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Tandil, Argentina.  Tandil has hosted many intensive Basque courses over the last 20 years of  “Argentinan Euskaraz” and “Euskara Munduan.”  That is why it was also the site for the first international group of Basque teachers, that participated at the Gure Etxea clubhouse its last get together of the 2008-2011 cycle. 

[Divided into three groups, Basque students worked hard at the summer barnetegi.  Arriving in Tandil, FEVA’s president, Ricardo Basterra, and Secretary of the institution, Marta Abarrategui, greeting the students and teachers]

Thirty representatives of various Basque centers had the possibility of living in Euskera for a week, both inside and outside of the Basque club.  They were:  from Argentina, María del Carmen Rodríguez (Arrecifes), Elizabeth Etchegaray and Cintia Uberuaga ( Azul), Manuel Irastorza (Bahía Blanca), María Amelia Dadet (Bragado), Marcela Inda and Cecilia Cans (Buenos Aires), Marta Invernoz (Chivilcoy), Juanita Zubizarreta (Cnel. Pringles), Noé Fernández Brizuela and Elba Mocoroa (Córdoba), Alicia Itcea (Gral. Rodríguez), Cecilia Belaunzaran and Alicia Aguirre (Mendoza), Cecilia Irusta and Gustavo Echandia (Río Cuarto), Alejo Conti (Rosario), Paulina Lorda (Saladillo), Beatriz Poumé and Valeria Aramburu (Tandil), Beatriz Etchegaray (Viedma); from Brazil, Karol Salazar and Oscar Goitia (San Pablo); from Chile, Gustavo Ossa and Rodolfo Reyes (Santiago) and Ignacio Gandara (Viña del Mar); and from Uruguay Andrea Bella, Karina Fernández and Martín Zabaltza (Montevideo).

[Classes, meals and snacks all took place at the Gure Etxea clubhouse in Tandil]

Divided into three groups, the students took full advantage of their classes where they worked on linguistic competency, prioritizing skills, as in other barnetegis, as well as oral communication.  After class the students and teachers met with the president of FEVA Ricardo Basterra, Secretary Marta Abarrategui as well as Kinku Zinkunegi of HABE to evaluate their four year experience as well as propose guidelines for future activities.

Basterra addressed those present saying “FEVA will do everything possible in order to continue to strengthen and spread the Basque language in Argentina, at home – holding more activities in Basque in the clubs and outwardly creating openings with the community, for example, collaborating with universities.

“We know that you all are,” addressing the students and professors, “the principal players in the Basque diffusion process and so we ask that you be transmitters and multipliers of what you have learned.”  Looking to the future, he also asked that those taking the HABE exam continue their training at a distance through July.

The week ended with a going away dinner at the Basque club.  During the dinner popular Basque songs were sung, as well as others written by the students themselves.  During the celebration the students also gave presents to the event organizers and to their professors.  The dinner took place at the Sukalde restaurant at the Basque club and was attended by the FEVA authorities as well as the Delegate of Euskadi in Argentina.

[The closing dinner took place at the Sukalde restaurant at the Basque club in Tandil.  Studnets and professors were joined by Ricardo Basterra and Marta Abarrategui of FEVA, club president Esteban Kain, and Elvira Cortajarena – delegate of Euskadi in Argentina]

Meeting with FEVA’s board of directors

Coinciding with the last summer barnetegi, Tandil also hosted FEVA’s first board meeting of the year.  On January 28^th taking advantage of the barnetegi, the following met at Gure Etxea: Ricardo Basterra president, Juan Jose Olasagastia vice-president, secretary Marta Abarrategui, treasurer Hugo Andiazabal, Monica Azpiazu and directors Damian Cebey, Esteban Kain, Javier Ederra and Asier Iriberri Plazaola.  Topics discussed included projects supported by FEVA as well as the grant application.  Other club members who also participated were Isidro Legarreta and Jose Maria Etchegoin.