I’ve already spoiled my own big announcement – I started a podcast. Technically, it started a few weeks ago and we’re already nearing the end of season 1. Unfortunately, it has affected my ability to keep up with posting on the blog as often as I’d like. However I’m doing my best to create as much content as I can around an already hectic schedule. So please, bear with me.
Voice Notes from France was launched because I had something to share. As any readers of this blog may know, TJF is my small slice of the Internet to share my experiences loving the French language and navigating my new life in France. It has brought me immense joy to hear that some of you have gained value from it.
However, there was so much more to this story that I wanted to tell, but TJF and the written word were neither the right platform nor medium to use. This journey that I’ve been on has been one of the most exhilarating and fulfilling things I’ve ever done. But along the way, I’ve also experienced loss, disappointment and heartache. And I felt it was something worth talking about because it’s so easy to forget that behind the Instagram posts and smiling faces, there is someone who’s upended their entire life in search of the unknown.
So I decided to start a podcast. Not just on my story, but with those of other expats. Hearing from other people in the same situation has been my refuge from loneliness. So I hope that anyone listening will also feel a little less alone. And for anyone who has a loved one living abroad, I hope these voice notes give you some perspective on what they’re really going through. Please don’t dismiss their problems because their lives look like a fantasy. Every fairy tale has its villains and conflicts. The reality is there is no promise of a happy ending.
On that ominous note, Merry Christmas and happy listening.