the different parts of Spain through which it passes. The most memorable thing that Richard told me was that “change is a good thing.” To me, Project Brigid is about accepting this change and allowing those who might be a little different from us to have an impact on our lives. As a result, we all might have a better understanding of the world around us.