I write (well, not frequently) at both this blog and a substack. I’ve struggled to stay consistent with writing, because I feel a pressure to have my writing stay on one theme. The advice that’s often given to people trying to build an online following is that you should have an idea of the readers you want to reach, and try to keep your content relevant to them.
However, that’s been a challenge for me because I have a wide variety of interests. I’m a curious person, and I just like learning about things. So, today, I’m going to write about a few of the things that have been capturing my interest recently:
French-language YouTube
I have been learning French for a few years. As part of that, I’ve sought out French language media (including videos, podcasts and music) to give me exposure to the language.
Through that, I’ve learned that there is a lot of really cool French-language YouTube and music. I’ve known about GIMS and Aya Nakamura, but have recently started listening to Dystinct (who performs in Maghrebi Arabic, French and other languages).
On the YouTube side, I’ve been consistently impressed by ARTE, a German-French media company that produces a variety of fascinating documentaries that are available totally free, online. Here’s one I enjoyed about Tamil artists:
As I continue to click on French-language videos, my algorithm starts to show me more French language videos, like this one about Ryanair.
There are a host of other videos, some from Canada and some from or about Louisiana. Radio-Canada (Canada’s French-language public broadcaster) has a spin-off called Rad.ca that produces interesting content related to Canada.
Canada
I spent most of my childhood less than 2 hours from the Canadian border (in Western NY), and then spent 6 years (4 years of college, 2 years in Detroit) less than 2 hours from the Canadian border. I’ve spent most of my life in the Great Lakes Region, which is also shared with Canada (mostly the province of Ontario). Thus, they have much in common, culturally, with Ontario.
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, an iconic Great Lakes song, was written by Gordon Lightfoot, a Canadian.
I’ve also been fascinated by the fact that Canada has an entire province that speaks French, and the relationship between English Canada and French Canada. I’ve been to Montreal 4 times, and started learning French because of my fascination with Canada.
What I find most fascinating about Canada is its differences. Many Americans, particularly ones who grew up away from the border think that Canada is just like the US. But it is not, in a number of ways. It’s those differences that are interesting.
For example, many major highways, roads and landmarks have references to the British crown. One of the main highways from Buffalo to Toronto is called Queen Elizabeth Way.