Miss Racz, Successful OFW Blogger from Canada

About yourself

Name: Raquel Padilla Narraway

Url Address: ofwstories (.) com

Facebook: racz.kelly

Twitter: Racz Kelly

Instagram: raczkelly

Philosophy in life: I always believe that we are an author of our own life. We shouldn’t compare our life to others because we will never become contented and happy. We will always look for what is missing in our life.

Tell us something random about yourself.

30 years old, Filipino citizen, Canadian resident, newly-married, Filipino blogger, entrepreneur.

About your blog

1. How, when and why did you get into the blogging industry?

I started blogging in 2007 but I wasn’t really active until 2012.

     2. How you came up with the name for it?

I started writing a blog and most of my topics are about Overseas Filipino Workers. Some OFWs were telling me stories about their life, thus, ofwstories (.) com was born.

  3. How long have you been here and what made you want to start?

Ofwstories (.) com was born in October 2013. I started it because all my works are only posted on facebook and they are not permanent. I have bought a domain so whenever I need to search my article, I can easily search it from my website

 4. Do you blog for a job full time? What else do you do aside from blogging?

Blogging is my passion. I don’t do it full-time because I am working as office admin at a recruitment agency here in Vancouver, Canada.

5. Did you choose to start blogging directly about your chosen niche or because you just saw a good way to make money from blogging?

I am blogging about OFWs to become an inspiration. I am doing it on facebook and I am not making money. I am doing it because it makes me happy to share my experiences to other people.

6. How much time do you spend on work related to your blog(s) each week?

It depends. Sometimes, a couple of hours or 5 hours. There are times too that I am too busy to open my blog.

7. What do you find to be your biggest struggle as a blogger?

My biggest struggle as a blogger is that I don’t have enough time and I get mental block sometimes.  I don’t know how to start my topic.

8. How does blogging help you, in terms of life and career?

I gained respect from other OFWs because I give them tips on how to become successful abroad.

9. How did you get to where you are now with your blog(s)? To what do you attribute your success? And what is the next goal you hope to achieve?

I am teaching OFWs how to be wise and how to avoid being scammed. My next goal is to have a network which will help more people and to have some forum where OFWs can interact with each other.

10. Where do you see your blog(s) and yourself in 5 years?

I am hoping that in 5 years, I will have more posts in my blog or I will have contributors.

 11. What advice would you give to new bloggers wanting to start blogging and help them start out on a path to success?

Have a catchy title, use the right keywords, network your blog in the right place and look for community with the same interest.

A multi-award-winning blogger and advocate for OFWs and investment literacy; recipient of the Mass Media Advocacy Award, Philippine Expat Blog Award, and Most Outstanding Balikbayan Award. Her first book, The Global Filipino Bloggers OFW Edition, was launched at the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait. A certified Registered Financial Planner of the Philippines specializing in the Stock Market. A recognized author of the National Book Development Board of the Philippines. Co-founder of Teachers Specialist Organization in Kuwait (TSOK) and Filipino Bloggers in Kuwait (FBK). An international member of writing and poetry. Published more than 10 books.  Read more: About DiaryNiGracia

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