By crstein1
It took us about 10 seconds to drive through the checkpoint between the Spanish region of La Rioja and the region of El País Vasco (the Basque Country). It’s interesting how borders function; they can seem so arbitrary sometimes. For example, the difference between being on one side of the border between Maryland and Virginia seems practically the same as being on the other side of the border. Yet the barrier between La Rioja and El País Vasco has a completely different feeling. The Basque people are an indigenous group living in areas of Spain and France. Despite the Spanish annexation of Basque territory, the Basque people have managed to hold onto their culture, language and traditions. There is a strong sentiment of Basque nationalism, and the Basque people feverishly fight to maintain their customs. Basque is the main language taught in many schools and many people consider themselves to be of Basque nationality as opposed to Spanish nationality. Basque nationalism has also manifested into a desire for more autonomy from Spain, and the fight for an independent Basque state has at times been demonstrated through acts of terrorism. It’s so interesting- you cross through a seemingly meaningless checkpoint and everything changes. All of a sudden people are speaking in Basque, there’s a different political sentiment and there’s a whole separate culture.
The same feeling happened when we crossed the border from Spain to France. No one looked at our passports or inspected our bus. We simply paid a toll and kept on driving. It took about 10 seconds for our bus to drive through the toll booth. It didn’t seem like anything had changed. Yet when we got off the bus a few minutes later my friend walked into a store and instinctively said, “Hola”. The lady behind the register seemed appalled. She responded, “No. Bonjour”. Simply crossing over that line on a map changed everything. From my experiences this weekend I’ve learned that there are two types of boundaries: formal boundaries, which exist as simple barriers for political purposes, and cultural boundaries, which are socially constructed lines dividing mindscapes and meaning.