Ryan Niman
I am originally from Washington state, where I attended the University of Washington and became a high school English and Social Studies teacher. Carly and I met while working in the same district and we got married at a Buddhist center in northern England. Sort of.
After ten years of teaching, Carly and I moved to Seoul, South Korea, where we taught at an international school. - - Our son, August, was born there (Gangnam style), and I became the stay-at-home parent. For three years I carried him around Seoul in a backpack, exploring the playgrounds, coffee shops, and trails of the area. We then moved to Israel, where my wife taught at an international school and I homeschooled August and worked part-time for a Palestinian non-profit focused on nonviolence. - - After five years there (having neither learned to surf nor speak Hebrew), we moved to Allentown in 2022 to be close to family. A black kitten, Chickpea (or Chicky), who had shown up in our yard in Israel, made the trip with us.
I continue to homeschool August and work for the Palestinian nonprofit, and I now work as a copy editor for ICOM Productions. - - I also listen to a whole lot of podcasts, watch films on Criterion, go running when it isn't cold, and never miss a Formula 1 race. The best years for music were 1971, 1981, and 1991.