Recently, on
a Camino forum, someone asked the question:
“Why should I have to do a training
course to volunteer as a hospitalero? I
know how to scrub toilets and make beds, so what is the big deal about
training?”
‘Serving’ in
a traditional Spanish pilgrim shelter is not the same as ‘working’ in a B&B
or hostel, or running your own home. The physical labour involved might be the
same, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing toilets and making beds but when you work in
a B&B you don’t have to welcome the guests as though you are welcoming the
Lord Jesus Christ himself!
“Let
all guests that come be received like Christ, for he himself will say: I was a
stranger and you took me in. And let
fitting honour be shown to all, especially to churchmen and pilgrims. … All
humility should be shown in addressing a guest on arrival or departure.”
In Benedict’s time and down through the
centuries it was common, particularly in Europe, for
pilgrims to use monasteries as places of rest and shelter while travelling. Monasteries were seen as safe havens where a person
would be welcomed regardless of his religion or his ability to pay.
The hospitaliers and hospitaleros of the 12th century confirmed this tradition of welcome in the Latin
hymn, the La Pretiosa, which is read out in Roncesvalles:
Its doors are open to the sick and well
to Catholics as well as to pagans,
Jews, Heretics, beggars and the
indigent, and it embraces all like brothers.
Whatever their religion
or spirituality, hospitaleros
are trained to act with compassion, acceptance and caring towards all
pilgrims so that they
may be beacons of light, comfort and hope for all pilgrims.
Before starting
the training course, the trainee is asked the question:
“Why do you
want to be a hospitalero?”
The majority reply that they want to ‘give back’ to the Camino the hospitality and care they received in the albergues when they walked the Camino. Some say that they want to be on the Camino again but not necessarily to walk. Others say that they want to learn to speak Spanish. One’s motive is important. If you are looking for free lodging on the Camino in return for a bit of housework, you should not be a hospitalero. HOSVOL is not looking for mere domestic help!
Whilst serving as a hospitalero
isn’t rocket science, there are a few things that you need to learn before you
can take charge of an albergue and run it for two weeks – probably on your
own. Can you read the indicator on a
Calor gas cylinder used in most albergues?
Do you know how to check the levels of the fire extinguishers? What are the insurance regulations – can you
have extra pilgrims lying on the floor? If the electricity fails or plumbing
clogs up, would you know what to do or who to call? Who would you call in case of a medical
emergency? Will you be comfortable
asking all those seemingly unnecessary questions about age, profession, country
of origin in 10 different languages? Can
you shop to cook for 20, 30 or 40 people?
Are you happy to conduct a blessing? Can you do basic first aid? These are some of the skills you’ll need to
run an albergue.
I send a short article to all prospective
trainees, which was sent to me by the Canadian hospitalero trainers, called ‘A
Rock in the Stream’. The first paragraph
reads:
The
hospitaleros training course has been compiled by HOSVOL - Hospitaleros
Voluntarios - of the Spanish Federation of Friends of the Camino which was
formed in 1987. It is important for them
that all trainees are taught their way of welcoming pilgrim, treating pilgrims
and running the albergues they send you to.
They only serve the ‘donativo’ (donation only) albergues.
The first
session is devoted to the transition of the pilgrim to hospitalero. When you’re
a hospitalero, many pilgrims you’ll meet are bursting with all the new experiences
and insights they’re gaining on the trail. They are in the midst of what may be
a life-changing hike. They’ve spent the day walking or biking or riding, and
now they want to talk (or cry, or complain, or be left alone)! And
here’s where you first feel the shift from pilgrim to Hospitalero.
The pilgrims arrive, and the hospitalero receives - and tries to meet their immediate needs.
*** IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU ANY MORE ***
You may be back on the Camino, but your role has changed. And now it’s no longer your role to rehash your own experiences, but to accept the pilgrim as she is, exactly as he or she walks through the door.
You may be back on the Camino, but your role has changed. And now it’s no longer your role to rehash your own experiences, but to accept the pilgrim as she is, exactly as he or she walks through the door.
Acting out a
series of over 30 role-play scenarios as pilgrim and/or hospitalero, trainees have
to solve problems that are faced in albergues every day. You learn about communication –
with pilgrims, with the community and with fellow hospitaleros. Inter-hospitaleros relations are so important
that it takes up a whole session. You
learn how to deal with the drunk pilgrim, the tourist looking for a cheap bed, couples having
sex in the dormitory, bed-bugs, theft, an irate local café-bar owner or a
pilgrim who has collapsed. You might
feel like evicting an arrogant pilgrim, being rude to the café-bar owner, or
throwing a bucket of water over the copulating pilgrims but this is not the
HOSVOL way!
The albergue may well be supported by the
locals´ tax payments or church contributions. The hospitalero must be seen outdoors,
sweeping the sidewalk or tidying the greenery.
Trainee hospitaleros are taught the importance of “spreading the wealth”
which means that they do not shop at the same stores or lunch at the same cafés
every day. They do not recommend one
shop over the other even if one is superior.
The whole village should be benefitting from having the albergue there. (This is not something that private albergue
owners need to be concerned about).
In a donativo albergue everyone is welcomed
and nobody is turned away (unless there are insurance regulations about the
numbers that can be accommodated). As hospitalero you can’t pick and
choose who to interact with. You have to deal with everyone.
Everyone - every day! Even those you might not take to
right away. (You can take comfort in the
knowledge that they will all move on the next day!)
Private albergue owners charge a fixed amount for a bed and for a
meal. They are entitled to do this and
the pilgrim is happy to pay. Donativo
albergues are not in competition with the private albergues, all are providing
a service to the pilgrims. In a donativo albergue the hospitalero will unobtrusively
show where the donation box is and mention that the albergue is able to offer a
service through the donations given by pilgrims.
In
some albergues an ‘oracion’ or blessing is offered by the hospitalero. Occasionally a priest may arrive and ask to
hold a mass. They have this right to offer the religious service. The pilgrims
have the right to accept or refuse it. If you are uncomfortable providing a religious
blessing, consider a secular blessing. In
some albergues the names of pilgrims who have stayed at the albergue previously
and are still on the road are read out. It is also possible to form a circle
and turn to the next pilgrim and give them your wishes for them in your own
language. In others, like in Tosantos,
pilgrims take a prayer request from a box which is read out by a pilgrim who
reads that language and everyone present says a silent prayer for the pilgrim. In Hospital San Nicolas, the hospitaleros
wash the pilgrim’s feet during the blessing.
Hospitaleros are taught not to equate the amount of money in the
donation box with the quality of the service they provide! This is a very hard lesson to learn,
especially if you work really hard, go
the extra mile, put flowers on the table, offer refreshments as the pilgrims
arrive, cook a fabulous meal which everyone raves about and then find a few measly
euro in the donation box. If this makes
you feel irritated or disappointed, reassess your motives for serving. The donation box is not your business.
When
you are a hospitalero at the local pilgrim hostel you are more than a foreign
volunteer, you are the living representation of your country, or even your
continent. You are also seen as part of the Federation or Confraternity, and
part of the pilgrimage itself.
Year
after year, a few basic, traditional albergues make it to the top 10 of the
best, most spiritual albergues on the Camino.
Some have no running water, electricity or beds. But, they have a tradition of warm welcome, caring,
tolerance, camaraderie and respect. Many
offer special pilgrim blessings. Even
the most perfect, luxurious modern structure is nothing without these qualities
and it is up to the hospitalero to provide these qualities.
Some sites for further reading: Also check out Facebook hospitalero pages.
Some sites for further reading: Also check out Facebook hospitalero pages.
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