Learning a new language can be daunting. But it can be fun too.
In this next exciting chapter of The Travel Files series here on Life Went That Way, I caught up with David Chinea (@TropicalSpanish on Twitter) from Tenerife.
David caught my attention through his daily Spanish lessons which he shares with his growing audience on Twitter.
Across a dozen time zones, we discussed life in the Canary Islands, his most influential travel experiences and David’s exciting plans for his language journey.
Be sure to support his journey over at Twitter – it’s one worth following.
Have a read.
Great to chat David, for the readers, tell me a little about yourself.
Great to chat, Marc. It’s nice to connect here.
Well, my name is David and I’m from Tenerife on the Canary Islands located off the coast of Morocco.
My schooling was here before going to university where I studied Civil Engineering.
“Many people leave for the big cities after school, to places like Madrid and Barcelona. Instead, I went to Ireland! I wanted new opportunities and to improve my English.”
Ireland was where my travel journey started. It was the first place and culture I had ever explored outside my own island. I have so many amazing memories from Ireland, from partying to meeting new people.
I still have many friends there.
Tenerife and the Canary Islands are somewhere I would love to visit one day. Tell me a little about it.
My home is a very beautiful place to visit.
We are blessed with plenty of sunshine and a warm climate which attracts many visitors all year round.
You can go snorkelling on our beaches, hiking in the mountains, biking even stargazing.
“Our skies are famous at night time – Stephen Hawking has visited several times.”
As much as I love it – it is my home after all, we do take it for granted. I like to go up stargazing in the mountains once or twice a year after watching the sunset above the clouds.
If you visit, you should definitely visit the historical town of Laguna, a UNESCO heritage town. We have famous national parks and black volcanic beaches.
It is so diverse here – there is something for everyone on the Canary Islands.
What local tips can you share about Tenerife?
For dining, our seafood is some of the best in the world.
Apart from our fresh fish, we have plenty of shellfish that is very popular. It is always so fresh as it is usually caught the same day.
“There are plenty of other traditional options from the Canaries if you aren’t into that though, I enjoy the goat’s cheese we have from Fuerteventura, you have to try it.”
I recommend getting out to explore the islands, there are plenty of options for walking and exploring. You are never far away from getting a cold beer or ice cream as well!
Tenerife is a very relaxing and chill place. It is very easy to relax and enjoy yourself here.
What are some of your favourite travel destinations and the most memorable experiences you've had while travelling?
Ireland was my first big trip and my memories are full.
Visiting the west coast, spending time with friends and exploring on weekends was the start of my travel journey. I went back with my brother which was special to share with him.
Since Ireland, I have spent time in Italy and Croatia as well but my big trip was one I returned from recently, where I spent six months in South-East Asia.
“I quit my job and went to Thailand, the Philippines and Bali – it was an incredible experience.”
It was funny, my plan all along was to get to the Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai but travel doesn’t always happen the way you want it to and I couldn’t get tickets at first.
I was devastated, but you know how it works, I managed to get a last-minute train where I stood up for 12 hours and I got to the festival. I was so tired with the jet lag too.
You learn to expect the unexpected when you travel, but you just figure it out as you go along, even if it means hanging around train stations to get where you need to!
I love your Spanish lessons on Twitter. Tell me more about this.
This started in the Philippines after I met up with my friend from Valencia. My friend is a teacher and has a passion for languages as I do.
The longer we stayed in the Philippines, we learned that the local Filipino population were interested in our language – knowing another language in the Philippines leads to many job opportunities for the locals.
During these months we would relax and talk business and brainstorm ideas, it was fun and exciting. The spark was lit when local Filipinos would ask us for lessons, for classes on learning Spanish.
“We planned to start recording some online classes, we even started creating lists of people who were interested in learning Spanish.”
I rented an apartment in Cebu and started making plans as there is a lack of Spanish teachers in the Philippines.
The main hurdle that we faced though was the money part. Unfortunately, it just was not economical enough as the locals could not afford much money.
I continued my own learning though. I have learned some Tagalog (a local Filipino language) and I have also picked up my Italian as well.
My passion for languages is something I want to share, I am using Twitter to explore this market now.
What are your plans at the moment?
I’m considering starting a YouTube channel and also a newsletter, but it’s still early.
It is challenging and sometimes I feel a bit lost with it all but I will keep going.
“I love the engagement with the travel community at the moment, I just need to find my language community and once I do it will be very exciting.”
Learning a language is challenging but there are many ways to do it, you just need to find what works for you.
What strategies or resources do you recommend for learning another language effectively?
I recommend starting with a language depending on your goal.
It might be job opportunities, making friends or even just reading books. The spoken language is very different from the written one.
It also helps to learn a language where the foundation is similar to your to your own.
For example, as an English speaker, it would be good to look at learning Spanish. If you know a little Spanish, you will know a little Italian etc, etc.
It is very different to try and learn Thai or Indonesian because they are so different.
It is just a case of putting the pieces of the puzzle together. You can start with children’s books which use a very basic vocabulary.
“With Chatgpt now, you can actually prompt it to give you lessons on a specific topic at a specific level, you know?”
I think it is important to focus on building a vocabulary instead of grammar too as you can figure that out later. It needs to be kept fun too so set yourself small goals and focus on a particular topic.
For example, a conversation about renting a place. By focusing on that topic it isn’t so overwhelming as trying to learn a whole language.
Use TV shows, YouTube and even audio messages to practice. Everyone is different, just set small goals and it will all come together eventually.
Tell me more about your upcoming eBook. What can readers expect to find in it, and what motivated you to write it?
This is exciting project is a Spanish conversational book, but it is on hold at the moment.
I’m still needing to do some design work but it will happen. I’m not sure how I will distribute it at this time, hopefully with my Twitter reach and email list will be the best place to start.
It is all written and it was a lot of hard work but I enjoyed it. I will be looking for feedback soon,
I just need to focus on finishing it off properly and sharing it with my audienc