Who Am I?
My name, if you did not figure it out from my blog title, is David Erickson. I am originally from Seattle, WA and since the year 2000 I have been living the expatriate lifestyle.
What is this blog about?
Just recently I have decided to put my professional career on-hold and take up a life on the road (think Kane from Kung Fu, but without the cool dragon tattoos on my forearms). This blog will both be a personal diary of my trip and a place for my friends and family to keep tabs on me.
Where are you going on your trip?
As of March 2009, the idea was to travel overland (no flights!!) from the Mediterranean to the Pacific. Since then, many ideas have been exchanged (over many beers) and the most recent route can be seen on the recent post entitled Budapest and Back In a Year … all of it, of course, is subject to change.
Who or what is ‘bror’?
The word the Danish word for ‘brother’ and also the first name Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke. Bror von Blixen is most commonly known as the husband of Karen Blixen, who’s pen name was Isak Dinesen and who was the author of the book Out of Africa.
A long, long time ago I cribbed the name “blix” as an on-line moniker and, for some long forgotten reason, I later changed it to “bror” and have used it as a nick ever since. In recent years, I have slowly begun to steer away from its use in order to present a more professional persona in certain parts of my digital profile. However, many permutations of my on-line life still use or reference this name.
You say you are a photographer so where then are all your photos?
As of March 2009, I have been working on re-organizing my collections, sadly I did not finish this before I hit the road. I currently have galleries on both flickr and picasa and my professional portfolio should be up soon enough.
I have been working loosely as a freelance photographer and photojournalist and I am available for assignment while I am traveling.
What did you do before you moved to Budapest?
Immediately prior to Budapest I lived in Tanzania for seven years. My last job before leaving was as the Director of a conservation program that linked hunting tourism to community development and wildlife conservation, including conducting anti-poaching operations and wildlife research. Before that, I lived in the UK for a short while as an IT specialist for a financial company. Prior to that, I was a Seasonal Ranger for the US National Park Service, Washington State Park Ranger, a college campus law enforcement officer, with lots of short-term IT work sprinkled in-between.
What Will You Do On this Trip/Why Are You Doing This?
For me, these two questions are two sides of the same coin. The short answer is, I was not happy with what I was doing and so decided to take a new course. What I hope to accomplish is to see amazing places, meet amazing people and to share this experience, through photography and blogging, with my family and friends.
So, enjoy the site and maybe I will see you “out there” somewhere on the open road!
