Ten Questions with Zhu of Correr Es Mi Destino

1. Describe your blog in five sentences or less.
I’m French, speak Mandarin Chinese amongst other languages and live in Ontario, Canada. Oh, and I traveled 27 countries so far. Alright, enough bragging…! I blog about living in Canada as an immigrant, experiencing cultural differences and settling for a while in one place, after having traveled the world. “Correr Es Mi Destino”: to run is my destiny… is it?

2. Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are.
The Yin & the Yang

Caught between life on the road and life at home… The ying & the yang – can’t have both but trying!

3. What sets you apart from other bloggers?
I just love writing and sharing cultural experiences, and I hope it shows through the blog. I don’t blog for money or for fame – I don’t even have ads on my blog, and don’t plan to have any. I learned everything from scratch, from template design to spell-check!

I think I have had somewhat original life experiences and I want to share them, learn from people and cultures.

4. When and how did you first discover blogging?
I wasn’t too interested in blogging until last year. I used to think bloggers were pretty self-centered…I didn’t read any blog, I just browsed quickly and nothing really caught my eye. I only started reading blogs after I started my own…and got addicted !

I started blogging for two main reasons: first, I wanted to know if I would be able to express myself in English in writing. I’ve always loved writing in French, but I never really had the chance to give it a try in English, despite the fact I’m bilingual.

Second is, when I first came to Canada, I looked for people like me: new immigrants, willing to adapt but yet quite lost in their new life. I couldn’t relate to anyone. So I hoped that sharing my experience will bring up more people in my situation!

5. What is your biggest pet peeve related to blogging or the internet?
I just can’t stand purely money-making blogs anymore, and the advertising is getting omnipresent. I want to read honest things, personal experiences, not some kind of sponsored speech!

6. Name one plugin, blogging widget, or service that you can’t live without.
I love taking pictures, so I spend quite a lot of time on Picasa. It’s a really cool software: free, user-friendly, makes your pictures prettier with cool tools and uploading to Blogspot is fast and easy. Love it!

7. If you could choose anyone, living or dead, to write a guest post for your
blog, who would it be and why?
Alright, I’m gonna sound crazy here but…I’d pick Subcommandante Marcos. He’s the spokesperson for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). I traveled Chiapas for a while three years ago and became quite acquainted with the EZLN movement, although as a foreigner I can’t claim to understand it fully. I studied Chinese history though and I admired the way the country reinvented itself many times, after the fall of the Qing, after Maoism, after years of controlled government. I feel Latin America relates to that in some way, the power struggle.

Now I’m sounding like some kind of revolutionary, but I’m not, really. I’m pretty left-wing though, but a realistic one! I tend to think the next “battle” should be fought with modern communication mediums, such as the internet rather than actual weapons – pretty much what the EZLN is doing right now. We need new politics that come from the bottom-up and many countries need to have their voice heard. So I’d love to offer my blog as a medium for political discussions, even though I might disagree with the poster’s view!

8. How has blogging made you a better person?
I read quite a lot of blogs everyday and it was a mind-opener. I came to North America as a French, somewhat brainwashed about the bad sides of the USA and Canada – I learned a lot, culture-wise, through personal blogs! Every blog is a snapshot of a life, and everyone is entitled to his opinion.

Blogging is also about acknowledging people who do a great job and learning from them. Some great people encouraged me at first, so I make a point to return the favor.

9. What are your tips for becoming a better blogger?
Be honest when you write, and don’t blog just for the sake of it. Not everyone is comfortable with writing, but you can also post drawings, pictures, etc. Make your blog unique and be patient… readers will stop by and stay!

10. Name one great blog that you read on a regular basis. What makes it unique?
I read Sir Jorge’s Video Store Blues everyday.

This guy is a really good writer and has a good eye for everyday life’s oddness and paradoxes. He was born in Mexico and moved to the USA when he was young. We’re both the same age and I guess I can relate to him – having two cultures and being stuck in the middle.

Read him, you won’t regret it!

Categories: Personal, Ten Questions, Travel & Culture