Norwegian students asked us several questions about Spain and the Basque Country; here are some of the answers:
We are going to answer one of your questions, about our language.
First of all, we must say that there are lots of vernacular languages in Spain, for example: “andaluz”, “extremeño”, “aragonés”, “canario”…The characteristics of these vernacular languages are that they are all Spanish, but with a different pronunciation. We can understand all of these languages no matter where we are from in Spain because they are very similar to The Spanish standard..

But there are also three official lenguages, completely different from Spanish: Gallego(spoken by %5 of the Spanish population), Catalan(%9) and Basque(%1) (Euskara, our language). Catalan and Gallego come from Latin, the same as Spanish, but Euskara has a different origin. There’s not a proved theory about Euskara’s origin: some of the language researchers that have been studying this matter say that comes from Caucasian languages, others say that it’s similar to some North African languages. Nobody knows the truth, we can only know that Basque is older than Spanish, exactly one of the oldest European languages.
It’s sad, because nowadays is a minoritary language, as it is spoken just in a small part of the Basque Country (just 25% of the Basque population talk Euskara). Because of that, we are trying to promote it the most we can, not to lose it.

“A language is not lost because the ones who don’t know it don’t learn it, but bacause the ones who know it don’t use it.”

More answers to Norwegian students:
In the south most people have dark skin, but as the mediterranean climate doesn’t affect the north, it’s not completely true that we are all brown and tanned.
In the south when it’s summer it is very usual to have a nap during the day because of the really hot weather.
Back then catholic faith was a very important character of Spanish History. But nowadays only the 77.3% of Sanish people consider themseleves catholic ( but only the 46% of the teenagers find themselves religious)
You say that many people in Spain drink, we think that is global, because nowadays people start drinking earlier than before all around the world.
We believe that maybe you relate it with us being latin, but that doesn’t mean it has to be that way, the same thing as mentioned in the point above.

First of all, we want to say that the climate is extremely diverse; it can be roughly divided into four areas:
A Continental Mediterranean climate in the inland areas of the Peninsula.

A Mediterranean climate region extends from the Andalusian plain along the southern and eastern coasts up to the Pyrenees, on the seaward side of the mountain ranges that run near the coast. They get warm winds from the Sahara.
An Oceanic climate in Galicia and the coastal strip near the Bay of Biscay or Bilbao. This area is often called Green Spain.
A Subtropical climate in Canary Islands is a very humid place and the islands have palm trees and beaches.
Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of dishes which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country’s deep Mediterranean roots. Spain’s extensive history had led many cultural influences. Also the “tapas” are very famous.

It is true that there are a lot of beaches, but the palm trees aren´t very usual in the Iberian Peninsula, most palm trees are in The Canary Islands.

What are you most proud of in your country?

SPAIN:

We are proud of the cultural variety in Spain. Spain has really beautiful beaches and mountains so we can enjoy the nature. We are proud too, of our sportmen like Nadal, Torres, Fernando Alonso, Gasol…

BASQUE COUNTRY:

We are proud of having one of the oldest language of Europe and of having our own culture and customs. We are also proud , of our ancestors because they resisted every invasion of big empires, such as Romans or Islamics.

My name is Ainhoa and I’m sixteen. I go to Luberri BHI which is a state upper secondary school in my neighbourhood. As for food, I like almost everything but what I like most is pasta and different kinds of salad and my favourite colours are grey, brown and purple.

About my family, we are five of us. I live with my parents and my twin brother Aitor and my older sister Nerea, who is nineteen, lives in a nearly city called Bilbo as she goes to university there and she comes home at weekends.

Appart from my family, my friends are very important to me, so one of the things I enjoy doing in my free time is going out with them. While I’m at home, I usually either listen to music or surf on the Internet. I don’t have any special hobbie thoungh, but I really like going skiing during the winter and going to the beach in summer or travelling. Well, and I really like shopping too.

At school, my favourite subjects are Maths, Biology and English. However, I haven’t decided yet what I want to become when I grow up.

I really like music too and one of my favourite groups are Simple Plan or Blink 182.
As for sports, I used to play football but I gave up and know I just go skiing in winter.

I grew up in a neighbourhood called Antiguo in San Sebastian and I think it is abeautiful place to live, since it has a beautiful beach and it is just fifteen minutes from the city center.

AINHOA GARIN:
My name is Ainhoa and I’m 16 years old. I go to ANTIGUA-LUBERRI high school which is in San Sebastian, more exactly in Antiguo neighbourghood. I’m studying the first year in this upper secondary school with all of my friends.
I live in San Sebastian which on the coast and it is thought to be one of the most beatiful cities in Spain.
My favourite food is ,of course, steak with french fries, but I also love pizza. but I hate red beans.
My favourite colours are red and black. I always wear something black or something red, and sometimes both of them.
My family isn’t very big, but often my grandparents come home for dinner. I have a brother who is 13.
I love playing football and I play in a team called Luberri. I also like playing the guitar. This is the best way to unwind and relax.
The 5 top important things in my life are: family, friends, my dog, my guitar and a perfect afternoon with friends.

My name is Mikel Rubio, I´m 16 years old. I study in Antigua-Luberri high school, now I´m studying the first year of upper secondary level.

My favourite food is pizza and my favourite colours are blue and black.

I live with my parents and my little sister, aged 7. I like music and sports, but I dislike doing nothing. I completely detest animals. My hobbies are football and tennis, I practise them twice every week. My favourite school subject is P.E.

I was born in Eibar but I grew up in San Sebastian, it is a coastal city with 3 beaches and a lot of things to do.

My name is Sara, I’m 16 and I go to Antigua Luberri upper-secondary school.
In my family we are five: my father, my mother, my brother who is 14, my sister who is 11 and me.The most inportant things in my life are my family and my friends. I love going out with my friends and going to the beach. I also like playing basketball. I play in a team and we often win matches, so we are not so bad. I live in San Sebastian in a neighbourghood called Antiguo.
Here there is a typical food called “Tortilla” (Spanish omelette) and I think it is my favourite one. My favourite colours are green, purple and black. I listen to a lot of music, mainly Basque bands and also some music in English. I used to play the guitar but now I don’t.
To be honest I don’t really like going to school but some of my favourite subjects are History, Basque and English. I completely detest having exams at school and at the moment we are having them.
I don’t know what I want to study yet, but the things I like most are journalism, psychology or English or Basque philology.
I think San Sebastian, where we live, is a really beautiful place. I love my city and I wouldn’t like changing place.

My name is Jon and I am sixteen years old. I go to Antigua-Luberri upper secondary school .

My favourite food is ham and cheese pizza and my favourite colour is blue.

I live with my parents and my sister. My father is Kike, my mother is Idoia and my sister is Maren.

I enjoy playing football, meeting friends, listening to music… I hate doing homework and watching soapoperas on TV. I completely detest getting up early in the morning.

My hobbies are playing computer games with friends, going out with friends, watching TV, practising sports…

At school my favourite subjects are PE, Science, Technology and Society, and Computer Science.

When I grow up I want to work as an engineer.

My favourite music band is Kaotiko.

Four things that are important in my life: friends, football, happiness and family.

My name is Nerea Salaverria and I am a sixteen-year-old girl. I go to Luberri High School and I am studying the first level of the upper secondary education.

I was born in San Sebastian, the city where I still live. My house is quite near from the school so that I can go walking everyday. I also live next to “Ondarreta” beach and like fifteen minutes on foot from the city-center.

We are four in my family; my older sister called Amaia, my parents and me. My sister now is nineteen and she is studying at university in Madrid since last year, because she wants to work as a civil- engineer like my father does. We usually get on well with each other, but now that she is not so frecuently at home I miss her so much.

I am keen on listening to music and I really fancy waching films, not only mistery films, but also romantic films such as “The note book” which is one of my favourites. In fact, I hate terror fims, I can’t stand them because they make me feel so nervous.

I love Italian food apart from our typical Basque food like chops or omelettes… I don’t know yet what I would like to work as, however I can say that I prefer science to history and that my favourite subject at school is Maths so far.

In my free- time I usually play golf. I started playing golf when I was only six. Nowadays I play lots of tournaments not only in Spain, but also international tournaments. I train a lot because I am really interested in this sport and in doing my best when the time to compete arrives. Because of this sport I have met many friends and different kind of people as well.

I would like to go out more than I do with my friends, because playing golf makes me leave lots of things. However when I am at home, I usually go out with my friends and we have dinner in the old quarter as well as going out at night. We always have a very good time!

Finally, just to mention that I am enthusiastic about travelling and visiting different regions and cultures all around the world.

This is all about me.

Nerea