Oh, I'm lovely and loyal - also beautiful, talented and awesome!

Don't worry - I haven't had anything strange for breakfast this morning and I haven't become insufferably arrogant, conceited and spoilt all of a sudden! It's only that I have received a very nice award:


It came from sweet Sandra, from the blog "Presépio con Vista para o Canal" who nominated me and six other loyal bloggers of hers and asked us to answer the following questions:

1- Why did you start your blog? Did you expect it to become popular?

I started this blog to share (I wasn't sure with whom yet) my experiences as an expat living in The Netherlands. I also wanted to have a place of my own where I could show the places I have been lucky to visit here in The Netherlands as well as in other countries in Europe. Finally, I started it to indulge my nostalgia for my country, Argentina; I wanted to write about it too - to let people know about its beauties, oddities, habits, people...

When I started blogging, I wasn't really thinking of becoming popular or attracting lots of followers either. In fact, I didn't know how blogging worked at all!!
I got inspiration from other blogs that I found interesting and that I had been reading form time to time, like Isabella's A Touch of Dutch or Anita's Greetings from Holland.


2- When exactly did you start your blog?

I actually started it on my birthday last year: 12 August 2009!

3- Who are some of your most loyal followers?

Here I am going to change the rule a bit. Many of the people that follow my blog are not expats and then those who are, have already been nominated or are not into the award exchange thing, so I will name some of my loyal followers, in no particular order. I think it will be a nice way of sharing with everyone some of the beautiful blogs that I like reading and have been following for some time:

JaPRA, from Just a Plane Ride Away - a Texan currently living in NL (The Hague) with her family but who will soon be moving to the UK where they'll continue their big expat experience!

Alison, from A Flamingo in Utrecht - also an American - who writes about her thoughts and experiences living in The Netherlands and who takes really good photos, especially of her city, Utrecht.

Aggie, from on what concept - a friend and Flickr lover like myself, with whom I've explored some of the most beautiful cities in The Netherlands! Her photos are the real deal - want to see for yourselves? Here's her extraordinary photoblog too.

Leti, from Diving into life below sea level - a fellow Argie blogger who -just like me- recently moved to The Netherlands for love! You will find her stories really sweet, funny and full of that renowned Latin flair!

buday, from immateur! Excellent, witty writing with a touch of humour - I just love her posts! (plus, she recently gave me the most ultra-modern looking gadget as a vitual present: an Air Multiplier Fan... thanks, buday - that was such a cool -wink! wink! present!)

For those of you who can read Portuguese (the blog has an online translator, too!), Vagamundos, from Crónicas de "um" Vagamundo - if you visit the blog and take a look at all the places they have been to, you will ask yourself: "is there a corner of the world that these guys have NOT been to?". Seriously!!

And for those of you who can read Spanish, Patricia and her blog Fotos y relatos de viajes - Viajando por mi país: ARGENTINA, another Argie friend of mine who is truly passionate about one of the most beautiful places on earth: Patagonia.

Thanks to all of these blogger friends (feel free to take up the challenge and answer the questions and nominate your loyal followers, if you want) and thanks to all of you out there for visiting my blog!