Wednesday 17 September 2014

the liebster award

My friend Hayley recently nominated me for the Liebster award. This is an award bloggers can give to other bloggers that have a small readership and they think other people would find interesting. It is kind of like a chain letter, but a nice way to learn more about people and spread great blogs.

liebster2


So thanks Hayley! Sometimes it´s still a surprise anyone reads this.

Hayley is a kiwi living in Italy. You can read more about her adventures here.

The rules vary but I´m going to roughly go with the same ones.

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog.

2. Answer the 10 questions you have been asked.

3. Nominate your 10 favourite blogs (I´m going with 5) with a readership of less than 1000, to also receive this award.

4. Create a new set of 10 questions for them to answer.

5. Share these rules.

6. Notify the blogs you have nominated with a link to your post on their blog.

My answers:

1. Why do you blog?

I blog to give order to my thoughts. I've often found myself writing pieces in my head, so it makes sense to write them out for real. I also like to give words to the pictures I take, and have somewhere to put them other than Facebook. Plus I forget things later but I have put them in my blog. I enjoy reliving the stories of my travels even if no one else does!

2. Why do you live where you live?

I sort of live in Scotland right now. I have a job there, at least for 8 more weeks, so I suppose that counts! I'm not sure when or why the idea of moving to the UK became this fixture in my mind, but I know it was there throughout uni. I always explained it as my gateway to Europe, which has been pretty spot on. I chose Edinburgh and Scotland because the only other place I considered and dismissed was London (too busy, big, and full of people I already knew!), my family history is Scottish and I'm sentimental, and I had one friend there to not make it too hard on myself.

3. What is the most interesting thing you’ve done today?

I've been writing this in my iPhone notes over a couple of days, but as I write this I'm on an airport bus in Athens heading to Rome! (I´m posting it from a hostel in Granada, where they are cooking delicious paella for dinner!)

4. If you were to complete a ‘do something every day for one month/three months/one year’ challenge, what would you do?

This is really hard. I'd like to say exercise, or write.

5. What is your favourite news website?

Stuff.co.nz. It tells me what I need to know and a bunch of random other things I don't.

6. If you had to audition for American idol, what would you sing?

Ooooh tough one again. I love these kind of shows but can't actually sing. Maybe an Ed Sheeran song, I´m obsessed).

7. What has been your best travel experience?

People. I can't pin it down to a place it an activity because there is too much that has been amazing and it's truly impossible to pit one against another. But central in all of my best travel times have been the people I'm with and the people I've met. They can make the most mundane thing amazing, and they can change your life.

8. If you had one day to spend in any city, which would it be and what would you do?

Wellington. I say this because my list of places I want to go is far too long to rank and same with the places id love to visit again. I haven't been home in 3 years this December, and I would love to stroll along the waterfront from the railway station around to oriental bay, and wander up Cuba street. I'm sure it's changed and id like to see how, but also to visit old favourite haunts that are still around.

9. What do you think is the most over-hyped destination?

Let me preface it by saying it's not that I don't think it's a great place to visit and that I had a bad time. Far from it. More that it maybe wasn't quite what I expected.

It is probably Dubrovnik. I visited there after spending a few unexpectedly great days in Split, then sailing into tiny ports along the Dalmatian Coast. Dubrovnik in comparison was busy and touristy, and bigger than I expected. It also rained. Which is generally fine but maybe if I had of been able to swim off the bar outside the walls I might have had a different opinion!

10. Final question – pick one of the questions I was asked and give a better answer - When did you first catch this wonderful illness that is called wanderlust?

I loved the road trips we took around the country as a child. New places and new things to do, it´s like getting a glimpse of and sometimes living multiple lives. This was cemented when I moved to the USA on an AFS exchange at 16.

My nominees are:

www.spikybombshell.com - Kim's blog is informative and inspirational. I love reading her journey and the heart and soul she puts into it. You can read Kim's blog and know who she is.

www.theteacupmuse.com - I like Hollie's blog because she touches on interesting and current topics that I might never have considered. I've never seen it come up and not wanted to read about a topic because they usually relate to me in some way. Especially blog tips!

www.franchescawalker.com - I feel like Franchesca gives a voice to a lot of the things I think about as a twenty something not entirely sure on what I'm doing and not living in my home country. I also find the posts involving Maori issues interesting as a New Zealander of European descent who isn't exposed to that side of our culture as much as I would like to be.

www.picspintsandshenanigans.wordpress.com - Phil's blog lets me relive my Asia travels vicariously, and think about future trips! Firstly he takes awesome photos, much better than my iPhone attempts. His style is also how I have been told writing should be, the way you talk and in your own voice. He has a distinctly English way of writing that make his entries funny and interesting while still informative.

www.emilymillarphotography.tumblr.com - I love Emily's blog because I love her work. She has an eye for taking amazing photos and I love the way she uses light. Emily has beautiful and creative work that deserves to be seen!

My questions for you guys:

1. Why do you blog?

2. What was the hardest and easiest thing about moving to a different city/country?

3. What is something you learned recently?

4. What's a favourite childhood memory?

5. Who are your influences (in whatever)?

6. What book is your favourite/would you most recommend?

7. What is your dream job?

8. Where did you see yourself 5 years ago?

9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

10. Pick one of the questions I was asked and answer it!

I hope if you read this you check out some of these great blogs!

x

1 comment:

  1. awesome reading, I will now check out these other blogs that sound very interesting :)

    ReplyDelete