|
|
Quicktime is needed to view this video. For a free download, click here.
Note: for more recent information, essays, music and poetry that I have written, see my personal wiki page.
Contrary to belief (and what I have told students),
I do not actually sleep under my desk at school and pop out
when the bell rings, nor was I born with a grade book in my
hands. I am a teacher, and I love what I do. Yet my life is
never contained by the four walls of my classroom.
I have been a resident of Ventura for most of my life and I am familiar with its ways. I love the scent of
the ocean
air
on
calm evenings.
I despise
the increase of traffic in recent years. The surf picks back
up in the fall only to be eclipsed by tranquil, summer beach
days. I love Santa Barbara and appreciate the culture of
Los Angeles. Having traveled to many countries around the world,
I am grateful for
the
pleasant summers and mild winters that we have here in Ventura.
I love this city, yet growing up here and living here are
only part of what has made me who I am.
I attended three VUSD schools growing up: Junipero
Serra Elementary, Anacapa, and graduated from Ventura High
School in 1993. When
I was younger, there were key people who reached out to me
to give me advice and wisdom. They mentored me and they molded
me. Because they had such a huge impact on my
life, I chose to teach,
with
the
hope
that
I
would someday return the favor, albeit indirectly.
Who am I now, after all these years (all 35
of them)? I thought one of the best ways to reveal the real me is to let you in
on my top five lists. Here goes:
Five things I love: my wife, my son, my daughter, the sun on my back, a good day surfing (any day,
for that matter)
Five favorite places that
I have visited: 1.
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe 2. Salamanca, Spain 3. Beirut, Lebanon
4. Antalia, Turkey 5. Hanna Village, Papua New Guinea 6.
Machu Pichu, Peru (I know that is six, but I couldn't help
it! I led a group of FTHS students there.)
Five places that I want to visit: 1.
Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia (where my wife was born and
raised) 2. Pyramids in Egypt
3. Patagonia, Argentina (big influence
from my Argentinean vecino, Hector) 4. Costa Rica
5. Jerusalem, Israel
Five favorite authors/poets: Khalil Gibran, Rubén
Darío,
J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, John Eldridge
Five favorite movies: Les
Choristes, The Natural, Motorcycle Diaries, Amelie, Gladiator
Five
favorite musicians/bands: U2, Jordan Frye, David Crowder,
Switchfoot, Damien Rice
Five favorite artists: Picasso, Da Vinci,
El Greco, Monet, Diego Rivera
Five things I like to do when I have
free time:
play with my son and daughter, bike (road and mountain), read, camp/backpack, and
run
Five favorite cities in the US: Boston (very
cool city…reminds me of Europe), Chicago
(I went to Wheaton College, just outside Chicago), Cambria,
San Diego, Ventura
Five people I would like to meet: The President, David Crowder,
Carlos Mena...hmmm...I need a few more heroes
Five dreams I have: To raise my son and daughter well, live in Europe, backpack part of the ancient
Roman Road through Turkey, record a CD
of my music, and look back on my life when I’m old
and know that I have made a positive difference
|
