ÉIBAR

(pronounced A-Bar with the accent on the A)

Because of what I had heard I did not expect grand things coming here. So I was quite content upon arriving. Everyone says it is ugly and industrial, which many of the buildings are. There is always the hum and clunk of factories but it is often mixed with laughing children playing football with friends and people out in the street talking. Eibar is in the valley of a few surrounding mountains which you can see above the many tall apartment buildings.

Photo footnotes:

Jose is wearing the plaid shirt and is the English director who has treated me as another daughter. The beats are gigantic and some of the best Basque produce. Gipuzkoa is the province I am living in and one of several that comprise the provinces of the Basque Country today. There are some varying politic stances in the Basque Country regarding what actually comprises Euskal Herria, or the Basque Country, but Gipuzkoa is included in all politic stances. Those are the rocks of Oñati, and I am not yet climbing as you might tell by my attire in the photo. The last pic is me on the river cruise in Barakaldo, see below for hat explanation.

It is hard not to miss home now that I am not site seeing and busily traveling, but I received a very warm welcome at the EOI (the school I will be at). Jose Ignacio, the English Director has been such a kind and welcoming person and has introduced me to people at the university, and people in Eibar. The other professors that I have met are very kind and I am looking forward to a year working with them. I have only begun observing classes and am not yet officially working. I can observe classes "if I want to" but otherwise I have been trying to get my living situation figured out. The students have been fun to meet and I think the motivation level is present to really want to speak English.

I am currently staying at a student residence. At the moment the girls' floor does not have a kitchen, and the are the public swimming pool type with push button and inconsistent heat. It is just over a half an hour walk to the school, but the people have been very kind and helpful. I am also enjoying getting to know some other “extranjeros” staying on the floor below. Most of them aren’t students but are doing internships or working as Engineers at a research institute here in Eibar. There are also some sweet girls on my floor but most leave on weekends and so I have been spending more time with the international guys below.

The world Champion of indoor rock-climbing is from Eibar, and I am going to check out if there is a rock-climbing group of some sort. There is an indoor rock climbing gym at the public sports center or “polideportivo”. The gym doesn't provide equipment, so I am waiting on my shoes to get started. I did meet another auxiliar or language assistant that has some extra gear, so hope to get together in Eibar or Oñati, which is nearby.

After I get situated I think I will have loads of extra time, so I hopefully will be able to get in some extra traveling and also work on my sketching and portfolio. I would like to start giving private lessons as well, and have one contact for that so far. There is an organization in Spain that volunteers to help blind people called Once. They organize a large lottery that blind people often sell tickets for, giving them a means to earn money. I have heard of an Once office in Eibar and need to ask in the town hall about it and about another volunteer organization that works with people with Down's Syndrome.

I have gone to the media presentation/official Basque welcome in Vittoria-Gasteiz and also the orientation in Barakaldo, which is near Bilbao. In Barakaldo, they gave the Language assistants baseball hats which the ayuntamiento de Barakaldo crest stamped on them, but it was quite funny to see a load of English speakers with the iconic American baseball caps dispersed. Mine came in quite handy to settle the wind's effect on my hair while I was on the river cruise they also provided for us. It was a tour of the renovation of the industry in the area. Bilbao before the instalation of the Guggenheim was an industry hub, a nasty industrial factory field, but has been undergoing renovation within the last decade and has become more cosmopolitan. I still have yet to visit Bilbao outside of the metro, but look forward to making the trip.

I have gone on several other small day trips and will post some photos for those...