A year ago, I was thinking about how I could inject some freshness into my page. The page has been going for a while now, and the previous attempts I’d made to add something special — Nor Naiz, Gu Gara; Did You Know…?; The Basque-t Cases — didn’t go very far, for many different reasons. I wanted something that would post regularly, which people could count on appearing. I eventually settled on facts about the Basque Country. I posted the first one on January 6, 2019. Today marks the 52nd entry in Basque Fact of the Week!
- I originally thought about posting a fact every day, but then realized, after the amount of time it took me to research the very first one on the Elhuyar brothers and their discovery of tungsten, that there was no way I could sustain that pace. Once a week, however, that I felt I could do.
- I try to pick topics that are at least interesting to me. I figure that, at the very least, if I learn something new, then it is worth my time. I hope others also find the facts I post about interesting, and that they also learn something new. There is so much about the Basque Country, Basque people, and Basque culture to post about that there is always something new to explore.
- My two biggest resources are Wikipedia and the Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopledia. Wikipedia is, of course, extremely convenient. And, while it isn’t perfect, studies have shown that it is about as accurate as the typical encyclopedia. However, Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopledia is a wealth of information about Basque topics that hardly ever reach the English-speaking world. So, I try to tap that as much as I can. My Spanish being only so-so, I rely heavily on Google Translate to help me. I also try to scour news articles for interesting topics.
- I hope readers and visitors enjoy these facts. I’m particularly keen on hearing ideas for future facts. If you have a topic you would like me to look into, please let me know. I’ll do my best to get to it in a timely manner. Most importantly, I know I’ll learn something new about the Basque culture.
You have done a great job. I must admit that I read your posts with great interest. You always got my attention and your texts always surprise me. This a fine jobo you are doing. Please, keep on going. Segi mesedez.
Lets hope that 2020 will bring to all of us all the prizes and good things we were credited for these last 12 months, rewards that, for some reason, 2019 hasn’t been able to deliver yet.
Zorionak eta urte berri on danorik.
Fernando, thank you very much for the very kind words. These are the things that make doing this page worth it. If people get something out of it, learn something new, connect a little bit more to the Basque culture, then it is all worth it. I appreciate your comments and wish you the best in 2020!
Thank you for all your information. I remember when you first started your site. So glad and proud of you for making it one of the most important sites for basques. I was in San Jose at the time and wanted to start a Basque club. Never got to do that but thanks for giving me the encouragement to try. A long time ago.
Thanks Inez! I appreciate the kind words! I understand the challenges of trying to create a Basque club. I hope you were able to at least connect with other Basques and get together once in a while.