New Blog!

If you've enjoyed reading about my experiences in Tanzania here, check out the new blog I've started on Wordpress as of November, 2017. It's called "Back to Tanzania" and you can read it here. All new adventures in Tanzania from an older, wiser, more experienced expat.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Blogging Award or Chain Letter?



Thank you and Merry Christmas to Caroline over at Asia Vu for giving me the Liebster Blog award. According to Caroline, who appears to be quite the language enthusiast, "Liebster Blog" is German for, roughly, dearest or sweetest or a very special blog. It's also like a chain letter. You know, when you get an email from a friend saying how much they love you, and that you must forward the email to five other friends in order to assure a run of good luck Sometimes they even promise money. 
I never forward chain letters, but it's so nice to receive this compliment from Caroline that I'm considering it to be truly an award that only slightly resembles a chain letter. She didn't promise me money after all.

The award is given to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. It has these stipulations:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you. 
2. Reveal your 5 blogger picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog. 
4. Hope that the people you have sent the award to will forward it to their favorite bloggers.


Asia Vu is the chronicle of Caroline and her family's life as expats in South Korea. It was her post about visiting the National Museum of Chicken Art that really hooked me. I always enjoy hearing about the quirky things. Plus, this Korean museum had a Navajo-carved chicken, which Caroline featured in her blog. Just a few weeks before, I had  bought my own Navajo chicken in Arizona. I took that as a sign that Caroline and I are on the same odd wavelength. It's a funny blog. She can tell a good joke about the difficult parts of expat life.



It's really hard to pick just five blogs. Some of my favorites have more than 200 followers, so they're out. And they don't need any help from me in getting more readers, anyway. And some of my other favorites may not care about getting an award or about getting more readers, but I'm going to go ahead and pick them, anyway. They can always be the one to break the chain.

1.  Not Enough Mud.   Mud, a British woman, works in and visits many exotic locales. This blog leaves me waiting with bated breath to see what will happen next. Will the bus crash on Timor? Will the buried mine explode in Sri Lanka? What does a Scotsman wear under his kilt? Her writing and her photos are both beautiful. My only complaint is that, since she took a job removing old landmines, she's apparently too busy to post as often as I would like (which would be about twice a week). How can you not love a writer who nicknames a hot Swedish backpacker "Scandi Candy"? I am right now waiting with bated breath to see if anything will develop with Scandi....

2.  One Stoned Crow. One Stoned Crow does a lot of driving in remote parts of Namibia. It seems to be connected with his job, but I don't know what that might be from reading the blog. He posts the most amazing photos of the beautiful desert landscapes and provides a bit of history and commentary. After reading his blog for a few months, I feel that I absolutely must see Namibia. Hey, and maybe Botswana, too, since they're so close together.

3.  My Life a Bit South of Normal. AC vents about her southern family in a loving, hilarious way. For readers outside America, let me just say that the American South has its own distinct sub-culture. I had no idea how complicated that sub-culture was until I found this funny blog. AC is also a fabulous photographer. She doesn't often post photos in her blog, but you can link to them from there. Although she did post a photo of her new puppy when I requested it in the comments. She broke away from the South in a recent series of fascinating posts about her visit to Cuba.

4.  Africa, My Africa.  Robyn, a Scottish woman teaches school in Nairobi, Kenya. When I found this blog, she was teaching in Uganda. With her transfer, the reader gets a taste of what it's like to settle into a new job and home in an African country. I think of this blog as what my experience in Tanzania might have been like if I'd gone there for a job instead of for a man. Easier in some ways. Harder in others.

5.  In Veracruz. Leah, a young American woman married a Mexican man and moved to Veracruz. And then up into the mountains to Xico. I love Mexico and for years have entertained the fantasy of living there. This blog lets me indulge that fantasy. Leah's been posting less often lately, because she's pregnant and had morning sickness and is back in America for awhile. But I can't wait to read about raising a baby in Xico.


So, thank you, Caroline, for the award and for reading my blog and commenting so often. And thank you for providing me with an entertaining blog to read.  

Merry Christmas, everyone everywhere! And to K2, climbing somewhere on Kilimanjaro tonight.





10 comments:

  1. Barbara, I am honored, and I will continue on with the Liebster Blog Tradition. It may take me a while to make my selections. This was a wonderful Christmas surprise. (Santa was up early filling stockings. However "he" forgot that goodies in crinkly bags and curious pups in their crates who sleep lightly don't make for quick and silent work. (The guys from "Prep and Landing" did not do their job - guess they work with the Housekeeping Fairy.) But I digress.)

    Have a wonderful Christmas. Ann Currie

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  2. AC, when I went to leave the award comment on your blog, I was almost distracted away from my comment because I was laughing so hard about the puppy unwinding the garland from the mantel. And now I'm laughing again! Merry Xmas to you and all the dogs and your DH! Oh, and the tortoises in the backyard!

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  3. Thanks Barbara! New Year's resolution must be to write more and stop being so lazy!

    Off to see Scandi-Candy on Thursday....wish me luck!

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  4. Mud, Good luck!!! Have fun! Eagerly awaiting the next post....

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  5. Barb - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you! Carol

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  6. Merry Christmas to you, Carol! I hope you have a great ski season!

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  7. Thanks so much for the recognition on your blog Barbara - I appreciate your kind words.

    I wish you everything of the best for 2012 and hope that some of your dreams will come true - perhaps we'll see you back in Africa soon?

    regards

    graham

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  8. Graham, I hope so! Maybe in March.

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  9. Thanks again for the sweet award. I will pass it on as soon as I am up for blogging!

    Just so you know, I moved to Kenya for a man too...the 'African Adventurer'-he is mentioned in passing...but my heart was broken and taking a while to mend. That is life. But here I am in Kenya, a new home, for a while at least, single.

    x

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  10. Robyn, I must have missed a post or two while moving from Tanzania to the U.S. Sorry for your broken heart, and I hope that Kenya will be enough of an adventure to outweigh that.

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