Rosa Totorica: "I always wonder what I would be like if my parents had decided to stay in Gernika"

Boise is the most populous city in Idaho. It is also home to about 15,000 basques. It is where the second largest Basque community in the US (the first is in Bakersfield, California) and one of the largest in the world reside, together with places like Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and the French and Spanish sides of the Basque Country.

The city´s basque flavour is reflected in the "Basque Block" - a vibrant section in Downtown Boise which features institutions like the Basque Centre and Fronton Building. As the name states, the latter is equipped with a pelota court which could become a main reference point for the pelota-lovers of the city in the near future. Boise is also where Rosa Totorica lives. She is the newly-appointed Coordinator of the USA Community for Euskosare.

Born in Gernika to Basque parents, Rosa returned to Boise when she was just six months old and has spent most of her life there. As a Basque who "hapens to live in the USA", Rosa learnt Basque when she was an adult and tries to speak the language in her daily life despite the difficulties that arise from living in an english-speaking country. In an exclusive interview with EuskoSare, Rosa discussed her basque heritage and involvement in the project, as well as her thoughts on preserving a historical language in an English-dominated world.

Q. Good afternoon, Rosa. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you on your new role as the coordinator of the USA Community for EuskoSare. I have noticed that your basque is quite fluent. Have you always spoken the language or did you learn it at a later stage?
A. Thank you! No, I have not always spoken Basque. I learned it as an adult. Our parents spoke to us in Spanish because at that time, this is what they though would be best for all of their children. This decision to teach us Spanish was influenced by the oppressive Franco regime in which they were raised.

My mother, especially, now regrets having taught us Spanish and not Basque. I learned Basque as a young adult when I studied and lived abroad in Euskadi and, most importantly, I learned a lot of Basque when I had children and decided to teach them Basque. When you teach someone something, this is when you really learn yourself.

Q. Do you use basque language regularly? Can you get by speaking Basque in Boise?

A. I used to speak to my children in Basque quite often. This became very difficult when they entered school. We began to speak less frequently and then almost not at all. Last summer, my children and I noticed how much we had lost in our language abilities so we have made the decision to “get it back” the same way we lost it. Little by little, we are speaking more Basque. We will get it back…and I, too, will learn more.

Also, there is a Basque community in Boise. You can go to shops and events and inevitably run into someone who can speak Basque if you seek them out.

Q. What do you use Basque for in your daily life?

A. You can go to certain shops where you know that there is someone who speaks Basque. I wouldn´t say you can go anywhere, however. I try to use Basque in my daily life with my children - it is a constant battle with everything being in English: school, books, friends, sports, TV, videogames, etc…but we make a point of communicating in Basque as much as we can.

Q. Have you ever visited the Basque Country? What was your impression of it?
A. I lived in Oñati [in Gipuzkoa] for six years and made life-long friends who I visit and stay with when I go there with my children. My cousins, aunts and uncles also live there. I go back every 2 or 3 years.

I love it in Euskadi!I always wonder what I would be like if my parents had decided to stay in Gernika; what path our family would have taken.

Q. Do you know much about the Basque Country?

A. After living there for six years, even though I was a young adult, I think I have a good understanding of the people, culture and traditions. The history is something that I always wish I knew more of. I strive to be a continuous learner and hope I will keep learning more about all aspects of Euskadi.

Q. Do you feel Basque?

A. Yes, definitely. I first and foremost, consider myself Basque. I happen to live in the USA. I like being in touch with my basque identity: language, current events, cuisine, music, etc.

Q. What do you think you will bring to EuskoSare? What do you think EuskoSare needs in order to become a better “home” for the diaspora in the US? 

A. I hope to bring an understanding of what the audience in the USA is interested in with the Basque global community effort that EuskoSare is leading. The EuskoSare executive team is very willing to listen and make changes to the website in order to bring value to the USA Community.
We will revamp the site so that all English content is in one place, easy to get to. We will need help from the community to obtain content in English and translators. We also need to build up the number of community members who participate with sharing information, photos, stories, blogs, etc. This is just the beginning of a great new USA Community site.

Q. What do you think the EuskoSare experience will provide you?

A. The EuskoSare team has already shown me great leadership and flexibility, which I did not see often in my previous corporate American jobs. People immediately think of the “following your passion expression” when I mention what I do for a living. I think it will give me an opportunity to develop professionally, i.e. working with teams in different countries, in various languages, journalistically, creatively, as a moderator and decision-maker, etc.

Q. Is this a dream come true for you?

A. Yes. What a chance for this window of opportunities to open up for me! Everyone in my previous workplace and my family and friends have been congratulating me for my new job at EuskoSare. They know I am passionate about my culture. I think it is a good match.

Q. Finally, what is the current situation with the Basque Diaspora in the US and what will the future be like, in your view?

A. The world is getting smaller. I used to be very worried about how we were going to maintain the Basque language in the US. It seemed like it was gradually being put aside.
It is so much easier to keep the traditions of dancing, singing and cooking alive. I´m not so worried about these aspects of our culture. However, to learn and/or to maintain a language in an English-dominated world is much more difficult.

I do see great efforts on many people´s part to learn Basque. I see young people going to Euskadi to learn the language and I see 50-year-olds learning Basque via government-sponsored internet programmes. I am still worried about what this effort will lead to but I also see hope and avenues that people have today and didn´t have before to learn and maintain cultural identity, including language. This is where we can fit all our hopes and dreams of preserving our unique identity. 

Rosa Totorica will be leading the USA Community at EuskoSare. Contact Rosa if you have any ideas for the site, queries, reflections or simply to congratulate her on her new role.