My very first clients in the media!
I’ve written before about my friends Bruce and Jess. They’ve lived in Jerez for nearly two years now and have well and truly settled into their new house and their new life.
Back in Australia Bruce had worked for a while in media. He told me how impressed he was that the local newspaper, Diario de Jerez, unlike many regional newspapers in Australia, still had a very personal focus on local events. They seemingly have a team of ‘old-fashioned’ dedicated reporters willing to dig for stories about the community.
It might be a small town thing, but of course I know someone who works at Diario, and I offered to introduce Bruce and Jess to her. In the end, it was a colleague with better English skills whom we met. It made our meeting a little easier for the Australians.
Arantxa is a Diario journalist with nearly three decades of experience. She kindly showed us around the newsroom and introduced us to the director. We then sat down in the wonderful boardroom while Bruce asked his questions. He intended to write a blog post about Arantxa and her newspaper (he soon did – it’s here).
Of course, a couple of Australians who had chosen to live in Jerez was of interest to Arantxa too. She asked her own questions of Bruce and Jess – and before we knew it there was a full-page spread in Diario, which you can read on their website.
Bruce and Jess have embraced Jerez and are finding that Jerez is embracing them too. If you learn a little about your new city, how it works, how to fit in – even if your Spanish is still bad! – you can experience life here to its fullest.
Jerez is that kind of place. Everyone knows everyone, you’ll get a friendly welcome at your local bar and at the local store, and you’ll soon be a part of the community.
If you’re thinking of moving to Spain, Jerez could be the place for you. Email me and we’ll arrange a free chat. I’ll even introduce you to Bruce and Jess!
UPDATE: Bruce just told me that one of their neighbours, whom they hadn’t really met yet, read the story in Diario and immediately came around with a pot of homemade salmorejo (a delicious seasonal cold tomato soup). Just another example of Jerez community spirit.
