Strong women friends on the Camino
The other day, I took a moment to text my mom and let her know about some of the incredible women I’ve met on the Camino, and especially how much their beauty and strength reminds me of her. “I find that most women are strong in their own ways” she responded. “It takes a lot to go out everyday in a world controlled by men — and to bear the emotional burdens of being the heart and soul of those societies, especially when it comes to motherhood”. These sentiments are especially pertinent to the Camino De Santiago.
With the initial rise of Christian pilgrimage came a failure to overcome social prejudices — namely, the ideology once stood that women were intellectually inferior and physically frail, leaving them confined to domestic roles. Moreover, women often could not travel without obtaining permission from their husbands, their priests, their lord and the King and even then they were required to have a male escort with them at all times.
The women I’ve encountered on the Camino disrupt this ideology, creating a space for women to be beautiful, independent, and resilient. It is not as though women have taken this space away from men, but instead continually manage to uplift the Camino into a uniquely dynamic space for women’s strength and expression, as well. We learn from each other, form connections, and find empowerment in freely navigating this beautiful, unpredictable adventure. Take, for example, the 69 year old woman from the Netherlands walking her 7th Camino — never married, bearing no children, and traveling alone, she remarked that “nothing makes [her] feel more beautiful and strong as a woman than walking the Camino and being in nature”. She goes on to explain that when she becomes critical of herself or her body, she remembers her friend back home with MS who would do anything to walk the Camino — “I am strong” she remarks, “My body takes care of me”. She proudly marches forward with her water bottle that converts into a wine glass, and you can’t help but smile and feel that same strength surge within you — woman to woman.
A 30 year old woman from South Korea came to the Camino searching for that same strength. We spent some time discussing my older brother’s experience coming out as gay to my family, and she wondered how she could find that same courage, because “people in Korea are not very accepting, but on the Camino I am me”. She is halfway through a solo year long trip around the world, and will continue on to travel with her mother after the Camino. “My mother is my God, and my mother is my best friend” she exclaims. We spend more time discussing our mothers, and she leaves me with a final “my mother is my strength”.
A 65 year old woman from San Francisco exclaims that her 8 year old granddaughter is her biggest fan, and that the time change is difficult because they can’t FaceTime everyday like they used to. “It’s so cool to see so many women do this” she explains, “so many people think this is only safe for men to do. My granddaughter thinks I’m the coolest person in the world for doing this. I want her to feel that way about herself”.
What once used to be primarily a male dominated space now serves as a source of mobility, strength, and connection for everyone. This is unique to the Camino. As one incredible woman I met remarked, “this is the Camino. You’ll laugh, cry, sing, dance. These are the moments we will remember forever”. Might I add — these are also the women I will remember forever.