[Jonty] When I was a kid, I would love the evenings where my dad would take out the family video tapes. We would gather the box of VHS-C tapes, each tape like a thicker version of an audio cassette (if you even know what those were!) and sift through the labels to see which video we would like to watch. Some of the labels had a previous holiday or afternoon walk crossed off and the fresh title of the newly recorded footage was written next to it. My sisters and I would take it in turns to put it into the VHS adapter and I loved watching the mechanics move the tape – adding to the magic of the whole experience. We would wait in anticipation as we re-wound the videos to be able to watch from the beginning, and then, the show would start. I loved re-living the memories and was transported to a different time:  a trip to Australia when I was just 2 years old, running towards the sea, away from my heavily pregnant mother who frantically chased me while my Pa just giggled while filming; video diaries of a family of coots on the river Thames where we would go for walks every weekend; family holidays around the UK; our old cat Tigger and the many dodgy haircuts and outfits of the 80s and early 90s. So when we became parents we decided that, while we love photos and still take them regularly, we were going video as much as possible.

We have loved video documenting our holidays and memories and now that our children are slightly older (4 and 6) they love watching their home videos and it has made past occasions into current memories for them. They have their favourites: Milo loves holidays with cousins and Aspen loves any video with her-baby-self in them.

So we decided we will share our Singapore adventure and I guess, our lives, with you via YouTube. We hope that our content will be interesting and fun to watch, that it will show our “Finders Keepers” moments – the great moments found and the memories kept. We hope that it will also show a real side to our lives and our experiences, the highs and lows of relocation and the reality of family dynamics. Perhaps it will help people who are thinking about relocating, maybe it will inspire other families to have a go at travelling and moving abroad for a season. Whatever it might be, I hope that when you receive a notification that WONDERLUST has uploaded a new video, you will perhaps share a bit of the excitement I used to get looking at those old family videos as a kid.

After seeing a few expat and travel vloggers make different videos to varying degrees of success, we decided we would make a start with weekly vlogs too. They will show the highs and lows of our experiences as expats, from now (2 months from departure) til whenever we stop making videos! We will also be showing you the places we visit, the cultures we experience and the people we encounter. We noticed there weren’t a lot of vloggers discussing thoughts behind relocating or working abroad and so we decided to start now – before we move away, so that you can share the whole experience with us too.

So we jotted down our thoughts for content and then decided which day to film. It didn’t start all that well though… I was in a slightly off mood due to lack of sleep and general lockdown restrictions and Millie was busy with some other stuff that day and didn’t quite feel ready to make a start… but we got over it together – as we always do. We set up a microphone, a camera and hit record. Seventeen minutes of chit chat, laughter and an awkward nose-pick (I’ll let you decide who!), whittled down to an 11 minute vlog of us (hopefully interestingly!) discussing why we have decided on Singapore as our new home.

The video drops tonight at midnight on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zBESq-its2Q

Do leave us comments on YouTube on what you would like to hear from us, whether you liked our videos and any other feedback that may be helpful!