For those who don’t know how this works, the Liebster award is assigned by other bloggers who like your blog and think it’s worth to be awarded.

The person who nominates you asks you 11 questions. You answer them and then you nominate another 11 bloggers and ask them your own 11 questions and you notify them of the nomination. – And the Award flows on.

And here are Marta’s questions…:

* Sex, Drugs or Rock’N’Roll? Choose one.

Ha, I’d say Rock’N’Roll. – Why? Well, let’s say because my children read my blog… and because my other half and I did Rock’N’Roll before we had kids…

* If you could undo one thing you have done in your past, what would it be?

To be honest, I don’t think there is any real thing I would undo. – Of course, like everyone not all the decisions I took were the right ones but somehow it all turned out to be fine. – It’s more what I would have liked to have done differently: I’ve moved a lot and sometimes didn’t take the time to say goodbye to friends; mainly because I thought that I wouldn’t be gone for long, that I would come back. – This way I ended up leaving “forever” and loosing some of them, alas, forever.

* Piercing or Tattoo, and where?

I would really like to get a nice Tattoo, only that I really don’t like needles…

* What was the best year of your whole life and why?

It’s a tough one. There are many “best years” so far. The year I got married, got my first “real” job, the one I went to live in Florence, the year my son was born, the year we moved to the Netherlands, and the year my girls were born… The last two years, where I finally get the impression to be “on board” again of my professional life. All these years are “the best” for different reasons.

* Fast forward five years: where are you and what are you doing?

I’m  still here, hopefully, with my family, all healthy… and doing what I like. I try not to focus on the future. Too many things happen in very short time and lately I’m pretty much aware that one moment can change everything…

* Hair on men’s chests, yay or nay?

No hair, please…

* If you were to choose one book that you consider your darling, which one would it be?

My at-the-moment-darling-book is Marilyn Gardners’ book Between Worlds. I love her style and at almost every page of her book I felt that she was writing what I tried to express myself (check out her blog!).

* Do you enjoy hiding in wardrobes, especially in the tall part, where the coats hang?

No, not anymore. When playing hide and seek as a child: yes, of course. I even tried to hide putting on the coats on a hanger: quite scary for those who found a “moving” coat in the wardrobe!

* Describe briefly your biggest cooking fuckup.

I love cooking and I am a fantasy cooker, so you won’t find a dish that “goes wrong”. – Still thinking…

* If you could be a movie character and live their life as it is in the movie, which one would it be?

I guess this would be a superhero. It doesn’t matter which one. I just would love to have one super-power for a day or two and then, please, go back to normal because this is only fiction.

* What is the thing you love best about your life as it is?

I really like NOT to know what comes next. I like challenges and I love to live day by day. I enjoy this especially because in the past I wasn’t like that. I’ve spent many years worrying, planning and trying to control what comes next. But recently I find that living day by day is the best for me.

 And these are the 11 question I ask other bloggers:

1) How does a good day look like for you?

2) What is your favourite author and why?

3) Do you have a favourite plant ?

4) Dog or cat? – Why?

5) Seaside or mountain?

6) If you could choose where to live, where would this be and why?

7) Are you a morning or an evening person?

8) Do you like to bake or to cook?

9) Which is your favourite mean of transportation?

10) Mac or PC?

11) If you could start a new blog, what would it be about?

***

And these are my nominees (in alphabetical order ):

1) Amanda from Expat Life with a Double Buggy

2) Daniela from Malaikatravel

3) Galina from Raising a Trilingual Child

4) Irina from Good to be mom

5) Isabelle from Aventures d’Expat

6) Jonathan Ervine from Dad’s the way I like it

7) Lana from Smart Tinker

8) Maria from Trilingual Mama

9) Olga from European Mama

10) Rina from Finding Dutchland

11) Stephen Greene from Head of the Heard

The rules

Well, the rules indicated by Tatu and Olga are slightly different,I’ll try to combine them.

• Post 11 random facts about yourself.
• Answer the questions posed by your nominator.
• Pass the award on to eleven new recipients (make sure that the blogs you choose have 200 or less followers).
• Pose eleven new questions to your bloggers.
• Post a copy of the badge on your blog (type “Liebster Award” into Google images; you’ll find plenty to choose from).
• You are NOT allowed to nominate the blog who nominated you!

And here we go:

11 random facts about myself:

1. I once dreamed to open an international bookstore-café.

2. I love good movies.

3. I love dogs.

4. I do yoga regularly.

5. I need to write, when I don’t I feel miserable.

6. I don’t like to go skiing. I was probably traumatized when I was young (too cold…).

7. Whenever I can, I prefer to travel by train rather than plane.

8. I love my bakfiets and I’m a bit sad that I don’t have as many opportunities to use it with my kids in the „bak“ (box) like a few years ago…

9. I bake home made pizza every week.

10. I get nervous if it’s too noisy around me (yes, children included…).

11. I love to walk on the Dutch beach!

Answer the 11 questions (well, that would be 22 for me…)

From Tatu:

1) If you could spend half a day with a famous person, who would you choose and why?

Jon Kabat-Zinn, because he practices mindfulness meditation as a technique to help people cope with stress, anxiety, pain and illness. I admire the way he and his Mind and Life institute organize dialogues between the Dalai Lama and the Western scientists.

2) Favourite food?

Oh, I love food! It’s difficult to pick one: maybe the lasagna-moussaka-chocolatecake-fruit salad (not mixed, please)

3) What do you despise?

Intolerance and prejudices.

4) Truth or Dare?

Truth.

5) Are you a TV or a books person?

I’m more a book person, but I like good movies, so I would define myself as a „book-good-movie“ person.

6) Best day of your life & why?

A few weeks after my girls were born I had to spend a few days with one of them at the hospital. When we finally got back home, released and grateful that she didn’t have any serious illness, we all sat together very quietly and I realized what my life would be from now on. – It was a very peaceful and sunny day.

7) All time favourite movie?

Love actually (or Midnight in Paris, Les Intouchables, The Artist, Pulp Fiction, The Name of the Rose…)

8) Sea or mountain?

Sea.

9) Favourite destination & why?

This depends on my mood: right now (due to the persisting cold weather): any place where it’s warm! Maybe a Greek Island…

10) Homemade or storebought?

Homemade!

11) If you could change one thing about you, what would it be?

My age

From Olga:

1) Do you enjoy blogging?

Yes, a lot! I need to write and what I missed while writing scientific articles, was the almost immediate feedback. I love my blogger-community and am glad that I found it!

2) What do you do to relax?

There are several things I do, depending on my mood: go power walking, play with my kids, reading, writing, cooking, dancing or sleep.

3) Do you have a parenting philosophy?  How would you describe it?

I like the Love&Logic  http://www.loveandlogic.com/ style. My philosophy: „Encourage your children to think about what they do, how they do it and why.“

4) Finish this sentence: when my children drive me crazy, I…

leave the room, take a few deep breaths and come back. If this is not possible, I raise my voice and tell them that I would like to leave the room…–  usually they drive me crazy when the Db are very high…

5) If you could live wherever you wanted to, where would you live?

In Paris.

6) Do you enjoy doing housework?

Not always. – I don’t like to tidy up the mess of others, but for the rest I’m fine. I would really appreciate if someone could finally invent the „washing-drying-ironing and putting-back-in-the-drawers machine“…

7) What do you wish you had more of?

Time and energy.

8) What is your favourite book and why?

This is the most difficult question for me, as I don’t have only one favourite book but about 30.

9) Can you cook?

Yes, I love cooking and baking!

10) What’s your favourite part of the day?

Before having children the evening was „my“ moment. Now I would say the morning, when the children are at school and I have time to do my things.

11) Do you watch TV series? If so, which ones?

I like West Wings, Bones, Numb3rs, Being Erica, Friends…

My nominated blogs are:

1) Jenny’s amazing blog about Mindful Leadership and Intercultural Communication

2) The very passionate blog about languages called Loving Language

3) The 2 languages 2 worlds blog from Brian, Elisabeth, Nidhi and Swathi

4) Mae’s language lounge, a blog of a passionate poliglot

5) Marian van Bakel’s blog mainly about expatriation and intercultural communication (but much more) from a scientific perspective

6) Francisco Olivares’ blog Linguaphile apprentice where he would like to share free resources about language acquisition and contents with linguaphiles and English learners

7) The shared blog of Multicultural mothering, where women share advice and stories about mothering.

8) Tessa’s very inspiring and helpful blog, Help! I’m a stay at home mum, where she talks about the challenges of stay-at-home-mums and gives helps them to find their new role and identity and feel comfortable about the changes.

9) Dona’s very inspiring blog  Home is where your Mom is.

10) Tim’s passionate blog about being expat: Help! I’m an expat.

11) Jaclyn’s blog Kinda Crunchy, about her life with a newborn boy.

And here are my 11 questions:

1) What makes you happy?

2) What language would you wish to learn and why?

3) Why did you start blogging?

4) What is your favourite film or series and why?

5) What is your favourite book and why?

6) Which nationality would you choose, if you could and why?

7) Do you like to cook?

8) What is your favourite food?

9) Morning or evening?

10) Mountain or beach?

11) What is your favourite means of transportation?