Yes, I can look like this if necessary, e.g. for interpreting assisgnments.

Introduction
At first glance this page may look like a CV, but it is both more and less than that. Okay, it really is a CV after all, but a more honest kind of one. It is a complete record of my professionally significant life history given as objectively as possible, without the aim of trying to appeal to a hypothetical potential employer. I am not seeking employment. if I were, I doubt the "whole truth" presented on this page would help me out! I would rewrite this CV and discard a lot of superfluous stuff.

Richard DeLong

Age 34. Self-employed U.S. citizen and global nomad with long-term interests in
Eastern Europe. Residence: Sevastopol (Crimea), Tbilisi (Georgia), etc. (mountains).

WHAT I DO

Plan and direct multifaceted projects related to my personal interests that involve study, experimentation, writing, and popularization. Fulfill short-term, well-paid teaching, interpreting, and translation assignments.

WORK EXPERIENCE

2003-present: Writer and website administrator (self-employed)
Plan, design, and develop my own websites, writing nearly all content myself. Among my successful, text-laden websites are both commercial and non-commercial sites, a wiki, and an active and congenial forum. Topics include travel, life, and skiing in Ukraine, backpacking, psychology, and personal essays. Some sites have content in Russian. My niche websites are arguably the most authoritative in their respective fields and have become my main source of income, providing advertising and affiliate revenue. As of 2011 I have hired a personal assistant to help manage this business.

1997-present: Translator and interpreter (mostly self-employed)
Russian to English, English to Russian, and Ukrainian to English. Did technical translations for U.S. National Guard for nine months. Performed simultaneous two-way interpretation for business and organization representatives, interpreted for formal events and public presentations. Have translated medical articles and questionnaires, technical specifications, contracts, exhibition programs, business proposals, websites, and texts for TV shows. Have long-term clients who are very pleased with my work. I currently accept only high-paid translation and interpreting jobs.

2005-2011: English teacher, American Academy of Business English, Kiev, Ukraine
Taught business and conversational English to small groups and individual students for approx. 5-10 hours a week. Sought-after teacher; could easily have worked 30+ hours a week had I wanted to.

2006-2008: Coordinator and guide, Forgotten Children of Eastern Europe, Ukraine
Managed short-term program for two students from U.S. college charity organization each summer in Ukraine. Organized homestays, travel, sightseeing, meetings, and service projects.

2003-2007: Program director (self-employed)
Created and managed Ukraine Work Study Program, advertising it at my site TryUkraine.com. Set up internships for foreign students and professionals with organizations in Ukraine whom I had searched out and approached about hosting an intern. Recruited families for homestays and organized apartment rentals. Small-scale program; I helped a dozen interns over three years.

Fall 2002: FSA/FLEX recruiter, American Councils for International Education, Kiev, Ukraine
Conducted presentations in Ukrainian on exchange programs for large and small audiences of school children, university students, and teachers. Administered three rounds of testing and interviewing of teenagers while traveling through five regions of Ukraine with assistant. Completed detailed reports on all aspects of program recruitment. Four-month position. Conducted presentations and testing smoothly and with great efficiency, but had some difficulties correctly submitting reports.

Summer 2002: Program assistant, Counterpart International, Kiev, Ukraine
Edited and translated organization's English language materials. Coordinated effort to improve office's website. Interpreted on five-day trip around south-central Ukraine. Part-time position; quit to accept much more highly-paid recruiting job.

2001-2002: Representative in Ukraine, American IT business and charity initiative, Ukraine
Represented oversees entrepreneur in forming Ukrainian NGO, working with attorney and other partners, researching opportunities, and establishing contacts in Ukraine. Encountered difficulties at multiple levels, and arguably unrealistic project was unable to get off the ground.

2000-2001: Germanic and Slavic Department secretary, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Answered students' questions, assisted department professors and office visitors. Created database of department alumni and their academic and professional paths. A nice job with many positive relationships.

Summer 2000: PR manager (intern), Scholz & Friends advertising agency, Kiev, Ukraine
Coordinated press coverage with journalists and launched company newsletter. Translated contracts and documents and drafted articles in Russian. Had some difficulties being productive in corporate environment.

1999-2000: Russian Club president (unpaid), Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Met with club officers and organized monthly socials, cultural presentations, and Russian-speaking opportunities for club members.

1997-1998: Mission secretary (unpaid), St. Petersburg, Russia
Took care of nearly all office operations except accounting and computer maintenance for six months. Handled phone calls, visitors, office correspondence, and some interactions with local church leaders. Ordered and distributed supplies to 120 missionaries. Prepared and translated materials for mission leadership and arranged leadership meetings. Began several projects on my own (streamlining office filing and material distribution systems, getting rid of backlog and unused materials, cleaning up office, translating videos, and sending letters to old contacts) and achieved best results of any secretary in recent memory. This job was high pressure, high responsibility, and almost no supervision.

1996-1998: Missionary (unpaid), LDS Church, St. Petersburg region, Russia
Searched for new contacts and taught lessons. Led congregation of 25 local church members. Counseled and trained Russians and conducted worship services, socials, and Sunday school. Studied and practiced Russian continually for two years, achieving very high language proficiency and communication skills, but had difficulty adhering to strict daily routine and getting along with many of my missionary companions, with whom I had to work very closely for 0.5-6 months at a time. I am not currently involved in proselytizing or religious activity.

1995-2000: Various odd jobs, California and Utah
Packing Pepsi-Cola, selling Cutco cutlery, grading math assignments, tutoring in Russian, and helping professor research 18th century German settlements in Russia.

EDUCATION

Broadly self- and/or tutor-educated in geoscience (geography, geology, geomorphology, ecology, meteorology, and climatology), permaculture, foreign languages, music, psychology (particularly socionics), ultralight backpacking, and budget travel. I am always learning something or developing an interest of mine.

1995-2001: B.A. in Russian, minors in Math, Statistics, and Psychology from Brigham Young University, Utah. National Merit Scholar (ACT=36) and winner of 1995 Hughes Aircraft Company Jarvis Scholarship. Passed proficiency exams in Slovak, Russian, and Ukrainian.

1994-1995: AFS exchange student in Trencin, Slovakia. Lived with Slovak host family, attended local school, and learned Slovak language.

1991-1994: High school student, Sunny Hills High School, Fullerton, California. Participated in AP/IB program and completed high-school curriculum in 3 years. 4.0 GPA.

SKILLS & QUALITIES

• Masterminding unique projects, including popular movements and collaborative endeavors as well as commercial projects
• Preference for projects that have a clear beginning and end with minimal long-term maintenance; prefer to put in lots of effort all at once and then rest rather than having ongoing responsibilities
• Perfectionist with obsessive streak (applies to many activities)
• Unconventional, fundamental thinking style
• Inspiring others by example and enthusiastic interest in subjects
• Writing intelligibly and insightfully for a general audience; knowing what, how, and whom to write for
• Pursuing objectivity, fairness, and rational conclusions
• Good understanding of math and finance; creating systems, protocols, and financial spreadsheets
• Extensive web development experience
• Intercultural awareness and extensive international travel experience
  

INTERESTS

• Adventure travel, hiking, and cycling; hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in summer 2009 as well as 2000 km through the mountains of Europe in 2011
• Natural science, geography, environmental management, and permaculture
• Global trends in society, economy, and environment
• Foreign languages, anthropology
• Psychology, religion, personal development
• Writing, photography
• Guitar and piano, improvization and composition

LANGUAGES

• Functionally bilingual with native English and near-native Russian; for 10+ years of my life Russian has been my "language around the house"
• Near-fluent Ukrainian and Spanish
• Decent German; basic Polish, Slovak, and French
• Coming next: Georgian!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more detailed information about my current and past work projects, read my Projects page. To contact me, use the Contact link in the top right corner of this page.