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New Years 2017 Blog Challenge - bridging cultures through blogging

2017 Blog Challenge BONUS Round Up BONUS: Hospitality

Our final prompt of the 2017 New Years challenge has officially passed, however, we did issue a bonus prompt. A few intrepid bloggers took us up on the additional challenge, which we will share with you here.

The Prompt: Hospitality

Peace Corps Week is coming up at the end of February and they're celebrating with the theme: Highlighting Hospitality. So we took the opportunity to support that effort, as an optional Blog Challenge prompt. Although not everyone in the Blogging Abroad community are Peace Corps Volunteers, this theme applies to anyone with a host community overseas. PCV or not, this was an opportunity to share traditions of hospitality and inspiring stories of how our host community welcomes us and others. [caption id="attachment_423" align="alignright" width="227"]

Click here to see the pinboard[/caption] You're encouraged to browse the Round Up links listed below for more blog inspiration and interesting cross-cultural topics. You can also find more posts highlighted on our Blog Challenge pinterest board.

13 February, 2017 / 0 Comments

New Years 2017 Blog Challenge Round Up #4: HOPE

Welcome to the Week Four Blog Challenge recap! This is officially our final prompt of the 2017 New Years challenge, however, there is a bonus prompt in the pipeline for those who want to continue their blogging challenge beyond January.

The Prompt: Hope & Change

For many of us, our worlds are going through some major changes and sometimes it's easy to lose hope. So we're focusing our blogging efforts on Hope and Change. Where do we draw hope from? And how do we create positive change?

Highlights

This week's responses were especially encouraging to me. It was clear that many bloggers have been "feeling the weight of the world" and yet, they're able to find hope, find ways to move forward, and encourage others. It's not an easy thing to published a balance of positives and negatives, or to keep yourself in check when emotions are running high. Here are just a few examples of great posts from the past week with a cool spin on the theme:

This post focuses on one aspect of her life that gives her hope and gives 5 reasons why with clear, concise, bolded arguments for each. (Beth, Moldova)

Here's a cool way to draw attention to the progress in your host country, with highlights listed by year - and bonus points for citing sources! (Tina, Namibia)

A great way to keep a realistic balance in your post is pairing the challenges your host country faces alongside the hope and progress you see with each challenge (Cambodia, Karen)

Sometimes poetry says it better than prose (Chris, Tanzania)

This is a touching letter to the girl who gives this blogger hope (Olivia, Madagascar)

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30 January, 2017 / 0 Comments

New Years 2017 Blog Challenge Round Up #3

Welcome to the Week Three Blog Challenge recap! This January, bloggers living around the world are taking the challenge to start the year off with weekly blog posts on meaningful topics. Over the past week, blog posts on the new prompt have been pouring out into the blogosphere and we've rounded them up for you here.

The Prompt: Cultural Differences

The point of this prompt was not really to draw attention to how big the differences are between cultures, but actually to realize how we're all heavily influenced by the underlying, unspoken "rules" of culture. Understanding why people behave the way they do and empathizing with the values that inform their decisions is an important skill. This week, we used some social science and cultural communication resources, like the 10 variables of culture differences, to inspire our blog posts.

Highlights

It's not hard to find stand out blog posts among this community of passionate bloggers! Here are just a few examples of great posts from the past week, with a few notes about how you can apply their strategies, too:

Here's a great example of sharing life lessons from abroad with folks who might follow in your footsteps. Also, a good reminder to always link back to your previous blog posts that relate to the new topic! (Liz, Mozambique)

This is a fun, photo-centric post from the perspective of a village dog as a way to share cultural differences about pets. (Morgan, South Africa)

The focus on one topic and the composition of this post, with super-sized quotes, super-short paragraphs to highlight ideas, bolded headings, plenty of space, etc. make this page really attractive. (Olivia, Madagascar)

A "10 Things" tribute list with supporting stories and pictures is a great way to share why you'll miss your host country. (Mark, Kyrgyzstan)

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23 January, 2017 / 0 Comments

New Years 2017 Blog Challenge Responses Round Up #2

Welcome to Week Two of our second annual Blog Challenge!

This January, bloggers living around the world are taking the challenge to start the year off with weekly blog posts on meaningful topics. We now have over 90 folks living in about 30 different countries signed up, with more joining every day! One week ago, participants received the following prompt via e-mail:

The Prompt: The Danger of a Single Story

This week's prompt is based on a popular TED talk by author Chimamanda Adichie (see below). In it, she warns that if we only hear a single story about a person, country or issue, we risk great misunderstanding.

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”

Along with the prompt, Challenge participants also received some blog tips and a number of creative ideas to approach their response. Over the past week, their posts have been pouring out into the blogosphere and we've rounded them up for you here.

Highlights

Once again, there was so many impressive, thoughtful posts this week! Our highlights today focus on the note-worthy formats and techniques that certain bloggers have used in their responses:

Mixing media always makes for an interesting post, as does letting your community members share their perspective in their own words via video (Christine, Ghana)
If you know some common misconceptions about your host country, debunk those stereotypes one by one (Karen, Cambodia)
This spin on the single story features a catchy title and well-organized headings (M., The Philippines)
Here's another catchy title and an example of keeping a reflective text at a good length (Justin, Madagascar)
This post does a good job of being guided by questions and highlighting key points to make it easily scannable (Morgan, South Africa)
You can lead in with your own personal transformation regarding stereotypes and then interview a community member who helped you break them - bonus for another catchy title! (Gabby, Panama)
The organization in this post is great with bullet points for the single stories, bolded key points, and concise paragraphs for each statement (Beth, Moldova)

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Click here to see the pinboard[/caption] You're encouraged browse the Round Up links we've listed at the bottom of the post for more ideas. You can also find more posts highlighted on our Blog Challenge pinterest board.

16 January, 2017 / 0 Comments

New Years 2017 Blog Challenge Responses Round Up #1

Our second annual Blog Challenge begins!

This January, bloggers living around the world are taking the challenge to start the year off with weekly blog posts on meaningful topics. We have over 80 folks living in about 30 different countries signed up, with more joining every day! Roughly one week ago, the first prompt was sent to them via e-mail.

The Prompt: Global Citizenship

Highlights

These bloggers have impressed us! There was so many great, thoughtful posts this week. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to reflecting on Global Citizenship, so we'd like to focus more on the formats and techniques a few bloggers used.

Here's a prime example of a post that covers a lot of ground while still being concise and easy to digest, thanks to the list and clear headings (Beth, Moldova)

Here's another great way to break down your thoughts into memorable headings. Bonus: including a cross-cultural translation! (Linda, Thailand)

This post not only breaks down the traits of global citizenship, it also shares ideas for what to do about it. (Krystal, Namibia)

This blogger took the opportunity to highlight a member of his host community who personifies global citizenship (Kevin, Dominican Republic)

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Click here to see the pinboard[/caption] We invite you to take some time to get to know more of our Blog Challenge bloggers by checking out the Round Up links we've included below. You can also find more posts highlighted on our Blog Challenge pinterest board.

Join us!

Want to participate? If you'd like to join the Blog Challenge and get the last couple blog post prompts in real time, sign up here.

09 January, 2017 / 1 Comment

New Normal | Boot Camp Blog Challenge Round Up | Blogging Abroad

Blog Challenge Responses Round-Up #12

We have officially come to the end of our first Blog Challenge here at Blogging Abroad. We ended up with 147 bloggers enrolled who each had varying degrees of participation in the Challenge. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and it has truly been a joy to learn about everyone's experiences through coordination of this project.

Phase Two of the Blog Challenge: Join the fun!

Feedback from our bloggers has been overwhelmingly positive and constructive, so we've decided to extend the opportunity to participate in our Challenge by creating a start-anytime version. By signing up for the Blog Challenge now, you'll get a weekly e-mail with a prompt. Then you can share your blog responses in the comment section of these Round Up posts so more people will see them. If you're interested in participating, sign up via our Blog Challenge page to get started.

The Prompt

[blockquote text="Challenge #12 = New Normal What did you never expect to be doing before you arrived in your host country? How have you adapted your routine or social behaviors to the culture around you?" text_color="" width="80" line_height="undefined" background_color="" border_color="" show_quote_icon="no" quote_icon_color=""]

Highlights

This blogger in Moldova shared a lovely poem about slowing down
Gabriela in Madagascar lists the 8 signs you are well-integrated in her community
Ellery in Ethiopia does a nice job of sharing a photo and explanation for each "new normal" in her life abroad

There are so many other great cultural adaptation accomplishments in these blog posts! We encourage you to check out the links below and on our Boot Camp Blog Challenge pinterest board.

Posts

15 February, 2016 / 0 Comments

Top 5 Tour | Boot Camp Blog Challenge Round Up | Blogging Abroad

Blog Challenge Responses Round-Up #11

The Prompt

[blockquote text="Challenge #11 = Top 5 Tour Your readers may never visit your community, but if they did, what 5 things would you show them?" text_color="" width="80" line_height="undefined" background_color="" border_color="" show_quote_icon="no" quote_icon_color=""]

Highlights

Jose in the Philippines and Gabriela in Madagascar created fun itineraries for visitors to their communities

Michael in Colombia shared the 5 modes of transport you would take to get around his community (plus a bonus one!)

Katey-Red takes us on a Big Five "safari" with South African livestock

Matt and Anne tour the most common shops in their Moroccan town

Justin in Madagascar, Sara in Moldova, and Julie in Mongolia all share nice photo tours of their communities

There is so much to be discovered in these blog posts! We encourage you to check out the Blog Challenge blog post links below and on our Boot Camp Blog Challenge pinterest board.

Posts

11 February, 2016 / 0 Comments

Quotes and Proverbs | Boot Camp Blog Challenge Round Up | Blogging Abroad

Blog Challenge Responses Round-Up #10

Greetings! Our first-ever Blog Challenge bloggers are nearing the end of their six-week adventure in blogging. Early this morning they received their last blog prompt which will bring this incredible Challenge to a close early next week. Before we get into this week's Round Up, here are a few announcements:

A "non-boot camp"/start-any-time-you-want version of this same challenge will be ready in the next couple weeks. Sign up on our e-mail list (in the sidebar to the right) to get notifications about this and other awesome resources as they come out.

Our new Featured Blogs page is now live ... and quickly growing. Check it out!

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The Prompt

[blockquote text="Challenge #10 = Quotes & Proverbs Choose a cultural nugget of wisdom, quote, saying, or proverb to be the centerpiece of your blog post." text_color="" width="80" line_height="undefined" background_color="" border_color="" show_quote_icon="no" quote_icon_color=""]

Highlights

Katey-Red drew her own visuals to demonstrate the languages in South Africa

Matt and Anne drew out their many conversations in Morocco that include one particular phrase

Christine focuses on a single word she likes and how it is used in Ethiopia

Allison in Ecuador uses a list of common phrases that also reveal some cultural norms

There is so much to be discovered in these blog posts! We encourage you to check out the Blog Challenge blog post links below and on our B oot Camp Blog Challenge pinterest board.

Posts

08 February, 2016 / 4 Comments

Crazy Moments | Boot Camp Blog Challenge Round Up | Blogging Abroad

Blog Challenge Responses Round-Up #9

The Prompt

[blockquote text="Challenge #9 = Crazy Moments When living abroad, unfamiliar experiences come with the territory. Tell us about it!" text_color="" width="80" line_height="undefined" background_color="" border_color="" show_quote_icon="no" quote_icon_color=""]

Highlights

Jose in The Philippines discovers remnants of an usual, ancient tradition and successfully presents it in an objective yet interesting way
SaraJoy shares her surprise at some of the roads in Moldova
Beth reveals the ins and outs of A Life Unplumbed in Lesotho
Beth in Burkina Faso depicts wedding traditionss with easy-to-read bullet point

There are many other fantastic stories and cultural curiosities in this week's responses! We encourage you to check out the Blog Challenge blog post links below and on our B oot Camp Blog Challenge pinterest board.

Posts

04 February, 2016 / 3 Comments

Details | Boot Camp Blog Challenge Round Up | Blogging Abroad

Blog Challenge Responses Round-Up #8

The Prompt

[blockquote text="Challenge #8 = Details It's time to go micro! Hone in on one particular detail of your life abroad, in pictures and/or words." text_color="" width="80" line_height="undefined" background_color="" border_color="" show_quote_icon="no" quote_icon_color=""]

Highlights

This Challenge allowed for a wide range of topics to be covered. Every single post is interesting in its own way, so dig in to whatever cultural detail strikes your fancy: from morning sounds to pueblo classrooms, customs and taboos or non-verbal communication to writing skills, pagne fabrics or beads to doors and windows, and even rice. There is so much to be discovered in these blog posts! We encourage you to check out the Blog Challenge blog post links below and on our B oot Camp Blog Challenge pinterest board.

Posts

01 February, 2016 / 4 Comments