Euzkaldunak Membership Dinner 2011
Boiseko Ikastola, Membership Dinner 2010
On Saturday, Euzkaldunak celebrated their annual membership dinner, just like we do every January. Usually, guests are allowed to attend the monthly dinners, but this one is only for members, as we talk about topics like the previous year budget, and vote to elect members to the Euzkaldunak board. This is one of the best attended dinners, hosted by Boiseko Ikastola, so it is double the fun for those of us who get to attend and work the dinner.
Every month, a different group or family hosts the dinner. They arrive to the Basque Center several hours before it starts, and set up the tables. After everybody has found their seat and is comfortably settled, those same people will run up and down the stairs to bring food up from the kitchen and serve the guests. Sure, you end up a ‘bit’ tired by the end of the night, but it is a lot of fun because you get to go around and interact with the everybody (guests, kitchen staff, bar staff…) as opposed to just sitting on your chair for a couple of hours talking to the 3 or 4 people around you. And there is always babysitting provided, so the kids have fun too, watching a movie while they have pizza with their friends.
On Saturday, after dinner was over, we went over the budget for Jaialdi and celebrated the elections to the board. There were five openings and six people to fill them (one of the candidates being yours truly). I have been able to enjoy many things, including the Ikastola, Basque classes, and Basque dancing because people in Boise work hard and devote their free time to keeping the Basque culture alive. I thought it was time for me to stop taking advantage of their work and volunteer my own time. Unfortunately, I didn’t get elected this time, but I am very happy because the board is made up of nice, hard-working, and dedicated people. Three of the runners were done with their two-year term, but not done volunteering and helping out, so they run again and got reelected. The new candidates (other than me), were the Boyd cousins – young guys who spent several years studying up in Vandal-land and were also ready to contribute now that they were back in Boise. Congratulations to all!
It was a great night. Lots of fun. I am so looking forward to the monthly dinners coming up this year. If any of you happens to be in Boise and would like to attend, drop me a line; I will be happy to take you as my guest. The food is awesome, and the people even more so.
