It was the summer of 2004.

I was 30 years old. Not an ache in my body. Traveling through the Basque Country house to house festival to festival visiting family. Life was great then as it is today but something was missing then. Even though I was born outside of the Basque Country, the Basque Country felt like home. But again I was missing out on a large part of my cultural identity. 

Since I was a child, I knew I wanted to learn Basque. That was the key. And in the summer of 2004, I’d discuss this with my amatxi, grandma in Basque. How it was a shame my dad hadn’t taught me Basque but she understood. And how it was never too late for me to learn Basque.

And we were both right.

That summer would reinforce my goal to learn Basque one day. A goal I would never forget about but put on hold until the time was right.

I would finally start learning Basque in 2011.

By learning the language and immersing myself in the culture for 4 straight summers (2011-2014), I connected even more with my roots. I also developed new relationships with people because I was able to speak Basque. 

What a sense of joy when I was able to talk to family and long-time friends in Basque.

Now I continue to learn about the language.  And since 2015, I’ve been a Basque teacher for the North American Basque Organizations (N.A.B.O), and in my own language business I started, Basque in Languages.

I share my story to inspire all readers to embrace new experiences and opportunities for personal growth. And what better way to grow than connecting to your roots and your heritage language? You never know where the opportunity may lead you in life.
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If you're 16-25 years old or know someone who is, this is an excellent program to connect with your Basque roots.

It's called Ateak Ireki, Open Doors.

For a quick glimpse, here's a video you can watch:

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