Who I Am

Nice to Meet You!

I’m Marisa, the girl who has decided to walk over 1500 miles from the north of Scotland to the end of the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

I’m definitely not the first person to do something like this.  People embark on “crazy” journeys all the time.  For some of us, the idea of a long, long journey, one that challenges the body and mind, where the world is viewed at a slower pace, is tremendously appealing.

By many standards, this walk won’t even be that challenging.  There won’t be any dizzying mountain passes, and no wilderness to get lost in.  I won’t have to pack a week’s worth of food, nor keep it safe from bears.  If I have an emergency I can head to the nearest village, or town, or city.  One day I’d like to walk the entire Pacific Crest Trail, from Mexico to Canada.  But this is not that time.

There will however be challenges, mainly of convincing myself to continue to walk, walk when there is a bus station, or train, or friendly person with a car waiting and willing to take me anywhere.

And there will be rewards.  Scenery, people, the feeling of muscles growing stronger, and some small thing being done for the world.

I, like many people, grew up with the feeling that I wanted to “save the world.”  What I should have become was a doctor, or a nurse, or an engineer.  Those are skills.  I don’t have many these days.

The other thing you should have to “save the world” is money, and the ability to spend it wisely.  It’s not as romantic, but it’s definitely more practical.  So, because I lack skills, but possess a passion to walk around new lands, I thought that I’d try walking for money.

Here’s a little more about me:

I grew up in Lake Oswego, Oregon, with the silhouette of Mt. Hood greeting me constantly (those days when the clouds cleared a little).

I graduated from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.  I started school wanting to major in Biology and English, then after my first semester read a book on Afghanistan and had a minor freak out that I didn’t know enough about the world.  So I switched to International Relations and picked up a Chinese minor.  I was never very good at the politics part, but I did learn a lot, and Chinese turned out to be my favorite subject at Colgate.  I spent a semester abroad in Beijing my Junior year, and became hooked on Asia.

Continuing along the lines of “I want to save the world,” I joined the Peace Corps and went off to Armenia, three weeks after my graduation.  Five months later, for many reasons, I left; that was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make.  I still have dreams that I’m being sent back to Armenia to complete my service.  Wonderful people, with an organization I still believe in, but wasn’t right for me at that time.

Back home, after a few months of halfheartedly looking for jobs, I knew I still wanted to travel.  So off to South Korea I went to teach English!  I stayed for three years, and traveled around Korea and Asia, along the way spending some time in Cambodia,  and my fellow English teacher and friend Heather introduced me to the Trailblazer Foundation.

Having always wanted to return to Spain and improve my Spanish, as well as getting to see Europe, I moved to La Coruña, Spain in October 2012 to work as a North American Language and Culture Assistant.

And here I am!