Feeling at Home in a Culture All Its Own
Spain without Spaniards
I spent my semester abroad together with my boyfriend in the Basque Country in Spain — but did I actually spend those four and a half months among Spaniards? Not really.
Most Basques don’t see themselves as Spanish at all; some even take the label as an insult. If you stop someone on the street and ask about their identity, the answer comes instantly: “Soy vasco.”
I am Basque.
The region has its own language, Euskara, its own culture, and a history that runs incredibly deep. Euskara — one of the oldest languages in Europe — isn’t just spoken; it’s celebrated, protected, and proudly taught.
And the culture around it is wonderfully alive: festivals big and small, old traditions, unique rural sports, music, and of course the food. The famous pintxos are everywhere, and many of them look more like tiny pieces of art than something you’d casually snack on.
What fascinated me most was how, despite periods of isolation and years of cultural repression, the Basque identity not only survived — it kept growing.
That powerful blend of resilience, pride, and tradition was one of the biggest reasons why I chose to spend my semester abroad in the Basque Country.
Confusion, Google Translate, and Two Bottles of Beer
241 Steps Into Another World
I think the best trip we took during my semester abroad was to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe. It’s one of those places that feels more like a legend than a real location on a map. The name means “rocky castle of Saint John,” and according to an old story, John the Baptist reached the island in just three giant steps across the sea.
To reach the small hermitage at the top, you follow a narrow path over the rock — 241 steps that twist upward like the spine of a dragon. The climb is steep, rough, and somehow completely magical.
No wonder this dramatic spot was chosen as the filming location for Dragonstone in Game of Thrones. The cliffs, the stone bridge, the lonely path leading up, and the powerful waves crashing below — it was overwhelming in the best possible way.
Gaztelugatxe feels like stepping straight into a mythical world, and that’s exactly why the view has stayed with me ever since.
On these cliffs, you feel how gently a foreign place can become part of your rhythm...
Just allow yourself to slow down.
The Lessons I Brought Home
When I look back on my time in the Basque Country, I realize that the biggest changes didn’t come from the big trips, but from the small, everyday moments — the awkward conversations, the unexpected kindness from strangers, and the little victories that slowly made the unfamiliar feel familiar.
Those months taught me that discomfort isn’t something to avoid, but something you grow through. I became more patient, more open, and more confident in navigating situations where I don’t fully understand everything around me.
And even now, the Basque Country stays with me. It gave me a quieter kind of courage — the certainty that I can find my place even in unfamiliar worlds. It changed the way I move through the world, and the way I connect with the people in it.