A Jamaican-American Expat in Cork, Ireland

Finding My Passion as a Voiceover Artist

2016-02-26T11:28:00.001+00:00

I've talked about my voiceover work here before, but thought I'd just pop this up here. It's an interview I just had as part of my favorite podcast, Two Fat Expats. This week's topic was on Expat Passions, finding and losing your passion on the expat trail.

Kirsty Rice interviewed me for Episode 18 of Season 2. The whole episode is great, but if your time is short, you can find my 8 minute segment starting at minute 30:00.

Hope you enjoy!

Expats Everywhere Do It

2013-10-26T12:35:00.001+01:00

If you're reading this and are not (yet) an expat, it probably stumps you a bit why there's so much complaining on our part about the countries we live in. It can seem ungrateful. Ugly American-ish (or British, whatever).

There's a bit of that, of course. The reality is that we're all used to doing things the way everyone else around us has done them for millenia, and finding out that millions of seemingly intelligent people do them completely differently, can make your brain explode just a little bit.

I've been guilty myself of a tad bit of complaining about Irish differences in the six years I've been here (remember, TV lies!), but here's evidence that it's all part and parcel of the expat experience. And it doesn't matter at ALL where you go, you're gonna wanna rip somebody's head off once in awhile. Even in lovely Sweden.

HGTV's House Hunters International in Cork

2013-09-30T13:11:00.000+01:00

Finally! I know it's taken a bit of time, but here is the HGTV House Hunters International episode ("Put a Cork In It!") featuring yours truly.

As a double bonus, you now know what I (kinda) look like -- I've gone natural since filming this, so my hair looks quite a bit different now. More on that in another post, I hope -- AND my true identity has been outed! No help for the latter, so gotta go with it. It probably means I'll be a bit less forthcoming with personal info, but then again I haven't been posting that much lately anyway, so six of one...

When Reality (TV) Isn't Really Real

2013-08-07T22:00:00.001+01:00

Bringing truth to the old saying that "what goes around, comes around", I've recently revisited some of my core experiences and feelings from when I first made the move from the U.S. (Raleigh, NC) here to Cork, Ireland. And, similar to the reasons for that first move, I did it for filthy lucre and the adventure of it all!

Some of you readers who'll be most interested in this ramble down memory lane will have searched out this blog in the 24 hours after having seen me last night on the American cable TV channel, HGTV's program, House Hunters International. Those of you who didn't catch it are going, "Whaaat? Why didn't you tell us you were going to be on TV?!" Because I was terrified, dammit!

Anyway, so here's the skinny. Involving both truth and lies. I've had a couple of shocked and questioning emails from new readers about how come my blog says I moved six years ago but my HHI episode last night, Put A Cork In It! (Season 56, Episode 3) said I just moved?

The truth is, reality TV is not 100% real! Are you surprised? Me too! Going through the experience of filming this episode in December 2012 (backstory with my sister and her family in Miami) and January 2013 (Cork scenes) showed me just how carefully crafted, tweaked, and re-rehearsed these shows are. By the time you've gone through your interviews over and over, saying the same thing in just slightly different ways, but all to the direction of the Director, and have filmed every scene with 4 or 5 different takes so the cameraman (person, but they were both actually men) can get reaction shots, alternate angles, and cutaways, every word of truth coming out of your mouth and every instinctive action or reaction feels... well, fake.

And then they take the 7 hours of filming the family backstory scene (just as the first example) and cut it down so much that the editing room floor is littered I tell you, littered! All the work! All that angst. All that slooowwwlllyyyyyy draining energy, all for 3 or 4 minutes of quick clips mixed up together, that somehow do give a glancing overview of the underlying reality of it all.

Did I love it? Yes and no. It was tiring, and made me feel just slight dirty for taking part in it at all. But, it was also LOADS of fun and really, really eye opening. The producer in London that I worked with and the crew in both locations were gold star professionals and, by the end of the day, we all were having a great time together. I tried not to make it too much work for them, and they... well, they made me work for it, but they did their jobs well. The proof in the pudding is that, despite my massive panic building up to the airing on HGTV last night, I didn't actually come off that bad. There were a lot of weird hand movements in the initial interviews - LOL, but the camera's extra 10 lbs were mostly hidden by my coat (excellent outfit choices, if I do say so myself) and I didn't come across as either too fake or a crazy person. You laugh, but this was my real worry. Hey, I said stop laughing!

In answer to the main email and blog comment question I've had: It was actually relatively easy for me to get on the show. As an (Jamaican) American expat who blogged about the experience for a good while, I actually rejected several invitations over the years to take part. And I'm not the only one who's ever got approached. I always thought that 1) you had to actually be in the the process of moving and 2) you had to be actually buying a "house". As has now been proved, neither of those are true. You just have to have a sort of interesting story and be relatively articulate. The bar isn't ridiculously high. In large part, I'd say, because they produce a huge number of episodes (at least one new one per weekday) and so are always in need of content.

To answer another question specific to non-US residents, the episode is only airing in the U.S. for now. Hulu has the show, but they're still months behind. The Travel Channel in the U.K. is currently airing episodes from August of 2012, so my episode might actually be showing this time next year. You'll be happy to hear though that I plan to upload the DVD copy to YouTube once I get it in my hot little hands a few weeks from now, so you can be on the lookout for that.

Ok, that's it, that's pretty much the relevant parts of the story. Except to say a heartfelt (truly and deeply) thanks to all the strangers who have ~~stalked~~ researched me and sent really very sweet emails saying how much they loved the episode and my story. I'm more touched than I expected to be. Thank you.

Edited Note 8/10/13: I realize I never actually answered the burning question... yes, I was already living in Cork, and in my apartment, when we filmed the episode. They did it as a (silent) retrospective of my experience. A mover emptied out my apartment so they could film it as one of the 3 choices. Weird, but that's how they roll. All that stuff about visiting my family in Miami and shopping for Jamaican food really happened right before I left the U.S. 6 years ago. They just recreated it ;) About the Cork scenes, I'd already visited Blarney Castle several times and kissed it once during a flying visit 20+ years ago. I was made to kiss it 4 more times during filming takes! The cooking lesson scene with my friend, Margaret, who owns www.umnumnum.ie (a catering and cooking school), was a first for me, but so much fun! I never knew soda bread was that easy to make. It was yummy, too.

The Amazing Woman

2012-11-17T01:45:00.000+00:00

The Chiney Shop

2012-09-02T11:45:00.001+01:00

Thanks to my dad for sending me the link to this video, an interview with Jeanette Kong on her documentary "The Chiney Shop". I may not remember any specific chiney shops in Jamaica itself (too young when I left), but I still find myself gravitating to the local "Asian store" -- I'm more posh these days :) -- for anything out of the ordinary, whether in America or here in Ireland.

Great video about a key part of the Jamaican experience that very few non-Jamaicans know about. "Out Of Many, One People" indeed!

The Fastest Man In The World

2012-08-06T00:30:00.000+01:00

There's absolutely no doubt. Could there be? In the 100 meter dash finals of the 2012 Olympic games in London, Usain Bolt proved again tonight that, even when everything doesn't go perfectly, he still can blow everyone else out of the water!

And let's not forget Yohan Blake's stellar performance as well. Sadly, Asafa Powell didn't get to show his chops in the final, robbing Jamaica of the perfect 1, 2, 3. But still...

... how proud am I of our boys tonight?!

*Nice present for Jamaica's 50th Independence celebration tomorrow, don't you think? :)

Beautiful Yearning

2012-07-18T14:19:00.001+01:00

So I wait for you like a lonely house / till you will see me again and live in me. Till then my windows ache.
- Pablo Neruda, Sonnet LXV

Gotta Get It Wherever You Find It!

2012-06-14T00:32:00.002+01:00

Sun, Wine, and The Long Holiday Weekend

2012-06-01T21:30:00.000+01:00

Sun shining, patio door wide open to the city skyline. Nine pm and the start of the long, holiday weekend. Summer in Ireland, and the living is good! Can you spot the glass of wine?

Being A Good Person Is Not Always Easy, But It Is Relatively Straightforward

2012-05-12T01:49:00.002+01:00

I've recently become addicted to a new blogger, Dan Pearce, who writes Single Dad Laughing. His posts are often insightful, challenging, thought provoking and convicting. And, always passionate.

The comments by his readers even more so. Having come across his 2010 post on childhood bullying, one of his commenters shared the following Holocaust quote that just really stuck with me.

Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shalt not be a bystander. ― Yehuda Bauer

It's that simple.

Yours Truly Lends Her Voiceover to World Food Programme PSA video

2012-03-21T02:23:00.000+00:00

Myself and 9 other voiceover artists lent our voices to this PSA on behalf of VoiceOver East Africa's 2011-2012 campaign for the crisis in the Horn of Africa.

*Listen for me as the 3rd voice in!

A Good Laugh For A Monday

2012-03-12T21:13:00.000+00:00

We're Number Two!

2012-03-09T13:08:00.000+00:00

National Geographic lists Jamaica's national dish, Ackee and Saltfish (yum!) as number 2 on its Top Ten National Dishes list! Second only to the U.S. hamburger, in their opinion. I would venture to disagree!

Beautiful Language

2012-02-22T22:55:00.000+00:00

I just came across this list of the ten most beautiful words in the English language, as proposed by the writer, Wilfred J. Funk, in 1932.

Melody
Golden
Chimes
Luminous
Mist
Tranquil
Murmuring
Lullaby
Hush
Dawn

Just reading them out loud brings such a feeling of calm and peace. One that I think is missing from the list though is "Grace".

What would be on your list?

My Mirror

2012-02-10T13:34:00.000+00:00

Sister. She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child.
- Barbara Alpert

Way Back Home

2011-11-24T20:44:00.000+00:00

I love Scotland. I love nature, open views, vistas... evocative music and excellent storytelling. I am not an extreme sports enthusiast, not any more than the average person anyway. But this film is simply breathtaking and left me speechless.

What Are The Hardest Languages To Learn

2011-11-14T11:44:00.000+00:00

Some real surprises here. I would never have thought of Dutch or Norwegian as easy languages to learn. Italian though, definitely!

What do you think?

Friday Pearls

2011-02-12T00:44:00.000+00:00

Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of its trouble, attempts what is above its strength, pleads no excuse for impossibility, for it thinks all things are lawful for itself and all things are possible.
- Thomas a Kempis, 1380-1471, German Catholic monk and probable author of The Imitation of Christ (Source: Criminal Minds, Series 6 - Devil's Night)

Dark and Distasteful

2011-02-09T21:33:00.000+00:00

I've just finished the last page of the new book by Audrey Niffenegger, Her Fearful Symmetry. Her debut novel, The Time Traveler's Wife, was moving, sad and ultimately engaging.

This one kept me reading from start to finish all in one big gulp. But the end result was starkly different. Frankly, it creeped me out. It's billed as "dark and delicious" on the cover, but the truth is I ended up actively disliking all four main characters and feeling uncomfortably unsettled by the whole thing. It's one thing to finish a book thinking, "it didn't have to end that way", it's another not to have any sympathy at all for anyone but a secondary, prop character.

Now I wish I hadn't blown 11 euro on the darn thing.

Death, Be Not Proud - Emma Thompson in Wit (2001)

2011-02-06T16:29:00.000+00:00

I've watched this movie twice in the last 24 hours. It's not funny and sweet, like I prefer my entertainment most of the time. Nor even because recent events in my life have brought home to me, again, just how fragile the people in our lives are.

But, because Emma Thompson and HBO have crafted in "Wit" (based on the Margaret Edson play), an unsparing, wrenching, true, and ultimately beautiful portrait of death and dying. I couldn't look away.

The poetry of John Donne is literally (hah!) another character in the movie. In the last scene, showed here, Emma's character recites again "Death, be not proud" in the way I will always from here on hear it in my head.

Death be not proud though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe,
For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee.
Thou’art slave to Fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better than thy stroake; why swell’st thou then?
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more, Death thou shalt die.
by John Donne (1572-1631)

YouTube's Ad of the Year 2010 - LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

2010-11-30T21:07:00.001+00:00

EU Overlords, Welcome to North Carolina!

2010-11-16T11:33:00.000+00:00

I KNEW I made the right decision when I moved here to Ireland from North Carolina. Now even economists are telling me I was right :-)

OK, so the economy here is in disarray and we're all (by this I mean ME) panicked that our salaries are going to get dumped in the toilet, but here is somebody saying not only that some of the basics of the economy are actually quite strong, but that Ireland is North Carolina's sister state.

I knew it all along!

Independent Faith, Civility, and Wearing the Purple

2010-10-21T23:17:00.000+01:00

The God's Politics Blog is one of my go to reads every week. Jim Wallis' Sojourner's organization is a voice representing Christians from all different traditions; its mission is to articulate the biblical call for social justice independent of any particular political affiliation. Civility, not partisan politics. Really, who can argue with that?

Wallis' most recent blog post is on a topic that's been very much in the news lately. Christians and Bullying: Standing with Gays and Lesbians tries to take a Christ-like approach to a divisive issue. The point is well taken... no matter how much disagreement there might be on an issue, no matter how deeply felt, there is no Christian justification for disrespect, tearing someone down or violence.

And to go another necessary step further, "to paraphrase Christ, if you oppose bullying, what reward will you get? Isn’t everybody against it?.... The fact that any community or group of people is regularly the target of harassment and hate means Christians should be on the front line of defense against any who would attack." We should be standing with the vulnerable in our society, whoever they are, not just looking on and shaking our heads at their plight.

Friday Pearls

2010-10-15T09:01:00.001+01:00

For hatred is corrosive of a person’s wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life-and-death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity. I hope therefore … to counter the hostility of the regime with the best of intentions, and defuse hate with love.
- Liu Xiaobo, a literature professor, essayist, human rights activist and Chinese political prisoner, awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. (Source: Los Angeles Times)