#FrayLife Follows: Another Long Weekend
This month’s #FrayLife Follows features Another Long Weekend, a lifestyle blog that taps into every aspect of life a young adult may need a little guidance in.
We touched base with the mastermind behind ALW, Naomi, for a glimpse into the makings of the lifestyle blog that has evolved into the guide that it is today. Read all about the story behind Another Long Weekend below and gain some insight into topics young adults your age are curious about, then follow ALW on IG for some tips and inspiration for how to better your lifestyle!
Give our readers some background on you and your experience. How did you get into blogging, and how did Another Long Weekend get started?
I’m Naomi Naik, 23 years-old Master’s in Public Health student at GWU, DMV native and also am the founder of Another Long Weekend (ALW). ALW started as a creative outlet for me my freshman year of college. I got my B.S. in Biology and B.A. in English in 2017, but have always loved to write and do graphic design. A blog seemed like the perfect marriage of the two! When I realized that people actually read what I wrote, I started getting sponsorships and expanding my blog to feature other writers and create an inclusive community for young adults. One of my favorite parts of my blog is that I coded most of it myself, so I feel very invested in its user interface as well.
Which section of your blog is your favorite to create and why?
My favorite section of my blog is The City Guides because they have all my favorite spots around different cities such as DC and New York. As I travel more, I hope to have more guides up with my favorite spots and crowdsourced recommendations as well.
Check out my DC guide here: https://anotherlongweekend.com/portfolio/the-washington-d-c-guide/
I also just started a segment a few weeks ago called Five Guys where five anonymous readers answer relationship questions from other readers. Every advice-giver has a different set of experiences to bring to the table so it has been very cool to see how people are reacting to it.
Here is a link to one of the most recent ones: https://anotherlongweekend.com/2018/10/31/alws-five-guys-q-4-double-trouble/
What do you do when you’re not blogging? (or How do you balance graduate school, your personal life and your blog?)
Before this semester, I was working full-time and going to graduate school part-time for my Master’s in Public Health. This semester, I am interning at the World Health Organization as a program intern and am also taking classes. Outside of school and work, I love to work out, watch Netflix (or HBO because Veep is one of the best shows on television), read and travel. I also have finally started watching the Premier League again: go Man U!
It is very easy to start blogging these days. WordPress, Blogger and other platforms offer pre-made templates where you can just focus on your written content. Just start! Write about whatever you are passionate about. My blogging calendar is usually consists of some lifestyle post twice a week, the Five Guys post three times a week and then the Weekend Edition (a profile on a reader) every Monday. Sponsored posts usually vary depending on the month and what is being promoted.
What is your favorite part about living and studying in DC?
I grew up in the DC metro area and one of my favorite parts is its diversity. You can go from eating incredible El Salvadorian food in the District to watching a Bollywood movie out in Arlington and then attending a Turkish festival the next day. There are people from all backgrounds and walks of life, so you never know who you will meet! Even at George Washington University, everyone has a different experience they bring to school, so just hearing about their life stories or how they got to where they are is inspiring!
What is something completely random or unusual that most people don’t know about you?
When I was growing up, my dad always used to listen to NPR when he drove me to school. So in 2008, I was elated when I got published on NPR in the eighth grade after my teacher sent a story of mine for “This I Believe.” My NPR love grew even more when I tweeted at T-Pain about his NPR Tiny Desk Concert and he retweeted me and followed me! So yeah, if T-Pain thinks I’m cool, I feel like that is the only validation I need 🙂
What are 3 things that belong on the bucket list of any 20-something living in the DMV?
Monuments by Moonlight Tour on a nice summer night
Eat a burger at Duke’s Grocery
Go see your favorite artist at The Anthem – one of DC’s best music venues in my opinion
View More Articles By Naomi Naik