As many of you already know, I am moving to Spain in
September to teach English. Today seemed like a good day to start my blog since
exactly three months from today I will be in Madrid for my first day of
orientation! Here are some fun facts about my new home:
Tudela is located in the autonomous community (equivalent of
US state) of Navarra. The name Navarra likely comes from the combination of
two Basque words: “naba” meaning “flat land surrounded by mountains” and “herri”
which means “people.” Located in the northeastern corner of Spain, it borders
France, and the autonomous communities País Vasco, La Rioja, and Aragón. The
northern part of Navarra speaks both Basque and Spanish, but in the southern
part, where I´ll be living, only Spanish is spoken. Both in terms of square
kilometers and population, Navarra is about half the size of NH.
Navarra was its own kingdom, the Reino de Navarra, from the
800s until it was conquered by Fernando and Isabel (of Castilla and Aragón, the
same ones who sent Christopher Columbus to the New World) in 1512. Navarra
maintained much of their independence and regional autonomy, as Castilla
allowed them to maintain their historic laws or feuros. These fueros are still
acknowledged by the Spanish constitution, giving Navarra and neighboring País
Vasco a greater degree of autonomy than the rest of Spain.
Navarra is the number one autonomous community in Spain for
renewable energy. As of 2006, over 70% (!!) of the region´s energy came from
renewable sources. They are projected to be the first region of Europe to reach
100% and be entirely self-sufficient in renewable energy (Step up your game,
US!) Navarra also has the lowest unemployment and poverty rates in Spain and
the highest life expectancy (and has for over thirty years) with 85 years for
women (about 5 years more than in the US). Also, per person, Navarra produces
more La Liga soccer players than any other autonomous community.
Located in southern Navarra, Tudela has a population of
about 35,000 and is the second largest city in Navarra, after Pamplona. It’s
about an hour from four major cities: Zaragoza (Aragón), Logroño (La Rioja),
Soria (Castilla-León), and Pamplona (the capital of Navarra, also of Hemingway/Running of the Bulls
fame). Tudela is also about 2 hours away from France and the Atlantic coast and
about 3.5 hours from Madrid and Barcelona. Basically, the location is amazing.
The area was settled by the Celt-Iberians and Romans and was
later an important Arab city for about 300 years until it was conquered by the
Christians in 1119. Tudela was the last city to surrender to Fernando and
Isabel in their conquest of Navarra in 1512, making it the last city in peninsular
Spain to become part of the Spanish kingdom.
Their biggest festival is for Santa Ana, their patron saint,
and coincidentally starts on my birthday every year. Best birthday party ever,
right? It lasts for a week and is a lot like the San Fermines in Pamplona.
Tudela is also famous for its vegetables and actually has an entire week each
spring dedicated to celebrating them.
I´ll be teaching at Colegio Anunciata in Tudela. If you want to see what the school looks like, check out this video!
