WYD 2013 tips

[PazzoGrande]

Hi everyone!

Can anyone give me good tips for the next World Youth Day? I was considering going while I was still young enough. I spoke with a friend who went to the Madrid one and she said to be sure to register as a pilgrim.

Does anyone else have any tips?

 

[LDNCatholic]

Hi everyone!

Can anyone give me good tips for the next World Youth Day? I was considering going while I was still young enough. I spoke with a friend who went to the Madrid one and she said to be sure to register as a pilgrim.

Does anyone else have any tips?

Learn a little Portuguese?

Find a parish that is organising their own trip. It will be infinitely easier (and more fun) to go as part of a group than to go alone.

 

[PazzoGrande]

Learn a little Portuguese?

Find a parish that is organising their own trip. It will be infinitely easier (and more fun) to go as part of a group than to go alone.

Oh, yeah, my friend did mention that I could go in a group, although she says I might be more free to go off on my own if I didn’t go with a group (actually I’m planning to go with a friend, so I wouldn’t be alone anyway).

Would Portuguese really be that much of a helper if I go in a group though? I would imagine that the group would have all of the things taken care of where language mattered. For the ceremonies, I’m sure the resources will all be multi-lingual. I wasn’t going to bother learning much of the language. But I guess there might be aspects of this that I overlooked?

 

[PazzoGrande]

Learn a little Portuguese?

Find a parish that is organising their own trip. It will be infinitely easier (and more fun) to go as part of a group than to go alone.

I see you’re from London, by the way. Were you able to make it down to Madrid? How was it? I’m dying to hear some firsthand experiences aside from the usual “I had a blast.” I saw an article where a group of pilgrims couldn’t go where they were supposed to, didn’t get food they were supposed to get and couldn’t get access to portable toilets. catholicnewsagency.com/news/madrid-world-youth-days-shortcomings-offer-lessons-for-rio/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicnewsagency%2Fdailynews+%28CNA+Daily+News%29

I envy you Europeans. I’m from Hawaii and can’t travel the same way you guys can.

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

I went to the World Youth Day in Madrid . Most people say statements such as “I had a blast”, or “I had a really good time”, because it’s really difficult to express in words exactly just how awesome the event was. You could almost get a taste of Heaven being at the World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain.

I second LDNCatholic’s point that it’s best to go with your diocese. It simplifies the process a lot more. Looking back, I’m quite happy I went with my diocese rather than as an individual pilgrim. Going with your diocese doesn’t hamper your freedom too much - they generally give you free days, free time, etc, as they acknowledge that adults are following them. But they do expect you to attend early Morning prayer, evening prayer, and a few other essential activities (but these are few and far between compared to the freedom you have).

As for comments concerning pilgrims unable to find a space at the Cuatro Vientos airfield, that’s sadly true. It never happened to me (I was very lucky), but most of my group had to sit in an area further from the Pope that was not even allocated to them in the first instance. They also received their lunch packs extraordinarily late, and upon receiving it, had to share the little leftovers they received. The state of the portable toilets was also absolutely abysmal that it sickens me thinking about it.

But I think, on the whole, the 2011 World Youth Day was a success. You have to take things into perspective: Roughly 2 million people journeyed to see the Pope, and it was peaceful. In London, the Nottinghill Carnival got far less people: there was a stabbing (caught on camera, I might add) and some drug dealers were arrested.

I’m not sure if 2013 WYD will live up to what happened in 2011, but I guess you’ll have to see for yourself

I loved it.

 

[PazzoGrande]

I went to the World Youth Day in Madrid . Most people say statements such as “I had a blast”, or “I had a really good time”, because it’s really difficult to express in words exactly just how awesome the event was. You could almost get a taste of Heaven being at the World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain.

I second LDNCatholic’s point that it’s best to go with your diocese. It simplifies the process a lot more. Looking back, I’m quite happy I went with my diocese rather than as an individual pilgrim. Going with your diocese doesn’t hamper your freedom too much - they generally give you free days, free time, etc, as they acknowledge that adults are following them. But they do expect you to attend early Morning prayer, evening prayer, and a few other essential activities (but these are few and far between compared to the freedom you have).

As for comments concerning pilgrims unable to find a space at the Cuatro Vientos airfield, that’s sadly true. It never happened to me (I was very lucky), but most of my group had to sit in an area further from the Pope that was not even allocated to them in the first instance. They also received their lunch packs extraordinarily late, and upon receiving it, had to share the little leftovers they received. The state of the portable toilets was also absolutely abysmal that it sickens me thinking about it.

But I think, on the whole, the 2011 World Youth Day was a success. You have to take things into perspective: Roughly 2 million people journeyed to see the Pope, and it was peaceful. In London, the Nottinghill Carnival got far less people: there was a stabbing (caught on camera, I might add) and some drug dealers were arrested.

I’m not sure if 2013 WYD will live up to what happened in 2011, but I guess you’ll have to see for yourself

I loved it.

Speaking of Europeans whom I envy …

On the Diocese question, it brings up another point. I sort of have two homes. One is in Honolulu and the other is in Manila (although we fall under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Paranaque rather than the Cardinal Archbishop of Manila). We could go with the Diocese of Honolulu, the Diocese of Paranaque or the Archdiocese of Manila.

I would learn toward the last one because I would imagine it’s a bigger crowd and I get to meet more people. From your experience, is it better to go with a smaller Diocesan group or a larger one?

Did you stay at a host house or in a hotel? I wanna start making plans now so I can get into a hotel. I’m not crazy about the idea of me raiding someone else’s fridge. I don’t think the US-Brazil relations can take another hit.

 

[PazzoGrande]

P.S.: Bohm, did learning Spanish make much of a difference for you?

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

I would learn toward the last one because I would imagine it’s a bigger crowd and I get to meet more people. From your experience, is it better to go with a smaller Diocesan group or a larger one?

I would say optimal amount is anywhere from 70-200. Any bigger and you lose sense of who’s who.

Did you stay at a host house or in a hotel? I wanna start making plans now so I can get into a hotel. I’m not crazy about the idea of me raiding someone else’s fridge. I don’t think the US-Brazil relations can take another hit.

My diocese stayed in a hotel all through the journey. In Salamanca, Spain, we all got our own hotel rooms. We journeyed through Avila for a couple of hours. In Madrid, Spain, the majority had to share hotel rooms, with the exception of priests/pilgrimage leaders. I was lucky enough, being an ordinary pilgrim, to have got a room of my own

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

P.S.: Bohm, did learning Spanish make much of a difference for you?

I learned a bit of Spanish for the sake of etiquette. In my own personal view, I consider it wrong to go to a country for an extended period of time without making an effort learning the language. In short, “when in Rome, do as the Romans”. That’s my own view, and I’m sure there will be many who will disagree.

My Spanish wasn’t perfect, but I could string a few sentences together. In Salamanca, virtually no one spoke a word of English. So I had to use the Spanish I had as well as hand gestures to get my point across. Same goes for Avila and Madrid. We did have a few Spanish-speakers in our pilgrimage group however. One thing that struck me was how so few people speak English in Spain. I had previously thought that Spain would have many English speakers, but they did not. I suspect it will be incredibly useful for you to start learning Portuguese now, as it does make your experience slightly smoother. Another reason why learning Portuguese is important is that it’s not a language spoken widely out of Brazil and Portugal, so you may find that your diocese has no Portuguese speakers at all.

 

[PazzoGrande]

I learned a bit of Spanish for the sake of etiquette. In my own personal view, I consider it wrong to go to a country for an extended period of time without making an effort learning the language. In short, “when in Rome, do as the Romans”. That’s my own view, and I’m sure there will be many who will disagree.

My Spanish wasn’t perfect, but I could string a few sentences together. In Salamanca, virtually no one spoke a word of English. So I had to use the Spanish I had as well as hand gestures to get my point across. Same goes for Avila and Madrid. We did have a few Spanish-speakers in our pilgrimage group however. One thing that struck me was how so few people speak English in Spain. I had previously thought that Spain would have many English speakers, but they did not. I suspect it will be incredibly useful for you to start learning Portuguese now, as it does make your experience slightly smoother. Another reason why learning Portuguese is important is that it’s not a language spoken widely out of Brazil and Portugal, so you may find that your diocese has no Portuguese speakers at all.

Oh. I presumed that it would be like a tour group with someone in charge who can take care of the language issues. For a universal language, it surprises me that there weren’t many Anglophones in Spain.

Portuguese being limited to Brazil and Portugal is actually the reason why I didn’t wanna bother learning it. If it were, say, French, I might; but I don’t see Portuguese as being a foreseeably useful language for me to know. But, now that I think of it, LDNCatholic was right, I should at least know a little.

Don’t these pilgrimage groups hire a native to show you the ropes, translate where it’s needed and just make sure you don’t get lost?

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

I’m off after answering your questions, but I’ll come back later.

Oh. I presumed that it would be like a tour group with someone in charge who can take care of the language issues. For a universal language, it surprises me that there weren’t many Anglophones in Spain.

Some other groups may have employed someone to take care of the language issues. In our group, we didn’t have such as there were a few Spanish-speakers on board our group.

Portuguese being limited to Brazil and Portugal is actually the reason why I didn’t wanna bother learning it. If it were, say, French, I might; but I don’t see Portuguese as being a foreseeably useful language for me to know. But, now that I think of it, LDNCatholic was right, I should at least know a little.

Well, if you learn Portuguese, you can essentially learn Spanish and Italian as they have many similarities

Don’t these pilgrimage groups hire a native to show you the ropes, translate where it’s needed and just make sure you don’t get lost?

Some (may) do, but from my own experience, that wasn’t the case.

 

[PazzoGrande]

I’m off after answering your questions, but I’ll come back later.

Some other groups may have employed someone to take care of the language issues. In our group, we didn’t have such as there were a few Spanish-speakers on board our group.

(…)

Some (may) do, but from my own experience, that wasn’t the case.

Wow, I thought that would have been one of the most basic things they’d get. Frankly it seems kind of negligent not to have one to do that.

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

This is mere speculation on my part, and it’s probably too early to tell, but I don’t think many Europeans will be at the 2013 WYD. Firstly, the cost for us Europeans will be astronomical. The flight time is also quite lengthy (about 11 hours).

One reason I may not be going is because I have heard that Rio de Janeiro has very high crime rates (e.g. tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g303506-s206/Rio-De-Janeiro:Brazil:Health.And.Safety.html ). I always knew Spain was a safe country, with the “worst” crimes being pickpocketing, but in Rio de Janeiro, it seems like they have all kinds of activities going on there - from drugs, to prostitution, to gun crime.

Personally, I disagree with the Pope’s decision of choosing Rio for the next WYD. They essentially have the World Cup. I would have loved to have seen the Pope choose somewhere in Europe again (possibly UK, Ireland, Czech Republic, etc) or somewhere “extravagant” in Asia (think Japan, Hong Kong, etc).

I doubt I’ll be going to the next WYD. I think Brazil was chosen out of political correctness – the desire to integrate developing countries into the world – more than anything.

 

[PazzoGrande]

I doubt I’ll be going to the next WYD. I think Brazil was chosen out of political correctness – the desire to integrate developing countries into the world – more than anything.

I would have thought it was because the previous few WYDs were in Europe and you deprive people from other areas of the privilege of going if you overconcentrate to that part of the world.

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

I would have thought it was because the previous few WYDs were in Europe and you deprive people from other areas of the privilege of going if you overconcentrate to that part of the world.

That’s true, but the Pope should have at least chosen a country outside of Europe that was safe and politically stable. Rio de Janeiro, based on what I’ve heard and currently reading, is not a safe place. I also don’t see the point of bringing the WYD to Brazil; they already have the World Cup the year after.

It would have been nice if the Pope chose somewhere in Asia (Japan, Hong Kong, etc) or maybe even Mexico. I just don’t see why he would have chosen Rio. Really, really bad call.

 

[PazzoGrande]

It would have been nice if the Pope chose somewhere in Asia (Japan, Hong Kong, etc) or maybe even Mexico. I just don’t see why he would have chosen Rio. Really, really bad call.

I see your point with Mexico; it would at least get more North American guests if it were closer to home. I would imagine it’s easier for Latin Americans to go to Mexico than it is for North Americans to go to Brazil too. Though at least from how an American would see it, I would have thought Mexico had worse criminal activity than Brazil, but it’s not like I know.

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

I see your point with Mexico; it would at least get more North American guests if it were closer to home. I would imagine it’s easier for Latin Americans to go to Mexico than it is for North Americans to go to Brazil too. Though at least from how an American would see it, I would have thought Mexico had worse criminal activity than Brazil, but it’s not like I know.

Yeah, I wouldn’t mind Mexico actually. I’ve never been to Mexico, but is crime there really that bad? I understand it’s no utopia, but it’s still “bearable” once you remove the sporadic drug barons. I’m reading about Rio, and I do not like what I’m reading one bit. If you do go to Rio, please stay safe .

 

[Samson01]

Yeah, I wouldn’t mind Mexico actually. I’ve never been to Mexico, but is crime there really that bad? I understand it’s no utopia, but it’s still “bearable” once you remove the sporadic drug barons. I’m reading about Rio, and I do not like what I’m reading one bit. If you do go to Rio, please stay safe .

Mexico is fubar…the next big war as told to me by my mentor who trained them.

 

[Jesusismybff]

We slept in a gym with 800 people, which truly did add to the pilgrim-feeling!

It’s indeed hard to describe what WYD is like. Our journey had its ups and downs but that’s what made it special: having little to no luxury we learned to trust God and to trust each other.

Another tip: bring lots of souvenirs from your country/state! I only brought two and hence only got to exchange with two foreigners, but you really do meet tons of people and it’s sooo much fun if you can exchange little items with youth from all over the world!

I’d also advise going with your diocese. They arrange pretty much everything and you’ll meet lots of people who live relatively close to you so that you’ll be able to visit them even after WYD.

I can really, really recommend WYD to all Catholics. The feeling of pure happiness, togetherness and being close to God, that I experienced so often during the trip, is a feeling I had never encountered before.

 

[AntalKalnoky]

This is mere speculation on my part, and it’s probably too early to tell, but I don’t think many Europeans will be at the 2013 WYD. Firstly, the cost for us Europeans will be astronomical. The flight time is also quite lengthy (about 11 hours).

One reason I may not be going is because I have heard that Rio de Janeiro has very high crime rates (e.g. tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g303506-s206/Rio-De-Janeiro:Brazil:Health.And.Safety.html ). I always knew Spain was a safe country, with the “worst” crimes being pickpocketing, but in Rio de Janeiro, it seems like they have all kinds of activities going on there - from drugs, to prostitution, to gun crime.

Personally, I disagree with the Pope’s decision of choosing Rio for the next WYD. They essentially have the World Cup. I would have loved to have seen the Pope choose somewhere in Europe again (possibly UK, Ireland, Czech Republic, etc) or somewhere “extravagant” in Asia (think Japan, Hong Kong, etc).

I doubt I’ll be going to the next WYD. I think Brazil was chosen out of political correctness – the desire to integrate developing countries into the world – more than anything.

The WYD is a Very World oriented event. Rio was almost certainly chosen because of ir’s location, not politics. One effect likelly to be hoped for is more Vocations resulting in South America, where they are Needed. WYD’s in Denver and Toronto rwesulted in a vast number of Vocations. USA Cities have had Very high crime rates; Personal Security is assured at Any WYD to be attended by probably at least 2.5 million in Rio. The World Record for a Human Gathering was the 8 Million for the Manila WYD Closing Mass; my current Pastor was there. It is thought that Pope Benedict’s first WYD was in his native Germany because of the great Secularization of Europe; there are great returns following in Increasing Church attendance, as is still occuring in Toronto. The reason pentecostals are succeeding in South America is the Lack of Priests; That is the “Politics” of Choosing WYD Site.
Some at the Madrid WYD slept on the Grass at the airport; they never regretted being Able to attend; it's a Lifetime Priviledge.