May 23rd marked the first anniversary of my blog. Waking up brimming with excitement over the weekend spent in Atlanta at the BlogHer Food conference, I did not remember. Spending the day unpacking my suitcases and analyzing every moment of the event, it completely slipped my mind, and I did not make any plans to commemorate it. No cake, no candles, no ticker tape parade… not even a flower. And I am the mother who diligently memorizes every birthday, anniversary, and graduation, any coming-of-age, American or Old Country, going to such extremes to remember entering the two digits or becoming the teenager (finally!), and pointedly not remembering when someone turns 48 or 76.
Even though I read many blogs for years before I started Bibberche, it never occurred to me that, one day, I might have to explain to someone what it means. I was at my first Food Bloggers LA meeting at Pam’s house, feeling all warm and fuzzy from great food and even better conversation, when we were asked to introduce ourselves and say a few words about our blogs. I winced inside, knowing that I could not say just, “Hi, I’m Lana, and my blog Bibberche is about…” Sure enough, I stumbled over my blog’s name, I had to repeat it twice, spell it without using a pen and paper (oh, horrors!) and tell the story about the Serbian version of Tom Thumb before I could say one word about the blog.
I have been in the US for over two decades, and I have gladly shortened my name, Svetlana, having to repeat it several times during introductions, only to hear it mangled and mispronounced. And then I chose Bibberche for my blog’s name? I deliberately picked a word that has only three vowels in nine letters, a word that means nothing in English-speaking world, a word that does not point you towards kitchen, food, or even Serbia, and only makes for the inevitable double-take and a “what?!”
I took a semester of Marketing at Cleveland State University back in the nineties, but it was obviously wasted on me, even though I managed to pull an easy A. When Husband put together the first tentative steps for my blog, I guess that I assumed I would be forever happily ensconced in a dark room, alone with the keyboard and a cup of coffee, content in my introverted writer’s life, unaware of people passing by. Yep, I really liked Bibberche, and I did not bother to come up with an alternative.
But in time, other people inevitably entered my little den, and I started to doubt the wisdom of my choice, tired of repeating the story time and again. At I printed the story of Bibberche on a glossy paper the colors of my blog, desperately hoping that fellow bloggers would read it and spare me the usual lengthy rant. I wanted something easy, catchy, and poetic, and I spent many hours torturing myself over the choices. Nothing seemed to fit, being either too cliched, too trite, or too convoluted. In the end, I reconciled myself that there will not be t-shirts and canvas grocery bags with Bibberche printed in bold letters. I can probably say a teary goodbye to SEO* and any chances of being recognized as a food blogger by the devious bots scouring millions of posts.
I read and re-read my first post many times, shedding a tear or two, valiantly resisting the urge to change even a single word, afraid it would cause the “butterfly effect”. My blog did not only survive its first tumultuous year full of anxiety, questioning, doubts, excitement, learning, and long nights; it became an entity all its own, separate from the other facets of my life, growing in strides, overcoming with mulish tenacity the myriad problems it encountered en route.
I love my blog and its crazy, unpronounceable name. It’s a quirky, creative part of my life and I see myself firmly connected with that tiny peppercorn-sized boy who managed to conquer the menacing, cruel, and treacherous world that surrounded him, gaining in the end the love of a princess and the respect of a king.
Bibberche was like an “Open, Sesame!” for me. During this year I learned many technological terms, managed to install plugins, got myself on Twitter (still working on establishing my blog on Facebook), and participated in many events, online and in real world. I took a college course in Photography, bought a Canon Rebel, and decided to explore the visual side of my creativity. I figured out that I can write as well in English as I do in Serbian, and that made me strong enough to battle some real life monsters and win.
But I am most thankful to Bibberche for introducing me to real people who share my interests and loves, who can make me laugh and offer comfort, who listen to my rants and read my long posts, who relate to my woes and rejoice in my victories. Thanks to my blog, I have new friends; even if some of them can’t pronounce my blog’s name, pronunciation isn’t everything in real life and nothing on the Internet. In the food blogging community, I found empathy, support, and encouragement. I met people willing to share their knowledge, patient to lead me step-by-step through the labyrinth of technology where many Minotauruses lurk, eager to discuss a point to its smallest details, enthusiastic to share their own family recipes, happy to point me to a store or a restaurant, and sensitive to offer words of comfort every time I need them. And I needed them a lot.
I can allot a name of a friend who helped me grow to every one of my little metal magnetic jars. I started a year ago with twenty four empty, shiny, new canisters. They are now a little duller, but each one holds a different spice, some that I use almost every day, and some more exotic, pulled out only on special occasions. They enrich my day with their vibrant colors, and give me comfort with their aroma and unique flavor.
*Search Engine Optimization is an evil beast manufactured by some really geeky techies, meant to confuse and scare poor bloggers and cause them to revisit middle school and fight to get to the popular crowd again and again. My friend Gail who writes One Tough Cookie (now that’s a great name for a site!), a witty, NYC sarcastic prose made sweet by her incredible cookie art, has recently penned a post addressing the dreaded SEO.
Draga Lana, pa srećan ti rođendan bloga!
Ja sam moj blog počela pomoću štapa i kanapa. Par sati pre objavljivanja prvog posta nisam ni znala kako sve to funkcioniše. Evo me, posle skoro godinu dana, i dalje učim i snalazim se i ponosna sam na sebe koliko sam napredovala u svetu bloggera u odnosu na svoje katastrofalne prve korake. Tehnologija! Ovde takođe postoje okupljanja, ali uglavnom se radi o Coorinariki i to u Hrvatskoj, Makedoniji i Novom Sadu. Cure su se spremale da naprave jedno okupljanje blogera u Beogradu i to bi zaista bilo lepo. Ja u početku nisam htela ni svoju fotku da postavim, a sada imam želju da upoznam sve te divne ljude.
It’s funny how you start blogging for one reason, in one way, and then one day you realize the blog has taken on its own life and is now showing you where it wants to go. My blog will be five years next week. I began it as a one-year project, and at the end of one year it had become more than I expected, so I said, well, why not give it another year. And so it goes. The blog has changed and grown, but what is most valuable to me are the friends I’ve met (some, at last, in real life! xo) along the way, and the ability to reach a broader, global community. Congratulations on your one-year blog anniversary. It’s not easy to keep writing a blog for an entire year, so you should feel very proud!
Lana, I am still figuring our what my blog is about 2 years later! And I write in my mother tongue. I so admire you for how beautifully you write in English and am impressed with how far you have come in one year. I look forward to following your adventures in the years to come.
“It’s a quirky, creative part of my life and I see myself firmly connected with that tiny peppercorn-sized boy who managed to conquer the menacing, cruel, and treacherous world that surrounded him, gaining in the end the love of a princess and the respect of a king.” (this sums it up beautifully, by the way!)
Congratulations on your blogaversary! You have a true gift of writing and I wouldn’t change a thing. Not you, not your blog title, or your voice.
Happy blogaversary Lana! Love Bibberche…love how it’s unusual & unique, just like you
And like you I have got used to people not being able to pronounce my name, it just becomes part of you 
looking forward to many more wonderful posts on Bibberche!
Now I wish I had a copy of that sheet you printed out for Camp Blogaway. I want to read the story of the name and what it means!
Happy Blogoversary Lana! I know what you mean – I sometimes regret the name of my blog as it seems difficult (why!?) but I always just assumed Bibberche was pronounced like bib (for a baby) er to rhyme with her and shay to rhyme with they. Am I wrong?
As a new blogger myself I can appreciate all you’re talking about. CONGRATS on your one year, very exciting! I love your blog and you should be very proud
Stick with Bibberche, it will make you happy in the long run. When I started my blog 3 years ago (almost) I had to explain what the heck SippitySup meant. Yes it’s a Nursery rhyme! Or I should say it WAS a Nursery rhyme, because even the spidery little SEO bots recognize it as a food blog now. GREG
Has it only been a year, Lana? Your writing is mature and endurably entertaining. I always enjoy it even if I struggle for the time to comment. Happy 1st and many more. BTW, I adore the Slavic beauty of Svetlana, and am sorry that you felt the need to truncate it. Is is that hard to pronounce? Good Heavens!
happy blogaversary, Lana! I really do enjoy all of your posts. So happy to have met you.
Congratulations on your first anniversary Lana. Look at you it’s only been a year yet you have done a lot … looks like a mature blog to me. Im so glad we’ve met (virtually) Im pretty sure in no time we will meet face to face, and pretty sure will hit off well don’t you think so?
More Power!!!
Malou
Congrats on your first year! You learn so much that first year, don’t you? Here’s to many more!
Lana, I am so happy to have met you and gotten to know you and your wonderful blog! Your writing moves me, touches me and inspires me as does your goodness and joy. I have so many posts of yours that I must go back and read and discover, savoring each one. I hope that one day – maybe this year – we will actually meet in real life! And skype!! Your skype handle is in my list of contacts! xoxo Jamie
Lana- How wonderful! Think about how more eloquently you can express yourself when pulling from 2 languages. It’s a pleasure to read your words. Thank you.
Congratulations! What a great tribute to your first year! i love those canister better now with their “experience” and relaxed look
Lana, I love your passion, great post.
Lana, I adore your writing and your passion. I love Bibberche. Happy anniversary to you — you should feel extremely proud! Celebrate yourself — and the name Bibberche!
xo
Congratulations on the first year!!!! Quite a ride, huh?
Like GREG said, stick with your name. Now, it’s part of your branding.
As we learned at Camp, who cares about SEO?!
[K]
@Jelena, kao i za sve u životu, uvek mora da postoji jedna ili dve osobe koji će da organizuju okupljanja i da skupe srodne duše, a to nije lak posao. Ja se divim ljudima koji imaju energije za to. I tvoj blog se polako približava godišnjici. Meni se čini da si ti ipak znala mnogo više o tehnologiji nego ja:)
@Lydia, I have told you so many times what an inspiration you are! I will be there to celebrate your fifth anniversary with you! Thanks for the wonderful comment!
@Mardi, thanks a bunch! I am right when I say that our blogs are entities of their own:) I always appreciate your thoughtful comments!
@Frieda, thanks for those words – I really needed someone to say them:) Cheers, my friend!
@Mairi, I have to confess that I pronounce your name like I would in Serbian, three syllables, very clear sounds, even though I don’t know if it is right! You have to teach me one of these days:) And thank you for reading my blog and leaving beautiful comments:)
@Sylvie, thanks:) I have the text of that card somewhere on my computer, but my report with technology is not a friendly one:) I think that my “About” page has a similar story.
@Sasa, lol, your blog name is not complicated at all, providing I am pronouncing it properly, and I think I am:) I have to post the pronunciation right underneath my blog name, though!
@Rachel, thank you for reading and for commenting:) I am by no means an experienced blogger, but I am here to encourage you and help you in any way, if you need:)
@Greg, thanks:) I am convinced that your blog is more noticeable than the nursery rhyme (I have not heard of that one – how odd!) You have been an enormous force in my blogging life and I appreciate our friendship:)
@Susan, your friendship means so much to me, not only because we share the love for Agatha Christie:) Thanks for your support. As for my name, I love it, and hate to hear it mangled. It does not sound too weird to me, so I was stumped:)
@amee, dear, I am so happy to have met you, too! Love your sense of humor! Your writing can always make me smile:)
@Malou, we are so close that it seems weird to me not to have met you for coffee somewhere (Carlsbad?) Let’s plan a date soon! And thanks for the comment!
@Dana, you are hilarious and I love your blog! Yes, I learned so much this year and I cannot wait to learn more!
@Jamie, a Skype date, definitely in the near future:) You are one of the few finds that I cherish and hope to meet really soon. I will be closer to you in July, so I can at least wave:)
@Stephanie, your photography is breathtaking and you inspire me so much! Thanks for reading:)
@Amelia, tante grazie, cara! Yes, my little canisters are full of life now and so happy:)
@Pilar, thanks:) It was so nice meeting you in Atlanta. Cannot wait to try some of your South American recipes!
@Valentina, I am so happy you have started a blog! I enjoy your recipes and the stories about your boys (I am always amazed, as they are foreign creatures in this house, except for my husband:) Thanks for reading! Looking forward to seeing you again soon!
@Kim, thanks, friend! I can’t tell you how happy I am to have met you! I guess I am stuck with Bibberche (and happy about it:). True, I don’t need SEO:)
Lana – Happy anniversary. You are an eloquent writer and fantastic story teller. I appreciate your perspective on so many levels. Congratulations on creating such a wonderful blog that’s about you and your connection to food, culture and the world around you. Glad you stayed with Bibberche. – Andrea
Happy anniversary – I too like Bibberche though I have no idea if I am saying it right in my head. And I stupidly thought it was some sort of play on being a word person/book lover etc. – the “bibb” part makes me think bibliophile I suppose. Obviously I need to go and read your first post! I do love it though, it’s different; which, no matter what people try to say, is actually a good thing.