Kurdistan, Iraq
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
To the Here and Now...
Well, where exactly to begin?
I'm a southerner at heart, and an adventurer by nature. My family has and does play a crucial role in my life, which at times, creates a dilemma with the traveling side of my life. I miss them, but cherish the work and life before me. My mother summed it up, "my job is to create a balance in you, one to give you roots and wings at the same time, without allowing one to dwarf the other." There's a constant strife in me to maintain this balance. Its healthy but difficult.
These are my roots.
I grew up spending lots of time in the outdoors, working on farms, and going to Church. My education up through high school was what I made it-- good enough to get by, but not too much to take away from work or fun. I was raised to have a strong work ethic, show good hospitality and to try something before having too much of an opinion. It was ingrained in me to be honest, sincere, and humble. I'm typically pretty honest but have difficulty with the sincerity part, and I carry enough hubris to make the latter almost impossible (most of the time anyway;).
These are my wings.
After a flunked-out semester of college, I spent two and half years traveling, volunteering, and working abroad before I decided to pursue a degree. Most of my time was spent in Thailand but I traveled throughout Southeast Asia and spent another four months studying sustainable, cross-cultural development in a simulated African-style village in Florida. I worked on fish farms, pig farms, hay-making and participatory development for the most part. In Florida, I studied sustainable agriculture, small animal husbandry, appropriate technologies, primary health, food & nutrition, and cross-cultural communications. It was a great way to prepare for a second round of university life.
When I finally started back to university in the spring of 2008, I knew I wanted to gain further international experience, learn more about international affairs and study agriculture. So, by the end of my three and half years, I graduated with a BS in International Relations, a BA in Global Studies and a minor in Agriculture. I studied in Morocco, Turkey, Northern Cyprus and India but also traveled to Spain, Egypt, Djibouti and Somalia.
I met Natalie Bernardini in the spring of 2010 and found myself quickly, and deeply, in love. She's been an anchor for my soul and a light to my sometimes cynical mindset. After only two months of cooking, coffee, chocolate, study and long, romanticized discussions of faith, travel and future goals, I took off for a month of study in Turkey and Cyprus. Little did she know, I'd already purchased a ring before I left, and indeed, being away from her solidified my heart's desire to marry. I proposed to her during my two days back in Tennessee on June 8th, before heading on to India for two and half months.
It was odd... I don't think either of us were expecting to be thrown into the whirlwind of such a path together, but we met in a time of intense loneliness for both of us. I am intensely independent and an individualist at my core, but meeting Natalie revealed a hidden longing (and need) for someone to share this journey with. I'm in love with Natalie, not because I want to settle or purely for romantics, but because she challenges me to dream and won't let me stop short when things get difficult. I was losing steam, burnt out on doing things alone, and she kindled a fire in my bones. Most things have stayed the same, only now, I have someone to help refine my interests and confide in when individualism doesn't play out so well.
I graduated this past May; after which, we moved to Grinnell, Iowa to begin work with SALT International. SALT is a small, non-profit organization focused on bringing about social and economic development through the creation of agribusinesses. Their niche is in soybean production & processing, plant protein, and market-driven development. I originally joined SALT as the Communications Director & Assistant Agronomist for a team heading to Northern Iraq. This project is still in the stages of concept development and fund-raising, but we're hoping to have some people on the ground in early 2012.
In the meantime, I'm taking a temporary assignment in Northern Afghanistan as the part-time Financial Director, part-time Assistant Manager for a new soy mill. SALT is a sub-contractor under the American Soybean Association, which has a USDA Food for Progress grant. We built a soy mill, which should be commissioned in early November. Natalie and I will be going over at the end of November with a contract through the end of February.
We just returned from a two week, fly-by trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, but I'll save the pictures and stories for separate posts-- hopefully to come soon. Most of my posts will probably be shorter than this, but some longer as well, depending on my mood.
Peace
AMS
I'm a southerner at heart, and an adventurer by nature. My family has and does play a crucial role in my life, which at times, creates a dilemma with the traveling side of my life. I miss them, but cherish the work and life before me. My mother summed it up, "my job is to create a balance in you, one to give you roots and wings at the same time, without allowing one to dwarf the other." There's a constant strife in me to maintain this balance. Its healthy but difficult.
These are my roots.
I grew up spending lots of time in the outdoors, working on farms, and going to Church. My education up through high school was what I made it-- good enough to get by, but not too much to take away from work or fun. I was raised to have a strong work ethic, show good hospitality and to try something before having too much of an opinion. It was ingrained in me to be honest, sincere, and humble. I'm typically pretty honest but have difficulty with the sincerity part, and I carry enough hubris to make the latter almost impossible (most of the time anyway;).
These are my wings.
After a flunked-out semester of college, I spent two and half years traveling, volunteering, and working abroad before I decided to pursue a degree. Most of my time was spent in Thailand but I traveled throughout Southeast Asia and spent another four months studying sustainable, cross-cultural development in a simulated African-style village in Florida. I worked on fish farms, pig farms, hay-making and participatory development for the most part. In Florida, I studied sustainable agriculture, small animal husbandry, appropriate technologies, primary health, food & nutrition, and cross-cultural communications. It was a great way to prepare for a second round of university life.
When I finally started back to university in the spring of 2008, I knew I wanted to gain further international experience, learn more about international affairs and study agriculture. So, by the end of my three and half years, I graduated with a BS in International Relations, a BA in Global Studies and a minor in Agriculture. I studied in Morocco, Turkey, Northern Cyprus and India but also traveled to Spain, Egypt, Djibouti and Somalia.
I met Natalie Bernardini in the spring of 2010 and found myself quickly, and deeply, in love. She's been an anchor for my soul and a light to my sometimes cynical mindset. After only two months of cooking, coffee, chocolate, study and long, romanticized discussions of faith, travel and future goals, I took off for a month of study in Turkey and Cyprus. Little did she know, I'd already purchased a ring before I left, and indeed, being away from her solidified my heart's desire to marry. I proposed to her during my two days back in Tennessee on June 8th, before heading on to India for two and half months.
It was odd... I don't think either of us were expecting to be thrown into the whirlwind of such a path together, but we met in a time of intense loneliness for both of us. I am intensely independent and an individualist at my core, but meeting Natalie revealed a hidden longing (and need) for someone to share this journey with. I'm in love with Natalie, not because I want to settle or purely for romantics, but because she challenges me to dream and won't let me stop short when things get difficult. I was losing steam, burnt out on doing things alone, and she kindled a fire in my bones. Most things have stayed the same, only now, I have someone to help refine my interests and confide in when individualism doesn't play out so well.
I graduated this past May; after which, we moved to Grinnell, Iowa to begin work with SALT International. SALT is a small, non-profit organization focused on bringing about social and economic development through the creation of agribusinesses. Their niche is in soybean production & processing, plant protein, and market-driven development. I originally joined SALT as the Communications Director & Assistant Agronomist for a team heading to Northern Iraq. This project is still in the stages of concept development and fund-raising, but we're hoping to have some people on the ground in early 2012.
In the meantime, I'm taking a temporary assignment in Northern Afghanistan as the part-time Financial Director, part-time Assistant Manager for a new soy mill. SALT is a sub-contractor under the American Soybean Association, which has a USDA Food for Progress grant. We built a soy mill, which should be commissioned in early November. Natalie and I will be going over at the end of November with a contract through the end of February.
We just returned from a two week, fly-by trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, but I'll save the pictures and stories for separate posts-- hopefully to come soon. Most of my posts will probably be shorter than this, but some longer as well, depending on my mood.
Peace
AMS
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