It is not all glam when it comes to making a TV show. The life of a star is complicated and tiring.
Just having a wee taste over the years with makeup and hair, memorizing lines, costume and set changes, I can honestly confirm it is a real job! Not everything that glitters is gold.
In fact most things are not as they seem to be on TV. Those poor actors primped and prepped, pulled in all different directions and super long exhausting days of filming trying to meet their deadlines! And it always seems shooting goes longer than expected.
Reality TV is unscripted television.
Yet there is still take after take, and a large pile of TV magic when sharing a real story. Make no mistake, it is work! Julia Roberts, if you are reading this, I honestly feel for you!
So why did we do reality TV the last time when we moved to Budapest? Especially if it is so tiring?
Well, we had something to share don’t we.
An idea of how to be happy.
A lifestyle that is not the norm.
Expats share a common set of experiences that rub off a little on other cultures through the people we meet along the way.
We change stereotypes, we break the mould of working 9-5:00 and some of us are revolutionizing the world by breaking free of the idea that we must work until retirement, saving our pennies until we are old so we can enjoy our slower years!
However, what if we never make it to retirement like my step-father, father-in-law and uncle? All died the year before retiring believing and looking forward to their rest after all those years of non-stop hard work!
I say what are we fricken waiting for? A wake up call, a disease, and serious accident to jolt you out of your zombie walk of a life.
We should be living our best lives today! Now. Not tomorrow!
Are you stuck on that treadmill too? Are you simply going through the motions of life but do not really go anywhere? Or maybe you can’t see the treadmill because you cannot even imagine a better life is out there waiting for you. Perhaps this has been your life for so long that you think that something is not quite right but you can’t put your finger on it.
Now is the time to live life!
Not tomorrow!
Not retirement!
Right this very second!
My message is simple. Search for happiness and make the most of your life in every waking moment of every single day, and everything will fall into place.
Go on start living your best life!
Striking that perfect balance between meeting your needs and fulfilling your wants is always hard.
I am not talking about things; cars, homes, nice furniture, iPhones; they all come and go. I am talking about maybe living on less but filling your life full of passions that make you grow towards a well-developed human being.
Perhaps you like to read, write, yoga, motorbike ride, golf, dance, music, make wine, tinker… Whatever your true passions are, make time for them, and your life will become richer.
And of course there is the other reason for reality TV…
We had a business to promote!
LivEnglish did particularly well in Hungary, not so much the homestay program, but the private lessons and the university preparation classes.
I am proud of creating work for ourselves and bringing this concept to Hungary while helping Hungary become more fluent. The stereotype of Hungarians learning new languages are terrible! I think we helped change that one student at a time!
Like all new ideas they take time to seed, for people to become familiar with the idea, to then understand and to educate them on the benefits.
Immersion is a simplistic idea. To take a Hungarian child between 10-18 years of age who is wishing to learn English, who probably has an English teacher learning grammar and vocabulary in their school, and help them become fluent without ever leaving their homeland.
Their teacher is most likely not an Anglophone. Perhaps they have a strong accent, they don’t actually speak the langauge during the lessons or maybe they are not able to speak English at all.
By placing these students into an anglophone family for 1-3 weeks, they naturally absorb their new langauge while taking part in everyday activities. The students learn everyday vocabulary in context whether they are making breakfast, setting the table, or watching a movie with their host family.
They students become part of the host family, participating in activities with the children which gives the students a friend during their stay.
The concept is popular and tested throughout the world! Hungary is one of the last to use immersion to advance language students.
And knowing Hungarians, the dream is to send their kids away when they are bigger to America, Canada, the UK, New Zealand or Australia to learn English perfectly without a harsh accent. Although that would be ideal, by the time the family feels the child is old enough to brave the flight, to make the trip alone, they could already be fluent without ever leaving the country! Now that’s something!
So what’s it like being on reality TV?
I guess we all want to be on TV. Since we were kids we watch in wonderment of the celebrities that walk the red carpet, that make their way in this world in front of everyone. Those actors that can’t leave their house without being bombarded by paparazzi.
I would never want that unless it was fame for being a writer or a fabulous teacher. Just being beautiful should not be enough, but our society says it is the most important thing to be hot and famous. What a crazy world we live in?
I am sure it would feels very weird when someone knows everything about you, that has read your stories online and you know nothing about them.
Would I do reality TV again? Not at my age! I’ll leave it to the young and beautiful people!
Happiness is contagious.
Pursuing happiness even more so!
