The Decline and Fall of English

Last night we went to the Kursaal. (The big building from outerspace that landed next to the ocean and river in the neighborhood of Gros) We went to a fundraiser event for the employees of "Egunkaria," a Basque-language newspaper founded in 1990 which was raided in 2003 by the Guardia Civil (Spanish, national police force) because of suspected relations with the terrorist group ETA. No proof was ever found to convict the handful of employees that were imprisoned and tortured, so they were eventually released. However, they await another trial in Madrid and thus need money for all of the legal expenses. So that's where the thousands of Basque spectators come in. Each ticket to the event cost 20 Euros but we managed to find five tickets for free from a generous lady at the last minute. (Because we don't want to support terrorism) The newspaper has not since returned to publish, and many suspect that its closure and that of other publications (This is not an isolated case) is due to its leftist tendencies and not due to any actual wrongdoings. Therefore, there have been massive protests.

The whole political situation is basically like what happens to the animal rights and environmental activists in the United States, but on a more racist, macro level. Just another purging of the left in another corner of the world. So if someone asks you about the basque country feel free to tell them that it's a society full of terrorists; 2,589,000 to be exact. Having said that, it's basically a miracle that I'm still alive.

The event itself was pretty enjoyable. I'd never even been inside of the Kursaal before and was pleased with the speeches, poetry, music, and general solidarity of the atmosphere. A few performances (Ken 7, Erramun Martikorena, Mikel Urdangarin) were from artists that I'm familiar with, so I enjoyed seeing them live.

In other news:
I ran a marathon today. Well, part of one anyway. I was laughing. When I left the house this morning I realized there were a bunch of people running in the street, so I joined them because it's not everyday that you can run in the street. I caught up with a biker and shouted at him, "Aizu! zein da lasterketa hau?" And he informed me that it was the Donostia marathon. "Wow, What a coincidence!" I thought as I zoomed by another group of fatigued runners. I was just doing my hour-long, three beaches run from one side of the town to the other and back, while the others were huffin-and-puffin down the streets after three hours running through the city. Since Donostia is a pretty small city enclosed by mountains the participants were forced to go on a circuit. Not the most ideal marathon. I, on the other hand, enjoyed running my 12k and having people offer me water and cheer me on through parts of it.
"Aurrera!" "Aupa!" "Segi Campeon!" "Venga."


Kursaal


A Protest Denouncing the Events against "Egunkaria" in Donostia


The Audience Last Night

First off, it's nice to be living with a family that openly talks with me about the illusory-world we live in, communism, socialism, corporate takeover of the world, environmental impacts created by society, decline in the quality and safety of foods, and absurdities like restless leg syndrome, which are the things we talked about tonight at the dinner table. As I told them about restless leg syndrome Mikel could not stop laughing, and it almost brought a tear to my eye to experience the clarity with the world-view we shared. We also talked about Basque and how in Europe these days everything is converting to English. Since Karmele is a teacher at the University of the Basque Country she was commenting on how nowadays her colleagues aren't promoting the use of the language as much, which she sees as a greater trend occurring in Europe and in the world. I.e. A great banalisation of the world.

This solidifies my reason for wanting to come to the Basque Country in the first place. To experience a place that stands as a gleaming example against this trend. After all, although it is widely studied, not so many people know English here. Moreover, Basque is one of the oldest languages in the world and also one of the smallest. The result is a society full of people who promote the use of an exotic language despite the inconveniences this may cause for the greater world society. It is inspirational to be a part of that.

I had been getting lazy with my Basque and reading a bunch of crap in English, but recently I realized I needed to keep going forward with my studies even though I'm not receiving credit for them because it has become a hobby. If someone does not practice their hobby they start to feel an emptiness which is what I was feeling. So lately, I've been setting some goals for myself such as:
-Write at least a page in Basque about a topic of my choice this weekend. (I haven't written anything in Basque in over one month and have noticed a significant stasis with my development.)
-Finish the book I'm reading before I head back home. (New York, New York by Gotzon Garate. I like this book because each chapter can be read on it's own, without connection to a greater story. Each chapter documents real experiences witnessed and held by the Basque author over the years that he lived in some of the most poor and dangerous neighborhoods of the famous city. Some rather dark subject matter such as murder, drug addiction, prostitution, broken families, disease; but it is nonetheless a light read.)

I had my Friday four-hour Basque class tonight at the Euskaltegi, Legazpi 6 tonight. I love that class! There are only 5 students in the class so it's really personal. Tonight I was in a really funny mood and just kept laughing the whole class. Laughing is good for class it shifts everything in my mind, it takes everything I don't understand and turns it into something I can laugh at until I figure it out. This is ultimately more productive than getting all serious, furrowing my brow, and trying to understand something when I'm just not ready to "get it." The teacher has been taking some great steps to provide me with opportunities to study what I want. Today she gave me about 70 different basque songs and also directed me to my new favorite website:
http://mediateka.fonoteka.com/orokorra.php?idi=eus&sec=3

Tomorrow my friend is going to take me to another Bertsolaritza competition. She says she doesn't want me to get bored like I did last time. I probably will. Although the other day I understand my first verse which I was pretty excited about.