euskalkultura.eus

Anyone who is on the beaches of Orio and Zarautz on summer surely remember these youth from the Pampa settled on the Gipuzkoan Basque coast, who create bridges between both sides of the ocean and are the fruit of the Basque Diaspora.  They are members of a family, the Irazustas, whose echoes sound as much here as there.  The magazine Karkara in Orio interview Ainoa Irazusta, in these lines by Iñigo Gaiton. 

Iñigo Gaiton/Orio, Gipuzkoa.   Ainoa is from Argentina and visited the Basque Country for the first time in 2009 and says that she immediately fell in love.  In 2014, she took over the snack shack on the beach in Orio and so far her commitment hasn’t changed.  She says that among the people in Orio “she feels at home.

-Irazusta?

My paternal grandparents were from Donostia.  Like many others of their generation, they went to live in Argentina where they met at the Euskal Etxea in Buenos Aires.

-Born in Argentina.

Yes, in Bahia Blanca, in the province of Buenos Aires, as were my two brothers.  We are enrolled in Macachin, another town of Basque descent.

-How did you end up here?

My brothers, Xanti and Iker, took over the Borghetto bar in Zarautz the summer of 2008.  I came for the first time the following year and I went crazy over the Basque Country.  Although I wanted to stay here, I returned to Argentina to complete my cooking studies.

-In 2013 to Orio.

My brother Iker took over Gure Aitona, the snack bar next to the barra, and in 2014 we took over the Mola, and we are still here, super happy.

-Winter is around the corner and the season will be over.  How did the year go?

The weather didn’t help us out too much and so that affected us quite a bit, but we are very happy with the work that we did together.

-What has the clientele been like over the last few years?

Little by little I feel like we are gaining loyal customers.  During the summer we try to organize small events and people, mostly locals, are responding very well.

-They say that the Basques, above all those in small towns, are pretty closed.

Over the last few years we have become more and more integrated on a personal level.  Thanks to that, the locals feel like the Mola is closer and more familiar.  Confidence in who is behind the bar is extremely important in small towns like Orio.

-What kind of relationship do you have with city hall?

We would like to improve communication.  But we are gaining confidence among ourselves, always making progress, since we are already in our fifth season.

-Are you in favor of organizing more events like Oriotarrock?

Yes, of course.  We also host concerts and improvised music sessions.  In cooperation with city hall, we could organize more things since the beach provides many option.

-We often see you singing on your patio

At the Mola, my brother and I try to combine work with our hobbies: refurbishing old furniture, cooking, organizing events….and music.

-?

We spend a lot of our lives working.  It is also important to enjoy life as well, so we try to practice that also at work. 

-You are a singer in the group Entre canyes 

Everything began on our patio and it has become an incredible experience for me.  I am very shy when it’s time to sing, although it doesn’t seem like it, thanks to the group I have gotten a lot more self-confidence.  Rafa, Joseba, Mikel and I have a lot in common.  It is magic, pure delight.

-How do you see your future?

I would love for the locals to also feel at home at the Mola.

-Although you are comfortable here, what has Ainoa left in Argentina?

Really good people: my family.  We are rich, we aren’t millionaires, but rich in values, and we give a lot of important to our people, our roots.  We work hard every day on our relationships.  That is what is calling me from the other side of the ocean.

 (Published on 10-18-2017 in Karkara.eus-en)