Tag Archives: Study Abroad

Abroad Blog of the Week: Turkish Musings

I started following Hayley from Turkish Musings almost four months ago when she was just in the process of preparing for her semester in Ankara. As a study abroad advisor, I can say from experience that Hayley put a lot more time into preparing than most. She debated whether she would wear a headscarf, started learning Turkish on her own, and even got a pen pal. Hayley is now in her fourth week in Ankara and though she’s had her ups and downs, her research and preparation have definitely paid off. Her posts are now filled with her stories in which Hayley has a way of making you feel like you’re traveling with her. For the next four months, she has officially given up Lake Michigan and figure skating (she’s an official for USFS) for the Mediterranean and exploring the history and culture of Turkey. I was able to catch up with Hayley this week to learn more about Turkish Musings and her first few weeks in Ankara.

Your very first post was actually not written by you. How did Turkish Musings get started?

Oh, I forgot about that one! Yes, my friend started my blog for me and she wrote the first post as a type of “friendship love letter.” I keep it because it reminds me of the primary audience I write this blog for: my friends and family back home. After I found out that I was accepted to study abroad at Middle East Technical University, I told everyone that I was going to create a blog to keep in touch with them. But for me, the study abroad process started several months before I arrived in Ankara; I began researching about Turkish and Muslim history and culture and bounced my thoughts, ideas, fears, and goals off my friends. They suggested that I start a blog as soon as possible to share my ideas but I was wary because, really, who wants to read a study abroad blog when the person isn’t even abroad yet? Finally Elizabeth, who I think was sick of my silly excuses, started Turkish Musings and wrote the first post. It jump-started by blogging; I edited some drafts I had been working on, posted a couple posts, received positive feedback from friends and strangers….and here I am right now!

Now that you’ve been in Turkey for a few weeks, what have you found the most surprising?

This is going to sound silly, but everyone back home told me to look out for Turkish boys because they love blonde girls. But actually, no guy seems to be interested in me–which is awesome because it was never my goal to “find love” or anything like that while I’m here. From what I’ve observed, 1) Most of the people on campus are already in a relationship, and Turkish men are loyal to their women; and 2) If a Turkish guy is looking for a foreign girl, he is first-and-foremost looking for a Russian or Ukrainian. Don’t know why, but that’s what I’ve noticed so far here. I would say guys seem more interested in me in the more touristy parts of Turkey (such as Alanya), but at least I’m safe in the capital!

A second surprising thing is that despite being in a Muslim country, I have yet to see anyone pray during the day. I have noticed several mosques in the city and I hear the call to prayer on campus (in fact the sundown one is going on as I type this), but Turkey is truly secular in that the work day continues and you can’t deter from it!

At this point, how would you spend a free day in Ankara?

First-and-foremost I would visit a mosque because I have yet to get to one. The largest mosque in Ankara is the Kocatepe Mosque and I’ve heard that it’s worth seeing. I would grab some lunch at a little restaurant (none in particular, there are so many and they’re all good!) and accompany the food with çay (Turkish tea). From there I would go to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations for a few hours–by myself–and take my time going through the exhibits. Even though I went there with the orientation group, we only had 45 minutes and that is not near enough time for a place like that! Shopping would be next; I’d probably start to buy little gifts as Christmas presents for my friends back home (because it’s never too early to shop for Christmas). Finally, I would venture to Kızılay, Ankara’s downtown, with friends and finish off the evening in a cafe with İskander (a meat, bread, and tomato sauce dish that is to die for), live music, good company, and nargile (Turkish water pipe). 🙂

How are you feeling being away from ice skating?

Being away from skating is somewhat like a double-edged sword. On the one hand it pains me to be gone from my skating family (i.e., other USFS officials) because they have been a formidable part of my life since I was fourteen. Yet I know that in leaving them, if only for a few months, I will come back with my own travel stories and evolving perspective on life which will make me a better-rounded official of U.S. Figure Skating. And actually, a few of my peers will be on a Mediterranean cruise this fall and will be in Izmir in early November for a day. I’m currently researching the possibility of me meeting them there–hopefully I can make it work!

What did you do that helped you best prepare for your semester in Ankara?

One of the things I did extensively over the summer was listen to Turkish music and watch Turkish movies. I played music constantly during my commutes in the car–probably much to the chagrin of my friends and family. Basically, I found find several songs and artists that sounded cool, found the lyrics to them (and if possible, the English translation) and listened to them….over and over and over. This helped me learn how to pronounce the letters of the Turkish alphabet, learn the inflections and emphasis of longer words, and it helped familiarize my brain with Turkish in general. Even though I didn’t know the meaning of the words, by the end of the summer I could sing along with many of the songs. And now that I’m attempting to learn Turkish here, I can concentrate more on vocabulary and phrases than on my pronunciation.

Hayley, thanks for the great interview!

Abroad Blog of the Week: Lauren Livingston

1 Reply

Well, dear readers, I am finally back in OKC after a week in Georgia and happy to bring you another great Abroad Blog of the Week. I found Lauren Livingston’s blog a few weeks ago while searching through the study abroad tags. Amongst the many blogs from Spain and Italy, Lauren stood out. In my six years of working with study abroad students, I personally have never sent anyone to Indonesia so I was fascinated to read about Lauren’s experience. It wasn’t long before I realized that she has a great writing style and quite the adventurous spirit. I caught up with Lauren via email to find out what brought her to Bali.

How did you decide to study abroad in Indonesia?

Sophomore year I discovered SIT (School for International Training), clicked through their website and optional programs, and thought their hands-on approach, in-depth language concentration, and field study requirement clicked with my idea of how students should learn in an international setting.

SIT’s Indonesia program is centered around art, religion, and culture. All of which I knew relatively little about. Religion and its influence on society has always been a huge curiosity of mine, but to be honest, my knowledge of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and even Christianity was(is) sparse. I also enjoyed the idea of learning about Southeast Asian art and music and was upset by how ignorant I was of Indonesia’s culture- a society consisting of around 220 million people. As I read the program’s description and researched the country and region, I knew Bali and Indonesia involved a complicated history and culture that I wanted to know and learn more about. So I applied, and here I am.

What are you reading right now?

I just finished Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom which follows the progression and ups and downs of a fictional, middle class American family. Within the novel, Franzen highlights “freedom” as a term that has ongoing consequences for humanity and the world as a whole. It was interesting to read about American family dilemmas while experiencing and adapting to the family structure in Bali.

I read Freedom because of a book exchange a friend and I had started. Over the summer, we would write reviews on books and mail them to each other. One of the questions he asked was what conclusion did Franzen draw on the idea of kids inheriting characteristics from their parents. Are we in a constant cycle of inheritance, and, if so, what traits are inherited?

I’m starting to believe that our identity is not necessarily formed through characteristics or traits we inherit, but in what we, as individuals, believe we have the capability to do with those inherited characteristics. Our own perceived capabilities and aspirations as human beings develop out of a cultural context, and our family is just a bi product of that culture.

Currently Reading:

Course required readings mostly on religion in Indonesia

The Bhagavad-Gita Barbara Stoler Miller’s translation

What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains: The Shallows by Nicholas Carr-I’ve seen a few of the author’s talks online, and it was on the summer reading list for my university.

How is the Balinese language coming along?

For our first week in Bali, we practiced Bahasa Indonesian five hours a day. We learned everything from the alphabet to the Happy Birthday song. I acquired more of the language in that one week than I have in the three weeks that have followed. Now we’ve moved to 2.5 hours of class, four days a week. I find myself forgetting a lot, and I know if I want to get better I have to start memorizing outside of class. It’s hard to do when there’s so much more out there to explore.

Speaking with my host family has been fun. We can talk about daily activities, poke fun at each other, and bond over food, but it’s definitely Indoglish. My goal is to be conversational to the point I can communicate easily with the village kids, my bargaining skills are perfected, and I understand the local bemo drivers.

So far, what do you love and what challenges you about Balinese culture and traditions?

There’s so much to love about studying in Indonesia-the people, the villages, the weather, the religion, my classmates, our adventures, I could go on and on. In Bali, for the most part, the way of life is deeply rooted in the makeup of the family and Hindu traditions. Bali has taught me how meaningful family support and love is. I find I often take for granted my family in the States and fail to make an effort to spend time with them. Being here has shown me how incredibly important they are to me, and I appreciate that.

Of course the language is a huge set back. It’s hard to talk about ideas and compare thoughts with another culture when you have such a barrier as language. After being in Bali, I desperately long to study and to know other languages. Language is the first step in getting to know someone and their feelings. If you can’t grasp the emotion in their speech, you cannot connect with them and understand who they are. I’m not only talking about spoken language, but body language and mannerisms as well.

It can also be difficult to get away from the Western, American stereotype, but that’s an aspect of traveling and living in other cultures one has to understand. People are welcoming as long as you respect them and their beliefs. As an international student I can offer them a new perspective while also gaining their insights and beliefs as well. It’s an amazing collaboration I am so thankful to be a part of.

It seems you don’t know a stranger. How do you like to start up conversations with the people you meet on your travels?

When I think back about past travels, it’s definitely been the people I’ve met who made the trip versus the places I went.

Meeting people, sharing experiences, and life stories is the absolute best reward I’ve gained from traveling. Being open to having a random conversation with anyone you walk by can lead to so many fun and interesting interactions, and you can talk about anything-food, pop culture, religion, life.

I’ve found, in Indonesia, it’s quite easy to talk to locals if you’re enthusiastic about practicing the language. They are very excited when you speak their language and they start asking questions. From there, the conversations can go in any direction.

Abroad Blog of the Week: Suitcase on the Sidewalk

How did you choose your study abroad locations?

I can’t really take credit for choosing India; the Rotary program that I was selected for reserves the right to send you whenever they want or need to. They asked me where I wanted to go and I said, “Anywhere, as long as you send me!” My flexibility landed me a spot in the program, and was I eventually given a few choices off the beaten path. I picked India for the culture, for a taste of the exotic, but where I could still speak English. (That part wasn’t so adventurous.)

As for my college study abroad locations, I still wanted to pick places that were less common, that I knew less about. All the places I am studying have a campus for my college, so it feels a little like cheating. Language and classes have played a huge part in where I chose to go. For Ghana, it had a lot of classes I wanted- a fine arts minor, some post-colonial studies classes, and it was a chance to see some of Africa. Argentina was a chance to explore South America, and to work on my Spanish. I’ll be heading to Prague next semester, and I am actually following a specific teacher there, but there is some language flexibility and the chance of exploring Europe. I have friends in Germany and Hungary I am hoping to visit!

Now that you’re in your third country, has the adjustment process gotten easier for you?

The adjustment is definitely less stressful, though it’s exhausting and scary every time I get on a place.  I’m luck that my friends and family are used to me traveling, and so I don’t need to email or skype all the time.

The best part of having some experience is knowing how to manage my time and my resources, so I don’t feel as overwhelmed my first few weeks. I have a more clear sense of my priorities- for me, going out to party is less important than traveling and exploring my new home.  I do some research and pre-plan some things I want to do, which I think isn’t as common but helps me feel grounded.

I’ve also seen my fair share of travel disasters- pick-pocketing and getting lost and being lost in translation- and I am still here to tell the tale.  That gives me a lot of confidence, even though sometimes I have no idea what I am doing!

From your post on 5 things to remember when studying abroad, what is the most difficult for you?

Never say no! A dear friend from Rotary gave me that mantra and it has always served me well. But I still sometimes find myself not buying a sandwich because I’m nervous to order in Spanish, or something equally squeamish. The golden rule of study abroad is really “what you give is what you get,” and if all you give is “no,” you’ll find yourself only receiving “no” in return. Saying ‘yes!” can be scary but I very rarely regret it- instead I end up with better experiences, better memories, and a better education in the cultural exchange.

How do you maintain relationships from home, India, and Ghana?

It’s not easy. I had to make a resolution that I wouldn’t let the distance ruin my relationships with the people I care about. My family is great, and at this point they treat my going away to study in another country the way other parents treat going to school a few hours away. I still miss them but the Internet is a life-saver, and now I can text my mom from Argentina with a smart phone. How lucky am I? I also email my host families in India every few months. It takes a long time for us to go back and forth, but we manage.

Friendships are harder, and take more work for me. I have friends not just from my hometown, but from New York City (where I go to school), and also all the places I’ve lived. Facebook is invaluable, as is email and skype, but what it really comes down to is putting in the work to maintain those relationships. I’ve learned I can’t expect people to chase me. I have to be the one to say, “I’m really interested in what you’ve been up to, can we catch up?” I spend at a couple hours a week skyping and facebook-ing friends; for me it’s time well spent.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself before all your adventures started?

Don’t be scared! So many people allow fear to dictate their travel experiences- fear of being embarrassed, fear of failing, fear of the unknown. I travel specifically because it scares me, and I think its important to face those fears and explore what the world has to offer. My biggest fear when traveling is always looking stupid, which is the worse reason to not do something that I can think of- I’m still trying to outgrow it. It would be much more reasonable to fear bodily harm or strangers, but India got rid of both of those fears. I am constantly grateful that I took a gap year alone somewhere far away- I had so much time to mess up and recover and learn, and it was so different from everything I ever knew, that I can brush off a lot the fears that come with study abroad for the first time in college. Aside from looking stupid, my greatest fear is not using my time abroad to my best advantage, and the two usually balance out well.

Guest Blog: Hosting Your Host Family

Abroad Blog of the Week: About the Author

7 Replies

Due to technical difficulties in Turkey, I’m having to go a bit off script for this Abroad Blog of the Week. I thought about highlighting a few blogs that I’m following but I would rather just make them an ABOW in the future. So when a friend suggested that I interview myself, I decided to take her advice. If you’re new to Global from Home, I am study abroad advisor who has decided to seek as much international culture as possible within 30 miles of my front door. If you’ve been reading for a while (thank you!), here a few facts I haven’t shared before.

What is the best part of being a study abroad advisor?

I love hanging out with students, hearing their adventures, and listening to them as they figure out their path and plans. There is something about the age bracket of 18 to 22 that I find energizing. Their lives are so dynamic and they have so many options and decisions to make. Plus the students I’ve worked with are incredibly creative and motivated. They amaze me daily and inspire me in so many ways. They are what make me want to go to work every day. Now that I’m currently not working in an office, they are what I miss the most.

If you could do it all over again, would you still have studied abroad in Italy?

Yes! As an Italian Studies major, Italy was really the only thing that made sense. Because I was so focused on the language and I went three times, I felt that I became acquainted with an Italy different from many study abroad students. It wasn’t so much about seeing the Coliseum or visiting the Vatican, but rather living like an Italian that was so important to me. The one thing I would change is that I would have gone for longer. I really wish I had lived in Rome for a full year.

How did you come up with the idea of Global from Home?

This past May I found myself a bit frustrated. I hadn’t been abroad in over three years and in all honesty, I was mad about it. Hubby’s job was really intense so he had little vacation time and because we had moved so much in the past three years, going abroad really wasn’t an option. I finally realized that I needed to stop complaining and look at what was around me. Living in San Diego at the time, international culture abounded. I thought that if I started a blog it would keep me accountable to seeking out culture. The blog has made me more intentional about going to festivals, cooking ethnic food, and building relationships with people from around the globe who just happen to live in my hometown.

Now that you’re in Oklahoma, what are your plans?

That is a bit up in the air but I have some thoughts. I do plan to keep up with Global from Home and continue to explore international cultures from OKC. I’m also applying for the PhD program at the University of Oklahoma in Higher Education with hopes to research the study abroad returnee experience. Currently I’m meeting with study abroad offices in the area to talk about starting a study abroad returnee conference. And finally, I’d like to start a Meet Up for people who enjoy exploring other cultures like I do. But in the end, I’m open to anything that comes my way that will allow me to help students have their own international experience.

What advice would you give someone who wants to be global from home?

Food is probably the easiest way to start being global from home. Google authentic recipes from a country you are interested in and try to make them. Research ethnic restaurants in your area and order the most traditional dish on the menu. Other easy ways to explore culture are to look for cultural festivals. The Greek Festival and Oktoberfest are pretty common ones to start with. If you are a reader, internationalize your reading list and add authors who are from a country you’ve visited. The same applies with movies. The most important thing is to just start and be intentional about adding culture into your weekly routine.

Me (in the yellow shirt) with three of my fabulous students

Study Abroad Advice to Myself

Abroad Blog of the Week: Take Me Down to the Panama City

2 Replies

I’ll go ahead and say it up front that I may be a bit partial to this Abroad Blog of the Week. Lindsay and Megan of Take Me Down to the Panama City were two my students in San Diego who are now headed to Panama for a semester abroad. With that being said, I have the unique ability to claim them worthy of your reader before their blog has really even gotten started. Their approach to studying abroad has been incredibly proactive. They took weeks to research programs, they went to every prep event possible, and they were regular attenders at all of my Friday lunches. The two are blogging for their university as a pair, something I haven’t seen much of in study abroad blogs. With limited access to technology in their host city, they will be posting about once a week and the fun all begins this coming week as they jet set from LAX. I was glad to catch up with two of my favorite study abroad bloggers before they hit the road for Panama.

Lindsay, me, and Megan

What will you be studying while you are in Panama?

Megan: Both Lindsay and I will be studying Tropical Island Biodiversity and Conservation Studies at the School for Field Studies. What a mouthful!

How did you two decide to study abroad together?

Lindsay: We both changed our majors to Environmental Science in Fall 2011. We wanted to study abroad together because we knew it would be an easier transition having someone you are friends with in another country and situation with you. We became better friends and roommates through deciding to study abroad together.

Megan: It kind of just fell into place! We are both Environmental Science majors, so we were looking for the same type of program. Lindsay and I had already picked different programs when we heard that the School for Field Studies was launching a pilot program in Panama! The doors for our other programs began to close as the door to Panama began to open wider and wider. In the end, it turned out to be a program that encompassed what we both were looking for and the pieces fell into place! We are excited to go together as we have been roommates and friends at PLNU and look forward to have a little piece of familiarity and home with us as we embark on a new journey.

What will your living conditions be like?

Lindsay: We will be living on an island in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago and we are staying at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Bocas del Toro. We will be living in a dorm type building and have access to classrooms and a library on the property. However we will be living ruggedly as we are a 30 min walk from Bocas Town and have limited access to WIFI. Our research institute is in the middle of the rain forest but is fully equipped with necessary living arrangements.

What are three things you just can’t leave home without?

Megan: As I begin to pack I have realized that there are many things that I feel I can’t leave home without! One would be a bracelet that my best friend, who is also studying abroad, has the twin of. It has an elephant charm for good luck and safety. The second would definitely be my pillows! I am bringing my own pillow to sleep on, even though the station provides one for us, and my travel neck pillow. My little piece of home and comfort in an unfamiliar place. The third, I am a little ashamed to admit, would probably be my nail polish. I have sort of an addiction and have about 40 nail polish bottles in total. Obviously I won’t bring all of these, but it is probably safe to say that even in Panama, my nails will be painted to perfection!

Lindsay: My new Canon Rebel camera, my iPod, and this old black sweatshirt of my dad’s that I wear when I’m homesick or sad.

How have each of you prepared for living in Panama for the next four months?

Lindsay: We have been spending the last six months frantically buying new gear for various activities, getting the appropriate vaccinations and meds, and researching the politics and customs of Panama. I have attended many panels and discussion sessions in the study abroad office talking with past study abroad students about their experiences.

Megan: If we are being honest, I have not prepared near enough! I moved about 1,300 miles away from home to go to college, so I know a little what it is like to pack up and move away from your friends and family. Having said this, I have no idea what it’s like to pack up and move away to another country! I have been researching what it will be like and reading about other people’s adventures in an attempt to get a feel for what mine will be like. The most important thing I think I have done is to move into this experience with an open mind. I have tried to prepare for the unknown and get myself ready to experience things I never could have dreamed of!

What advice would you give other students who are considering studying abroad in a non-traditional location?

Megan: Do it. Even though I have not gone yet, I could not be more excited! You will always have an excuse to go to a traditional location later in life. People travel to Paris all the time for vacation or what have you, but how many people would go to San Jose, Costa Rica for vacation? Not only this, but many traditional locations have cultures that are more similar to ours than non-traditional locations. Great things can happen when you get out of your comfort zone and try something new!

Lindsay: I would encourage them to not be afraid of cultural and language differences. I would want them to research each country with vigor. I would hope that they would feel comfortable talking with other students about their experiences in non-traditional location. And I would stress that they look for God to open and close doors with each study abroad opportunity they encounter.

Disconnected

5 Replies

Although it was only 10 years ago, studying abroad has changed a great deal since I went to Italy in 2002. iPads and Facebook didn’t exist. We didn’t travel with cell phones or laptops. Generally, we went to the pay phone to call our parents once a week and to the internet cafe when we could fit it in. We even wrote our papers by hand due to the lack of computer access. To be 100% honest, I loved the lack of technology. I loved being disconnected with few expectations to communicate outside of those who were with me abroad. I was able to focus on exploring Italy and building relationships with the other students. Being abroad was relaxing and re-energizing without the constant ring of the phone and the tiny red flags in our school email indicating unopened messages.

This past weekend I took the same mentality from studying abroad and disconnected. Hubby and I flew to Minneapolis on Friday afternoon to join family and friends for a weekend at the lake in central Minnesota. When we arrived Friday evening, I quickly realized my cell phone received limited service and the internet was patchy. My first inclination was to be frustrated. How was I going to blog? What if our realtor called? But then I looked around me. I was surrounded by a beautiful landscape with family and friends I’ve known since I was a small child. Why would I want to spend my time on a computer when there were so many other things to enjoy? So dear friends, I disconnected this weekend to enjoy all of this instead:

The Hostility Stage

4 Replies

In study abroad, the stages of cultural adjustment are normal. We try to prepare our students that there will be times when they will not like their host country. They will think Italian transportation strikes are ridiculous or will get frustrated that Japanese restaurants never have forks. Sometimes the hostility stage is more severe and they will want to go home. We try to give them the tools for coping with the stage but realize that we can’t eliminate it from happening.

When we moved to Oklahoma, I knew I had to be proactive to feel grounded here. I contacted the PhD program director to talk about applying. I got in touch with an organization that works with the refugee community to volunteer. We have consistently gone to a new church every Sunday trying to find the right one. But despite all of the effort, currently I find myself in the hostility stage. While many things are in the works (home, church, friends, and activities), in this moment I am lonely and lacking things to do. I miss my friends and my job and if we were offered the chance to move back to San Diego, I would probably take it.

My big brother called me last night and asked me, “So how is the transition going?” He knew the right question to ask as he has been in my shoes before. I told him about a post by Clearing Customs I read about a week ago about the grieving process. It quoted Ruth Van Reken who said, “Every time there’s transition, there is loss,” and “where there’s loss, there’s grief.” I said that I’m grieving what I left behind in San Diego. He told me that when he was living in Germany, every time someone left to go back home, he grieved as well. He made me feel normal, while reminding me that this is a stage and soon I will feel at home here too.

Although I am not very fond of the hostility stage and just wish I could fit in, feel useful, and find purpose in this new city, I know it’s part of the process. I also have to remember that you can’t grieve what you never had. I am thankful that I had so much in San Diego to grieve for and wonderful people like my big brother who understand.

This is me visiting my big brother in Germany in 1999.

One Lovely Blog

9 Replies

A big thanks to Brilliant London for nominating Global from Home for the One Lovely Blog Award. Now that we are moved and I’m feeling slightly settled in OKC, I am ready to bestow the honors to others. So here are the rules:

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you (thank you, Brilliant London!)

2. Paste the award image on your blog, anywhere.

3. Tell us 7 facts about yourself

When my Hubby is out of town, my meal of choice is cheese and crackers.
My favorite trip was to El Calafate, Argentina with my best friend. She threw up on me after eating bad sushi but it only made the trip more memorable.
If I could go any where in the world right now, it would be a toss up between Cambodia and Egypt.
My mom always taught us, “Where there is a will, there is way.” The older I get, the more I agree with her.
I have pictures of me with two celebrities: Jimmy Carter and Oscar the Grouch.
Currently I am applying for a PhD program in higher education and hope to start classes in January.
I have read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice at least 6 times.

4. Nominate 15 other blogs you like for this award (this is the fun part)

William Penn University Study Abroad Blog – it is so much more than just a study abroad blog. Karolyn amazes me daily with her creativity.
Turkish Musings – Haley is headed to Istanbul in just a few weeks
Mary in Haifa – Mary is a study abroad professional heading back to school…in Israel
Parallel Life – one of my favorites blogs of a couple traveling the world together…I think they’ve been nominated for this a bunch but I don’t care…so good
French Paintings – an expat artist in the South of France learning and painting the landscape
Postcards Wall – this simple blog shares one of my passions: postcards and stamps from around the world.
You Bloody Tourist – a British student ramblings and adventures in Australia and beyond
Salaam Y’all – a new Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia
Will Travel with Kids – with her two young daughters by her side, this blogger explores the world around her
Freedom Abroad – Katie is spending a year abroad and exploring all she can do for free
World Lit Up – reading a book from each of the 194 UN recognized countries
News from a Broad – Benne’ is an art therapist who has moved her life to Merida, Mexico
College Forever – a great blog for anyone considering a career in higher education
Travel.Culture.Food – a fantastic blog to help plan your travels. She even takes requests!
Partners for Peace – another one of my favorites, Mari and Paul are Peace Corps volunteers in Ecuador

5. Post a comment on each of your nominees’ blogs telling them about the nomination

I promise to have this done in the next 24 hours