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11.03.04 Dr. Carlos Mentley, left, assists a traveler with a blistered foot Spanish professor scopes out service project abroad Associate Professor of Modern Languages Dr. Carlos Mentley spent two weeks in Spain this summer, in a small town along the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route he has traveled with students. No students accompanied him this time. And in addition to his walking stick, Mentley wielded a broom and skillet, working as a volunteer "hospitalero" at an overnight refuge for pilgrims in Grañón. Mentley first learned of the service opportunity when he was doing background reading before his first Camino walk. "All along the Camino de Santiago — in keeping with a centuries-old tradition — municipalities, parishes, and pilgrim associations make available to pilgrims basic, inexpensive, overnight lodging," he said. Some “albergues” or refuges are free, and others charge a modest price for a bunk, washroom and sometimes kitchen facilities, but none take reservations, Mentley explained. "The albergues are for the exclusive use of pilgrims who travel the Camino on foot, bicycle, or horseback," he said. When he walked the Camino, Mentley met and spoke with volunteer hospitaleros. "It was after walking this last summer that I decided I wanted to volunteer, and the walk this last winter only reinforced that desire." So Mentley's summer trip fulfilled his wish to volunteer and also served another purpose. "My intent was to see whether this is an experience that would make a good service project for students," he said. "It will, although one of the expectations of a volunteer 'hospitalero' is that she or he will have walked the Camino or at least a good part of it." Mentley shared his duties at the albergue in Grañón with another volunteer, Volker Schmitz-Lindner, a recently retired school director from Cologne, Germany. "Because in Grañón the hospitaleros do more than those in most other albergues — where there is no prepared dinner or prayer service — there are usually two who serve together," Mentley explained. "The albergue in Grañón is run by the parish, and actually shares a wall with the church, which dates from the 16th century," he said. "My co-worker and I cleaned the albergue every morning, welcomed arriving pilgrims and helped them get settled," Mentley said. They split the cleaning chores, shopping and cooking. The hospitaleros also helped the pastor of the adjoining church with translations for services, with the pastor offering prayers in Spanish and French, Mentley giving an English translation, and Schmitz-Lindner translating into German. "For many of the pilgrims, hearing the evening prayer in their own language was a special moment, and many expressed their appreciation," Mentley said. Mentley described the atmosphere in the albergue as that of "an extended family, all come together for a big communal meal." Cooking for 16 to 45 people every evening was a challenge. Mentley and Schmitz-Lindner prepared white bean stew, saffron rice with vegetables and shrimp, vegetarian chickpea stew, and other dishes. "Volker made great salads," Mentley said. "Add to this hot country bread fresh from the bakery around the corner, and it was just about irresistible." Mentley admitted that on a couple of days they took it easy, cooking just "a big kettle of pasta with meat sauce." And despite hours devoted to cooking and cleaning up, they found time to focus on the people they were serving. "Volker would welcome German- and French-speaking pilgrims, I would welcome English- and Spanish-speaking ones, and we would take turns with those who did not speak one of those languages," Mentley said. "We made an effort to sit down with each pilgrim, and speak to them about their day´s walk, and about the albergue and its particulars," he said. "We did our best to make each arriving person feel truly welcome." At Grañón there were facilities for about 40 pilgrims. "But we never turned anybody away," Mentley said. "If there were more people than we had floor space, we opened the church choir loft." Mentley said he arrived a couple of days early to observe and learn from the hospitalero who was finishing his service. "Every time I have walked the Camino, I have come away with a strong sense of having received more than I gave," he said. "Volunteering seemed the perfect way to give back something to the Camino." But giving back was only part of the experience. "There is a tremendous sense of satisfaction in performing a service that others need and appreciate." He also sharpened his culinary and coping skills. "I learned how to cook dinner for 40 people at a time, to answer the same questions over and over without becoming impatient, to be flexible in the face of constantly changing circumstances, and to get over thinking that I had to be able to do everything," Mentley said. "Plus I got to work with some really fine people in the parish, meet a good number of the townspeople, and listen to stories from all over the world," he said. "How could a person not love this job?" Mentley said one encounter in Grañón struck an Erskine chord, evoking memories of a student who graduated in 2003. "Among the people I met was a graduate student at American University in Washington, D.C.," he said. "She recognized the name of Erskine College — she had attended the same church in Asheville as (the late) Robin Luse and had known Robin well. "How we ended up in the same place at the same time, I do not know, but I am profoundly thankful that we did."
Volker Schmitz-Lindner, left, and Dr. Carlos Mentley |
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