Raymond Fox:  

Hi! After leaving California in 1971, I went on to get a BA (FSU) and 2 MAs (FSU, UF). I worked for Walt Disney World for 11 yrs. In 1988 I joined University of Maryland's Asian Division (college instruction for military) -- I taught in Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea. This is my 18th year in Europe, teaching everywhere; have moved 51 times in the past 23 years. My life revolves around boxes and bubble wrap! I returned to the Kaiserslautern area of Germany (Ramstein AB) after a six-month assignment in 2006 as my university's first instructor in Afghanistan (Camp Phoenix, near Kabul). It sure was dusty there. Spent the first five months of 2008 teaching at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey and the final two months at Camp Victory, Iraq, near Baghdad (cool temps, some mud). Have just returned to Europe after four months, March through July 2011, at Camp Lemonnier ("lemon-yea!") in Djibouti, Horn of Africa, where the temperature was 115 in the shade! The humidity does go down in the summer, still, NEVER AGAIN. I'll rest with my German ancestors until I get that Naples assignment I've been lusting after. I teach history, anthropology, government, humanities, and English grammar. Well, it's a year and a half later (January 2013). Yesterday I arrived at a small camp named Sharana in high (7400 feet!) Afghanistan. I just couldn't resist the adventure and, I admit it, the money. After four months, or two academic terms, I'll return to Germany. Three weeks in August will see me teaching in Xi'an, China -- that's where those ceramic soldiers were excavated. August will also be my 25th anniversary with the University of Maryland's Overseas Program (5 years Asia; 20 Europe, Middle East, Africa). At the moment, my plan is to retire from foreign life in March of 2014. I'll initially search for employment in central Florida. By the way, the building that houses the Army education center here is a relic from the 1980s Soviet occupation. The floors are paved with white marble! "Sweet!" as my students say. OK, it's late March 2014. I wasn't allowed to teach in China last summer because Beijing refused to give me a visa! It's a frustratingly bureaucratic story not worth going into. However, in compensation, I visited friends and places in Australia, my first University assignment 26 years ago. After 125 academic terms abroad, I will relocate to the States in October, returning to family and friends in central Florida. It will be a challenge learning to be a Resident American again, but with the help of air-conditioning and zillions of cable TV channels, I can do this thing! My plans changed slightly. I returned to the States on Thanksgiving of last year (2014). So, I had one more Halloween in my little German town of Katzweiler. The next day I hosted a big party for all my nice German friends. The food was all-American, that is, items they didn't usually eat or have access to: Virginia ham, lasagna as we make it, Red Devil Franks (secret family recipe), candies, and PIES. So many of these poor people grow up stunted and despondent because their culture knoweth not pie! For a select few, the hurting ended on November 1, 2014, courtesy of Sara Lee and Pillsbury. It's now mid July of 2015, on to eight months since I returned to Florida. While it's been an exciting time seeing family and friends and experiencing the delights of home, I haven't been too successful finding employment. I did teach American history for 12 weeks at a local state college; really enjoyed being in the classroom again. At present, I'm going through Central Texas College's hiring process for teaching aboard Navy ships (PACE Program). I've also investigated University of Virginia's Semester at Sea. The pull of adventure remains. Moving on to April 2016, I jumped through all the correct Navy/ PACE Program hoops and am now awaiting a ship assignment. I have no idea what kind of vessel I'll be posted on, or what its destination will be. I'll modify this paragraph when I know something definite. The date is December 14, 2017. Central Texas College has assigned me to teach American history aboard three ships since June of last year, two destroyers and a Marine transport. My ships visited ports in the Mediterranean, Black, Baltic, and North Seas, and in the Persian Gulf. Life at sea isn't for everyone: lack of privacy and a certain day-to-day sameness, plus the threat of seasickness, can be annoying. However, enthusiastic students, good food, ...Expand for more