A little bit about me and how I got "here" (wherever "here" happens to be for me at the moment).  I have worked in the international development and humanitarian aid field for 13 years now.  Most people think its cool that I get to travel all around the world.  And it is sort of cool, but like any job, there are tedious and stressful aspects, but for the most part, I find the challenges pretty interesting.

 

I have done a lot of travelling over the past 13 years. I went to university in Montreal (my favorite city on earth!).  I started my career in Botswana - a beautiful country in southern Africa.  After finishing my Master's Degree and doing a year long stint with the UN in Geneva, I moved onto the Middle East region.  Despite all the bad press, and some of the horrible things that have happened in the world because of Western and  US policy in that region, I find it one of the most fascinating areas on earth.  I often tell people, if you think you can't understand the Middle East, start with this basic fact - while Europe was in the Dark Ages, the Middle East was the center of mathmatical, astronomical, and artistic learning.  It is truly amazing how far back and deep these centers of learning go in the Middle East.

 

Back to the story at hand - after working in the Middle East, I also did some very interesting work in central Asia (Pakistan, Tajikistan) and in West and Central Africa.  I am now back fully working on issues in the Middle East again.

 

But there is more to life than work!  I have a few hobbies I enjoy, top of the list is playing French Horn in a community orchestra (http://www.sograd.com/MSO).  I also enjoy dancing and try to take a drop in class at Joy of Motion http://www.joyofmotion.org each week.  I love the fresh air, the ocean, listening to music, practicing yoga, cooking when I have time, and reading books with my son.  I'm working on a top ten list of things I want to do before I die - top of the list at the moment is to get back to Botswana and take another African Safari.