Zornotza, Bizkaia. Last week we talked about a Barnetegi in South America “The Winter Barnetegi” that is part of the Euskara Munduan Program. Today we are talking about a Summer Barnetegi organized at the same time in Euskadi by the Aurten Bai Foundation. It began last wee and due to COVID-19 it was held online. It will last two weeks with participants being students that study at universities in Japan, Argentina, Finland, Poland and the US among other countries through the Etxepare Basque Institute network.
The program runs for three hours a day (at different times depending on the country in order to connect everyone at the same time. This allows enough time to hold classes, talks and to watch videos. Students were divided into two groups levels A1 and A2. Last weekend provided a well-deserved rest in order to continue the program during this week with renewed energy.
More students at the Zornotza online Barnetegi
From TUFS University in Tokyo, Anna Saito explained that “all of my university classes are online, so I am used to it,” although “sometimes the connection is weak, and it is hard to see the images and videos.” Patricio Zabala from the University of La Plata said, "I have never been to a face-to-face Barnetegi, but I suppose there is a big difference; other things are done there, in all aspects, that cannot be recreated through a digital platform." Saito does not hesitate to find the positive side of the situation: "Thanks to the online platform we can participate from anywhere in the world. I like that," he says.
Both of them believe that this initiative is being a great help to improve their level of Basque. Zabala says to progress in vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension and writing; but, without a doubt, the two opt for listening and interaction. "In the videos we watch, people talk fast and sometimes it's hard to understand, but the videos are funny and good listening practice for me," says Saito. For Zabala, the teacher's lectures offer a good opportunity to improve listening comprehension, since "she displays a wide variety of structures and expressions in her speech."
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