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The eight youth, from the Basque Country, who participated in the Hator Hona 2014 program, reflected on their experience and what these three weeks of living with girls and boys in Necochea meant to them. “It was a blast,” “Great,” “The best experience of my life,”…are some of the expressions that describe their stay.  Participants were: Xabier Urtasun, Itxaso Saenz de Lafuente, Izaro Intsausti, Xabier Maritxalar, Uxue Etxebeste, Nekane Agirre, Beñat Konde, Eñaut Arretxe and Olatz Mitxelena.

Donostia-San Sebastian. While the Basque community gathers in La Plata to celebrate the Semana Vasca, a handful of youth in the Basque Country are fondly remembering their experience in Necochea last August.  They are the participants of Hator Hona 2014, an exchange program supported by the Necochea Basque club thanks to which they were able to spend some time with local youth in Argentina.  They told us about it.

They are Xabier Urtasun, from Irurita (Baztan), who taught trikitixa, as did Itxaso Saenz de Lafuente from Vitoria-Gasteiz; Izaro Intsausti from Ordizia who taught dance; Xabier Maritxalar from Lesaka who taught herri kirolak (rural sports); Uxue Etxebeste from Alkiza who taught Basque; Nekane Agirre from Sunbilla (Navarre) who taught panderoa and gastronomy; Beñat Konde from Elgoibar who also taught gastronomy; Eñaut Arretxe from Segura who taught Basque and Olatz Mitxelena from Oiartzun who also taught dance.

Physically far away, but sentimentally close

All of them remember the emotions of the experience that they describe as “short but very intense,” in Uxue’s words, “You have to acknowledge the effort of the Necochea Basque club, and how thanks to the work of many families they maintain the Basque culture, despite living so far away from EuskalHerria.’  “Many of them are third or fourth generation, that is to say, it was their great-grandparents who came from the Basque Country to Argentina, but they still live it as if they had been born here,” Eñaut Arretxe added.

“This experience has brought many new Friends to us and another way to see things.  We also discovered that we are not the only Basques in the world.  They are physically far away from us, but very close in thought and feeling,” said Beñat Konde.

Learn Basque in Argentina

One of the things that surprised them the most was the love for the Basque language.  Eñaut Arretxe gave Basque classes and told us that the interest and desire to learn was huge.  “There was a group of youth who began at zero two years ago, and now they can speak Basque well, they understand almost everything and are able to hold a conversation.  I was very surprised.”

Izaro Intsausti highlighted the example of these students for Basques in the Basque Country. She asks,  What would these Basques who learn the language in America think of those in the Basque Country who know it but don’t use it?

Happy Wake Up

During their stay, these youth shared the entire day with their Necochea families, and also had the opportunity to celebrate in Basque-Argentine celebrations like the festivals of San Ignacio and “Alegre Despertar” (Happy Wake Up)

“So for the Happy Wake Up, you first have to wake up, but that wasn’t our case! Xabier Martixalar laughed.  “On that day, after an all-nighter, they visit, between singing and dancing Basque family houses that invite visitors to breakfast.  In addition, they also visit the town hall and there is a dance performance at the sapling of the Tree of Gernika.”  It is a beautiful tradition that maintains ties between the young and old Basque community. 

“The best was getting to know so many people that are also part of Euskal Herria, despite the fact that they live in Argentina and are Argentinean,” said Xabier Urtasun.