Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain
By Donna Williams •
Updated: 14 Nov 2024 • 17:53 • 2 minutes read
A true creative, David gave up a career in law to travel and live a digital nomad existence. He found the confidence to become a writer in his forties and hasn’t looked back.
Originally from Glasgow, David studied at Glasgow University and set his sights on a career in law. However, life took a very different turn when travel beckoned, and he found himself working a variety of jobs, including as a university lecturer in Japan.
The constraints of COVID led to him spending more time in the Costa Blanca North, as he used the travel windows that opened up. He explained: “When I sold up my possessions to travel, I was heading to Mexico and Cuba when COVID broke out, and I ended up being holed up in Scotland.” While familiar with Villajoyosa, his literary interests and involvement in the Xabia Book Circle led him to move full-time there.
David Simons considers Spain to have a culture of tolerance
When I asked what he likes about Spain the most, David pondered before telling me: “I like the fact that the country has gone from being a dictatorship under the Franco regime to becoming one of the more progressive countries in Europe.” Embellishing further, David explained that, in his opinion, Spain now boasts a healthy economy, offers a good quality of life, and has a culture of tolerance, making it a great place to live.
Naturally, making the decision to live as a digital nomad has not been without its challenges, particularly with navigating the bureaucracy after Brexit. “I have had to jump through a lot of hoops in order to obtain the visa that allows me to live here full-time.” he shared. Aside from that, like many Brits, learning the local language, retaining vocabulary and having the confidence to communicate has also been somewhat difficult, particularly as he gets older, he confesses.
Young writers have David Simons admiration
David shared how he had always wanted to be a writer but had felt that somehow he needed to live life a little, to gain knowledge and experience before putting pen to paper. He, therefore, has nothing but admiration and respect for young writers who can write novels in their twenties, something which he had to wait until he was 40 to be able to do. Not surprisingly, his most significant accomplishment is having been able to sustain a writing career for around sixteen years so far. He said, “Publishers tend not to nurture writers like they used to, but I have been fortunate to have had a loyal publisher.”
His enthusiasm for writing clearly shows no signs of dissipating. He excitedly told me about his latest novel, The Interview, and how the Spanish launch will take place in Javea on November 27. What he is less certain about is whether his travelling adventure days are behind him and whether Spain is the country he will eventually end up spending the rest of his life in.
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Marketer, copywriter, storyteller and President of Samaritans in Spain. They say variety is the spice of life and I am definitely loving life!
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