Rosa Totorica was born in Gernika but moved to Idaho with her parents when she was only six months old. Proud of her basque roots, Rosa has taken on a new challenge: to strengthen EuskoSare in the United States and the USA virtual community, which she coordinates from Boise, Idaho.

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.

Read the complete article at EuskoSare