Intro
At 2:40 - Greetings Xenophiles!
On this day in 1752 Britain and the Empire (and the American colonies) adopted the Gregorian Calendar, which pushed the date forward 11 days. People rioted, thinking the government has stolen 11 days of their lives. But if your birthday fell on one of those lost days you stayed a year younger. Swings and roundabouts…
Today in 1928 Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming discovered a mould which was later identified as penicillin. Which reminds me of a joke, which I won’t say on the air.
This very day in 1950 the first ever Formula 1 World Champion - Giuseppe Farina - was crowned (if that’s the word).
IN 1967 today, Sweden switched sides from driving on the left, to driving on the right. Now - just imagine how crazy that must have been.
And Happy Birthday to Charlie Sheen - 61 today. And the rest…
Throwback
Born in Aylesbury in October 1989
A little hectic. Moved around England a lot and eventually settled in Scotland when I was 12 closer to my mother’s family. Lived in mainly suburban places - Ashbourne, Derby, Aylesbury, but also spent some time rurally in a village called Biggin
Family: Older sister, younger brother
School: It was mostly tolerated as I got older. Certainly the last year was the best, partly because we’d use our study periods to go and play pool at the local community centre. I particularly enjoyed sciences back then, especially physics.
Free time: I was a gamer back then, before it all went online. I was also starting to get into music, and I was learning the guitar, so there was a lot of that too. Very much a nerd. Yu-gi-oh trading cards, that kind of thing.
Unusual? Perhaps the change from England to Scotland at such a formative age.
I loved space and sort of thought I’d be many things at one point or another - an astronomer, an archaeologist, a professional Pokemon master. I didn’t really have a clue
What to see: That depends if we’re talking Aylesbury or Dunfermline. I suppose in both I’d say the exit road, get the hell out of there. In all seriousness, I spent more time in Dunfermline, and it does have some nice bits, especially if you’re completely foreign to the place. There’s a big park we call simply “The Glen” that was, I think, bought by Andrew Carnegie.
Money Money Money
I was a terrible study. I did alright in school, went to college and flunked that, went to uni and dropped out after three months - that was Mathematics. I had the potential, I just didn’t know what the hell to do with any of it.
I eventually did yearlong course in Sound Production - one of the most enjoyable years of my life, and sort of began finding myself from there. I realised that I didn’t really care about career. I also discovered there’s a lot more to music than just playing music, and that started me down a path of exploration too.
First job: I was a cleaner in an Asda. Remember those?
Not in business, but in terms of jobs, I’ve always veered toward another joy of mine - driving. I was for a couple of years a driving instructor
Travels: I saw a whole load of Scotland, because it truly is an absolutely stunning country in terms of raw scenery and wildlife. Aside from that, I had only gone once outside the country to Orlando, Florida - Disneyland.
Chaotic, Quixotic, Exotic
First impression: I was fascinated. I remember distinctly the heat in the air compared to back in Scotland. My first impressions were that it looks, in some respects, a little dangerous and rough around the edges. That was only my bias of seeing similar things like graffiti and abandoned buildings back home. High rises back in the uk are also usually a sign of a dodgier area. I thought it was hectic, let’s put it that way, but I was in awe of it.
My first impressions have mostly stayed, with the added item of realising what a safe city this is. It’s a really exceptional place in terms of just being able to walk around and find something different every time. The architecture, the mashup of all of that, the chaos but also the parks. I’ve seen the most Attenborough documentary like things in some of these parks, things I never even saw back in Scotland.
What do yuou do here: I work as a barman at T5 Social hostel and bar, and I’ve been known to do the odd concert with my band Liquid Wednesday. I’m also just about to set out on teaching some piano/keyboard and songwriting too, so that’s quite exciting.
Travel around Romania: I’ve been fortunate to be able to explore a bit of Romania, both for concerts with the band and for pleasure. I drove the Transfagarasan this year, and I’ve just fallen in love with Sibiu - heading back there again next month. Like Scotland, it has some absolutely stunning scenery and there’s some really fantastic people and places to visit here.
Likes & dislikes: I love the weather for the most part. The cold winters are well worth the guarantee of a good summer, even if it gets a bit too hot sometimes. The people are really cool and like I say, there’s some incredible places here. My least favourite thing about Romania has to be the mosquitos. Absolute devils. Also, the price of a tea in some places. One of the most hideous price markups I’ve ever seen in retail or hospitality.
Next Chapter
Keep making music, keep doing the things that bring me joy. I enjoy my work at T5 and it’s been quite amazing to watch it grow in these last few years. I’m very excited to see where it goes next. And of course I intend to teach, try to get myself out there more, perform more.
Aside from the bloody mosquitoes? Not much really. Perhaps I’d make Scotland independent. At least then they’ve a shot at getting back in the EU, because we sure as hell didn’t vote to leave it.
A quote by a Lebanese poet called Khalil Gibran:
Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life
Final signoff
So that was Expat Life. All 303 episodes of it. Thanx to everyone involved, and especially to you for listening.