On a grant from the Spanish Embassy, my daughter will be teaching English this coming school year in two small places near Durango in the Basque Region of Spain. They are called Berriz and Iurreta. Does anyone have some ideas where she should live? Rent a room in someone's home? Rent a room in a bed and breakfast or hotel? How does she go about finding such info before leaving America? Does anyone know of this area near Durango? Is it as isolated as it looks on a topical map on Mapquest? She also needs to find another job there in order to survive financially. In such a backward area, what could she possible do? I have heard that educated people should not take the jobs that someone uneducated from Spain will need, such as waitressing. She could teach English privately to people willing to pay for lessons. Any feedback will be appreciated. And what is the transportation like in this area? Thanks!

(originally posted by Marilyn on 08-08-2006 08:14 AM)

Obviously, nobody is familiar w/ the Basque region, so perhaps stating this town's name will get some response. If a person wanted to rent a room in a family's home in this town (Bilbao), how would they go about doing so? Is this town conveniently located to commute to work near Durango via public transportation? What comments does anyone have about Bilbao? Any help would be appreciated!

Regarding workin in this region you may consult the "Working in Spain" forum category". Regarding the city of Bilbao you may consult the "Favorite Places" forum category. Regarding transportation you may consult the "Transportation" forum category. Sorry! Lots of questions and lots of different forum categories are served by your questions, outside of the Lodging-related ones, that is.

Best of luck to your daughter! I'm sure it will be a life-changine experience.

Saludos, MadridMan