For the Basque Weekly #80: How I used AOL to search for “how to learn Basque”

Kaixo lagun!

Last week I couldn’t send a For the Basque email, not because I didn’t want to.

We literally had no internet.

A series of forest fires hit the Wenatchee area (a little over an hour from Moses Lake), and the damage to the lines meant our entire school district was offline for 5 days. No Wi-Fi. No access to Google Docs. No way to take attendance, except by hand with paper rosters someone had printed for us somewhere else.

I kept thinking: wow, this is what life used to be like.

And it brought back memories.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to learn Basque. I would ask Aita about words, sing songs at festivals, and listen closely during family trips to the Basque Country. But there were no apps, no Zoom classes, no Quizlet decks. Spanish and English took priority. Basque was just out of reach.

Then when I was in college came the ding-ding-shhhhhh of the AOL dial-up.

And one of the first things I searched? “How can I learn Basque?”

That moment changed everything.

Now, we have resources from all over the world:

• 📱 Apps & Social Media
• 🎧 Podcasts.
• 📺 YouTube channels.
• 🌍 Updates from the Euskal Etxeak in Caracas, Elko, Melbourne, and beyond.

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And that’s what makes this language journey possible, even if you’re far from Euskal Herria.

But here’s the thing: even with all this technology, Basque can still slip into the background if we’re not intentional. That’s what this past week and a half with spotty internet reminded me of.

So here’s your friendly nudge:

Pick one small Basque action. Say a word. Listen to a song. Share something you’ve learned. It matters. It adds up. It keeps the language alive.

Let’s not take this access for granted.

We’ve come a long way from asking our parents simply how to say “hello” at a Basque festival & lacking resources to learn Basque in the Diaspora.

And that’s why For the Basque exists. To keep us connected, wherever we are.

Now, where did September go? Ez dakit. I don't know.

But I do have ready your For the Basque Kit with the urriko oparia, October gift, to help you see Basque daily on your computer or phone. This month features a picture of a small village in Nafarroa. Any guesses? 🤔

👇 And now for the recap of what you may have missed in the previous For the Basque daily-ish:

Remember to grab your October free goodies.

👋🏼 Egon bizkor,
​ Esther

P.S. If you'd like to share the newsletter with friends or family, send them to FORTHEBASQUE.COM.