Shaun

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Places both inside and outside of the U.S have helped to define who I am. I grew up in Ocala, Florida. My parents split when I was 11. For years I devoted all of my time to engaging and writing poetry. I have volumes and volumes of books filled with writing. I grew up listening and watching thunderstorms. Ocala is sometimes known as the so-called "thunderstorm capital of the world" for it's sheer amount of thunderstorms per year. I've also been on the beach during several major hurricanes, with my face in the strong gails. My favorite sport is basketball. I've been playing and following the sport ever since I was a wee lad. Though I also played soccer, American football, and baseball a lot. Also when I was a kid, I was really into creating businesses, for example, I made my own sports magazines, a mini putt-putt golf course in my friend's backyard, sold goods out of my backpack at school, and potted cactii from my neighborhood with a friend and sold them to a local plant nursery, LOL.
I lived in Daytona Beach for a year with some friends after high school. My last year in high school I was brought up in foster care, because the situation at home with my mom was not so healthy. There's also a year where I went to study in Deltona, Florida. At this point, I was into all things gothic. Dressing in all black and experimenting with clothes and body decorations.
On a whim I moved to Los Angeles in 2000. I started working in the I.T field for one of the leading edge VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) companies opperating in California. I started to go to parties in Florida and I continued the tradition in California, including throwing some amazing house parties. I got involved with "harm reduction / harm minimization" concerning recreational drugs. I became a moderator and then an administrator for several years on Bluelight - http://www.bluelight.nu .
After a year in L.A, I left the U.S to go overseas for the first time. I obtained a work visa for Australia. On the way I stopped in the Fiji Islands for a week. I worked and traveled around Australia for 6 months, including taking a VW van with some friends from Melbourne, Victoria to Perth, W. Australia. I went to New Zealand for a short while. I then returned to the Fiji Islands, because I was in love with - The Fiji Islands. I stayed to travel and volunteer there for 6 months in some of the more remote villages. The most amazing rainbows, sunsets, sun risings, and deserted white sandy beaches I have ever seen were during those months in Fiji.
Returning to the U.S after my visa expired, I worked as a care giver for a short while in Seattle, Washington State. Here in Seattle is when I started to take a keen interest in eating and growing organic foods. I next decided to move to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada for a duration of 6 months. I also had a girlfriend there at the time. There was an awesome trip that I did from B.C to the Canadian Rockies. I stayed in the Canadian Rockies for a month and a half mainly in Jasper and Banff.
After my Canadian visa expired, I returned to the U.S. I stayed in Portland for a short while. I then did a "driveaway" and did a trip from Portland through Idaho, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona stopping everywhere nice along the way. Afterwards, I did training and took a job as a "trek adventure leader" in Santa Rosa, California, where I was leading mostly European tourists across the great national parks and cities of the U.S. One trip involved driving from San Francisco, California to Anchorage, Alaska - in only a few days, LOL!
Finaly, I discovered San Francisco - a place that I still like to refer to as "home". I lived there for a while doing I.T and private lessons English lessons for my own consultancy services. I protested against the War In Iraq. I also joined several organizations that deal with human rights, gay equality, plus environmental and animal rights.
After working for about 6 months. I took off to southeast Asia to travel, work, and volunteer. I ended up living in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand for a while. I then met a Thai girl. Her and I married in a hurry, because of problems concerning her family. Her and I eloped to India. We traveled around around India for the next 5 months. I visited over 30 states in India during that coarse of time from Kerala in the south to Ladakh in the north. I visited some of the most important birthplaces of the Buddhist, Sikh, and Hindu religions. While in India I had the chance to hop over to Pakistan for a few weeks.
Returned to Thailand in 2004. I started designing and developing websites. I also found work as a teacher. Including one job where I was the head science teacher for the English department at a school. I have always had a keen interest in biology and astronomy. For a month I taught English for an EU Micro-Project Developmnt Through Local Communities (MPDLC) project at a rural village in Laos. I stayed with some friends in Malaysia and spent Christmas in Singapore for 2003.
My favorite sport now is frisbee, though I still like to ball at basketball.
Though I already mentioned that I'm not close with my family. I did inquire a few years ago about the geneology and history of my family. Turns out that most of my Mom's side of the family originally came from Austria, Germany, and Russia. Most of my older family members (who I don't know too well) are from a Jewish heritage.
I LOVE kids!! I returned to the U.S from Thailand a month ago (October). Currently I'm in the process of moving to Portland, Oregon; making my way across America :).