This posting concludes the interview I had recently with an American journalist:What do you do for a living?
My wife is supporting me while I kick start a new career as a freelance writer, teacher, conference speaker and a consultant. For some things I get paid but more often than not I try to work as a volunteer in countries where the resources are not great.
Lyn and I decided that when our children were off our hands that we would like to lend our support to people who are not well off financially. In this last year I have worked in India, Indonesia and I have recently returned from time in a Karen refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border. I find these opportunities to be very rewarding and I learn much from my experiences with people who are poor and oppressed.
On the side I write a few blogs including:
Experiencing the Emirates
Stories for Speakers and Writers and
Reviewing Books and Movies
Where are you located and what is your job title?
My wife teaches English to Emirati men at a tertiary College so we are living in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
Lyn’s employer calls people like me a ‘trailing spouse’! I love this tag and the imagery and this term might provide the title for one of my forthcoming books—‘Tales of a Trailing Spouse’.
I generally refer to myself as a freelance writer and a consultant. To refer to myself as a ‘volunteer’ is something many in this neck of the woods cannot get their minds around. To work for nothing and not have an office that I go to, a business card, an important title or a salary are things that bamboozle most people but I am feeling stretched and I love the work that I do.
Geoff Pound
Image: Picture of Lyn (my wife), our granddaughter (Lily) and myself.
