New volunteer pilgrim agency: Wendy
The number of registrations as pilgrims is increasing rapidly and we are happy with a new volunteer who has been manning our pilgrim office since Friday: Wendy. Wendy sends out the starter packs, answers questions about them and keeps our list of participants up to date. She takes over this important task from Manja Bente. As a director, Manja will have more space for the coordination of the Walk of Wisdom. Manja: thank you for all your good work and a warm welcome to Wendy. Below is an introduction by Wendy herself.
Ten years ago, my first hiking adventure began. I started the Nijmegen 4 Days Marches without any training, because I didn’t really like walking. It was a very tough 4 days for me, with really only one goal: to reach the finish line!
A few years passed before I re-enrolled in the Four Days Marches. This time I realized very well that it was wise to start training. To have some kind of stick behind the door, I went for organized walks. Through these trips I discovered more and more beautiful pieces of nature and met different people from young to old.
Slowly I started to appreciate walking more and more and now it is impossible to imagine my life without it. I enjoy being in nature for hours on end, often being able to organize my own thoughts. Walking gives me peace and relaxation.
I walk a lot on my own, but when I walk an organized tour, I often have a chat with people I meet along the way. For example, a few years ago I met a man who told me about the Walk of Wisdom. He proudly showed his pin on his backpack, because he had already walked the entire pilgrimage route. He advised me to walk the Walk of Wisdom as well, but I immediately saw all kinds of obstacles in my path. I myself have type 1 diabetes, which means that I can’t go out for a few days with just a backpack without a care in the world. In the years that followed, I continued to encounter hikers with beautiful stories about the Walk of Wisdom and I came across the symbol ‘Pilgrim’ more and more often during my own walks.
Finally, at the beginning of this year, the volunteer vacancy for the pilgrim agency employee came my way. I immediately got excited about this and I thought: this is something for me! I enjoy doing administrative work and it was a nice thought for me that I could contribute to the Walk of Wisdom foundation. I hope to make a lot of people happy by sending them the starter pack. In addition, people are always welcome to ask their questions via email.
Now that I am a volunteer, I would like to walk the entire route of the Walk of Wisdom myself. I have decided to walk a stage from my own home every time. I’m looking forward to the adventure!
Wendy
