spanish independence day in the spanish basque country... not your typical 4th of july celebration

Another fabulousy rainy week in Bilbao and a restful weekend…

Okay, so this week was crazy hectic too… that’s pretty much become the story of my life. I finally found some medicine for the junk I had in my pecho (yo tengo “crap” en mi pecho). One of the girls gave me some Nyquil from the States and it worked wonders. I slept through the night and woke up feeling refreshed! What a nice feeling! I had another test in my Spanish 300 class and a presentation on the European Parliament for Europe in the World (my all time favorite class!). I think both went well, but we shall see when the grades come back. I spent a lot of time at the dorms this week- studying for my test and just hanging out. The guards don’t really like me- I have a hard time leaving by curfew, but I’m learning… haha.

SPANISH INDEPENDCE DAY IN EL PAIS VASCO… yeah, they want their own.
Okay, so on Tuesday, there was a bombing in Bilbao. ETA is the terrorist group here, and basically, they want the Basque country to be its own independent country. The six year cease fire ended the week before I got here in September. Recently, there’ve been riots in San Sebastian and Pamplona. Really, it sounds crazy but it’s not anything we worry about. Well, we walked into school on Thursday morning, and there was graffiti everywhere (on the walls, etc)! What did it say you might be wondering? I have no idea as it was all written in the Basque language of Euskara. Friday was Spain’s 4th of July (a national holiday). The Basque country refuses to celebrate, as they want their own independence day. We received an email from the US Embassy in Madrid encouraging us to be careful and pay extra attention when in public places. ETA doesn’t want any extra casualties, but as one of the guys said, even unintentionally killing Americans is like bonus points. We’re targets and we felt it this week, hence why we really stayed in on Friday. I have yet to feel really unsafe here. The Spanish are not allowed to carry guns- which is comforting- at least I have some chance to save myself. Anyway, Friday was a wonderful day of sleeping in and hanging out with Kristin and Boo in the dorm. Bilbao was pretty empty on Friday anyway.
ASHTON SEBASTIAN VISITS SAN SEBASTIAN- for those of you who remember Chandler’s ridiculousness from 8th grade…
On Saturday, Kristin and Boo and I went to San Sebastian for Boo’s Basque Culture class project. We got up and caught the 11am bus (it’s about 1hr and 15min away). We sat in the back and listened to our iPods, which was wonderful. We arrived and began meandering around the city. The day was beautiful- the weather was warm and the sky was clear. We visited the Cathedral of the Good Pastor, walked around the old town, climbed to the top of the statue of San Sebastian (above the city), and played in the sand on the beach. We ate hamburgers at an outdoor café and got some really tasty helado for dessert. We met up with the Richmond guys (who are in Boo’s group for this project) and took lots of pictures. We had a blast, said goodbye to the boys, and headed back to Bilbao on the 6:30pm bus. On Saturday night, we went to a fiesta! We got off the bus and saw what looked like a state fair, but as we walked along we found several concerts, people dressed in traditional Basque attire, and a whole lot of random junk. It was definitely a cultural experience…
Here’s what’s going on this week- the usual Monday of 2 hours of class and a nice hour long run before I use the internet at the school in the afternoon, Tuesday- Amanda and I are hitting up the other half off postre shop (um, best thing ever!) after a long day of classes, Wednesday- my day in the lab with Kristin and Boo, half off postres, and studying for the culture quiz on Thursday, Thursday- culture quiz! and the day that I spend a bajillion hours at school- from 10am-5:30pm, Friday- our last CIDE sponsored excursion to the Biosphere- I have no idea what this is… and money for books is due- ugh. Saturday, wine country tour! Also on my agenda for this week, finish my Koch fellowship application, make my schedule for Spring 2008 in oxford, and plan when to meet up with Kate, book my flight to Sevilla, and figure out what’s going on with Paris. I hope everyone has a wonderful week- I love you all!