A rainy day with full of
people in Hannover, Germany, in the afternoon we have an interview with the
English writer Anne Butterfield. A friendly figure with eyes that speak
suddenly appears in the middle of the rain, the first I knew about her, was
through the book of the German Comedian Hape
Kerkeling that mentions that he met her in the famous Jacobs Way (Camino
de Santiago)I was wondering why people decide to make this Jacobs Way and to
write step by step how this develops. Butterfield author of the book “Ich bin
da noch mal hin” ( the tittle and the book is in German language and it was
published on April in Germany), in a very nice and interesting talking told us
about her experiences, about her book and her life.
Anne for me is very special to talk with you , I know that you travel
around the world Asia, Europe, Central und Latin America you was in my country
and my city also Arequipa, Peru. Tell us a little of your travels and your
life.
Yes, it was a fantastic travel years ago, I remember I was in Santa Catalina Monastery in Arequipa, Peru all was
white, I was living in Nicaragua some months also and I learned Spanish. I
travel a lot, with my parents we use to go to Holidays to Mallorca, I like the
culture and to know different languages. When I went to school we had walking
trips, we went to Germany and Luxemburg also, we had a teacher that always
walking in Georgia that where I am from and we started to walk the country side
and that’s when I start to walk when I was 13 years old.
So, you can say that traveling is one of your passions?
Yes it is, to travel and Football is my passion. I studied Biology but I
love and I am very interesting about religions too.
In 2001 is the first time you made Jacobs Way, you met Hape Kerkeling,
author of the book “ Ich bin dann mal “, Kerkeling talked about that he met a Biology teacher living in
Liverpool. It was the starter of a friendship and the idea of the book?
The friendship with Hape
Kerkeling started on 2001 on the Camino , he told me about his life in
Germany and I told him stories about my life in England.
When I made the Camino in 2001 I
was thinking about my problems, I was walking alone and thinking about myself
and when I come back in 2010 I thought I am not going to make that this time, I
will stop and search inside myself, I am going to watch what happens and if I
can I am going to write about it.
To talk about your book we must start to talk about Jacobs Way, what did
you discovered in Jacobs Way to you?
What I discovered in Jacobs Way is that if you stop to think about
yourself all the time, if you look outside it is a lot more interesting, but
also you start to understand the Jacobs Way. People helps you when you need,
people are very nice on the Camino, sometimes you are very tired and you find
that people are kind and friendly and I learn that you need help for other
people and you cannot exist on your own, that is the most important thing of
Jacobs Way and you should remember it when you return to normal life, you have
to be open, you have to let people help you and you have to help other people.
How is your program of your reading tour in Germany?
My book was published on April 2012 and it was immediately in the shops,
I wanted to see a little more of publicity so I decided to go in a reading tour
in Germany; I try to got to have action into my own hands and meet people.
My job is to drive around Germany and read my book and share my experiences
of the Camino with the people.
Jacobs Way is a spiritual way, where people have time to think about
several things in life. Which are your experiences?
It was 7 weeks and I took my time,
I stop for 2 days in several places to meet and talk to people, Lyon is
my favorite place on the Camino, one of the important things is that on the Camino you never meet arrogant
people because people that make the Camino always working hard to do it. I will
always remember the help that people gave to me.
What is the meaning for you to make Jacobs Way?
The meaning for me is that you are the same person, nothing miraculous
happen but you have to work out your own solutions, it gives you a lot of space
to think about that, it is luxury to go to the Camino, it gives you the
opportunity to think without the distractions of your job, your domestic
responsibilities, it is really a privilege.
