Who on Earth is Carl Spanoghe?

Where I'm From

I'm what you call a "Third Culture Kid".  I've spent so much of my childhood living in different countries I find it hard to have any one national identity.  My family background is Zimbabwean colonial, and I was born in London after my parents moved there.  Zim and London are the two places my parents would tell me I was going "back home" to when vacation times came around, so depending on my mood I'll sometimes say i'm British or Zimbabwean.  Other homes included Bangkok, Athens, Toulouse, New York, Toronto, and Yokohama. While a background like mine has its drawbacks (confusion of national identity, lack of long-term childhood freinds, etc), I'm very thankful for it, and I believe it has left me with a very open mind and a great sense of adaptability. I see the world as a whole and I tend to look past borders.  This brings me to my current place . . .  

Where I am Now

I currently live in San Francisco--it is the last place I lived in moving around with my family. I decided to stay because of the beautiful climate, diversity of people and things to do, and the progressive, relaxed attitude that prevails here. I now proudly hold American citizenship, so I'll sometimes be introducing myself as an American now.  I work supporting and implementing a fraud prevention platform for financial institutions, where I enjoy constantly having to adapt to changes in this business.  In my free time I've been challenging myself by learning  technologies like Drupal and social networking, taking interesting photos (all the pics you see in the header of this site are mine) racing sub-$500 cars (24 Hours of Lemons), dancing to and sometimes DJing electronic and industrial music (i have about 2 metres of vinyl), and trying new experiences involving food, culture, and fun. I have a wonderful wife, Lu, who I'm also helping develop her Portuguese language and cultural coaching business, Street Smart Brazil.

Where I am Going

Honestly I have no idea. In the words of one of my heroes, Dan Eldon, "the journey is the destination". My past has been shaped by unexpected moves, learnings, and growing experiences, and I welcome what the future has to bring, though I can't say I know what that is yet. I can, however, mention some of the experiences I hope to have:

• Travel - I grew up seeing spectacular places and meeting amazing people. I hope to continue this tradition
• Learning - I'm always striving to learn something new: whether it is how to make a certain Drupal module work or how to choose the best line on a race track, I look forward to discovering new subjects
• Carl++ - I try to leave little impact on the Earth, and I like to have a positive attitude, and I hope that reflects on the people I meet and deal with in the present and the future.