Pictured: A large mural of the Palestinian flag with a reference to Geurnika by Pablo Picasso.
Basque word of the Day: Askatu- Freedom/Liberation
Things are going well here. The Chinese friend I mentioned in the previous post is now my bestie. We’ve been hanging out daily and she even offered to host me in China so I could visit her family! I told her I plan to take her up on this once I get my Spanish citizenship in a few months.
She knows I’m gay/trans and she wants to be a matchmaker, “I will help you find a good man!” 
I’ve been thriving here and every day I’m so happy that I managed to escape Burger Land.
HOWEVER: By having a Chinese friend I have been exposed to good ole sinophobia and racism. A dude at the bar asked me “why the Chinese? Why are you with Chinese people?”
We’ve been harassed by the elderly when we tried to study in a cafe. I’ve been pestered for looking not Basque enough (though I think in this case it’s because of anti-tourism sentiment in the region), and we’ve gotten dirty looks for just… hanging out?
Granted, most of it is from cranky old men. The rest is from general assholes. Most people have been chill, especially younger people, but after coming from the USA the bold racism is a culture shock and frankly- fucking annoying.
Yeah older people here tend to be nationalist, even (not uncommonly) fascist, while younger generations are more or less based.
Welcome! Hmu if there's anything you'd like to know about Bilbao, the Basque language, etc.
Thanks!
I have a few questions. You can DM me if you aren't comfortable answering them here.
Any recommendations for a pc repair place? There are a ton here but I am nervous about my remedial spanish and I fear getting ripped off. My laptop needs a new battery and it likely needs new thermal paste in the cpu, so any recs for repair/supplies is appreciated.
Speaking of, I could repair the laptop myself but idk what service people use for online orders here. Amazon is 10€ to 20€ delivery fee (I assume to discourage people from using Amazon, but still, ow!) I also need distilled water but every time I go to the pharmacy I get "???????" In response. I need it for my CPAP. I assume locals use different online services.
Any good queer hangout spaces/lounges around here? I'm an introvert so while I can enjoy the Disco, it's not ideal.
My old city had a newspaper distributed around the city featuring local news/events/want ads. Think "The Stranger" or "Los Angeles Reader", does Bilbao have anything like that?
Ty for your time!