Help People Help People (or HP2 = Help People squared).

The universe works in mysterious ways.

Where should I start? I am now, Aug. 13th, 2014, in South Korea trying to start this HP2 thing. After nearly two years on the road I had to interrupt my round the world bike trip in Poland in the fall of 2013. I spent the winter in Berlin and then came to South Korea, thinking I could find a job here, save some money and continue biking. Unfortunately I was not able to find a regular job so I am now poised to resume my nomadic translator lifestyle with even less funds than a year ago!

I am returning to Europe at the end of September 2014, and will go first to Berlin, where I left my bike last year. From there I hope to go through Poland, through the Balkans, all the way down to Greece and Turkey. Of course, my ultimate goal is still to bike around the world via India, South East Asia, China, to Japan and from there fly to the USA, but that will take a few years. You can see my biking journals here (the most recent one is "zigzag"):  http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/zigzag

Six or even as recently as 2 months ago I thought I couldn't continue biking. What has changed? On the one hand, the prospect of a long translation job that would allow me to keep going for a few months, and, on the other hand, the conviction that it's not good for me to wait any longer. I am adopting a kind of a "Just do it!" attitude. I also hope to do personal and institutional fundraising through the internet in the coming weeks. My own "kickstarter" campaign, including some crowd-funding websites.

Help me if you can!

You can send me donations through the PayPay addresses below. I will maintain a strict and transparent control of each donation received and post my expenses along the way.

PayPal (USD): igiduran at hotmail dot com

PayPal (EUR): igiduran at gmail dot com

I plan to make contributions to humanitarian causes, NGOs (Amnesty International, Red Cross, and the like), or even private individuals in need when I see there is a way to document their feedback and progress. In www.iduran.com I will detail the donor (unless you wish to remain anonymous), the amount of the donation, date, etc., and the charity or organization that receive the bulk of the donations. A small percentage (10% of each donation, up to maximum of 300 USD for all donations in any given month) will go to fund my own expenses (food, internet, camping or hostel fees, etc.).

I will also try to drum up business (translations, proofreading, language lessons via Skype, etc.) along the way, wherever I stop for lunch or a rest.

I've also thought of selling small souvenirs or trinkets from the different countries I go through, things I pick up for free or from other people who want to donate something for sale instead of money. That little gift (a necklace, a ring, a lighter, a pocket knife, etc.) will have a price and an email address so the person who donated it initially can be contacted by the buyer and they can establish communication on a certain subject. For example, it may be a necklace coming from Poland sold to a person in Hungary, the proceeds of which go to some NGO in Italy. Additionally, the donor and buyer might decide to establish a correspondence through HelpPeople2 and actually meet someday in one or the other country. I can also be a "postman" for some people. If when leaving Krakow, for example, I am certain that I will be going through Budapest, maybe the donor knows someone in Budapest, wants me to be hosted by their acquaintance there and wishes me to carry a little present for them as a means of introduction.

With these contributions and interactions, you will be helping me (and others) help others, and we will be promoting biking as a means of travel, physical fitness, transportation, and communication.

What is a Nomadic Translator?

...This is my first post here. I'm taking advantage of my university spring break in Chicago to set up this blog as part of my next venture.

Supposing the mushy, messy stuff of life can be compartmentalized into phases: I recently had a 2.5 year phase of full-time "Corporate America" employment, partly cubicled, partly with business trips, followed by 18 months of "vacation time," self-discovery and self-enjoyment travel (including China, Europe, Puerto Rico, and Japan), and now I'm in a one-year "Back-to-school-at-50-to-get-my-B.A." phase, which should end this summer and lead into a money earning-saving frenzy of preparation for my next Big Trip, what all this is about, as the title of this blog indicates: my life as a Nomadic Translator.

I've learned through my most recent travels that I'm happiest (and healthiest!) when biking, and since I'm not getting any younger and there are so many other countries, cultures and languages I want to discover, I've decided to lead the nomadic life, biking through Europe, the Middle East, Iran, India, all the way to China and Japan. Along the way I'll also be open to odd jobs of any kind but basically I'm hoping to earn a living by translating for clients (individuals or companies) all over the world, receiving and submitting my work by email, eventually supplementing that activity with language lessons via Skype, and wherever I stay longer than a couple of months I'll also consider teaching in schools or giving private lessons. My time frame for all of this is 5 to 10 years; that is, from now until 2016 or 2021. Then I should think about retirement ;-)

I also want to make my use my websites and blogs as contact points for my very first PNGO, a term I've just invented: Personal Non-Governmental Organization. I would try to gather support for microlending and philanthropic projects that I find or create along the way. I will also try to use this personal cyberspace of mine as a way to promote or advertise good people, companies, entities, events, etc.

I'm interested in Social Business a la M. Yunus. On the other hand I've always believed that the most meaningful (if not efficient) way of addressing aid issues is to actually go there, meet the people, become personally involved. So I would like to do that as I travel along the various countries of my itinerary. Hopefully my interaction or intervention will also help establish many other contacts among others.

Now, if you want to give me a good luck gift, or a gesture of encouragement, post it here, or send me some $ via PayPal: igiduran at hotmail dot com (USD).

Every little bit helps! Even 5 bucks or 5 euros are good for a breakfast or two, to pay for campground fees, as a contribution to bike repairs, maintenance, etc.

Also, if you send me some $, don't forget to let me know how I can contact you!