Interview with Cesc Blanco | The benefits of travelling

What’s Up! Sabadell hosted the guest speaker Cesc Blanco. Cesc is a journalist who one day decided to go abroad. He travelled to different places to experience all sorts of adventures. He is currently studying a master in International Political Economy in Newcastle University (England).

Hello Cesc. Introduce yourself!    

Hi! I’m from Sagunt (near Valencia), I’m 29 years old and I studied Journalism in Barcelona. I love travelling and learning languages. Spanish is my mother tongue, then I started learning Catalan when I was 15 years old. Once I had finished my degree I went on to study English – my next challenge is Portuguese.

Why did you decide to go abroad to go to Scotland & America? 

It was almost a personal challenge. In both cases, I was driven by curiosity and the need to learn and discover. However, America was just a holiday, whereas living in Scotland was a way to save some money up and learn English.

Which personal challenges have you overcome?

Settling down in a foreign country where a foreign language is spoken, with all the setbacks it entails. On the other hand, being able to manage my money, time and dangers during eight months, enjoying the experience and learning a lot. 

Tell us about a time you encountered problems meantime abroad? 

The first few months in Scotland where very frustrating. Not being able to express yourself (especially in sticky situations) or not being able to understand what a local speaker was telling you and having the impression you’re missing crucial information out.

The motto of your Masterclass at What’s Up! Sabadell was “Don’t let the stories about your personal safety scare you off from travelling”… Which are some of the common fears that keep us from travelling solo? 

Well, basically the risk of being mugged or attacked… In my opinion, although those risks do exist, they’re unlikely to happen so they shouldn’t put you off. Based on my experience, the trickiest moments were when I was crossing borders between countries by land. The feeling of being defenceless is certainly high!

To finish up… Which was the most beautiful place you saw? 

Hhhmm… This is a difficult one. If I had to choose just one I would say Tayrona Park, in Colombia (it’s literally a Caribbean paradise, exactly like in the films, hahaha!). I will stretch my answer a bit to say that the Mayan city of Tikal, located in the Guatemalan jungle, was breathtaking too.

Post relacionados:

• Inglés para viajar: peculiaridades del inglés en distintos países
• Scottish Culture and Traditions
• Inglés básico para viajar: lo que necesitas saber 

Si quieres aprender inglés de una vez por todas y poder realizar el viaje de tus sueños sin importarte el idioma… no lo dudes ¡Apúntate a la English Revolution de la academia de inglés What’s up! Sabadell.