He has been a bit of an entrepreneur since his early years, helping his father as a certified journeyman chimney sweep, chopping firewood for neighbours, and having founded a computer company when he was 13 years old.

In later years he worked for among others; Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Alliance for Northern People Environment and Development (ANPED), Action for Solidarity Environment Equality and Diversity (ASEED), the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), and working on an organic goat farm in the Netherlands. Since co-founding the ZHABA Facilitators Collective in 1995, he has split his time between being an environmental activist and facilitator. In his spare time, he is an avid Hungarian folk dancer, cyclist, and squash player.

1.When did you arrive in Hungary and what brought you here?
An economics professor at Bates College, someone I had never met, had connections with IH/ILS and put up a notice looking for English teachers for Hungary after graduation. I had taught English in China, and thought it would be good to do for a year in Hungary before graduate school (foreign affairs). I arrived in August, 1990 not even knowing where Hungary was ? only that it was formerly behind the Iron Curtain. Typical American education. It was only about three months later that I looked on a map and informed my parents where I was. I came to teach English and give lectures on political science among the first wave of IH/ILS teachers, but soon became side-tracked by environmental activism. Every year I said, just one more year, and now it has been almost 16.

2.Have you ever been an expatriate elsewhere?
Beijing, China; Edinburgh, Scotland; Amsterdam and Baexem, The Netherlands

3.What surprised you most about Hungary?
Serious public displays of affection, but thankfully, I have gotten used to it now.

4.Friends are in Budapest for a weekend--what must they absolutely see and do?
Rudas thermal baths, Aggtelek National Park, Hungarian folk dancing at Marczibányi tèr

5.What is your favourite Hungarian food?
Túrós táska, Túró Rudi, túrós rétes, túrós gombóc?basically anything with túró in it; but I hate Hungarian pizza. Any pizza you HAVE TO put ketchup on is not pizza. 1000 years and Hungarians still cannot make pizza sauce?!

6.What is never missing from your refrigerator?
Homemade pesto and maple syrup

7.What is your favourite Hungarian word?
Fölösleges. The Chinese have a wonderful expression for the same word that translates as, ?painting legs on a snake.?

8.What do you miss the most from home?
Appalachian Trail in the Fall, the ocean, Ben and Jerry?s icecream

9.What career other than yours would you love to pursue?
I have the only job I would ever want as an environmental activist and used bookshop owner, and am ever thankful that I am so lucky as to be able to do exactly what I want to do for a living and actually make ends meet doing it.

10.Where did you spend your last vacation?
Croatian coast

11.Where do you hope to spend your next one?
Maybe Croatia again, maybe Turkey

12.What was your favourite band, film, or hobby as a teen?
Classic rock music, Reading, racquetball

13.What can?t you resist?
Goat cheese, used books

14.Red wine or white?
Dry red

15.Book or movie?
Book

16.Morning person or night person?
Night person

17.Dog person or cat person?
Both, but organic goats are even better

18.Buda side or Pest side?
Pest

20.What would you say is your personal motto?
?Remember Where You Are?