By Anastasia C.
Group 4

Today was the day that made this whole trip worth it for me.

It was a free day in Santiago, for the most part, so I decided to go to mass with a few people from our group. The main reason that I wanted to go was to see the Botafumeiro (incense burner)swinging through the cathedral as I’ve heard it’s an incredible sight to see. As it turned out, unfortunately, it did not happen during the mass we attended. I was really excited and then drastically let down. It is important, however, to see the good in this experience. I attended mass in Santiago, Spain, on St. James day. Not many people can say that. Moral of the story, appreciate what you’re given.

The latter part of the day was what made my trip. I performed my ethnographic interview and got to meet a truly amazing person. Diana Johnson, from Cambridge, England, is not only a female ordained deacon in the Church of England, but a transgender woman who was accepted by her church community as a member and a permanent fixture at the head of the church. Incredible. She had such a warm spirit about her and it was so interesting to hear her story, how she got to where she was, and why she chose to walk the Camino. It was one of the highlights of my trip so far and I’ll always cherish this night and her company.