Liebster Award for MariaAbroad

I have some really cool news to share with you. MariaAbroad has been nominated for the Liebster Award by Jordan from Global Debauchery.

Liebster is actually German and means favorite, so the Liebster Award is a nomination of your favorite blogs, especially newbie blogs. It isn’t an award to reward your blogging achievement or greatness, but rather a motivator for newbie bloggers. In the beginning, you have the feeling that only you and your mom read your blog. Maybe your dog.Definitely your dog. And it stays like that for a pretty long time until you see some traction. The Liebster Award is supposed to introduce my readers, you guys, to new blogs out there, that you may or may not have been aware of yet. So cheers to spreading the blog love and let’s get this show on the road, shall we?

Rules of the Liebster Award:

1. Accept and answer the questions given to you

2. Come up with 11 new questions yourself.

3. Nominate 11 bloggers you would like to answer your questions.

4. They then write an article about this nomination on their blog and link back to the website of their nominator.

These are Jordan’s questions for me:

Tell us a little about yourself:

I love to travel and explore the world, new countries and cultures, ever since I was a little kid. I grew up in Germany and was lucky enough to travel a lot with my family. As a teenager, I moved to the US as an exchange student, then back to Germany to finish my High School.

After a few years back home, I packed my bags again to pursue my studies in San Diego, followed by an internship in China and then back to San Diego to get my MBA. Now I live in Texas with my husband and dog, but am currently planning to move back to Germany sometime this year. I also work as an Online Marketing consultant, working with brands to improve their online presence. 

What’s your blog about and why was it started?

MariaAbroad is an international lifestyle blog that wants to bring the world to you, one article at a time. Discover the world through books, recipes and articles about travel, culture and living abroad. I started MariaAbroad in 2007 (I know, I am hardly a newbie blogger, but I took a long blogging sabbatical. A very long one.) to share my adventure of living in China with my friends and relatives in Germany and the US. 

When were you officially bitten by the travel bug? What was the inspiration?

When I was 3, my family went on a 6 week RV trip from San Francisco to New York. It was an epic adventure and after returning, I cried for days, feeling homesick for anywhere but home. My first severe case of Fernweh (another German travel term, just like Wanderlust. I guess we Germans do love to travel!)

What was your last trip? What was your favorite part?

The last trip was to Washington DC in January. My favorite part was getting snowed in during Snowstorm Jonas. Check out the beautiful pictures of the Washington Monuments in the Snow. 

Do you have any specific travel “goals?” If so, what are they?

No, not really. I just enjoy to travel and explore new places and return to the places I have fallen in love with during previous travels. 

What’s your favorite part of traveling (culture, people, nature, etc.)? Why?

I love to try new foods and learn about the local people, how they live their daily lives. I think that sharing a meal is something that allows people from very different cultures to connect. Food is something we all share and enjoy. Sitting down, passing the bowls and talking, even if it is just with hand gestures, is what connects people and forms memories. 

Any travel disasters? Please elaborate.

Hm, when I lived in China, I was pulled out of a cab by the cab driver, because he didn’t know how to tell me, that he had no idea where I wanted to go. After getting frustrated with me for not understanding, He got out, opened my door and started pulling me out. The first time, it was quite scary, because I had no idea what was going on, but after the second or third time, I finally got it and wasn’t quite as mortified. 

Tell me about the most interesting person you’ve met while traveling.

It is impossible to pick just one person, after so many years. There was Vanel, my steward on my last cruise, who was an English teacher from Haiti, but had to find another job after the disastrous earthquake in 2010 to support his family. There was Vlad, a student from the Ukraine that is traveling the world to promote peace and freedom in his home country. When you travel, there are so many interesting stories of interesting people. You just have to listen. 

Have you ever had an epiphany on your travels? Do tell.

Yes, after living in China for a few months, butting head with my colleagues over the most mundane things, I realized that their way of doing things is not stupid or wrong, it is just different. 

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done while traveling?

Does eating scorpions count?

What’s your next trip? What are you most looking forward to on it? 

I actually can’t tell you about it yet, as it is a big surprise, but I hope to be able to reveal it soon. So keep reading 🙂

My Liebster Award Nominees:

Ali at Hoot of a night Al 

Theresa at Creative Traveler

Christine + Team at Travel Gluttons

Florence at Reporter on the Road

Ines at Atlas Enchanted

Katie at Kitty to City

Mel at Mel Adela

Ivana at Ivana Abroad

Andrew at Andrew Weatherby 90

Jem & Luke at The Hibiscus Traveler

Georgia at Glamorous Globetrotting

My questions for my Liebster Bloggers:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself:
2. What is your blog about?
3. What do you love most about blogging?
4. Who inspires you in life?
5. If the sky is the limit, what would you do?
6. If you could travel anywhere today, where would you go?
7. What would you take on a deserted Island with you?
8. What is your guilty pleasure?
9. What is your secret (or not so secret) talent?
10. What makes you smile?
11. What book do you read over and over?

Congratulations to getting started with your blog and I am looking forward to reading your answers 🙂