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John's life took a sharp turn to the different on April Fools' Day 1991 when he accepted a position to teach computers and math at United Arab Emirates University located in the desert oasis city of Al Ain. On the Men's Campus his first year, he taught on the Women's Campus for the next seven, one of the first unmarried Western men permitted to do so.He returned to the UAE in 2001, the Higher Colleges of Technology hiring him to develop a CAD/Interior Design program at Sharjah Women's College. Where he met Sue, a native of Canada and his wife-to-be. With the program in place, John transferred to Dubai Women's College to again teach computers and math.In 2007, John and Sue retired, at the age of 44, moving to their riverfront property off a dead-end dirt (they aspired to gravel) road in the mountains near Vilcabamba, Ecuador, where they currently reside. In 2017, they purchased a property on the Haida Gwaii archipelago in British Columbia, Canada where they will one day make their last international move. A Wisconsin native, John graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a B.S. in Architecture, a B.A. in Economics, and a Master of Architecture degree. To help finance his education, for 10 seasons, he captained the Chief Waupaca, an authentic sternwheel paddleboat based at Clear Water Harbor on Waupaca's Chain O'Lakes.
BookLife Reviews In this humorous debut collection of personal life stories, Mister John regales readers with anecdotes from his childhood, memorable traveling trips with his wife, Sue, and his experiences teaching and living ""over half my life"" in the United Arab Emirates and Ecuador. His topics are framed with a lighthearted edge, even those as weighty as racism and privilege, as he darts from his 1960s childhood in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to his time on the University of Florida's football team and, in an intriguing twist, to his move to the UAE as a young adult, ""mere months after the Gulf War ended."" The stories are relatable and, at times, comical, both teachable lessons and entertaining scraps of a life lived on the move. Mister John reflects on his privilege as a white male, even when speaking out against racism and injustice during his youth, and contemplates how exposure to other cultures forever altered his views on American life. From Wisconsin to the UAE to Ecuador, he sets down roots (more so with people than in places), makes friends, and carries out a full and adventurous, if somewhat nomadic, life. From funny tales of indoor snowball fights to an uncanny Kevin Bacon resemblance to America's obsession with toilet paper, Mister John amuses, confronts, and generally makes merry. ""I wanted something different, always on the lookout for such after realizing at an early age that if I lived a life like most everyone, I'd get a life like most everyone,"" Mister John writes, as he pursues a full-throttle lifestyle at an audacious, almost frenzied pace. As a result, the collection is rich in culture, education, and wanderlust, never losing sight of the need for close relationships with family and friends, while emphasizing Mister John's growing awareness that he ""never felt at home until I left mine."" This will propel readers to wholeheartedly embrace the magic of the present. Takeaway: Energetic memories and life lessons from a globetrotting adventurer.
