Emigrant

Life

I just came back from my sister's-in-law wedding. A Polish wedding means two days of celebrations with lots of guests and lots of vodka.

As I was sobering up, I started to think about my choice to leave the country at the young age o 18 (as of 2023, it was 17 years ago).

Being part of their beautiful ceremony and a great party, I noticed two large families joining together, many childhood friends and close relatives who were happy for the newlyweds. 

A group of people who spend lives together or nearby.

Because of these strong connections, most people tend to stay where they grew up, nurturing old relationships and starting new ones but slowly creating a huge circle of support around them. There is safety and comfort in that.

Then, in marriage, they grow the circle even further by extending the family and friends.

That's different from how it is for emigrants. When you decide to leave, and you are gone for a long time, these connections get fractured, and it's difficult, if not impossible, to rebuild them.

I'm not saying that new relationships or friendships cannot be built; they can. I've done it.

But it's a different vibe. Not worse or better, just different.

Another thing is itchy feet. As much as I envy that life, I also believe in the phrase 'once an immigrant, always an immigrant', which may have different meanings, but it means difficulty setting roots for me.

So even though I have a mortgage, a car, and a dog, I still browse what's happening in the property market or the best countries to move to.

What is the next step?

The pace is slower than it was before, that's true. But the longing for change is there, always.

However, with that constant change, moving and uprooting, I say no to these solid familial connections, weekends in a group of lifelong friends, family get-togethers and BBQs.

It makes me sad, especially after participating in such a big and happy ceremony as a wedding.

But at the same time, it's my choice to do, and there is no going back, at least for now.

PODCAST PRODUCER LATEST

Last week I attended London Podcast Show. I had tickets for both days but could only do Wednesday as I had to prep work and drinking skills before my weekend in Poland. 

It was great to meet our Audioboom team and network with people from WME, Wondery and Amazon.

But the best part was I fell in love.

I spotted them from a distance - silver with a hint of orange. I put them on, and I have to say, I can’t remember I listened to headphones like that.

I’m talking about the new Neumann NDH30, which I am researching and ordering!

YOUTUBE

Last weekend I recorded a few fun long-form videos and lots of short ones. We have quite a few in production now.

LEARNING

I started a new unit called Music Editing. I was sceptical about it but quickly changed my mind, as it describes what I do. I’ve already picked up a few tricks I want to use next time I score an episode. 

BOOKS

50 Politics Classics by Tom Butler-Bowdon. I bought this book over a year ago but never read it. I only started it because I finished The Future of Geography by Tim Marshall and couldn’t download anything else while on the plane. Well, I’m glad I did because it is an excellent collection of summaries on freedom, politics, power and equality from the brightest thinkers from history.

FUN

The wedding and the conference were enough fun for one week.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you (hopefully!) next week!

Mike

https://mikemigas.com/

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