We are located in the town of Orio in Gipuzkoa. We are chatting with Arantxa Arrillaga, she is explaining the Barrio project initiated by the Meeting Point and UEMA. One day, two kids went to class. “Hello Rafkat! How are you doing? Has your brother Suleiman come too?”, “Hello, yes, my brother has come.” The Basque language sessions held twice a week are usually attended by an older brother of Pakistani children aged 8 and 10. He didn't come today, but Rafkat and Suleiman did. They often come to play... and as they will show us later, to learn as well.

Arrillaga, the facilitator of the Barrio de Orio project, and I have been silenced by the arrival of neighbors and neighbors: The Senegalese Ousmane, Richard, Ahmed, Omar, Moussa and Sama; the Saharawis Ahmed and Sidi; the Nicaraguan Bryan; the Honduran Claudia; and the Oriots Ane Miren and Ane. Arrillaga put us in the circle and passed the ball to introduce ourselves: “I am Omar, I am from Senegal, I live in Orion.” Most of them had a hard time presenting. Arantxa Arrillaga and the Ane and Ane Miren neighborhoods are there to help. In fact, the Barrio program includes both in the courses, anyone who does not know Basque (neighbor) and anyone who knows Basque (neighbor).

We left the ball and found each other two by two to introduce ourselves again. In front of us is Ousmane, a 29-year-old Senegalese. He is more interested in Basque than in presenting himself and the journalist has squeezed him out. He's a restaurant chef. He does it in Spanish with his boss, he only jokes in Basque. Wolof is his native language, he knows a little French and has also studied Spanish.

Fun Exercises to Do

No one has taken the pen in his hand, there are no clipboards. The only written references are on the walls, words to describe the family on one wall, keywords to make one’s presentation on the other, days of the week next time. The neighbors have very different levels of study, it can happen that those who have university level studies and barely know how to write are together. Arrillaga says that “you have to go at a slow speed and the sessions have to be dynamic. It’s hard to learn a new language and we repeat things a lot.” They make the presentation often and will continue to do so until they internalize what they have learned.

The next exercise was a lot of fun. One or two volunteers leave the room and those who remain are “well placed”: one in front of the stove, the other next to the window and the other to the left of the door. Rafkat, a Pakistani boy, and Sidi, a Saharawi boy, have tried to make it difficult for their classmates to do their homework, with the clock hanging over their heads first, then hiding their faces... “Sidi behind the clock... not in front... no,” everyone laughs.

Measuring the experience

The neighborhood is being developed in several locations. Orion's been around for about eight months. The aim is to give those who do not know Basque (which does not have to be foreign) a way to approach it and open doors to its culture and languages. Arantxa Arrillagari, the Basque language technician of the City Council, called him Jabier Zabaleta, proposing to channel the project. He immediately said yes. At that time he had been a teacher of the Aisa group – Basque language schools for immigrants – and he had a worm: “60 hours, four books... I saw the need for some other way.” He liked the theoretical approach of the neighborhood very much. The challenge would be to turn the project into an experience: “How to do it? No one told me that. It must be invented, it must be created.” Taking the word used by Arrillaga, it was necessary to “jump”, and about eight months ago they began to do so with force. There are 370 foreigners in Orion. The initial idea was to get as many people to attend the courses as possible. About 20 people started and Arrillaga has since seen that there is enough work to manage such a team. When they first started, in addition to the two Basque language sessions of the week, other initiatives were held, such as dinners and singing sessions. Now, on Mondays and Thursdays, about ten people gather, some do not disappoint, and others go back and forth. The initial foam has calmed down and now Arrillaga manages the team more calmly.

They try to recreate everyday situations in the classroom, such as greetings and phone calls. Do you use the Basque language on the street? “They have contact with the neighbors, with the Basques who come to the sessions, on the street it is very difficult to have contact with the locals. It’s very difficult, it takes time.”

They do not need Basque, they have learned Spanish by chance. They approach the sessions out of curiosity or trying to get to know the Basque community.

Almost all of them have agreed to put themselves in front of the video camera. “I’m Moussa, I want a Basque girl.”