Florian's Russian Journey

Posted By: David Kerr <viaCollins_6166@msn.com> (1Cust56.tnt2.providence.ri.da.uu.net)
Date: Thursday, 31 August 2000, at 9:55 a.m.

Well for the moment, I am living in Old Snowmass and working on closing my
warehouse in Rifle, Colorado. I owned and operated a distribution company
for 18 years. Salt of the Earth started working with Nuburo Muramoto making
salt, miso, apriboshi, and shoyu. From there we branched into distributing a
varity of other products. Largely important Japanese products from Mitoku
and Muso through Great Eastern Sun and Eden.

Peppered through this time were studies with Virgina Satir, Steven Young, and
a host of world class teachers I meet through Virginia. In fact it was
through Virginia Network that I was first invited to Moscow. So in 1989/1990
I took a trip around the globe to see what was up. Visiting, teaching and
training in China, then to Japan, then on to Russia, the Switzerland, Prague,
France, Good Old Boston and back home. I spent months in some of these
places, while my little crew ran the business.

Also during that time I had 5 serious car accidents, toward the end of the
run with this project, I started shipping Natural Macrobiotic products to
Russia. I cooked dinners for the Mayor of Moscow. Then worked as second in
command for the The Foundation to End World Hunger with Ambassador Gil
Robinson, Ambassador at Large for Presidents, Regan and Bush. I set up the
distribution of 43 million meals to Russian Orphans and Seniors in 8 cities
and 7 countries, every 8 months.

It was a great job for me. Meeting Gobechov, and Yelsin as well as the
heads of States for Georgia, the Urkanie and everywhere I went. My schedule
was largely my own, so I traveled a lot. This whole project was based on
Soyfoods and gave me platform to arrange seminars to teach communcation
skills and talk about food. I worked with cooks, Doctors, Mathmaticans, the
Ivan in the street ( if there is such a thing - I love Russia )

The Russian loved it and so did I. So for almost three years I was in the
Former Soviet Union and then in America every two or three years. It was
all great but I was having problems from the old injuries and of course
everything that begins, ends.

When I was done my girl friend of 25 years aquintance was quite ill. She
and I had broken up during the Russian tours, which was fine as we remand
stronger friends. I stopped everything to take care of her and then she
died.

For the next three or four years I was a sad puppy. Losing a business, a
signficant other, and having five traumatic personal injuries was just too
much.

For the first couple years after her death, I slept, rested and stuggled with
the derpresssion. I was actually deeply exhausted. She died five years ago.

Now I am back at it. First with closing the warehouse, which is and has been
a soothing and healing process for me. A time to reflect, review, regroup is
a blessed luxury in today fast paced world. At times, as I putter through
project and history at the warehouse, I think this is a God sent. Around me
the world is rushing, rushing to where and what, while I have this space to
indulge myself in pleasurable details.

It has taken several months and I am not done, but soo enough. Then what
Y2K, my long time dream of an internation trading company to support cultural
exchange, a book or two, politics, revolution, changing the world, change
myself, be myself, mediation, other partners, other connections,
communication, the inner net or the InterNet, la vida, la vida....

And you.....

Florian Scott Halazon