Kaixo everyone!!!

Today started bright and early as we packed up to move hotels to Gernika—Bilbao is getting ready to host the Euro Cup. If the six-foot-tall soccer balls scattered around the city, posters plastered on every metro station, and the sudden spike in jersey vendors didn’t give it away, the groups of loud British fans singing in the streets definitely did. I somehow managed to fit everything back into my suitcase (a small miracle), and off we went by bus for another tour and presentation—this time at a technology company.

We visited Tekniker, a company that serves as the middleman of technological innovation. Essentially, a business or hospital can approach them with an idea and a set budget, and Tekniker will help turn that concept into a working prototype. While the intellectual property stays with the original proposer, Tekniker provides the technical expertise and resources to bring the idea to life. They also develop their own prototypes, patent them, and sell those patents to industries—either helping small startups get off the ground or enabling large companies to speed up their product development. What sets them apart is that they’re never in direct competition; their sole focus is on creating and innovating. Most of their funding comes from government grants and private investors, making them a private non-profit committed to pushing the boundaries of technology.

I can’t go into too much detail about their projects, since many of the ideas and concepts belong to their partner companies, but Tekniker works across a wide range of sectors—including automotive, healthcare, aerospace, and more. We did get to hear about a couple of ongoing projects that involve two students from the University of Cincinnati, who are currently completing one of their Co-op rotations here. One project focuses on developing a more efficient hospital walker, while the other aims to improve the process of helping patients transition from sitting to standing. Both students have had the opportunity to collaborate with experts in the field to refine their designs and, ideally, create practical solutions that can ease the workload of nurses and healthcare providers.

Tekniker is a great place to start your career right out of college. It bridges the gap between the practical, hands-on learning we get in school and the fast-paced demands of the industry—which can be a bit overwhelming if you dive straight in. Plus, the perks don’t hurt: they’ve got an on-site gym, a café, and they’re nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of the Basque countryside. And the neighbors? Let’s just say they’re never bahhhh-d—yes, sheep (Ok horrible pun right there).

While walking through their site, my friend and I looked up average salaries in the Basque region. We found that engineers, nurses, and teachers all earn around €45,000 annually. At least in Spain, they seem to recognize the value of teachers and nurses. The average cost of living here is about €765 per month. For comparison, teachers in Pennsylvania make around $52,000 a year—roughly €46,000—but the cost of living there ranges from $2,000 to $4,000 a month (about €1,780 to €3,560). The comparison is honestly brutal. The salaries are nearly the same, yet the cost of living in Pennsylvania is about five times higher than in Bilbao. A sad reality for so many essential workers back home. So, if you need me, I’ll be brushing up on my Spanish, updating my résumé, and looking into sheep-friendly rental properties in the Basque countryside. Priorities.

After moving all of our stuff into the hotel—which, fun fact, we completely filled since it’s a cozy mom-and-pop inn—we headed out to visit the Bizkaia Assembly House in Gernika, where local government officials meet. In the gardens stands the Tree of Gernika, an important symbol of Basque freedom. Every royal monarch is required to kneel before this tree as a sign of respect. The current tree was planted in 2015, and nearby, you can still see the preserved trunk of its predecessor, standing like a wise old witness to history.

After that short but meaningful visit, my friends and I set off for a casual walk along the river—which somehow turned into a 2.5-mile hike through the woods. Along the way, we blasted some very Americanized Spanish songs. There’s nothing quite like belting out “Hotel California” en español while trekking through Basque nature. Cultural immersion? Check. Cardio? Double check.

Tomorrow will be fun packed and very noteworthy for pictures. Bihar irakurtzea espero dut!!! (I hope you read tomorrow!!!-Basque).