2012 will be over in a couple of days!
A very intense year, in many levels, scenarios… Our family moved several times throughout the year… we got to live in 3 different countries [Brazil, USA, Bolivia}, lived out of suitcases for a long time; kids had to say goodbye to their dear friends, and say ‘hello‘ to the ones becoming their new friends and teachers, adjusting to a new school, new cultures, and now, we’re happily settled in Nuestra Señora de La Paz, capital of Bolivia…
At this moment, looking back at 2012, and preparing the ‘retrospective’: popular posts, interaction with other bloggers, popular searches/forums… good discussions… Good therapy, some may say – and I’m glad to agree 😮 – when it came to blogging, got a lot done this year, sharing our experiences, challenges regarding parenting, multilingual living, cultural adjustments… work… expatriate and family daily life…. So, why visitors, readers, commenters, came to this blog? Most of them are expatriates, like our own ‘nomad family’, some belong to the Foreign Service community, and are well familiar with the challenges faced by the 5 of us. Others, are parents, travelers, adventurers, looking for images, photos, tips about travel options, or simply… curious eyes in search of a good reading, or a funny/intriguing/amazing image from our travels and/or not-so-fantastic daily life!
Now, I find myself with some time after the Christmas holidays, and with a chance to pull together the ‘highs and lows’ of 2012, displaying my gratitude to the readers, commenter, frequent visitors, who always enrich this blogging journey! A big thank you to all!
For a ‘visual summary‘ of 2012, please hop over to this other post, especially crafted for WordPress‘s weekly photo challenge, the last one of 2012: A year through images!
For all the ‘fellow stats junkies’ out there [don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about! :o] here it is, this past year, through numbers… Who came in, looking for what, and the most popular posts…
Top visitors {countries}:
United States
Brazil
Canada
India
Australia
Popular Posts/Articles
2012 displayed an average of 246 blog comments/month, averaging 186 views a day.
Here are the ‘top commenters‘ [thank you for the very positive interaction!] 😮
journeyman1977 – Lucid Gypsy – colonialist – eof737 – fgassette – travelgardeneat |
And which ones were the most commented posts? The ones with the strongest human interaction? [Again, my deepest gratitude for all the feedback received!]
See you all back in 2013! Let’s all have a great, peaceful and successful New Year! 😮
Thanks for stopping by!
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[Backstory] I initially began this blog to share my impressions, observations and along-the-road experiences with our families and friends, and later, with other expats experiencing similar challenges/adventures…
…so, the blog morphed into more than just a quasi-travel and photo journal. I liked the idea of organizing not only our travel notes, but also providing resources for other parents, and encouraging an exchange of ideas through comments, questions and suggestions from viewers. The name for the blog came from the term itself: “3rd Culture Children” (TCKs, more information here) are children whose parents come from distinct cultures, and grow up under a hybrid environment, experiencing diverse cultural growth.
‘Adventure‘ popular posts:
Visiting the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, swimming along with marine dolphins (Brazilian Atlantic coast, World Heritage Site, according to UNESCO)
Builiding a Hanging Garden using Recycled PET Bottles – teaching the importance of respecting the environment.
I’m grateful to Ruth Bailey, for the recent nomination – the 7 x 7 Link Award, where one’s supposed to highlight 7 recent important blogposts. Many thanks to Cyclingrandma, for offering the Good Apple award.
Nominated by a couple of bloggers in 2011 & 2012
Thank you, ClaudiaJohnson, for the nomination!
For a working mom, juggling with the work-life balance, in charge of anything from grocery shopping to planning trips, I’m honored. I’m so pleased to share with other expatriates, parents, and traveling families, the beauty and excitement of traveling, exploring nature (I’m a biologist!), languages (we’ve got Spanish, Portuguese and English in our household!), social/cultural adjustments, and our not-so-professional advice as “parents-on-the-go“ – imagine hauling this family of 5 around, raising multi-language TCKs, and keeping the passion for photography and story-telling?!
3rdculturechildren 
No surprise that you have such a following. Keep up the good work!
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Thanks for being so kind, Colonialist… 😮 Happy 2013!
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Glad my post was inspiring! 😮 Wishes for a great year of 2013!
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My name is Kat B., and I am a stats junkie. 🙂 In fact, I had just started pulling together my own stats reflection post for the year, and think I will throw in a couple of awards I have neglected to acknowledge, thanks to the inspiration from your post! ~ Kat
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Kat! I loved your introduction! 😮 Feels like we’re all at some sort of ‘help group’… 😮 Funny, funny! Aren’t we all stats junkies?! Take care and good luck getting the post out! Let me know!
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Just posted with a nomination for 3rdculturechildren for the Illuminating Blogger Award: http://travelgardeneat.com/2012/12/29/year-end-statistics-award-trivia-and-more-this-is-what-happens-when-a-cold-bug-plants-a-blogger-at-the-computer-for-the-day/ ~ no obligation to respond or accept, just know your blog illuminates and makes the blogosphere a richer place! Cheers! ~ Kat
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Thank you very much, Kat! Very thoughtful! I saw you had so many inspiring blogs/bloggers listed on your post! Thanks for the opportunity! 😮
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You have a fab blog that lots of others love as I do!
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Oh, Gilly! Thank you, thank you, for your usual kindness and interest! 😮 Have a great New Year!
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great great GREAT post! may 2013 be good to you and your family! z
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Thank you so much! it’s fun to get out there, and simply assume your ‘secret’ ID as a stats junkie, right? Don’t you love visitors? commenters? 😮 It does enrich the whole blogging experience… by a lot! 😮 Take care and have a great beginning of 2013!
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