October Highlights: Adjusting to my New Home

Julia Barclay

Nov 8, 2022

5 min read

Updated: Nov 29, 2023

To my mother, grandmother, and my mom's 3 friends who have been hounding me to write this:

I moved to Spain!

More specifically, I arrived in the Basque Country 6 weeks ago and have since settled into the Bilbao, the largest city in northern Spain. Since graduating from UofL in May, I've done what most college graduates do: move to a new city, find a new apartment, and start a new job.

But unlike most graduates, my new home required a valid passport and my new apartment contract was negotiated in Spanish. It's been a difficult and humbling month, but with ample advantages that make the culture shock, language barriers (yes, plural), and snail-pace bureaucracy well worth the hassle.

My Home

I live in Bilbao, a former industrial port city that has grown popular for its delicious cuisine, diverse architecture, and convenient proximity to Bizkaia's gorgeous beaches and mountains. I was fortunate to find an affordable apartment near the city center, just a few minutes north of Casco Viejo, Bilbao's Old Town. It's a quiet neighborhood in a less touristy area and still within walking distance to most of the city, which makes up for the extremely 70's decor.

Basque Country is very different from stereotypical Spain. It has a distinct language and culture, and it's a far throw from the sunny south. They have 4(ish) seasons and lots of rain. Spanish is widely spoken, especially in the larger cities, but most local people speak Basque as well, especially in academic and professional settings. Basque is a language isolate, meaning it's unrelated to any known language. It likely predates Latin, making it one of the oldest surviving languages. It's also extremely complicated, grammatically and otherwise, so it's unlikely I'll be able to pick up more than a few key phrases this year. In my experience, the Basques are very proud of their people and their culture. They are kind and friendly, and very patient with naive foreigners like myself. Stereotypically, they are "colder" than southern Spaniards, who are believed to be very loud and extroverted. I find the people here to be lovely, but it's definitely harder to break into a social circle.

During and after the Spanish Civil War, regional cultures of Spain such as Basque and Catalan were oppressed and the celebration of their local languages and cultures were criminalized under a fascist dictator, resulting in an independence movement that began in 1959 and lasted into the 21st century. While the conflict is no longer as prevalent, Basque culture and the Euskera language are intentionally and carefully preserved, and the Basque government enjoys more financial and government independence than any other autonomous community in Spain.

I believe this information is important to share because in my short time here, the resilience and passion of the Basque Country has astounded me. First, because as Americans, we know so little about this area and tend to lump it in with the rest of Spain. (I know I did.) Additionally, coming from the U.S. (where we can't always be proud of our history) and having spent last summer in Nicaragua (where I lived for 3 months under a dictatorship), it is refreshing and exciting to live in a place where there is such a strong sense of identity, from which I am learning a lot.

My Job

If you know me, you know I'm not really a kid person. And yet, the universe has placed me in a high school as a part-time English teaching assistant, which is probably some huge cosmic joke. My program is called NALCAP (North American Language and Culture Assistant Program), which places North American participants throughout Spain to act as native speakers and cultural ambassadors in Spanish classrooms. The goal is for students to be able to practice English with a native speaker as well as learn more about the cultures of English-speaking countries. I actually chose high school specifically because I don't love kids, but I've since realized that teenagers are just much scarier children.

All joking aside, I'm very happy in this position! My school is located in Muskiz, a small industrial town nestled in the mountains about 30 minutes outside of Bilbao. I take a commuter train to the end of the line every day and walk just a few steps from the station, where I am either greeted with a dozen small humans screaming my name, or slightly bigger humans eyeing me suspiciously. (Spanish high school starts in American 7th grade and ends after either 10th or 12th grade, depending on if students want to pursue a university degree or a trade. Therefore, the age gap between the oldest and youngest students is vast—or at least it feels that way!)

Because of my limited experience working with kids or in education in general, this position is a huge adjustment for me. It is challenging and stretching me in ways I didn't know I could be challenged, and while that can be uncomfortable, it feels strangely good to do something I'm not yet good at. That means I can only get better (I hope!) I also work at a language academy in the city, but this is just for a little extra cash. Since Muskiz is so small, I'm the only language assistant there. I pop into every English classroom once a week with either a game or presentation to share with the students. My most successful class so far was definitely Halloween. If you know me, you also know that I HATE Halloween, but the students ate it up and were especially fascinated by the time and money spent on Halloween home decorations. *Special shoutout to my mom for sending old Halloween costume pictures. The teenagers definitely didn't bully me at all...*

My Travels

The biggest perk of living abroad is, of course, the incredible chance to visit new places! I recently spent a weekend in Donostia (San Sebastián), about an hour from Bilbao. This city is a lot like Bilbao except right on the ocean. It's known for the amazing pintxos (typical Basque snacks, similar concept to tapas). While there, we did a pintxo crawl to try as much food as we could and enjoyed the beautiful Playa de la Concha. I also did a sunrise hike to the top of Monte Urgull, where there is an old chapel that overlooks the ocean as well as the entire city.

I also attended Gernika's Last Monday of October Market, an ancient agricultural celebration in which local farmers, shepherds, and artists bring their goods to the small city of Gernika (a short train ride from Bilbao) to sell. It is the quintessential Basque marketplace, with delicious food, wine, and produce. But more importantly, it's a social experience. Basque Country takes their highly-regarded ability to serve delicious food products very seriously, so lots of the vendors shared their secrets—and samples!

I specifically applied to the Basque Country so that I could enjoy the mountains, and they have certainly not disappointed. Below are some highlights from my recent hikes in Plentzia, Mundaka, and Pagassari.

Last but certainly not least, Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum celebrated its 25th anniversary a few weeks ago with a free entry weekend. I'm not a huge art person, and a lot of it went straight over my head, but the modern pieces, especially those with social commentary, were incredibly interesting. Not to mention that the building itself has become an iconic symbol of Bilbao's artistic allure. (More on that next time!)