Oh, the places you'll go...

...on public transporation. This is a bit late, considering I'm already home, but so exciting things happened at the end of my trip that I wanted to add. I started this in Spain and now I'm finally finishing it up.

Here is a lovely shot of my makeshift workstation. This is where you can find me whenever it's rainy. I don't have a desk in my room so I bought i TV dinner table from a china bazaar. It looks a bit wierd, but it gets the job done.

Now that the weather is so nice, it's a bit hard to stay in the room and capture footage. I try to save it for rainy days so I can go and film and explore when it's sunny. We finally got some beautiful weather so I got some great footage of the mountains and the ocean. Tomorrow, if the weather's good, I'm going to the other side of the city to try my luck at filming on another Mount that I haven't explored yet.

I just recently discovered the wonderous Cercanias. It's somewhere between the train and the metro. You buy tickets like you would a metro, but it runs on the train lines. It only goes to towns around San Sebastian, but it's perfect for my purposes. You can buy train tickets to some towns that cost 12 euros  oneway and you can buy Cercanias tickets to the same place for 3 euros roundtrip. I have now used Cercanias 4 times in the last week and I'm hoping to have a few more goes before my trips done. 

Since I've found Cercanias, I've been traveling out of the city quite often. I found out about an open air market in a nearby town that has been going on once a week since the 12th century. The other day I took the train over to check it out. I got there so early (7:30am) that the people were still setting up. I stopped in a bakery to get some bread and it was so hot it steamed when I ripped it. I am telling you there is no better breakfast than a fresh hot baguette. Whoever came up with that sliced bread saying was crazy.

Not only is the market a very old tradition, it is still important to this day. The prices in the market in Ordizia set the prices for the rest of the country. I don't know exactly how it works, though. I was kind of expecting to see a bunch of old farmers coming together to discuss the supply and demand of the market, but I saw no such thing. What I did see was a rather small market under a grand, Romanesque roof with huge pillars. I filmed a lot and then got to try a lot of the food. I am a big fan of the Basque cheese.
(this photo is from Mt. Igeldo looking down on San Sebastian)

I also got to visit Salamanca, where I studied abroad. My foreign mentor, Javier, was my cinema professor when I studied in Salamanca. He and his girlfriend, who is from San Sebastian, came here for a few days to visit their family. I got to hitch a ride with them to Salamanca when they went home. I was concerned I would get carsick on the ride (5-6 hours long), but I had no problem. We drove through the tall mountains of Basque country. They are really distinct from the ones in NH in that they have much steeper slopes and many precarious pastures scattered around them. The mountains also stop quite abruptly on the edge of the opens plains of the center of Spain. You don't see such expansive land in NH. It was really beautiful.

In Salamanca I got to hit up all my favorite spots. I went to my favorite cafe for chocolate con churros and walked all around the city remembering everything I did last time I was there. I instantly felt like I was back at home. When I went out at night I even ran into 3 of my friends from Salamanca at one bar! How crazy is that?

I really had a blast walking down memory lane in Salamanca, but I also had a great opportunity to sit down with Javier and talk about my documentary. We looked at a lot of my footage and discussed possible storylines. I still think there are a few perspectives that I haven't been able to get in my documentary, but I'm pretty excited about what I have. Javier liked the footage and helped me brainstorm a few different ways to present it. Hopefully I can get some of the other perspectives within the next week. 

After Salamanca I've been running around all over the place. There was a Basque fiesta in town that lasted a few days. It was for Saint Carmen, who I'm assuming is the patron saint of crabs because the entire fiesta was covered with crab drawings. I got to film children performing at the fiesta and people cooking sardines, but no one would let me interview them. I asked a few people and they either pretended not to understand me or would talk to me, but not in front of a camera. It's too bad because the people I talked to were much more pro-independence. At all of the fiestas there are tons of independence posters and other Basque political posters. At fiesta de Carmen the people I talked to pointed them out and explained that even though this is a celebration, they need to remember that they are still fighting. Hopefully I can find someone who is willing to say that to a camera.

In the meantime, I'm still getting other great material. I read about this small fishing village, Pasaia, 10 minutes from San Sebastian and on the Cercanias line. The other day I went there to check it out. The train dropped me off right in a huge industrial port. It was really ugly. I tried looking for an easy way to get to the other side of the port and soon realized that I would have to walk all the way across town lugging my camera equipment. When I got there I realized that the place I wanted to get to was on the other side of port. I was about to call it quits and go home when I realized that there was a little water taxi that takes you from my side of the port to the pretty little town that I wanted to explore. I'm so glad that I made it there. The old, beautiful part of Pasaia is only a few streets and it is secluded from the rest of the city. It's right on the water and has a path that weaves along the edge of the mountains to the ocean. It's has much more Euskera than San Sebastian. Everyone in the streets speaks Euskera. It was really cool to see that 10 minutes away from San Sebastian these people are very different from their urban neighbors.
Another adventure I've had recently was a bike trip through the Valley of Leizaran. It used to be a train track, but they converted it to a dirt road for pedestrians. I rented a bike for the day, put the camera on my back and took the train to the town of Andoain. The only thing I knew was that I was looking for this valley, but there were no directions at the train station. I had to ask a lot of people to get directions, but I was amazed at how helpful they all were. Spaniards can often look intimidating because it is not customary for them to acknowledge or smile at strangers on the street. Yet when I asked them for help, they were more than willing. People in stores will even come outside so they can point out things to you to make sure you understand.
One of the interviews I did a while back was with Xabier Mendiguren, the president of a big network of organizations that promote Euskera in all parts of Basque Country. He suggested I visit the town where he was born (in a house from the 16th century) and meet his brother, Iñaki. I was supposed to take a train last weekend, but when I spoke with Iñaki he suggested I come another day when he could pick me up from the train station because his town is very rural and has no public transportation. He called me 2 days later to tell me what train to take and where he would pick me up. I thought he would just drop me off at the house which now has a museum built next to it. Instead he took the time to tour me through the whole museum. He explained the history of how the Basque houses in the region used to be built around GIANT cider mills. The  size of the cider mills determined the size of the house because the mill was the frame of the house. That's how big they were. Iñaki also showed me that most houses were expanded on 3 sides to provide space for drying Indian Corn which became popular after Columbus returned from the Americas. After going through the museum he took me to the house and explained what it was like when he lived there and what everything was for. He told me that the animals were treated like family and lived in the house on the same floor as the family. There were even windows into the kitchen so the cows could look in on the family from their stalls.

After the house we went to Iñaki's current house which was right on top of the same hill. His brother lives on the bottom of the house, his old house is in the middle, him mother and sister live in the next house and he lives on the top. His house has a breathtaking 360 degree view of all the Basque farms and mountains in the area. I spent a long time taking with Iñaki and his wife, Sarah, from England. I got them do let me interview them together. I told them they could do it in whatever language they wanted and they chose to do the whole interview in English! I forgot my list of questions, but I had done enough interviews that I felt comfortable without them. I knew I didn't have many interviews left so I asked them about politics, conflict and ETA as well as questions about their identity. It was a different perspective because Iñaki was born Basque and spoke it as his first language, but Sarah learned Euskera and became Basque. They were very open with me and gave me great information for the film.

After the interview they invited me to stay for dinner. We sat out on their porch watching the sunset, drinking wine and eating salad and bread--a very traditional small dinner. We talked about Basque culture, American politics, why Americans are fat and whether civilians should have guns. They were so interested in America and so eager to share their culture with me. I ended up leaving their house around 10 at night. I had expected them to take a hour out of their day to let me interview them and they took off half a day to show me around and entertain me.  I felt blessed by their incredible hospitality.
A few days after that interview I headed back to the US. I did some last minute filming of sunsets and sunrises, as well as filming graffiti and different attractions in the city. I have a lot of material to put in the interview, but I don't think I was able to get all perspectives on the issue. Yet the perspective I got is one that is not often represented in the media. The media focus on extreme nationalism and terrorism, but I spoke with a lot of people who feel strongly about their culture, but don't have impossible goals. They want to protect their language and culture. They don't want to feel ostracized in their own region. I am excited to form these opinions into a documentary. I will keep you updated on when the documentary will be finished and how you can see it.

Agur!

Hard at Work

Last week was such a whirlwind of interviews and activities, I'm trying to figure out how to write about it all without making it into a novella. On Monday, my friend Greta wanted to go up Mt. Igeldo. I hadn't brought my camera the last time I went, so I thought it would be a great idea. Marlee and I lugged the camera and tripod along the beach again (they only seem to get heavier as the trip goes on). This time we were smarter and took the fundicular up to the top. It was a 1.30 well spent. At the top of the mountain was a very sad amusement park. They had log rides, bumper cars, a house of terror and other rides, but there were only a few people there and none of them were their for the park. Everyone up there (all 7-10 people) was there for the view. We could look out over San Sebastian and all the mountains that surrounded it. Unfortunately, all the mountains were a bit hazey so we decided not to film. It's frustrating when you get somewhere beautiful, but the conditions aren't right to film. It's even more frustrating when you've been carrying a camera for 2 hours just to film it. But now I know it's completely worthwhile so the next cool, clear day I will go up and film.

On Tuesday, Marlee and I took a bus up to Igeldo (the neighborhood, not the mountain) because I had read that they had a number of other competitions like the lumberjack one that I filmed. We were supposed to go to a sidraria to film, but the events in Igeldo only happen once a year, so it was more of a priority. Unforunately, once again we got all the way there and couldn't film. This time it was because I had recorded the info incorrectly and the activities were on Wednesday, not Tuesday. 

Wednesday I woke up sick. I think it was from sharing a drink with Greta, who was sick, but she insists that that could not be the case. According the Greta, a very smart, 25 year old Italian, viruses cannot be spread through sharing drinks, though they can be spread through kissing. She actually claims that the wind on my bare throat got me sick. I think this is amazing! This is a great example of something that we take as common knowledge, but certainly is not. We learn in kindergarten that you can spread germs through things that you touch, but I guess that is not the case in Italy. I love these little reminders that even though globalization is making countries more and more similar, I am still in a place that thinks differently than I do and holds different facts to be self-evident.

So Wednesday I went to my first interview of the week with a bit of a cold. I wasn't feeling very up for it, but I had waited a month for the interview so I wasn't about to miss it. The interview was in the Gipuzkoa Delegation which is an old majestic building that looks out onto a beautifully manicured park with fountains and waterfalls and tons of blooming flowers. It is conveniently 3 blocks from my apartment so I get to see it all the time. This was the first time I got to enter the building. I was really excited to see what the inside was like. The first thing I notice was the security. They aren't messing around here. I had to talk to people at the front desk and then I had to explain what I was doing to the security guards, who searched me, x-rayed all of my stuff and then made a copy of my ID. This was one of the first times when I really became aware of the ever looming threat of terrorism here.

After I got the ok from security, I had to find my way to Augustin Arostegi's office. Spain does not start with floor 1, as we do in the US, but rather with floor 0. So Augustin was on the 2nd floor which means he's on what we would call the 3rd floor. This is vital information if you're deciding whether to use the elevator or get some extra exercise. I went for the elevator because I'm getting all the exercise I need carrying my equipment on flat surface. I followed signs to the Office of Tourism and External Relations, but signs suddenly stopped and I was lost in an elaborately decorated, vast hall. After walking around for a while, I found someone who showed me where Augustin's office was (the only office without a sign--even the copy room had a sign!). His was spacious and very modern, which was a nice juxtaposition to the traditional building. I was pretty impressed by the office and even more impressed that he has a secretary who brought us tea and coffee for the interview.

I was told to interview Augustin because he is the Director of Tourism and External Relations for the province of Gipuzkoa. He has a lot of experience with bilingualism and gave me a great interview. I asked him my basic questions about how he identifies himself, how he defines Basques and Spaniards, his thoughts on only teaching Euskera in schools (which is the case here) and other questions about bilingualism. So far I haven't gotten any trend responses. Some people are Basque first, then Spanish, while others are just Basque and still others identify themselves as more international citizens. The new question that has been getting some great responses seems kind of funny: What team were you rooting for in the EuroCup? I decided to ask this because I noticed how many people were cheering for Spain during EuroCup. Generally, most people here think of themselves as separate from Spain, but many of those same people were cheering for Spain to win. Augustin, on the other hand, said that he supported Italy, then Russia, then Germany--all the teams that played against Spain. I'm going to keep asking this question because it brings out another side that is sometimes hard to get at with these short interviews.

On Thursday, Marlee and I woke up at the crack of dawn to get catch a bus to Bilbao. I had an interview in the old part of town with Mertxe Mugika Balangzategi. She works at the headquarters for AEK, a network of euskaltegis (schools that teach Euskera to adults) that are in all 7 provinces of Basque Country (Spain and France). She apparently had a bad experience with a Wall Street Journal journalist so she was a bit apprehensive about doing an interview with me. Luckily, she, like everyone else I have interviewed, sees that see that I am hear to make a film that celebrates the cultures here, not criticize them. We had a short interview because she seemed a bit nervous in front of the camera. She spoke really rapidly and fidgeted  a bit, but she still had great responses and gave me even more people to contact.

After the interview I met up with Marlee and had lunch in the old city. We wanted to get a menu del dia at a restaurant, but they were either too boring or too pricy. We ended up going to Bocatta's, the Spanish version of a fastfood chain. They have hot and cold bocadillos (sandwiches on french baguettes) with your choice of fries or patatas bravas. The place had as much personality as your standard McDonald's, but the food was cheap and it filled us up.

After lunch we headed over to the Guggenheim Museum. I filmed a bit of the outside while Marlee was the designated photographer. When I was satisfied that I had gotten plenty of good angles, we dropped off the equipment inside and took a tour through the exhibits. They had some impressive installations and an interesting surrealist exhibit, but the whole museum was pretty small. We saw everything in a little over 2 hours without rushing at all. I enjoyed the museum, but I think the building itself is the most impressive artwork there.

The same artist who made The Puppy in front of the Guggenheim, Jeff Koonz, made these giant metallic tulips which are also on display at the Guggenheim. The Puppy is a really cool statue covered in plants. The people here call him "Poopy" because they can't pronounce "puppy." I know this has absolutely nothing to do with anything else, but it made me smile and I thought you might enjoy this bit of info as well.
On Friday I once again woke up really early to have an interview with Xabier Mediguren, the president of Kontseilua, a network of organizations which strive to promote Euskera. We were supposed to meet at a really swank hotel cafe downtown. I waited for half an hour (Spaniards are often a bit late) and he never showed up. I called his secretary, who called him and told me that he was travelling without his agenda and had forgotten. He was very apologetic and set up an interview for a few hours later in the same cafe. The next time I went to the cafe he was patiently waiting there for me. We found the brightest spot in the dim lounge of the ritzy hotel and ordered some drinks. We then proceeded to have one of the best interviews I've had so far. He shared personal experiences and facts about the number of Euskera speakers and the history of the region. He was excited and passionate about his work and goals, but not in any way closeminded. He talked solidly for an hour and gave me absolutely fantastic material. The only thing I'm concerned about is the music that was playing in the lounge. I haven't looked at the footage since I've filmed it and I'm a bit nervous that I might have to redo the interview if the music overshadows his voice. We'll see.

Xabier also told me that I should visit the town where he was born. It is a small town with lovely scenery and people who lead different lives than the people in the cities here. The house he grew up in is 400 years old and is now a museum (how cool is that?). His brother and her wife still live in the town and he gave me their phone number so I can go and interview them. I'm super psyched. I just have to figure out where the heck this town is and how do I get there.

On Saturday, Sam and Vas, 2 other IROPers, came to San Sebastian to visit. The weather was gross and rainy, but we managed to have a good time. The plan was for them to come to San Sebastian for a day then we would all head to San Fermin (the running of the bulls) in Pamplona for Sunday and Monday. Our first mission was to get the appropriate costume. You have to have a read bandana for your neck, a red sash for your waist and a completely white outfit. At first I thought that only the runners wore that, but EVERYONE wears it. And it can't be your best red and white because at the opening ceremony everyone throws champagne, wine, ketchup, mustard and flour on everyone else. Luckily the sales have started in all the stores here so it wasn't very expensive to equip ourselves. I then made it my mission to have San and Vas try as many Basque and Spanish things as I could. We started with my all time favorite dessert here, pastel vasco, which is a rich cake with creamy custard in the center. After that we headed into the old town to get some greasy bocadillos and some sidra. I went home and had a bit of a siesta while the boys climbed up one of the mounts to get a view of the city. That night we went out for pintxos and I made sure they tried all of the traditional dishes. It was a great night, but we had to cut it short because once again we had to get up early to catch a bus the next morning.

On Sunday we arrived in Pamplona to see the entire city decked out in red and white. Everyone in the city (save a few clueless tourists) was wearing the prescribed uniform. Even old grandparents and little babies had their bandanas and sashes. We got there in time for the chupinazo (the kickoff ceremony). The entire old part of the city was packed like a can of sardines. Marlee and I weren't very interested in getting covered in ketchup so we watched the boys huge backpack as they headed into the center of the madness. I thought we might be missing out, but I soon realized that there was plenty of party where we were as well. Below is a picture of people arriving and after that is a photo of everyone when the the ceremony began. We definitely weren't alone. Once they shot the rocket to start the fiesta everyone brought out bottles of champagne and sprayed them everywhere. The people next to us even gave us some to drink.

We met up with the boys later and continued to tour the city through the packed crowds. We were carrying a lot of food so we wouldn't have to buy anything, but it made it difficult to get around. We had a great time, but Marlee and I decided to go home that night because sleeping in a park seemed very unappealing and my voice seemed to be getting worse and worse.  We said good bye and good luck to the boy (who were planning on running the next morning with the bulls) and went home to our comfortable beds.

I ended up getting sick the next day with a bad sore throat and no voice. I slept the whole day and now my voice is slowly coming back 2 days later. The boys had  a great run and didn't get hurt. Now that I know what's going on at the fiesta I think I'm going to go back this weekend and film a bit. I really want to see the running of the bulls. I just gotta cover my camera in saran wrap so it won't get ruined in someone throws wine on me.

Kindness of Strangers

I know this is getting old, but every day I am amazed at how people here bend over backwards to help me with my film. Last week I did a film with a more nationalist Basque who is part of an organization that works to promote the use of Euskera, the Basque language. He wanted to make sure that I had Euskera in my documentary so he did the whole interview twice! He answered all the questions in Euskera then would answer the questions in Castellano so I could understand! He even offered to translate the Euskera for me if I give him a copy of the tape. How incredibly cool! He also offered to have me hang out and film him and his friends doing some kind of Basque rap at some point. I think this a great opportunity to get information from the Basques that feel less connected to Spain. Now I just have to get the perspective of some Spaniards who don't classify themselves as Basques and I will have representation from a good number of sides.

I also met a girl, Sara, through my friend Greta. Sara is from Donostia and I think she would identify herself as a Spaniard (though I'm not sure). When she heard about my documentary she offered to help me by doing an interview and introducing me to people. Experiences like these really get me excited about what I'm doing. They realize that I'm trying to show the beauty and complexity of these coexisting cultures and they're really excited about helping me do it.

And now I have someone else to help me because Marlee's here! She arrived on Wed at midnight after going through the same grueling 2 days of travel that I went through. It's going to great having her around for a bit because she can help me carry my equipment as I film the city and scenery. I can carry the camera and tripod, but it's awfully awkward and not fun to carry to the top of a mountain. 

Speaking of mountains, the other day I saw that there was a fiesta (by which I means festival/celebration, not a house party) in one of the outer neighborhoods of Donostia. They were having a sidra (cider) tasting and a bunch of performances that looked like fun. Marlee, my friends and I decided to walk up to the neighborhood to check it out. I thought it would take us 45 minutes to get there, but distances in Donostia are deceiving. The beaches don't look that big, but it took us an hour just to get past them. Then we had to go up a mountain. The fundicular closed right when we got there, so we had to walk up. My friend said the walk was only 20 minutes, but it took a good 40 at least. Luckily the walk was unbelievably gorgeous. We were walking up the side of a small mountain and got amazing views of Donostia, the ocean and some beautiful cliffs that plunge into the ocean. It is a whole other side of Donostia that I didn't even know existed. I didn't have my camera with me, but now I'm really excited to go up again and film all of it. We realized after our long walk that we had actually gone the wrong way (we were at Mount Igeldo not the neighborhood of Igeldo), but the view made it completely worthwhile.

(Me and Mars on Mount Igeldo)

Last night I was planning to go to a bar to meet some people to watch the Eurocup championship: Spain vs Germany. I felt a bit torn considering that half my friends here are German, but I still was rooting for the Spaniards. Asier called me up and said that there was an event I had to film in Igeldo and I should be ready for him to pick me up in a hour. I got ready, packed up my camera and went outside where Asier was waiting on his little yellow moto. How cool! It was my first time riding a moto and it was a blast. Driving up to Igeldo we past beautiful cliffs on the ocean and huge pastures with mountains in the background. I'm planning on going back there to film when we have nicer weather.

Asier brought me up the Igeldo (the neighborhood this time, not the mount) where they were having a traditional would chopping competition. The center of town was packed, but I was the only tourist there. Asier had to go to a concert, so he let me know what was going on and then he peaced out. I found a great spot to see the event and set up my camera. One thing I did not prepare for when I was back in the US was managing a handheld camera. It has to be so incredibly still, but it's not really light. In retrospect, I wish I had built up some arm strength and worked on building up my lung capacity. When I get a shot, I hold my breath so the camera won't move at all. It is much more difficult than I expected to hold a camera 100% still. My technique is getting better and better and I think I got some good footage of the competition. 

There were 3 teams with 2 men each, each with a younger man and an older, more experienced man. Both teammates had their own individual event and then they teamed up for the wood chopping relay. They chopped wood no stop for a good 15-20 minutes. If I had their strength, all this handheld shooting would be  breeze.

After the competition I took the bus back to Donostia. Driving along the coast I snapped some photos of the sunset. The next nice day we have, Mars and I are going to take the bus up to Igeldo and walk back to town so we can get some good shots of this area. It's so cool that Donostia has this cool urban center and is surrounded by dramatic cliff-lined coast and green mountains. I am so glad Asier took me up there.

Luckily, I got back to town in time to see the Eurocup. I met with some friends at a bar on the beach, because the bar we usually watch games at was so full I couldn't get in the door. They don't seem to be very concerned with fire hazards here. Spain won 1-0 to Germany in a great game. Afterwards everyone was running around town with Spanish flags or driving around honking their horns. I think it's cool that a lot of the people here don't identify  themselves as Spaniards, yet when there's a football game, they're rooting for Spain. There are people who will root for anyone but Spain, but they are far outnumbered here.
This week I have a bunch of interviews planned and a few activities and fiestas to film. It's going to be a busy week and I can't wait. The weather is finally beautiful and it's supposed to get even better, which will be perfect for doing some filming outside. Tonight I think I might be going to a traditional sidraria to film and try more Basque food and sidra! Que guay!

Fiesta, Fiesta!

Once again, luck is on my side. Saturday was a perfect hot, sunny day to wander around the city. I met with Greta, my Italian friend and Alodie, my French friend in the morning to go explore the second hand market. After that Greta heard that there was some fiesta going on in some plaza in the old part of the city. We wandered around and found an amazing international fiesta for ending poverty. There were booths from a number of different countries and a paella competition with people from different countries making paella that represents what they eat. Just looking at the gigantic pots with different rice dishes was cool, but we also got to try all of them for free! You had to be pretty aggressive to get a plate and some food, but it was worth it. The photo below was my favorite. There were 4 different rice dishes in one and each one was incredible!
Just looking at these photos now makes my mouth water (but it doesn't help that it's lunch time here and I haven't eaten yet). 

The coolest thing about this is it's common. They don't advertise much for these fiestas, but if you keep your ears open, you can find a ton of cool stuff going on here. The next day the couple I'm living with found a fiesta with a whole variety of desserts to try. Generally I would be super psyched for a dessert fiesta (I have a huge sweet tooth), but I think there's a reason Spaniards eat fruit for dessert. Their paella is much better than any of their sweets. 
I don't have any particularly interesting story for the photo below, but I was told I needed to post more photos of myself. Here I am with my friend Greta at Playa Zurriola. The beach might not look that crowded, but in front of us is practically all of San Sebastian and the surrounding towns. It was a hot Saturday (85 degrees) so the usually busy beach was insanely crowded.
Unfortunately, after walking around town in flip flops for days, my feet finally gave out. I had to stay in my apartment all of Sunday and most of Monday because my foot hurt so much I couldn't walk. I got some logging and transcribing done and just took it easy. Now my foot is still a tiny bit sore, but as long as I wear sneakers I'm fine.

Luckily with a few ibuprofen I was good to go on Monday night to the Noche de San Juan. Noche de San Juan is a fiesta on the longest day of the year (June 23rd). There are celebrations in Donostia, but the smaller Basque towns have the cool traditional celebrations. We went to this tiny town called Abaltzisketa that's in the middle of the mountains away from any place I've ever heard of. Asier drove me and a number of the Australian girls from the Urban House hostel. 

Asier is amazing! He stopped the van part way there so I could get out and film the mountains in the mist. When we got there it was raining so he held my umbrella for me while I shot scenes in the town. He also scouted out good shots for me. The town was absolutely gorgeous. All the buildings were white plaster buildings with stone lining the windows. I'm so psyched that Asier took us there, because a town like that is too small for any bus route. 

When the fiesta started the lit a little bonfire and had children dressed in traditional Basque garb come and perform dances around the fire. I was in the perfect spot to film all of them. They were so adorable! Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos, but that will make the documentary that much better to watch. After the little kids danced, the older boys had a donkey race. This wasn't very nice to watch because the boys beat the donkeys behinds with a plastic stick to get them to move and they beat their heads to get them to turn. After the race ended, the dancing began. There was a live band playing what appeared to be traditional Basque music. There was  different dance to every song and everyone in town seemed to know them all. They did all of the dances in circles and they involved a lot of jumping and kicking. 

One of the other traditions on Noche de San Juan is that people jump over the bonfire. Asier was the first to start and it looked pretty easy so I thought I'd give it a try. A man got some sweet photos of me jumping and emailed them to me today. This one's my favorite. Only a few people jumped over it  and I was the only girl to jump it. The photographer said I was very "valiente" (brave). I don't think it was much of a feat, but the picture is pretty awesome.
I am so glad I'm doing a documentary. I think other IROPers must be having a blast as well, but I feel like I really lucked out. I get to go to really cool events and talk to interesting people and that's my work! It's my duty to travel to beautiful places here so I can capture it on film. Yet this project is also forcing me to push beyond my comfort zone. These opportunities aren't just handed to me. I am pushing myself to talk to people I wouldn't normally talk to and ask people for favors. I am here to make a good, complete documentary and I need to challenge myself to do it. Yet it's still unbelievably cool that I need to go to fiestas for work.

¡Que suerte!

Wow! I'm just pinching myself right now  to make sure all of this is real. It is amazing just being in Donostia-San Sebastián, but on top of that, I've had such insane luck. I thought that by having a number of foreign friends here it would make it harder to meet Basques and Spaniards. It turns out that the friends I've made have provided a plethora of opportunities. Through my German and Italian friends I met Penny and Prue, 2 girls from Australia who are working here for the summer. They were the ones who talked to Jessica and Javi, the American and Basque couple that took me to the sociedad. Now Penny and Prue also talked about my project to other people at the hostel they work out. I met the activities planner for the hostel, Dom, at a dinner and he offered to let me film a Basque pintxos making demonstration that he was organizing. Pintxos are little snacks that are served in bars along with drinks. Yesterday I contacted Dom and he invited me to come down to the hostel to meet the chef for the evening and make sure I could get what I need from the experience. At the hostel I met Asier, the director of the hostel. He grew up in a small town nearby and has lived in Donostia for the last 20 years. Asier is also an extremely exuberant fellow and proud Basque. He was sooooo excited about my project. He grabbed a broom and was jumping around saying how he needs to defend his country and it is his duty to help me. He then listed all the things he's going to help me do. He wants me to join them on a full day bike trip through the mountains, go to a sidreria (a place where they make cider), go on a pintxos tour, talk to his friend in the mountains, go to a bunch of small Basque towns, and go to French Basque Country. If Asier helps me do half of these things it will be incredible! 
So last night I got the film a TV chef demonstrate how to make 5 different pintxos. He had the Spanish classic torilla de patatas (a delicious omlette with potatos and onions) and the rest were special Basque dishes, such as anchovies, olives and sweet pepper. This demonstration was filmed in a sociedad so I finally got to go in a sociedad kitchen. Now I have loads of footage of Basque food and in a place where women aren't even allowed to go.

I was wicked excited about filming this and trying these different pintxos, but the food was instantly gobbled up by the guests so I didn't get a chance to eat. I was a bit let down that I got to film all this wonderful food  (and smell it), but I didn't get to eat it. Yet Asier, being the unbelievable man that he is, had a surprise in store. When the guests went home the hostel staff stuck around the clean up. Asier then brought out the gourmet food. He first made us so omelette like dish with leeks that was delicious. He even opened a bottle of white wine for us. After that I was completely full, but he had more. He made a dish with the best cut of beef, solomillo, and an incredible sauce. The picture below shows the dish, though I can tell you it tastes soooo much better than it looks. The sauce has red and green peppers, garlic, onions, roasted almonds, oil and balsalmic vinegar. We had to finish up the white wine quickly because you have to drink red wine with this course. Asier brought out a beautiful bottle of Rioja, which is the name of one of the 2 wine making regions in Spain. Rioja happens to be in Basque Country. We then relaxed and talked as he brought out another bottle of Rioja and gave everyone a shot of a special liquor made from grapes. We finished dinner and left at 2:30 am! 
Asier's next plans for me are on Monday night, which is noche de San Juan. This is the longest day of the year and they have a fiesta that goes all night. Asier is going to take me to a small town nearby that still celebrates this a large bonfire and men in traditional outfits dancing around it. I am so excited!

I really feel like everything is coming into place. I have a number of interviews from general people and I have 4 interviews set up with heads of organizations and members of the government. I think I have found a Spaniard to give me the Spanish perspective as well. I'd like to interview to people who are maybe a little less liberal. I have talked to a few people like that, but I need to get them to let me tape them. I've got some time so I think I can make it happen. I am just so excited about all the people I've met and all the cool things I get to do here. I will make sure to keep you updated on the upcoming adventures and I will do my best to get some good photos of them as well.

Agur!

No Women Allowed in the Kitchen

So in all the excitement of going to the sociedad on Saturday and being able to film it,  I didn't take any photos for you guys. Here's a photo of the outside that I found on a website. I'll definitely have images of it in my film, so you can se it then. 

Saturday was amazing! I first met up with Mavi, a woman in her 60s who grew up in Donostia, lived in London and Madrid among other places, and has now come back to Donostia where she is relearning Euskera. Mavi brought me to the bar that she meets all of her friends at every Saturday afternoon. We all chilled outside and 3 of them let me interview them. They all spoke about how important Basque culture and language is, but also about how it has become an obligation for them. Young generations have grown up with it, but their generation was prohibited from speaking it when they were young (during Franco's dictatorship). Now the tables have turned and they feel the pressure to go to euskaltegis to learn the language. I got a lot of great footage from that one event and I really hope I can meet with them again so I can get some more out of them and interview some other people.

That afternoon was so beautiful that I decided to take a siesta on the beach. The weather her is unpredictable. When it looks beautiful and you grab a towel for the beach, it will be cold and/or rainy by the time you get there. Conversely, if you bring a jacket and umbrella, it's probably going to be gorgeous and I, being of such fair complexion, will get sunburned. Well, finally, the fates were on my side. I brought my bathing suit and my sunscreen and had a lovely nap on the beach. A few of my friends joined, we played a little paddle ball and then headed home because, surprise, surprise--it got cold.

At night, I met up with Javi and we went to the sociedad. I decided not to lug the tripod to the dinner because it's hard to be unobtrusive with a giant camera and a hunking tripod. It makes it a bit more difficult to do pans, but a tried to use other steady objects to help me out. Javi introduced me to 20 people all at once and I don't think I got a single persons name. In Spain they exchange 2 kisses (one on each cheek) when they greet someone. This is a lovely tradition, but a horrible way to meet people. You generally end up saying your name the same time the other person says theirs while you're kissing cheeks. It's a bit difficult.

At the dinner, our group of 20 sat at a long banquet table. Only 2 of the guys were socios, members, and the rest were just friends who had been invited. I kind of thought there would be a mixing of generations and the whole sociedad would be there, but it's more of a club when you reserve a table for your friends. There are 200 socios at sociedad and there were only 3 groups last night. The other 2 were groups of 6-8 people. We had serrano ham, bread, wine, foie gras, wine, salad, lamb, wine, cake, coffee, then liquor. The food and drink was all fantastic.  A few of the men made and served the food. Women did not have to lift a finger. I know it sounds a bit misogynistic, but I don't think that's the case. Sociedades have a long tradition in which all kinds of Basque men come together to cook. When the women are there, it is not that they are incapable or inferior, but rather, they are guests. 

I got to interview 4 people at the dinner. I interviewed them in the sociedad so you get the full ambience. So far, all the place I meet people tend to be noisy. Luckily, the microphone does a good job of catching their voices so the rest of the noise just provides ambience. The people I interviewed at the sociedad were around my age, so they went to schools that were taught in Euskera. It was cool to get their perspective as well.

I could under no circumstance enter the kitchen to film, so Javi went down and filmed for me. I reminded him to move super slowly, but I don't think he understood just how slowly I meant. The kitchen looks cool, but the footage is all over the place. Maybe I can get some still shots out of it. We'll see.

After dinner they  invited me to go out with them. I dropped off the camera at my apartment and joined them in the Parte Vieja (translated it means Old Part, a neighborhood in Donostia). We were out dancing and talking until 4:30. I finally got a bit tired and decided to head back home.

Sunday and Monday I sent reviewing the footage and capturing it. Most of it is pretty good. One interview I filmed a bit too close so the camera had some difficulty focusing. Another problem I had was that I tried to keep things casual and film where the people were comfortable, rather than where I could get the best background. I'm going to make more of an effort to make sure the whole shot is nice. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with how things are going so far. The guys at the sociedad were impressed with my questions and thought that I had done some good research. I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that.

Yesterday I had a meeting with a man who runs an organization that is trying to unite French Basque Country, Spanish Basque Country and Navarra, the runaway Basque province. He was much more political than the other people I spoke with and was much more in favor of a Basque autonomous country. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince him to let me film him. It was still great talking with him and finding out about all the demonstrations I keep seeing in the streets. Though he won't let me film him, he did give me contacts that might. So it's back to the phone...

I did not anticipate having to call so many people. I'm not a big phone person, and talking on the phone here is a bit more difficult. It's not like our conversations, but just in Spanish. They answer the phone either with an apathetic "sí" (yes) or a demanding "dime" (tell me). It throws me off every time. I feel like I have to rush into everything I want to tell them right then and there. I really have to make a conscious effort to slow down and relax. It is much easier when I get to talk to people in person.

Unfortunately, today is more phone and computer time because I have a bad cold and didn't feel good about walking to visit more people. Tomorrow I'll hopefully be a bit better so I can knock on some more doors. People seem to be much more responsive when I'm there in person.

Thanks for managing through this long post. I hope everyone is doing well.

Hasta pronto! Agur!

Un buen dia

So I've been jumping back and forth between San Sebastián and Donostia without any explanation. Everything in Basque Country has 2 names--1 in Euskera and 1 in Spanish. San Sebastián is officially Donostia-San Sebastián. I'm really interested in this because it shows the struggle between the 2 cultures and what they're doing to compromise. The only problem is people who don't speak Euskera can sometimes have problems finding places. Some names are similiar-Bilbao is Bilbo- but some have no connection--Pamplona is Iruña. I think the focus on my documentary is going to be bilingualism and how it affects people in the community. It's a central theme that I can use to look at politics, culture, and identity.

I had a request for an explanation as to how I'm communicating with people and how I'm meeting people. I'm talking to everyone in Spanish. Most of the people I speak to can speak in Euskera, but they speak in Spanish as well. The only Euskera I know right now is "kaitxo" (pronounced kai show) which means "hello" and "agur" which means "good-bye" and "yes." Interestingly, even Spaniards in the area say "kaitxo" and "agur." In regards to how I'm meeting people, some manners have been more official than others. As I mentioned in my last blog, I've been visiting Euskaltegis and talking to people. I've gotten a number of good leads and now I have a few interviews lined up with some pretty important people. In terms of my non-expert/official connections, my first connection was with an Australian guy in the apartment I was evicted from. He introduced me to a German girl, Anna, who then introduced me to all of her German and Italian friends. They then introduced me to more Australians, Americans, French, and Spaniards. I met one woman through my friend in Madrid who is the best friend of my dad's high school ex-girlfriend (crazy connection). And I met Anna's señora when I was evicted from the apartment. Some of these people are helping me with my documentary and others are just fun people to hang out with and great ways to meet people who can help me.

A great example of how these connections are helping me is last night. I went out with some friends to a bar and we met some of their friends. One of them was a girl from LA, Jessica, who is now living in Donostia with her Basque boyfriend. She had already heard about me from my other friends (wicked cool!) and told me her boyfriend and his Basque friends would love to help me with my film! On top of that, her boyfriend is part of a Basque gastronomic society. Gastronomic societies are Basque men's clubs that are based around cooking. Women are not allowed to join or be involved in any of the cooking, they can only be guests at the dinner. Jessica is going to be in Italy for the next dinner, which is tomorrow. Her boyfriend said he would take me so I can meet people, try authentic Basque food and film it all! This is an insane opportunity! This one dinner will give me so much information on culture, customs, food, relationships and language. I am so unbelievably excited!

I will try to take some good photos tomorrow and post them soon. Feel free to comment on these posts or email me. Hasta luego! Agur!

Fotos

One of many posters all over the city. I need to figure out what it means. It's either asking for Basque people who are ETA-sympathizers, but not ETA, to be let out of prison. Or it is asking for ETA prisoners to be brought to a prison in the Basque country, because the Spanish government sends them to the far corners of Spain where it is difficult for them to see their family.

This is a shot from the corrida de los toros in Coslada, a neighborhood on the perimeter of Madrid. They just let the bulls go and the guys would taunt the bulls then run and jump over the wall.
Here is a shot of the Donostia from the hill/mountain that I climbed yesterday. It's beautiful, but a bit foggy.
Here is my lovely bed and workstation. I didn't have a desk so I got a TV dinner table at the chinese bazaar.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

As many of you know, I've done a lot of research on the Basques. I probably drove you crazy with my multitude of fascinating Basque facts. Well, my research was somehow incomplete. Nowhere in all of the information I read did they mention that not only did the Basques withstand the Romans, Visigoths and Moors, they also withstood endless rain. I don't know how this can be a popular beach resort because it rains almost everyday and it's often overcast when it's not raining. I've been here for a week and half and I've had 1 day without rain. According to the locals, this is not uncommon. Only the Scottish girl who I met said it wasn't bad, but her frame of reference is a bit different from the rest of us. So the first rule I learned about living in San Sebastian (Donostia) is never, ever, ever leave the apartment without an umbrella (no matter how sunny it might be).

I'll work on posting more photos, but here's a start. This is the view from my new apartment. It's very "Rear Window."  I love it! My apartment is great and my flatmates, Sergio and Marisa are total sweethearts. I'm really enjoying it. And I think it must be working out for them too, because they offered to let me stay here for the 2nd month! Horray! No more apartment searching!

So beyond moving around from place to place, you're probably wondering what I'm doing here.

I forgot the pack a microphone when I came over here so I've been eagerly waiting for it to arrive. It got here on Thursday so now I'm all set and ready to film. I took a quick trip to Madrid to visit my friend Rosemary and saw a running of the bulls. I'm going to check out the one in Pamplona, but after seeing these bulls run, I don't think I'm going to actually go in the ring. Madrid was beautiful and sunny ( a nice change of pace) and gave me an opportunity to talk with a Spaniard in Madrid about the Basque situation. He had no tolerance for the Basque autonomous movement and has refused to go the the Basque Country because of the movement. It was a gentle reminder to me that I'm researching a subject that people here are very passionate about and I need to tread lightly.

I've been scouting good locations to film pretty scenery and buildings to show a bit of what Basque Country is like. I want to make sure I know the good spots because the camera is heavy and not fun to carry up a mountain just to find out there's no good view. So yesterday I climbed up the small mountain/large hill on the side of San Sebastian to survey the scene. It's amazing. Had it not been completely hazy and gray, it would have been an unbelievable shot. Next time we have a sunny day (if ever) I will hike up there again to get a nice shot of the city and coast.

Though exploring the territory and getting settled has been fun, I want to film some people. I emailed all the Euskaltegis in the area (schools that teach Euskera) and got no responses. I'm starting to see that emailing here doesn't do much. So I have been going to the Euskaltegis in person to talk with people. Most of them were pretty quick interactions where they told me they have to talk to other people at the school and they'll get back to me. So I have a bit of waiting to do. The director of one of the schools was really excited about my project. He gave me the names of the heads of 3 big Basque groups that work on language promotion, Basque culture and politics. He also told me about a big meeting happening next week where all the important Basque sociolinguistic experts and officials will be. I need to get an invitation to go, but I have the number of the guy with all the right connections, so I think it will happen. I called the contacts the director gave me today and I'm going to have to do a bit more waiting. A few people said they'll get back to me and one lady said she'd let me interview her next month. So I have a meeting! This is good.

I also have a meeting this weekend with a woman from Donostia who I met through Rosemary. I get to film her this weekend and she's going to help me get more interviews with some of her friends. I'm wicked excited! She grew up under Franco so she was not allowed to speak Euskera when she was young. She is know trying to learn it. I think my interview with her is going to be really interesting.

So now I have a few more people to call, and a bit more waiting to do. I really need to get this going...

Goldilocks Story

I found a place to live! I ran around in the rain yesterday in search of a new apartment. The first place I found was nice, but there was only an old guy living there so it wouldn't have been a very relaxed environment. The second place was in a good location and had young people, but was unbelievably tiny and really dark. I felt like I was in a dungeon. Finally, at the end of the night I found a place that's beautiful, in a good location and has nice people living there. I'm now living with a young couple from Buenos Aires. They've only been here a month so they're just as new to San Sebastián as I am. I'll post some photos of the place as soon as I get the rest of my stuff moved in.

Homeless in a Basque city

I figured out how to post photos. Here's a view from my room at a band playing in the plaza across the street. There have been Basque bands parading through the streets for the last couple of days.
Here is one small example of the some of the Basque posters that are everywhere in San Sebastián.  This may be a big tourist city, but the Basques here are still very politically active. Every Friday the relatives of arrested Basques (ETA and ETA sympathizers) parade through the center of the city with pictures of their relatives. I'm really excited to talk to some people who can translate these posters and protests some more. I can only figure out so much, because everything is in Euskera.  

So I'm back to apartment searching. My apartment owner is evicting me. The neighbors have complained about noise at night for the last month. Somehow she figures that even though I have only been here for 3 days, it must be me. They complained about noise 2 nights ago and as much as I try to convince her that I only made dinner and went to bed, she thinks that my leaving will solve the problem. All of the walls in the building are really thin and I've found it easy to confuse noise in our apartment with noise in another. I think the neighbors are hearing the people across the way. Whatever the case may be, I'm guilty until proven innocent so now I'm at a cafe searching for apartments online. My professor found a few places in town that I'm going to try and see later today. Until I find a place I think I'm going to stay at a hostel. Luckily, I already made some great friends with some Germans and Italians here who are helping me out. I'm leaving a bunch of my stuff at my friend's place while I search for a new place. I found a place that's right on the beach that I think my work. This could end up being a blessing in disguise. I'll let you know when I'm no longer homeless. Until then, take care.

Un abrazo fuerte!

Safe Landing!

After 3 days, I finally made it to San Sebastián. I didn´t have trouble with my flights and the only problem I had with my luggage was the pot holder I got for Javier, my professor, that security thought was a throwing star. I started the trip on a very British note. I had bangers and mash at the Dulles airport then spent my first day in Europe waiting in the Stansted airport. The flight to Bilbao had the entire US men´s soccer team. I had no idea who they were (I thought they worked for Nike because of all their Nike gear) until they were announced on the airplane.

On my way to Spain I was a bit nervous, and the sleep deprivation didn´t help the situation. When I finally arrived in Spain I couldn´t find the bus stop for the life of me and I was a bit concerned about what I was getting into. I have people to call if I´m stuck, but I don´t have a program to guide me or a group of Americans to lean on. I´m on my own. I called Naira, the friend of Javier who offered to let me spend my first night with her. All I needed was that 2 minute phone conversation and I felt great. It was the first time I´d talked to a Spaniard since Salamanca and I could still do it.

Naira is amazing and I really hope I can go back to Bilbao some more because I had a great time there. She is from Bilbao but lives with 2 Swedes and 1 Scottish girl. We all had dinner together and conversed in a mix of Spanish and English. They´ve all lived there for a while so their Spanish is impeccable and they know a lot about the area. They really helped me feel comfortable.

The next day I actually met up with a friend from high school, Val Couch. I found out 2 days before I left that she´s in Bilbao (thank you facebook). I hadn´t seen Val since high school so it was really amazing hanging out with her. Val showed me all around Bilbao and helped me get a cell phone.

After a great day with Val, she helped me lug all 4 of my bags to the metro. The only thing I don´t like about travelling is carrying around a lot of stuff. Unfortunately, no matter how light I pack, I still have a computer, external hard drive, tripod and huge camera. There is no easy way to manoeuver around the city a backpack on your front, one on your back, a tripod on your shoulder and a rolling suitcase. I got all of my stuff to the bus station and couldn´t seem to find my bus until I realized that I was getting all of my information from the arrivals posting.

3 planes, a metro, 3 buses and a taxi later, I arrived at my apartment in San Sebastián. The apartment is great. I have a big room and live with 3 other people. Hiro is a chef from Japan who is starting his own catering business and is already having me try his new creations. Tim is an Australian who is leaving on Sunday to hike the Camino de Santiágo and will be replaced by an Italian girl. Vincente is Italian and that´s about all I know about him right now. I really like the place and it´s too bad I can´t stay here the whole time. I still have to find a place to live the 2nd month because my room is already reserved for someone else.

Today I went grocery shopping so I finally have food. I gotta figure out some good recipes because I´m going to be cooking a lot of my own food. It´s pretty overcast right now, but it´s warm out so I went for a long walk to check out the city. I grabbed a map and just explored for a few hours. It´s a pretty good sized city. There´s going to be plenty to film. There are so many signs in Euskera as well as Spanish. And I found tons of people with long earlobes (a sign of Basque decendency) and tons of Basque berets. I can´t wait to start interviewing people to get their opinions.

I think I´m headed to Salamanca for a few days next week to meet with Javier and get my film started. I don´t have wifi in my apartment so I´ll I have to figure out how I`m going to post photos on this. First I have to wait for a sunny day so I can get some good photos.

Hasta luego!