I speak German, Spanish, Chinese, and Croatian.
All fluently, except for my Croatian, which is “funny” at best, because I never worked or even lived there.
About Chinese, my writing and reading is better than my speaking, but I can still tell jokes, find a job in a Chinese environment, talk about Ancient Rome, and use a smartphone without any kind of translation. Chinese characters have been a life-long passion for me.
Miami has been my hometown, since I remember earning a dollar, but I lived 12 years in Germany (I was born there), 13 in Argentina, and more recently, ten full years in Beijing, China.
I left China when COVID hit, and now I am going back-and-forth between Bavaria, Germany, and South Beach, Florida.
I might try Spain as my next long-term destination. Perhaps one of the Canary Islands. Perhaps Málaga.
Once a nomad, always a nomad!
Websites spawn at the speed of users’ fingertips. Domains are sold at prices that now seem vintage. Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram are all more than a decade away. Google is not a thing yet, and the big players in town are Yahoo!, Geocities, and Altavista. AOL is in the making. HTML, DHTML and small GIF animations become a druid’s secret recipe. I create my first CD of educational games, built entirely in Flash, for the “Original Pancake House” while at the same time, landing contracts in Brimingham, Alabama, and Dallas, Texas, among other places. These swf files are now mostly useless for browsers, but they sure trigger a chord along memory lane. I also join the team of HeavenGames (in the UK, working mostly remotely), for the launch of their latest version of Caesar, a city-building game. Another game, called Dofus, entirely built around Flash, grabs my attention, and turns into a role model for my developing theory of how to achieve a perfect balance for any MMORPG, based on Richard Bartle’s theory. Last but not least: Facebook arrives! For two years, I join GP Personals, a company dedicated to social media, social dating, and the latest (and often not yet mainstream) advances of what web design can offer to the end user. The offices, located in the heart of Miami Beach, are a welcome break after years of working as a contractor criss-crossing the states, and allow me to prepare my move to China. I move to China. Business is booming there, after all! I teach graphic design (and Spanish) at the prestigious Tsinghua University, in Beijing. I begin to write lore for games, and short stories. For the first time in my life, I visit Croatia, land of my ancestors, for six months. The city of Dubrovnik, of course, will later be known for the series “Game of Thrones” where some parts were filmed. And Croatia, for its soccer. I start a podcast, about another one of my passions: Ancient Rome. What first starts as a hobby, quickly develops into a full-fledged occupation. I design my own podcast covers and learn Adobe Audition. Covid hit China early (and late too, as it turns out). I published a collection of maps (now on Reddit) about its early spread. I began delving into 3D Blender. On another topic, I won my first prize for a short historical novel, set in Ancient Rome. As my podcast grows, I join Discord, and decide to learn Python to create my own “Roman’-style” mini-games, for users who join my DC.A look back in time
Currently looking to work in the IT sector.
Preferably full-time, remote is OK.
Graphic design or Web design would be ideal.
Cordially,
Abel A. Kay