My Story
I am a fifth year graduate student at Rice, working my way towards a PhD in telecommunications. This is my eighth year at Rice, since I did my undergrad here as well--I showed up in August 2001 straight out of high school, not for a moment imagining that I'd be making Houston my home for the better part of the next decade. As testament to my entrenchment in this town, I recently purchased a small townhouse south of campus. Despite being an avid skier and lover of the Rockies, I have grown used to the idea of living in the steamy swamps of southeast Texas.
I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, about 9000 miles from where I sit tonight. My parents and I moved to the US when I was very young, settling in West Virginia and later Colorado. I grew up on the outskirts of Denver, though not without strong connections back to Africa--my extended family is all still there, and so we make visits back as often as possible.
Traveling is one of my greatest (and most expensive!) hobbies, and so I've been lucky that my job at Rice has given me the chance to see many different parts of the world--from visits to Australia, Japan and India to internships in Scandinavia, I've been fortunate to see much of the world. From what I've experienced so far, Paris is my favorite city (I know that sounds cliche, but it's true!), perhaps because I speak passable French and love croissants and coffee in sidewalk cafes.
I used to make coffee for a "living" of sorts, as a barista at the Borders bookstore in Littleton, CO. It was my first job, which was great for my hobbies: mocha, books, Earl Grey, 80's music, Suomi-pop (whatever that is) and meeting people. If this research thing doesn't work out, I wouldn't feel bad about going back there for a while!
My other big hobby is running: after ten years in the sport, I recently finished my second marathon (Houston-2009), and have been completely bitten by the 26.2 mile bug. Three or four times I week, I lace up my shoes and hit the streets of Houston. My weekly mileage is now up to around 30, depending on the weather. If things go well, I'll run Houston again in 2010, but perhaps another marathon before that (Marine Corps 2009?)
I would run Marine Corps because my brother is an Ensign in the US Navy, after graduating from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He is now studying Nuclear Physics, with a view to becoming the officer in charge of the reactor aboard Navy submarines.
That's about all I have to say about myself, at least in this context. Feel free to get in touch with me using the information on the Contact page, and also check out my entry on www.thefacebook.com. Add me as a friend--I'd love to hear from you!
Posted on 14th August 2008 by Gareth