Convergent Journey

Thanks to Canadian Travel Bugs for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger and Beautiful Blog Awards! I’m nothing short of a few months late in responding to the former nomination, but the latter gives me the occasion and the excuse to kill both birds with one stone :)

Without diminishing my appreciation of receiving this recognition, the rules these awards come with do strike me as a sort of round robin email of the blogosphere. But it’s in an entirely generous spirit, so I’m happy to oblige. Here’s how they work:

Versatile Blogger

• Thank the person who gave you the award.
• Include a link to their blog in your award post.
• Nominate 15 bloggers/blogs for the Versatile Blogger Award.
• Leave a link on their blog informing them of their new award.
• Tell 7 things about yourself.

Beautiful Blog 

• Thank the person who nominated you.
• Post the award on your blog.
• Nominate 7 blogs.

So with thanks again to Canadian Travel Bugs, here goes!

Nominations

Collectively, I suppose, I should nominate 22 blogs, but that’s a bit aspirational. I’ve got a list of seven eight that I love reading, for their insightful thoughts, entertaining bits, unique perspectives and photos that transport you to the places they’ve been. Here they are, with links to some posts that won me over:

• Marina Chetner: I love Marina’s eye for detail and love for Brooklyn.
• Full of Her Travels: Her travelogs give me a fresh take on experiencing Europe.
• Mondomulia: Her posts never fail to make me hungry.
• Travel Photography by Dmitrii Lezine: Such incredible photos, I wonder if they’re real.
• Solo Journey: Lovely reflections on travel and what it can do for the soul.
• Plus Ultra: I love reading his posts on Asia—another continent to be explored!
• Ambitious Deliciousness: The best tagline ever: “Don’t eat lazy.”
• Laura Knows Best: Brett’s weekly comics are a treat to read.

Seven Things about Me

1. This task is inherently a bit challenging because, as you may have noticed, I try to keep my blog fairly anonymous. I don’t use full names, for example, or post pictures in which my or my friends’ faces are recognizable.

2. Truth is, I’m a little paranoid about the Internet… The above might seem overly cautious, but you see, one focus of my studies has been regulating online privacy, and the more you know about what can happen with your data online, the more paranoid you become. See this post for more thoughts on the topic. I don’t mean to sound like a paranoid luddite. The Internet is great! Skype is miraculous! All I’m saying is, it does have downsides for all its advantages.

Alright now, time for the real confessions…

3. Before this year, I thought traveling was overrated. It just seemed like such a pain—all that planning and packing and waiting around at airports and logistical hassle and money and jet lag! And remember that study that said people don’t actually even enjoy their vacations that much? They get more of a happiness boost from the anticipation and planning than they do while they’re actually there. So I thought a staycation would have more mental relaxation benefits. WHAT WAS I THINKING! Traveling is the best thing ever.

4. I was always a bit of an anglophile. I’m a total bookworm and majored in English in college. I’ve dreamed of spending at least six months working or studying in London ever since high school. So, though I’m supposed to be here studying social sciences at the London School of Economics, secretly I’m really here to soak in all the literary heritage and arts and culture.

5. I have a terrible sense of direction. I got navigating NYC down to a science (avenues run north-south; even streets go east, odds go west), so I seldom ever got disoriented. It helps that the city is structured on a grid. But when I first moved to New York and got off the subway all discombobulated, if I thought, I should go that way, I’d turn around and walk in the opposite direction. In London with all its windy roads and alleyways, my lack of skill in this regard can be fairly problematic.

6. Two things I miss most about America. Besides my family and friends of course, I miss good customer service and clean tap water the most. Honestly. Every time my tap water comes out if the dual faucets smelling like sulphur, I just want to hop on the first plane back to the U.S. of A.

7. Two things I’ll miss most about London. It’s just such a beautiful city. Impeccably maintained gardens, elaborate stonework, grandeur in your face in a way that would be completely inexcusable in the States. It’s of course hoity-toity and outdated, and on the whole I much prefer the American go-getter spirit unfettered by the trappings of centuries-old classism. But for a short while, it’s not bad to bask in the gilded glory of what old money can buy. Also, the tea. I will miss cream tea. Adding this to my list of long-term life goals: open a cozy bookstore/cafe serving tea and cake.