I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I lived there until the age of 19. I joined the Air Force and served in the military for 21 years. I’ve visited numerous countries in the course of my duties, mostly Europe. Furthermore, I’ve lived in various locations stateside. You could say I’m well-traveled. The majority of my military career focused upon aviation, aerospace, and instruction.
The fact that all my training and education for those twenty years has been technical in nature and related to my duties in the military led me to believe that there was an imbalance in my life. This and the fact that I’ve become more introspective over the years are the reasons why I choose to study Humanities. Furthermore, I think I’ve always been well suited for this area of study. I have always been eclectic in nature. While in school, I always enjoyed studying history, social studies, and literature. I also like the natural sciences, but my interest only goes as far as what man has and can accomplish. In other words, I like reading and knowing about other’s accomplishments. In the military, my desire to learn more about the world and people around me intensified. Additionally, and strangely enough, my training in the martial arts reignited an interest in literature, philosophy, and religion.
I’ve recently developed a special interest in language and culture. I’ve tinkered with learning German, Russian, and Japanese. I am fascinated with linguistics in general. However, I felt I was spreading myself to thin and was not progressing as I should. So, I decided to narrow my focus to German for the time being. I would like to one day progress to the point that I am fluent enough to read German literature. Cultural studies are one area of study I plan to continue, whether in an academic setting, on my own or both. I believe the area of the world I want to focus on the most is Europe. Also, I have a fascination with Norse Mythology and literature. I could focus much of my attention studying this area as well.