Favorite Blogs/Favourite Blogs/Lempiblogit

An image of our newly melt-y winter.

Last week, Valentina at WanderingWondering was kind enough to grant my blog the "Versatile Blogger Award." I was pretty flattered, since I don't know of many more "versatile" bloggers than Valentina. (Check her blog. You'll thank me.)

It got me thinking about all the travellers and expats I've come to read and know through maintaining this blog. One of the best things about writing a blog is reading other blogs, after all, and Valentina has provided me with a convenient excuse to mention a few of my favorites. Here they are in no particular order.

Katriina, who writes Headspace, is an Australian mother of two whose adventures in Helsinki are funny and often moving. She's bold and honest in her anecdotes about life, motherhood, and, of course, Finland. As much about her inner life as it is about her expat experience, her blog is also quite well written. Why is it that former lawyers are always better writers than the general populous? If I go into law, will it make me a great writer, too?

Asha S at New Jersey to Nigeria is a mother of three who recently made the move from, you guessed it, New Jersey to Nigeria. If you're an expat, you know how jarring it can be to transplant yourself from a familiar culture to a foreign one. Now imagine being an American in Africa. She's gutsy. She, too, is an incredible writer (a one time law student, I think, further supporting my theory about lawyers...), and she manages to make what is sometimes a difficult situation infinitely funny. Plus, she shows us a Nigeria that is completely different from the land of scammers and conmen we're used to hearing about.

Though he doesn't write often, I've really enjoyed reading Toby's Northern Light. If you're not interested in global politics (and, as a nerd with a lot of time on her hands, I most certainly am interested), it's worth it to check his blog for the climbing photos that he posts.

I was a lover of music before I was anything else, which is one reason I like JottEff's blog Life in Hel. Since I'm a little too enamored of indie rock these days, reading about the various bands he's into and the gigs he attends is a desperately needed change of pace. Also, his experiences as an expat in Finland are relatable and humorous. As an added bonus, the name Life in Hel puts my hastily-chosen-for-the-wrong-reasons blog title to shame.

If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to learn Finnish as a foreign language, Olli Miekka's blog Finnish from Afar is exactly what you've been looking for. His take on everything from the lexical to the morphological is funny, entertaining, and accessible. That's just not possible, you say? Click the link, and you'll find you're mistaken. A truly "versatile blogger," he also writes a lot of interesting and comical stuff about Finland and Finnish culture.

Amel of Amel's Realm writes as an expat in Sodankylä, Finland. She dedicates time and attention to the little things, like warm moments with her husband and stories from her work as a myyjä. She tackles larger topics, too, such as comparisons between Finland and her native Indonesia. She's a personal and unpretentious writer, and I highly recommend reading her.

One of these blogs is not like the others. Jack is a dear friend of mine from back home who writes on a trifecta of worthy topics: US politics, sexuality, and tech news. These three subjects intersect more than you might think, and Jack writes about all of it from a place of humor and insight. Also, Worms And Viruses is another triumphant blog title.

A big thanks to all the blog readers and writers out there.