The Liebster Awards

I had never heard of the Liebster awards until Kiwi in Korea (Alice) nominated me (thank you!). It’s a good way to discover new bloggers and learn more about them. It only exists in the blogging community, and it is for newbies (that didn’t really factor into the people I’ve nominated, I only read about this after I nominated them). If you want to read about the award more in depth, check here. I’ve finally gotten around to posting this, so here we go!

11 Questions by Kiwi in Korea

1. Where did you grow up?

Southern California, USA

2. What did you want to be (when you grew up) when you were a kid?

I wanted to be a paleontologist, because dinosaurs.

3. Did that happen? If not what is your profession now?

I became a geologist, and so I got to study dinosaurs along with rocks.

4. Cats or dogs?

Dogs! But I like cats too.

5. If you only eat one food forever what would it be? Why?

Nabe (hot pot) because you can use so many different ingredients to make it, and you will never get bored from eating the same thing ^^

6. What was the last movie you saw? Did you enjoy it?

Jurassic World, and it was pretty amazing!

7. What is your favourite book of all time?

Pride and Prejudice, because I have read it too many times to count but always enjoy reading it again.

8. What is your biggest fear?

Deep, murky water. I don’t like being out far enough in the ocean where I can’t touch the bottom without a surfboard or bodyboard or something to float on. Sea monsters, right?

9. What’s an ideal weekend for you?

Traveling somewhere I haven’t been before, even if it’s nearby.

10. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

I am naturally a night owl, trying to masquerade as an early bird.

11. Do you dye your hair? If so what is your favourite colour?

I don’t dye my hair, because other colours just don’t look very well on me!

11 Random Facts About Me

1. I do not drink coffee – people wonder how I got through grad school without it!
2. I have studied Japanese for exactly half my life.
3. I played many sports in high school: soccer, cheer, karate, track, cross country.
4. I have always disliked talking on the phone, and recently I’ve realized it’s because I like to read people’s lips while they talk. This is especially important when speaking in another language!
5. I surf (but only rarely).
6. People say that my handwriting looks neat, like typing, but I’d rather have very pretty and flowery handwriting.
7. I watch Korean dramas, and afterwards I think I can speak Korean until I realize that I can’t.
8. I read Japanese fashion magazines cover-to-cover but alas I am still not fashionable (sad).
9. I’ve spent the night on Mt. Fuji.
10. I love jet coasters (roller coasters), and anywhere I go I will find one to ride if I can.
11. My favorite drink is almond milk tea with boba (bubble tea).

My Nominees

This is kind of a “chain letter” so I was requested to nominate new people. Honestly, I have no idea if you can even tell if someone has less than 200 followers (see rules below). So that’s not what I picked these nominees on, rather I picked what I thought might be newer blogs or less well-known blogs that I personally enjoy reading. I didn’t pick 11, but it’s quality over quantity, right? Also, the nominees are in no particular order! I hope you will check them out and find them as fun to read as I do ^^ If you choose to participate, please follow the rules below!

If you aren’t interested in participating, I won’t be hurt! This takes a lot of mental effort to complete. I hope that this will be fun for you, and you can participate in any, all, or none of it! And, if you’ve already been elected, you don’t have to do it again ^^

1. Diana at Life Notes – An journal of daily life by an American woman living in Japan with her husband, who will be moving to Hawaii next year!
2. The Koteras at Eleventh Monkey – The daily life of Dutch woman married to a Japanese man in the UK, with photos of their adorable new baby
3. Chelsea at The Kawaii Pack Leader – A photo blog about travel and animals (particularly her puppies!) in both English and Japanese
4. Fanny at Fanny Newyork Love – A fun blog by a high school student in Thailand, who writes about long distance relationships
5. Eleni at Greece Meets Taiwan – A Greek girl meets a Taiwanese boy in South Africa, and a great blog is created! Lately she writes about food and it makes me hungry…
6. Dreaming of Taipei – An Italian girl who is about to close the distance with her long-distance boyfriend in Taipei
7. Lin at More Than Geeky Love – A European girl and her Korean boyfriend write about long-distance relationships and international love

My Questions for You

1. What is your favorite vacation destination and why?
2. What is the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?
3. What is your favorite book and why?
4. Have you ever studied or lived abroad? Where?
5. If you were to live abroad in a completely different country, where would you pick and why?
6. If you were an animal, what would you be?
7. If you could learn a new language, what language would you pick?
8. What is the theme song to your life?
9. What is your fondest childhood memory?
10. Do you have a must-see movie recommendation?
11. Do you prefer a quiet night at home or do you go out and party the night away?

The Rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person(s) who nominated you and display the award.
2. Answer the 11 questions the nominee asked.
3. Give 11 random facts about yourself.
4. Nominate 11 (or so) bloggers with less than 200 followers.
5. Notify the bloggers you chose for the award.
6. Make a list of 11 different questions for your nominees to answer.