Seven Facts about Me (A Game of Blog Tag)

Many thanks to Miriam Salpeter of Keppie Careers tagged me in a blog meme...

So here are the seven things about me you might not know:

1) For almost a third of my career I worked with people in developing and transitional economies. The first five years in the work world I spent designing business training programs for entrepreneurs from Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Eastern Europe. I worked with them in a wide variety of industries - from a pig farmer from Belize and a cheese maker in Tanzania to an executive in construction from Sri Lanka and a managing director of a large advertising agency in Romania. 

2) One of my most rewarding professional experiences was spending several months in Ethiopia to help a community development organization set up a computer training and learning center for orphans. One day when we were working at an orphanage Brad Pitt stopped by with ABC News in tow during his Family Health International tour of Ethiopia. My 15 minutes of fame was meeting Brad and having a few minutes with him on prime time and talking with him about HIV prevention as we watched the orphans perform a traditional dance for him.

3) Most people know that I love to travel.  I've lived, worked or played in 28 countries. But not everyone knows that I earned the nickname "adventure girl" because of what has happened to me during my travels. I've had some of the adventures that other people have had - like staying with hill tribes in Thailand or hitchhiking across Ireland. However I have also had experiences like being caught in a banana worker strike in Costa Rica and having to ride for hours across the Russian countryside on a tractor in the dead of winter to catch a plane.  

4) My (now) husband and I snuck into the 1992 inaugural ball in Washington D.C. and saw Bill Clinton play the saxophone.  We posed as journalists using a friend's press passes.  We almost did not get in because my (now) husband had to borrow his father's tuxedo in which he had to put pins to shorten the pant legs. The pins kept setting the metal detectors off.  The security guard, recognizing we were far from accomplished journalists (we were bright-eyed and in our early twenties), was kind enough to let us in with just a wink.

5) I have an English bulldog named Shuki.  We bought her when we lived in London just before we moved to Rome. She was a very brave girl, surviving a plane ride at only 4 months old! She is the most adorable, lovable creature ever.  She snorts and snores and her drool is like super glue. When she is not sleeping or eating (which is a good bit of time), she stays right by my or my husband's side. We love her like a child and she brings us great joy.

6) I have a real passion for film which started in high school. I was always watching those "funny French films" that the rest of my family couldn't stand. For one of my two bachelors degrees (which was in Semiotics), I took classes in French film, ethnographic film, documentaries and more, as well as video and film production. Even though it was the other bachelors degree (in International Relations) that guided me into a career of international education and training, after university I continued to be involved in a volunteer capacity in film groups and film festivals. One of my favorite films is Ingmar Bergman's Persona.

7) I love salsa dancing. I first learned salsa in a cuban club in Washington, DC in the early 1990s and I dragged my husband to his first salsa lesson when we lived in London. We decided that our first dance for our wedding would be a salsa, and our salsa teacher (who gave us lessons before our wedding) was also the tailor that made my husband's wedding suit!

So the people I am curious about...hmmm. Hard to pick just a few...I am tagging the following bloggers: 

Alison Doyle of About.com

Jason Alba of Jibber Jobber

Mari Smith of Why Facebook 

Nancy Marmolejo of Viva Visibility

Michelle Fabio of Bleeding Espresso

Andrea Martins of ExpatWomen.com

Here are the rules for my fellow bloggers:

• Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog.

• Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.

• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.

• Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

We'll see who'll play...

Comments

[Miriam Salpeter]

Megan,
I knew you'd have some interesting stories to share! Thanks for playing!

Miriam Salpeter, Keppie Careers

[michelle of bleeding espresso]

Very interesting facts, Megan! Love the inauguration story, although, hello national security! ;)

I actually did this meme not too long ago, so I wimping out and pointing you there:

Hi, Weird? It's Me...Random!

http://bleedingespresso.com/2008/11/hi-weird-its-merandom.html

[Megan Fitzgerald, Expat Personal Branding Coach]

Thanks so much Nancy for playing!

http://vivavisibilityblog.com/blog-tag-game-7-random-things-about-me/

Buona giornata!

Megan

[Megan Fitzgerald, Expat Personal Branding Coach]

Thanks to Jason for playing!

http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2008/11/27/7-things-about-me-meme/

Buona giornata!

Megan

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