What topics does the blog cover?

The blog delves into 25 years of international consulting work as a social scientist and community planner across 45 countries.

It is not a “how-to” manual about how to be an international development consultant a that term encompasses a very wide range of different types of skills ranging across the gamut from engineering to social sciences to medical services to agricultural experts and many more. Rather, it is intended for those who may be interested in working cross-culturally and enjoy a career that involves a lot of travel and adventure, and also those who simply enjoy adventures and explorations of other places and peoples.

Which countries are featured in the blog?

This blog features experiences and project stories from among some 45 different countries, highlighting unique and interesting insights. While my overseas work started in the Caribbean and Latin and South America during the 1990s, the later years focused in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

These stories often include work-related lessons-learned that may be useful to fellow overseas workers and those who plan to engage in this type of work. Primarily, however, these are tales and first-hand observations about people from different cultures and parts of the world who manage to weather whatever comes their way. One major takeaway from my work that is apparent, for example, after working throughout many countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, is how life has been for millions of people in the region following some 40 years of state socialism that infected Eastern Europe after World War II. That the socialist regimes all failed for a myriad of well-documented reasons is well known, it is interesting and sad to observe the fact that the post-socialism period has been so difficult to navigate and escape from. As my experiences have indicated to me, the low competence, lack of trust and rampant corruption that has resulted from these failed states makes life extremely difficult.

Does the blog provide guidelines for working overseas?

Yes, the blog offers some “lessons learned” experiences that may help a reader work towards your goals of working overseas. .