Introductions

For a first post, I thought it best to do something of an introduction. Well, as it says above, my name is Andrew and I wanted to write this blog to document my journey. This was no ordinary trip down the road or on holiday. This was a mental journey to get myself in the right frame of mind to make a life-changing move. But I also want to pay some small attention to the physical trip itself.

Just to give some background on me, I have more than fifteen years of work experience in sales, marketing, administration and management. I hold a diploma in marketing and several certificates in computer technology and software. However, these, to my mind now, were just jobs. Things to give me experience along the road of life. I lost my last job in February 2010 and since then, I have been gearing up to starting my new life and career. Almost a year after that horrible moment when the boss said “We have to let you go”, I finally made that move.

I emigrated to France in February 2011 to work alongside my parents who made the move in 2004. They run a small Bed and Breakfast business with a café/restaurant in a peaceful but historic village in the South of France. Since food and wine is one of my passions, and have been cooking since I was a child, it made sense to combine work and passion and make the move. Although I am not a qualified chef, since moving here I have received many compliments about my cooking and knowledge of wines.

While part of my work is in the kitchen or giving wine tastings to guests, another part of my work is in the development and advancement of marketing the business. This is nothing more than using my skills and experience in marketing and social media to give the business the exposure it deserves. And, no doubt there will be other exciting developments along the way!

But back to the journey. It took a lot for me to make this move, and I should admit that sometimes I still wonder what might have been. Or if there will be something else along my path. But the truth is, I had no choice but to move away from Ireland. Given the current difficulties in that country, there were no jobs available for me. It took almost a year of trying to make the decision and come to the realisation that there was little to no future in Ireland for me.

In writing the blog, I hope that I will be able to document, and perhaps even rationalise my feelings and thoughts on the move. I plan to write about the way the Social Welfare system works in Ireland and my experiences of it. Sometimes, I might also delve into some personal items, such as my past, childhood, and events that helped to shape the man I am today. Some of these were hugely happy for me, but others were devastatingly sad too, including the death of someone I loved at the end of 2010.

I hope you will enjoy reading about my exploits, both recent and distant past. Hopefully you will laugh sometimes, or find my words inspiring or helpful. Maybe you will even cry from the sad times. I look forward to telling the tale of My Journey!

Andrew