How it all began
The story of why and how I moved abroad for the first time.
Do you have a story that you love to tell? For me, it’s the story of how Luke and I first got started living abroad.
I know it well. I’ve told it dozens of times, maybe more.
There’s a nostalgia that I cling to from those early years. When I tell stories from that time in my life, it takes me right back, back to the fluttery stomach, to the giddy feeling of what adventures we might get up to. Life was just beginning, so much lay ahead. I knew I was leaping into the darkness, and I had absolutely zero fear.
Last week, I had the privilege of telling my story on a podcast called Foreignish. Co-hosts Lexi and Erin have spent more than a decade living in Spain and are now chatting with people all over the world who have gone in search of “home” somewhere else.
If you haven’t heard it before, I hope you enjoy hearing about how it all began way back in 2008.
What I’m Reading
The Convenience Store by the Sea by Sonoko Machida. What a feel-good book! That is all I keep saying about this book. Each chapter left me with the warm and fuzzies. The book is about a convenience store and its far too lovable manager. In each chapter, we follow someone else’s story and learn how the convenience store and the people who frequent it are connected. It’s quirky, funny, a little silly in parts, but overall a very fun read.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. A coming-of-age story set in San Francisco in the 50s. Lily, the main character, wrestles with her identity as a young, gay woman in a Chinese-American family. I haven’t read a book in a while where I was rooting for the main characters so much. Fantastic, strong female characters throughout. I also learned a ton about San Francisco’s Chinatown, Chinese-American relations in the 50s, and post-WWII life in America. Although it’s YA, I thought it was well-written, interesting, and it’s banned in a few states, which always makes something more fun to read.
How to Support this Substack
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Until next time,
Laura