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Dreamer at Heart’s Dream It. Do It. Be It. has been Nominated for a 2019 Liebster Award!
What is the Liebster Award?
What on earth, you may ask, is the Liebster Award? It is an industry award for bloggers, by bloggers. Us bloggers have the behind the scenes knowledge about the effort required to produce an enticing and worthwhile site. The Liebster Award recognizes up and coming bloggers that offer a unique perspective.
This award is truly a multinational award. It was started by an Australian, is shared around the world and uses a German word for its title. Liebster, which means “beloved” or “darling.”
Believe it or not, “beloved” or “darling” describes this community perfectly. You might think that travel bloggers are competitive, working against each other, but what I have found in my short time connecting with other bloggers, is a community full of hard-working souls who support each other beautifully. We often initially meet each other online. When we have the great pleasure of standing face to face, it is like meeting a long lost friend.
Who Nominated me?
It was a special honour to be nominated by MacKenzie F. who writes the blog imaginexxus.com Her blog inspires from the get-go because each of her stories features an original photo and a written piece that’s exactly 1,000 characters long. Indeed… “A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Characters.” MacKenzie also reminds us to be curious, a quality that is dear to my heart, and to throw out the guide book and discover a sense of place.
A Few Rules to Pay it Forward:
If you have been nominated and you choose to accept this award, there are certain rules that must be followed for you to be eligible.
You must write a blog post and include the following:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated your blog and provide a link back to his/her blog.
2. Answer the questions asked by the nominator.
3. Describe what motivates you in life, other than blogging.
4. Nominate 2 – 6 blogs who provide a fresh outlook and content.
5. Ask the nominees creative, unique questions. (Though I was asked 10, official rules state only five are required.)
6. Display the Liebster Award medallion and list the rules associated with the award on your post. (There are a number of different medallions from which to choose.)
7. Submit your entry by entering a comment in the Comment Box on https://theglobalaussie.com/the-liebster-award/ with a link back to your site for the judge to read your questions and responses.
MacKenzie’s questions for me:
1. Fantasy Air wants you to blog about it and has offered you a round-trip ticket aboard one of its four modes of transport: Aladdin’s magic carpet, George Jetson‘s flying car, Harry Potter’s Firebolt broom or enough Tinker Bell pixie dust that gives you the ability to fly to your destination and back. Which of these would you choose and why? (Sorry, none of the characters will be on your flight for you to take photos of or interview.)
Although pixie dust has always held a lot of appeal for me, I am going to have to choose Aladdin’s magic carpet. Instead of flying myself, I can comfortably sit cross-legged and fly across the world. I can lean a little left or right for a better view and embrace the wind flying through my hair. I may even be humming “A Whole New World” as I dip and soar. Besides looking down on the world and swooping over cities and deserts, I can only imagine the joy at being so close to the celestial bodies above. Can’t wait for this journey!
2. A new restaurant asks you to create a sandwich for their menu. The only requirements are that its name incorporates that of your hero or favorite superhero and has ingredients exemplifying that person. What’s the name of your sandwich and what’s in this delicious concoction?
I am a sucker for a rag to riches story and a little fantasy to boot so I ‘m going to say my hero is J. K. Rowling.
The new sandwich on the menu is:
The Rowler
Bursting with Alfalfa sprouts ( imagination)
Golden Beets (adjust your relationship to money, set your sights high)
Slices of an old Somerset cheddar (sharp wit)
Slices of smoked salmon (smoke and mirrors, intrigue)
Matchstick carrot sticks (Wingardium Leviosa, anyone?!)
Served on toasted rye bread, sliced perfectly in 4 ( precision planning)
3. On your next trip you happen to venture so deep into the wilderness that you find a lost society whose people have never been in contact with the outside world. Do you write about the society in your blog or keep it a secret to try and preserve it? Why did you make this decision?
There aren’t very many secrets left in this world, especially with the advent of social media. Therefore, I would write a letter to my yet unborn grandchildren, burn the edges of it, roll it and place it in a cylindrical container. And then I would bury it, creating a true time-capsule
4. You’ve been given the opportunity to live out an adventure within the Star Trek Holodeck. What experience would you choose and with whom would you spend it? (The person(s) can be alive, dead or fictional.)
When I visited Peru, my curiosity got the best of me. I had trouble imagining how Machu Picchu was created, hidden and used by the Incas. I would take the two most intrepid travellers I know – my grandmother, Eliza Mae Beaudoin and my cousin by marriage, Jerry Diakiw. We would embark on an adventure back to Incan times witnessing first hand the lives of Incas and the creation of Machu Picchu.
5. Travel introduces you to different words, phrases, traditions and ways of doing things. What “souvenir” of this kind have you picked up/adopted into your life, why is it special to you and from where did it come?
Trust in humans is my ongoing “souvenir” and one that I carry with me daily. When you put out positive energy, it often is returned to you in flying colours. Early on in my travels while living in Bali, Nanang gave me lessons in Indonesian. After yoga, I would purchase water from him and he would give me a 15-minute lesson.
Sampai jumpa lagi meaning “See you later” became my favourite Indonesian phrase. Why? Because the locals just didn’t expect it to come from me. Every time I uttered those 3 words, smiles exploded on a Balinese face.
I love to learn words of the local language and engage with people of all cultures.
What motivates me in life, other than blogging?
Making connections and curiosity have motivated me throughout my life. As an elementary school teacher, I always adored connecting with my students and keeping their sense of wonder and curiosity alive. In this phase of my life, I find great joy in serendipitous meetings with fellow humans worldwide. My perspective on life changes while my sense of wonder and curiosity are fueled… I just keep asking more questions!
I’m nominating these blogs for the Liebster Award:
My questions for these nominees are:
#1 “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust
As a travel blogger, where and when have you noticed your “new eyes.?
#2 “A person susceptible to “wanderlust” is not so much addicted to movement as committed to transformation.” Pico Iyer
How has transformation become part of your travel journey? Is it deliberate or a subtle byproduct of your travels?
#3 “One can only really travel if one lets oneself go and takes what every place brings without trying to turn it into a healthy private pattern of one’s own and I suppose that is the difference between travel and tourism.” Freya Stark
How do you do this? What do you take and what gifts do you leave behind?
#4 “Walking is mapping with your feet. It helps you piece a city together, connecting up neighbourhoods that might otherwise have remained discrete entities…Walking helps me feel at home.” Lauren Elkin
What is your go-to method for exploring? Do you agree with Lauren?
#5 “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis
It’s the dreamer over here making up the questions! Explain how C.S. Lewis’s quote applies to you!
Very cool and unique post. I loved reading your answers! Congrats on the award:)
Thanks Robin. The nomination was a fun challenge!
Thank you Alison for nominating me! Here is my submission. https://raulersongirlstravel.com/the-liebster-award-raulersongirlstravel/
You are welcome! I love your answers to my questions and more importantly, your story. xx
I absolutely LOVED your very creative answers, especially the one about The Rowler – fabulous! Also Congratulations on your nomination! Amazing! I also love how you’ve tied in the quotes to your questions for others.
Thank you! They were fun questions to answer!