Little Britain – Alive and Well in Tenerife.

We managed to catch “must see movie” Avatar (truly excellent by the way) at the cinema this week, and, since it was shown in English, this got me thinking about just how far Tenerife has come in catering for us Brit Ex-Pats.
If you so desire, you can now educate your children in an English school, look after your health with a British doctor, your teeth with a British dentist, visit a British hairdresser, then call in at Iceland on the way home, whilst listening to a British radio station. In the evening, watch all your favourite British TV programmes whilst tucking into a typically English supper of pork pie and cheddar, and check what´s on next in one of the several English language newspapers that circulate around the south of the island. Get the picture?? Yes, whatever you want here, you can find a Brit to supply it. Of course, this is merely feeding a demand for “someone who speaks my language” , but why do the Brits insist on dealing with……….the Brits?

I am guilty of it myself in some respects, despite speaking Spanish at a reasonably good level, I do find something more than a little comforting in dealing with British people. Maybe on some level we do flock to our own kind? Language is certainly an issue for many though, as so few Brits make the effort to learn Spanish. Can´t, won´t or a mixture of the two. These ex-pats certainly make the most of the British services on offer here, and will pay translators in situations where there is actually a need to speak and understand Spanish; in the tax offices, or at the social security doctors for example.

With regard to learning the lingo though, I have to say it is not easy, and the amount of effort needed to get to even a reasonable level is vast. I myself have even enrolled on a course in a Government run language  school, as I have been stuck at the same level for years and need to improve. It is easy of course to read a phrase book and be able to order a beer, or ask where the nearest shops are, but total fluency takes years and is a constant learning curve. Way too big a commitment for most.

Many ex-pats find themselves living in British enclaves and forming British communities. Whilst this is all well and good in some respects, I think a lot of people here have lost sight of the fact that Tenerife is a Spanish Island, and that´s a shame, as it has much to offer culturally.  The British are the first to complain about Asians not integrating into British society, but yet as Brits abroad  it´s OK to do the very same thing?   By all means, buy your Warburtons bread in Iceland, but drive away from the tourist areas from time to time and eat some tapas with a glass of local wine in a typical Canarian Tasca. Sadly, many don´t, but for them, Little Britain thrives in Tenerife, and always will.