A Modern Pilgrim's Journey Walking the El Camino de Santiago

Kristine Malpica of Amesbury, an honors student at Northern Essex Community College, will share highlights of her nearly 500-mile, 40-day trek in France and northern Spain, on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 5 p.m. in the David Hartleb Technology Center on the Haverhill campus, 100 Elliott St. Titled “The Way Today: A Modern Pilgrim’s Journey Walking the El Camino de Santiago,” the presentation is free and the public is invited to attend.

Malpica, a recipient of a federal Gilman International Study Abroad Scholarship, set out in May with a friend on a month-long backpack pilgrimage along the El Camino de Santiago or The Way of St. James as it is known. She is a student in the Honors Experience program and Phi Theta Kappa at NECC, and is majoring in general studies with a focus on history and anthropology.

Incorporating field interviews and the songs of modern day pilgrims, as well as sacred music, Malpica’s presentation will be a virtual tour of the landscapes, history, culture, archaeology, art, architecture and music that represent the spirit of The Way today.
Pilgrims have been walking the Camino de Santiago for more than 1000 years. Malpica began her walk in St. Jean Pied de Port in the French Pyrenees, a traditional starting place for many pilgrims since medieval times, and finished in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain, which is where St. James the Great is said to be laid to rest.

In the middle ages the route was highly travelled. However reformation and unrest in 16th century Europe resulted in its decline. In the early 1980′s only a few pilgrims a year arrived in Santiago. However, since the late 1980s The Way has attracted a growing number of modern-day pilgrims from all around the globe.

Gilman Scholarships are awarded to U.S. undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study abroad programs worldwide.

This event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Northern Essex Community College Liberal Arts Committee.

For more information, contact Ginger Hurajt, coordinator of the NECC Honors Experience, ghurajt@necc.mass.edu.