High school students from the Basque Country looking to spend the month of July in Boise

By A Basque in Boise May 11, 2012 Basque Community, Chico, Education, Travel No Comments

Last summer, two groups of high school students from the Basque Country came to Boise to learn about American and Basque-American culture. This year, Iñaki Sánchez, engineer by trade, would like to give the same opportunity to five more students so they can also create connections between the US and the Basque Country.

Iñaki organizes trips every summer for Basque teenagers to learn English abroad. He himself lived in the USA for several years and wants kids to have the same great experience he did. Iñaki does not run an agency, but has been organizing these types of trips for the last ten years.

He is looking for families with teenage kids for the month of July to do activities with the Basque exchange students. It would be like having one more child for a month. The kids will not be attending classes, so they would be with the family 24/7. There will be a person in Boise in charge of the kids in case they need any help. Some of the kids will attend either overnight Camps or Day Camps so they will only stay for about 3 weeks. If the kid from the Basque Country attends a Day Camp (horseback riding, dance, soccer…) he/she will pay for their US sister/brother. In the case of an overnight Camp, the Basque student will go on his/her own.

Iñaki is also looking for people interested in helping him find host families for the kids.

If you are interested or know of anyone who would like to either host or help find families please get them in touch with Iñaki and he will call them to explain everything. Feel free to pass on this message to anyone. I would like these students to enjoy their trip, develop new connections and friendships, and go back to the Basque Country relishing a lifelong experience and relationships.

These are the kids interested in living in Idaho from July 1st until the 28th.

Irati Armentia is a young lady who wants to experience sharing the month of July with a US family since last year she attended a YMCA Summer Camp as Camper in Training.

Arrate Saiz de la Mata also attended a YMCA Summer Camp as Camper in Training and wants to experience the month of July in Idaho.

Guillermo Aguirre spent last summer with a family in New York and wants to experience Boise,Idaho. He is very active in sport such as rugby and football, and wanted to go to New Zealand but ended up not working out with the school system from that country!

Xabier Arriaga is a Basketball star here and wants to attend a B-ball Camp. If we can find him a Day-Camp we will pay for the US kid! A summer league would also be great. His goal is to impress a b-ball coach and get invited for HS and College later on since he wants to study Math in College.

Sofia Cobo is 6′ 2″ and the granddaughter of the doctor who helped my Mom give birth to me! (The Spanish flag is because she saw the US flag and thought she was supposed to put the Spanish one… She is from Bilbao and just as Basque as any of us!)

All of these boys and girls, who range from 13 to 17 years of age, have been carefully selected. I interviewed each one of them, as well as their families. The idea is to match them up with someone their age and gender. The deadline for the interested families is June 5th.

If you need further information or would like to be one of the hosting families do not hesitate to send me an email at isunibaso@yahoo.es.