Blog Addict of the Week: Alma Pasaraba

SAY hello to our Blog Addict of the Week, Alma Pasaraba of Saipan Impressions.

Could you tell us something about yourself: How old are you and what are you currently doing? When and why did you start blogging and who got you hooked?

I am thirtysomething. I am a CPA and I am currently working as the Internal Auditor and Compliance Officer in one of the banks here in Saipan. I started blogging in September 2006. I am a first time OFW and blogging has helped me cope with my homesickness. The alienation I experienced and to generally make sense out of my decision to take this job and leave my comfortable life there in the Philippines. I’ve been writing essays and I’ve been journaling since I was in grade school and blogging is basically just like journaling except that people could read what I’ve written. It’s a cathartic exercise for me.

What makes a blog better than a regular website? Did you try putting up your own site before you started blogging?

A blog is better than a regular website because I am not much of a techie and a blog site is very easy to do even for people who has very limited tech skills just like me. I never tried putting up my own site before because I don’t know how to do it in the first place. My sister who’s quite adept in technology convinced me to do blogs because she knows that I love to write.

Would you say that blogging is very addictive? How many people have you convinced to also start blogging?

I would say that blogging very addictive. My friends here in Saipan would always comment why I would always take my digital camera with me everywhere I go and they would be curious why I would ask people a lot of questions. I would tell them, because I am writing something about this or that stuff. I have encouraged my sisters and a couple of friends (those who love to write too) to start blogging. I would say that the experience is very much like journal writing.

How has blogging made a difference in your life?

Blogging has helped me make sense of the many aspects of my life. Living alone in this small island has hleped me know myself better. It has helped me conquer my fears and has helped me expand my horizon. Telling people about all these though my blogs has helped me realize that I do have that special voice inside me that could describe the struggles and loneliness of an OFW. Most of my articles tried to be as detached as possible but eventually my personal experiences came out and I know a lot of OFWs could relate to my experience.

What blogging software do you use? What makes it better than other blogging services?

I use BlogSpot. I never tried others so I don’t know which is better.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had in the blogging world?

Well, recently I’ve met some people here in Saipan who has been blogging too and most of them are Americans. It’s interesting because we haven’t met before and when we did and when we started to talk about blogging and writing, we bond so easily. And I’ve considered them good friends of mine already.

If you have to pimp your blog to readers, could you tell us in 100 words or less why they should visit your blog?

Well, people should visit my blog because they would know what my temporary island of Saipan is like, they would know about the experiences of an OFW who is living away from home for the first time, the observations about the life of an OFW (it really is different when it’s a first hand experience), the struggles and the triumphs of a contract worker and maybe in this bold honesty of a person like me, they could connect to it and see themselves in my experiences too. Before I became an OFW, I never felt anything for the maids, the construction workers, the nurses, the IT professionals who left home for a better job outside of the Philippines, but now, I am aware of the loneliness, the homesickness, the isolation and the many struggles an OFW faces. OFWs are really the living heroes of our economy. Of our country.

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Thanks Alma! And to all those who’d like to be featured, just leave a comment and your URL so that we can check out your blog. Or e-mail joeyalarilla@gmail.com.

We’ll feature a new Blog Addict every week, so keep visiting

Who knows? The next Blog Addict of the Week could be you.

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