Time to look back and to look ahead here at DrieCulturen

"Like flying blogging is an adventure" photo by DrieCulturen

Two years ago I started my blog. Now it's time to look back and share some of the progress I have made. It has been an exciting adventure writing this blog. I've written nearly 200 posts, received many comments thanks to you, my readers. I have received personal emails and I've been on the national radio in the Netherlands speaking about my youth abroad and explaining what third culture kids are.

So what do people read here?

My 5 Best Read Posts:

1. Top countries for raising kids abroad in 2012 Read more than 2000 times
2. Top countries for raising kids abroad in 2011
3. Cultural Identity Confusion and Third Culture Kids
4. Interview with Graphic Design Student Jessica on Third Culture Kid Book Project
5. My 10 Disadvantages of growing up abroad

Most of my pageviews come from:

1. The USA more than 19 thousand pageviews
2. The Netherlands more than 15 thousand pageviews
3. Russia
4. United Kingdom
5. Germany

I would like to know which post you most enjoyed? Which was most informative or do you still remember? Is there a topic you want to hear more of? Please let me know by leaving a comment. By the way I have a surprise coming up, I hope to have a giveaway on the blog some time soon, I hope this week. So do come back and check the blog again.

I enjoyed writing the post "I'm from....and you?".On my first blog anniversary I interviewed Heidi Sand-Hart author of the book "Home Keeps Moving". I love interviewing authors because it inspires me, remember I have this dream to write a book one day! I wrote about my dream in the post Breaking the Silence. A recent post with quite a few comments was my post on is there a difference between adults and kids living abroad?
So what comes next? The interesting thing about blogging is that I often do not know what the next post will be about. I hope future posts will be informative, useful and inspiring for you. I am adding some interesting links here for you. See you next time!

Related Posts:
I won the Versatile Blogger Award 
Blogging: What's the Point? (JoParfitt.com)
How to make your blogging dreams come true (Problogger)
23 Questions for Prospective Bloggers (Problogger) 

Yes, I won an award!

It's a good tradition to celebrate achievements. So let's celebrate the fact that I have been nominated for the "Versatile Blogger" award. I have to confess I have actually been nominated twice. I was nominated by Wordgeyser first and then by a fellow third culture kid Expat Alien. Thanks to you both!

Of course there are Versatile Blogger rules. I may nominate new bloggers and I must tell 7 things about myself.

First I will tell 7 things about myself:

1. I failed my drivers license test more than 3 times, I did get it in the end. I did the tests in Zimbabwe and I actually had to use hand signals too. I must confess that was ages ago. Lesson learned: never give up.
2. I was born on a mission station in the Zambian bush. My parents received a chicken as a present when I was born. Lesson learned: good things can happen where ever you live.
3. I just adore ripe juicy tropical fruits, it's a heritage of growing up in Africa. You know the mango's, passion fruits, gooseberries, papayas, bananas just don't taste the same here in Europe. Lesson learned: eat the local fruits and enjoy them to the full. 
4. I was a school prefect at high school, most Dutch people have no idea what a prefect is or does. Lesson learned: a as third culture kid I often have to explain things to other people.
5. I love ice skating even though I was about thirteen when I went ice skating for the first time in my life. Recently I wrote about ice skating fever here in the Netherlands. Lesson learned: You're never too old to learn something new!
6. I have been writing on this blog for less than a year and I really enjoy it. Third culture kids love exciting new things. Lesson learned: I love new adventures and challenges.
7. One of my favourite drinks is: Tjendol (or Cendol), in good Indonesian restaurants you can get it here in the Netherlands. It's just divine. It's with coconut milk and palm sugar. Lesson learned: you're never too old to taste something new. 

   

   Tjendol

   Now for nominating the new bloggers:

1. Mummy in Provence: I enjoy her global differences series about having a baby abroad.
2. Expat Life with a double buggy: I like Amanada's posts because she write about being an expat mum here in the Netherlands.
3. Tales from Windmill fields: Having lived most of her life in Spain Rosalind is now raising a trilingual daughter here in the Netherlands. Her blogs are about her new adventure here.
4. Raising third culture kids She is married to a German TCK and writes about here "fusion family".
5. Julia Simens is author of the book "Emotional Resilience and the Expat Child" and she is educator. Her words of wisdom and experience are worth reading.
6. Libby Stephens is a Third Culture Kid consultant and writes about children growing up in other cultures and everything that has to do with it.
7. Third Culture Kid Life by James R. Mitchener. I like the writing style and the topics too!
   
   
   Congratulations to all the above mentioned bloggers. Thank you for who you are and for your blog.