Ten days in Tenerife: a love letter to the island’s people
Ten days in Tenerife have proved more than enough for creative director Ivan Jiménez to fall completely in love with the character and warmth of the Canarian people. Through a personal reflection video, the creative has shared with his followers a series of everyday anecdotes from his time on the island, proving that the famed friendliness of the chicharreros is no myth but a daily reality.
The creative highlights that there was not a single day of his stay without a kind gesture or an act of selfless generosity from the local population.
A parking miracle in Santa Cruz
Among the experiences that most impressed him, Jiménez recounts the moment he tried to park in a tricky spot in the centre of the Tenerife capital. As the creative director himself tells it: “The other day I was trying to park around Santa Cruz… I spotted a space, but it was very tight. The owner of the car in front taps on my window – I don’t know where she came from – and says: ‘Hey, I reckon if I pull forward a bit, your car will fit.’ She gets in her car and moves it so I could park. I can tell you, I’ve rarely seen that before.”
An impromptu tour of the Canarian Parliament
But the hospitality did not stop at urban traffic. While having breakfast at a well-known spot in the capital, a follower of the social network Instagram messaged him after spotting him. Jiménez explains that this person wrote to him: “I work just next door, in the Parliament of the Canary Islands. If you like, I’ll show you around.” And sure enough, he took my wife and me and showed us the whole Parliament of the Canary Islands – he got us into the chamber, showed us every corner… The kindness of the people is incredible.”
Restaurants going the extra mile
The restaurant trade was not to be outdone either. The creative recounts how, at a restaurant with no prior reservation and completely full, the staff found a way to accommodate them before the next sitting arrived, offering them a personalised and welcoming dining experience. On this, Jiménez notes: “We ate incredibly well, with them constantly coming over to ask how everything was, recommending local wines… I just don’t understand where these people come from, so kind, always with a smile on their faces, with their ‘mi niño’… Where do you all come from? Do you export good vibes, kindness, joy? What a wonderful land and what wonderful people the Canaries have.”
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