Work force!

The Basque people find their identity in their work. In the very first conversation that you have with someone they will inevitably ask you where you earn you money. So it was pretty cool that the family that I'm staying with has a friend who owns one sweet bar in the local town of Getaria. I've been helping out over there for a couple weekends and it gets pretty crazy when the sun is out (lota foot traffic). Here I've been learning how to fry us some calamari (which this young lad is enjoying) and I've been picking up on some Euskara (the Basque language) as I worked at the bar too. It's a beautiful thing when an evangelist has a captive audience and we can thank our special sponsors Heinkin and Coca-Cola for making that all possible. It works like this: in walks a local Basque man. He ritualistly takes a walk every Saturday and Sunday. This walk will take him at least an hour or two and on this walk he meets and greets his friends (who are also out). There is always a bar or restaurant in this equation. At said bar, the people will rest and take something to eat and drink. Here they will spend their time as they have no pressing need to be anywhere.

This struck me very hard. When you preach to someone in the subways of Chicago (0r worse yet on the streets of Dublin) they've always got "somewhere to go". And they have a very urgent need to get to that business. The Basque culture is very unique in this area: for all the cold, hard conversations that you have with a Basque person, it is amazing how open they can be in their familiar realm at their favorite hour.

You are one of them if you are at the bar...or maybe you are one of them if you have their alcohol and food under your power. Either way, this is one of the most interesting finds I've encountered on this voyage.









Thanks Heineken!