Week 1 Introductions

Firstly I would like to say welcome to the WestCiv course Blog. We will be using Blogs to extend classroom dialogue outside of the classroom. I will start by introducing myself and hope you follow my lead and tell us a little bit about yourself. I look forward to getting to know you all and to the great year that lies ahead of us. I have just completed my Masters Degree and cannot wait to put into practice all the useful lessons I have learned. Luckily for me completing this degree meant spending a month this summer in the Swiss Alps in a small town called Leysin. It was a bitter sweet experience that was mostly spent taking in the breathtaking landscape through a classroom window, but it was worth every moment, especially during the rare hikes we squeezed in between projects.

This meant, however, that I was only able to spend a week home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was the first time I had been home in a year and a half since we moved to Turkey two years ago so, as you can guess, we spent all of our time catching up with family, friends, and loved ones. It flew by in the blink of an eye and now here we are, in Seoul, Korea, preparing for the first day of school. By we I mean my lovely wife, Mrs. Hamm, who you will get to know if you are involved in drama. She is a former professional musician turned teacher who has an amazing passion for the arts. Ask her about Canadian Idol, but don't tell her who told you to.

A bit of my background: I am originally from Vancouver, Canada, where I lived until I was a teenager, then moving to the deep-freeze that is Edmonton, Alberta in the Prairies. You don't know cold until you experience a Canadian prairie winter and the -45 degree cold snaps that it brings. I spent my formative years surviving those winters playing "rest of the world football" or as we call in North America, "Soccer", and participating in any sport in efforts to keep warm. I studied Education at the University of Alberta where I majored in both History and Physical Education and played for the varsity soccer team.

It seems like yesterday that I was a new grad starting my teaching career at Amiskwaciy Academy, North America's first urban Aboriginal High School. I had never heard of the school but within a short time it became home to me, and two years later it was hard to leave. During that time I taught History, PE and was the Athletic Director and coach of many sports. I cannot explain how rewarding it was to teach in the inner-city and be involved in so many meaningful community/activism/classroom projects. I hope to have more of the same experiences here at SFS.

For the past two years we have been in Turkey, at Tarsus American College, where I worked as the PE head of Department and Athletics Director and Mrs. Hamm taught English and Drama. Together, we also had the unique experience of being dorm parents for 32 boys for the first year. Living in Turkey was an amazing experience that taught us first hand what it is like to live in a completely different world, learn a new language and culture, and celebrate another Nation's unique history and traditions. We travelled as much as we could and still feel that we missed out on some of the best Turkey has to offer. The people are hospitable to a fault and the landscapes are unbelievingly beautiful. I look forward to visiting already.

You will learn quickly that with me what you see is what you get. I love sports of all kinds, specifically football, which I am convinced is the world's most universal language. I am passionate about current events, history, politics, and learning about/experiencing new cultures first hand. So, we travel a lot, indulging in the odd football match, participating in community service, and getting accustomed to new ways of doing things. And if Manchester United is playing, our sightseeing is often paused while I find a big screen to take in the best football team ever.

Your Turn.

P.S. Please post a pic with your post and attach one to your profile.