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4 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЖОВТЕНЬ 2015 PRAY FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE by Dianna Derhak I walked 600 miles across Spain in the summer of 2015 on the ancient pilgrimage route known as the Camino de Santiago, or “El Camino.” Many paths from all over Europe and Spain lead to the city of Santiago de Compostela, the burial place for the Apostle James. Millions have traversed this path for centuries. After Jeru- salem and Rome, Santiago is the third most im- portant pilgrimage city in Christendom. The spe- cific route I walked is the most famous and sto- ried. Many call it powerful. It is known as the “Camino Frances” and is immortalized in the Hol- lywood movie The Way starring Martin Sheen. As my birthday was approaching, I pon- dered how to mark the occasion. Instead of a spa day or dinner out, to my surprise, the answer “Camino” came to me in meditation. I initially resisted the idea thinking it impractical. Yet it resonated so deeply within me that my resistance quickly dissolved. I first heard of the Camino years ago, when I lived in Ukraine, from Peace Corps volunteers who returned from it. I wanted to take this journey to know myself better and for peace in my beloved Ukraine. I decided to walk alone, make minimal plans, and carry only a few items of clothing and essential toiletries. For a Ukrainian-American like me, necessities include a blue-and-yellow flag and roll of ribbon brought from Kyiv from the month I stood on the Maidan with Ukrainians on Independence Square during the Revolution of Dignity. In late May, I flew to Madrid, the capital of Spain, took a train to Pamplona, famous for the running of the bulls, and a bus to St. Jean Pied de Port, France, a charming town and my start city for my Camino. I crossed the Pyrenees Mountains on foot, the majestic Navarra region made famous by Ernest Hemingway, walked through the vine- yards of La Rioja, across the desert-like plains of the Meseta of the Leon-Castilla region, trekked through the lush mountains and oak and eucalyp- tus forests of Galicia to the craggiest and deadliest coast on the Atlantic Ocean. During the first couple of weeks, pain took residence in my body. My calves felt like they were going to explode. They were objecting to the level of exertion thrust upon them. My feet ached. My tendons screamed. My right ankle swelled and the pain spread to my hip. Hobbling became ex- cruciating. I sought the help of an osteo-massage therapist in the first large city I encountered. Years of crossing my legs caused a subtle misa- lignment of my spine. The added weight of the backpack coupled with the daily pounding from walking targeted my ankle with a vengeance. Once corrected, the pain stopped and the swelling dispersed. I was told to continue getting massages to maintain the alignment and to stop crossing my legs when sitting. Part one of the prescription was easy and pleasant. Part two required that I be mindful of my posture and how I sit. It’s an ongo- ing assignment. I made friends with people from every continent of the planet (except possibly Antarcti- ca). I took over 12,000 photos and microblogged about the journey on Facebook. All along my pil- grimage route I left snippets of ribbon with notes attached asking for people to “Pray for peace in Ukraine, a peace so beautiful it uplifts the world.” The promise of the Camino is that pray- ers are answered, and many, many answered the call to prayer. Blue and yellow proudly waved from the windy summit of Lepoeder in the Pyre- nees and dotted my journey across Spain to the destination at the crypt of St. James in the Cathe- dral in Santiago de Compostela. One of the notes which Dianna Derhak left on the Camino. I received many comments about Ukraine. People saw the notes and blue-and-yellow ribbons on the Camino and were curious about them. In conversation, when I mentioned I had lived in Ukraine for 14 years, they asked immedi- ately if I was the one leaving the messages for Ukraine along the Camino. One woman from Italy, a TV presenter on the Italian QVC channel, specifi- cally made a point to find me. When we met in the
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