De Suva a Madrid

With big dreams to one day travel the world, it has not come as a surprise to find one of our very own island native living and teaching in a Spanish town just outside of Madrid. From humble beginnings in Suva City, Taina has always aspired to one day be able to travel the world, and what better way to do it by combining it with something she loves doing, teaching English Conversation to a host of Spanish kids.

Taina Talei Maitiro originally from Korotubu Macuata, is now an English conversation teacher in Sevilla La Nueva in Spain. The town is located in the South West of Madrid City where Taina works with non-native speakers of the English Language to develop and improve their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Her students comprise of 12 – 14 years, which is the same age Taina began her journey to learning a foreign language.

Taina’s fascination for foreign language began in her first year of high school when she was enrolled at Suva Grammar School.

“I have always been fascinated by foreign languages and I’m grateful that my time at SGS nurtured this interest” she adds

The classes were immersed into a whole other world through activities of French cuisine and culture that varied from baking crêpes to croissants, learning the can-can dance, analyzing French films and interaction with the native speakers of the language.

The former Suva Grammar student continued her French studies throughout university graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Politics and Literature & Language. Being the only student in the class she developed an even deeper attraction to the language and culture.

“.. Basically it was just my lecturer and I that whole year. most times classes took place at her favorite café. She’d be smoking away and sipping on an espresso while I’d be happily munching on a croissant and taking notes...”

Post Graduate Diploma in Linguistics Bachelors of Arts Degree in Politics and Literature & Language

In 2014 with her love and interest for the French language Taina became a member of the Alliançe Française in Suva, exposing herself to native speakers of the language and access to learning materials including attending Francophone themed events of art exhibitions and film nights.

In the same year, an opportunity to apply her new found language in a career was offered, and the Macuata lass began her 3 year stint for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Embassy of France in Suva.

Her experiences with the French Ministry led her to travel and work as an English Language assistant in New Caledonia a Francophone country in the South Pacific.

Visiting new places is a wonderful experience, however to pack your bags and move to a new country is entirely different. A feeling Taina is now familiar with after taking her first foreign post in New Caledonia. Ironically just as she learnt French in high school here in Fiji, Taina was now teaching the English Language to French students in New Caledonia.

Quickly, Taina realized how liberating her decision was to leave home for this new venture when she started traveling the world, not only to Vanuatu but also places like, Hong Kong, China, France, and USA. Out of all the places she has been, New York City was without a doubt her favorite place.

“… It’s such a magical city especially during winter when storefronts are decorated with colorful lights, Christmas markets are open all over the city and you feel the magic of the city in the air. It’s definitely one of those places that’ll have you experiencing major déjà vu moments because it’s featured in so many films, you’ll feel like you’ve already been there… “

As her time in New Caledonia was coming to a close in 2018, thoughts of going back to Fiji started to creep up on her. The thought of restarting her life from square 1, working a 9-5 job, just did not sit well with her. As luck would have it, Taina stumbled upon a job advert on twitter. She remembers vividly reading the words Fijian, Teaching, Job and Spain in the same sentence and was immediately sold. Her dream turned into a reality when news arrived that the job was hers at the end of 2019.

With just little time to spend with her family and friends in Fiji, Taina packed up her life once again to begin her new journey - this time Spain! She arrived in Spain in the dead of winter, the time of the year when it is the coldest, darkest and the days are shortest. Naturally, it was not easy adapting to the cold coming from a region where it is summer all year round. Taina quickly learnt the art of layering in order to stay warm. Adding to this, she has had to rely on translation apps to get her through the simplest of tasks such as buying bread at the neighborhood corner store, or directions to the nearest pharmacy.

Taina’s transition was not all smooth as compared to New Caledonia, luckily her amazing colleagues always made her feel welcomed and assisted her in any anyway they could. Her “go with the flow” outlook on life enabled her to quickly adapt and adjust to the weather and her new environment. Moving right in to the scheme of things, Taina started teaching her high school students who were beginners of learning the English Language. Having experiences as an assistant English teacher in New Caledonia, and being a student of learning a foreign language herself, Taina was confident in her abilities to excel in her new role.

“…Spain is….phew where do I start?! It’s sophisticated…it’s a cultural mosaic. Its art imitating life…its history coexisting with the present…it’s passionate…I could go on and on. Food and wine are national obsessions in Spain and rightfully so. My favorite traditional dish so far has got to be the “tortilla de patatas” which is a signature dish in Spanish cuisine, it’s basically an omelette made with eggs and potatoes and served as a tapa…”she adds

It goes without saying that language learning is beneficial on so many levels. Taina had always known that it would open doors for her career but never in her wildest dreams did she think she would be in Spain right now.

As she enjoys her first year in Spain, the 26 year old French speaking Macuata lady says her biggest motivation is her family. There were numerous times when she was ready to throw in the towel but her family refused to let her do it.

“… I believe having a network of people who you can lean on for practical and emotional advice does in fact go a long way... Shout out to my parents and siblings for tolerating me all these years, real ones. Thanks for the endless love and unwavering support…”

Taina’s greatest strengths are her creativity, drive, and her love for reading. These are her favorite ways to escape reality. She also loves listening to music – she does not have a favorite genre but she listens to a bit of everything from indie to trap, and anything that sounds pleasing to the ears

Hiking trip in New Caledonia