There's No Place Like Oz

It’s hard to believe I’ve been writing about my life on There’s No Place Like Oz for over a year, but it’s true! A few weeks ago, I contemplated highlighting some of my favorite posts on the About page or in a “best of” post, but I’ve kind of had a few Oz to USA transition issues to wrestle with 🙂

Over the weekend, as I was working on the most recent foodie post, my friend Caroline of Caroline in the City asked if she could tag me in the Tripbase My 7 Links project. When I read that the project is meant “to unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again,” I immediately said yes. As I sat down with my netbook and salad to get working on the post, I learned that Jayne of 40 Countries Before I’m 30 had just formally tagged me! Thank you ladies 🙂 I hope you (and others) enjoy seeing a few posts you may not have before.

My most beautiful post: Living the Dream: 6 months in

I didn’t select this post for its photography but for the mindset in which I wrote it. The 6-month mark of my trip fell just days before Thanksgiving. I was feeling homesick and had to work on the American holiday for the first time, but I also felt incredibly grateful for my first six months in Australia. In a spirit of thanks, I reflected on the first half of my Aussie adventure.

My most popular post: Quitting Work to Travel…Again

I decided to define popularity in terms of comments and not page views. The one with the most views wasn’t that exciting O:-)

I’m glad people responded well to this post because I was glad to quit my job to travel…for the second time in a year. I became a career breaker when I left a job in May 2010 to live, travel, and work in Oz on the Work & Holiday Visa. When I started my Aussie job a few months later, I expected to work a full six months. That didn’t happen.

My most controversial post: A Virginian and Vegemite

I don’t think I’ve ever written anything truly controversial. Or remotely controversial, really. I love writing about food, my love of Australia, the best days, and the challenges I’ve faced — but nothing that’s sparked great debate! That being said, when I wrote about my first taste of Vegemite on toast, I knew people generally fall into one of two categories…you love the stuff (i.e., you’re Aussie) or you loathe it. Somehow, I managed to fall into this odd place of kind of liking it but not really. Check out the post to watch my reaction to the dark brown yeast spread.

My most helpful post: Aussies and Mozzies

My first choice for “most helpful” fit another category well, but thankfully selecting this as my second choice was easy. I rarely write posts that are tip oriented, and any help I may offer on the Sydney food scene pales in comparison with posts from the great food blogging community.

With this post, I helped family and friends understand a little bit about Aussie slang and amused some of my Aussie friends in the process.

A post whose success surprised me: Healthy Food Stores in Sydney

This post only has a few comments. It’s not the most viewed. I wrote it for an audience that had probably never visited my blog before.

When I arrived in Australia, I quickly realized that finding health food stores was a bit of a challenge! Keyword searches and asking locals did little to help me solve the mystery of where all the organic, gluten free goodies could be found. So I did some digging and walking and kept asking questions. Eventually I found some great shops in Sydney, and I figured if I had trouble finding them, others may have the same problem. I wrote this post in hopes that it would help a few folks discover the location of health/natural food stores in the city, and sure enough, people are finding it every day. Happy shopping and eating readers, whoever you may be!

A post which didn’t get the attention it deserved: No Macaron Left Behind: The End

If you’ve read my blog, you probably find this an odd choice. Quite a few people followed the “No Macaron Left Behind” challenge with delight — bless you! There were a few folks, however, that I wish would have taken notice. Take Adriano Zumbo, the man behind the macaron, for example. Mr. Zumbo, I know you are very busy brainstorming quirky new recipes and inspiring both fear and awe in Masterchef and Junior Masterchef contestants with your guest appearances. I am quite understanding that no one from your patisserie ever responded to the message(s…) I sent about my challenge O:-) But I just wish you had known and thought it was cool. Surely SBS, V Australia, or the Sydney Morning Herald would love to learn about the challenge and sponsor a return trip for Macaron Day 2011?! Hey, let me dream people.

The post I am most proud of: Reentry and Reverse Culture Shock

I only published this post last week, but I had to highlight it here.

I tend to be rather honest in my posts about how I’m feeling, whether it’s good or bad. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, for better or worse. And I write as much as I talk.

In this post, I put it ALL out there. Being home wasn’t very fun the first two months (thank goodness it’s getting better), and reverse culture shock hit me harder than expected. I’m proud that I wrote about something so close to my heart and published it for all to see. I always appreciate when other bloggers write very honestly, and this was perhaps the most honest I’d ever been.

Hope you enjoyed my picks and had at least one new post to read! Now, I’m looking forward to seeing which posts the 5 folks I’m tagging choose to highlight. Find the 7 Links rules here.

— Jaime (@BAbackpacker) from Breakaway Backpacker (who apparently got tagged by me and another blogger at the same time!)
— Lauren (@LaurenFritsky) of The Life that Broke
— Lynda (@lynnie11) from live.travel.blog.
— Chris (@aussieontheroad) of Aussie on the Road
— Megan (@megan_rtw) from On My Way RTW