The Topo

I am convinced that life in the Basque Country happens on the topo. The "topo" (as they call it here in Guipuzcoa, the province that contains San Sebastian and Irun) is a mix between a tram and a train. It runs over most of the Basque Country, but mostly along the coast line. It is my link, my life-line between Irun and San Sebastian. A round-trip ticket between Irun and San Sebastian costs 2.40 euros and takes exactly 32 minutes each way. On Saturday nights the topo runs all night long, departing from San Sebastian every two hours beginning at 12:15 am. It is an amazing and fulfilling part of my life.

There is an actual train that also connects Irun with San Sebastian but I prefer the topo. Everyone takes the topo: Old people, school children, teenagers, husbands and wives, entire families, mothers and babies. There is always something happening on the topo. There is always some child that is crying uncontrolably. Or there are some teenages basquies that are drunk and smoking weed. Or there are couples making out. Or lots of old Basque women who talk really loud and sit right next to you even though there are lots of other seats open. My topo rides are anything but boring.

Take tonight for example. On the way to San Sebastian, I encountered an elderly man with his bike that sat down right across from me. He said something to me but I wasn't paying attention so I asked him to say it again. He told me that I have the most beautiful eyes that he has ever seen (a compliment I seem to be getting alot lately). I thanked him, thinking that would be the end of our conversation. Not quite so, I came to find out. He then asked me if my eyes were blue or green. I responded that they were blue. And then I thanked him again. Then he noticed that I am not Basque, nor Spanish. He thought maybe I was French or German but I informed him that I was neither. I am from the United States, una americana. He seemed to like this and began to tell me all about his life. This gentlemen is 74 years old. He has never been married and has no children but was on the point of getting married once, until his fiance left him for another man. But lucky for them both, he didn't kill them because, as he told me, killing them just would not be worth it. And he didn't support killing other people. Whew...what a relief. I was worried for a moment. But don't fear...this man is not alone. He has a cat and a dog, and of course, his bicycle. And he is trying to sell his apartment in San Sebastian so that he can buy a little house and some land in the campo. He showed me photos of the house and of his apartment. He has friends and he goes to a dance class for seniors. He invited me to his dance class and proceded to show me a flyer from the class. On the front of the flyer it has a big 55+ (as in the age you should be to attend) and told me that if I wanted to go just to let him know. I thanked him again and told him that I might be just a little young. Thankfully he understood. He was harmless and I'm sure just liked that someone would talk to him.

I finally arrived in San Sebastian and went on my way. I had dinner with friends and went out for a while. I returned to the topo station around 4:00 am with enough time to visit the ladies room and catch the 4:15 am topo. Usually these topo rides at 4:15 am are quite exciting. I usually have a book or magazine with me but never actually get the chance to read it. Tonight was no exception. Another elderly man (also with a bike) encountered me tonight and sat down right next to me and proceded to chat. He also found out that I am from the states. He is from Salamanca. He is younger than the other man but still much older than me. He started asking questions about what I am doing here, where I live, do I have a boyfriend. He has a niece or nephew (or some relative) that maybe speaks English but wants to learn more and told me that I should get in contact with this person to be able to have conversations with them. He gave me his phone number and told me to call him tomorrow after lunch so that we could make a date to meet. He liked my purse and asked if I had purchased it here. This man also told me all about his life and the lives of his parents, grandparents and ancestors. I didn't really catch everything he was saying because I couldn't help thinking: "Why is this happening to me again?" Oh, and he also gave me some candies because they are too sweet for him.

As you can see life here really does happen in two places, bars and the topo. Everything you need to see and understand about life in the Basque country you can learn in these two places. I like to think of it as a social experiment. If you are interested in the Basque way of life, come visit me. We'll take a ride on the topo together.

Sunday

Typical Sunday in Irun:

Wake-up around 12:00 pm
Read or listen to music in my bed until 2:00 pm
Finally get out of bed, but only because my stomach is ready to eat itself
Make coffee
Eat "breakfast" (coffee, breakfast cookies, fresh-squeezed OJ, yogurt)
Go back to bed for a nap
Get out of bed again around 4:00 pm
Clean the apartment
Make dinner
Prepare classes for the week
Try to respond to e-mails
Read some more
And go back to bed around 11:00 or 12:00

Yes, my Sundays here are extremely difficult. :)

Some Sundays (usually depending on the weather or how late I stayed out the night before) I will venture into San Sebastian to have lunch with friends or will host lunch at my place. Other Sundays you can find me taking a walk (usually along the river to France). And some other Sundays you can find me in bed all day long, recovering from a massive hangover (last Sunday, for instance).

This past week I re-imerged myself into my 11 hour work week. Let me tell you...it was somewhat difficult! After 19 days of vacation my body was ready to be on a permanent vacation. I was excited to go back to school and see my students again but my brain was still sleeping. I couldn't think, let alone speak, in English. My students weren't exactly thrilled to be back either. Each day got a little better and by Wednesday night I thought: "Ok, I can do this again next week."

My Spring Break was incredibly relaxing and, honestly, quite boring. But I would not have changed one thing. Well, maybe one thing...the weather. It was horrible! It literally rained/snowed/hailed for 10 days straight. I had plans to take a few little days trip to some Basque or French towns that I haven't explored yet but the weather made that impossible. One day I got the courage to brave the elements and head to San Sebastian. I managed to make it to the train station (already soaking wet) only to find out that for some reason the train wasn't going all the way to San Sebastian. You could take the train only half way and then you had to catch a bus for the last part. This idea did not exactly make me excited to sit on a bus for 45 minutes so I decided to head over to the other train station to see if those trains were running. I left the train station and started to cross this bridge when a huge gust of wind came and took my umbrella, flipped it inside out and broke it. The rods of the umbrella literally went tumbling down the street. And although I didn't think it was possible, it started raining ever harder. So here I am struggling with my umbrella, getting even more wet, and trying to walk against the incredible wind. After I crossed the bridge, I found the nearest trash can, deposited my very broken umbrella and headed straight home. I didn't leave my house again for 2 days after.

During my days at home, I watched movies, horrible Spanish TV, read lots, cooked, cleaned and slept. It was amazing. I had the house to myself because my roommate went home to France so I could do whatever I wanted. I came to realize how important vacations are. During the last 2 years in Reno, I took one vacation. This past summer I went 9 weeks without one single day off from work. I literally did not have one day off for 2 months. And during my last semester at UNR, there was a period of 6 weeks and then a period of 7 weeks without a single day off. Not only did I go to school but I worked every day. What was I thinking? The saddest part was that it became normal in my life. I managed to convince myself that I didn't need a day to rest. I look back now and realize that I never want to do that again. Vacations are essential to maintaining a balance in life. If you have them, take them. Your body and mind will thank you.

Not much else has been happening. Two of my American friends and I have planned a trip to the island of Mallorca in a few weeks!!!! I am so excited. 4 days of tropical sunshine and the beach!! I'm catching a flight to Palma a day earlier than the other girls and am really looking forward to a day by myself on the island. The other girls will arrive the next day around noon...just in time for lunch and then the beach.

I suppose that is all for now. Enjoy your Sunday and remember to enjoy the moments in your life that are calm and filled with friends and family.

Besos a todos!!