TED Community » Jaime Ochoa

About Me

For eons I was genetic material. Not so long ago, my present started to become real, so... Circa May 1970, existed as two separate sex cells in my parents, then conception took place. Circa 1971, birth of a beloved baby in Cali, Colombia; became a family member . Since then some things have happened, allow me to elaborate but not complicate: started a bilingual education, Spanish and English. Catholic church induced child alleviated by playing soccer and reading. Confused but overall happy and family oriented teenager. Read "One 100 Years of Solitude", which sparked an interest in writing. High School graduation in Massachusetts, USA. Still into sports, soccer, and became a self-taught tennis player. Still into reading, books by Carl Sagan mainly. Molted into a grateful agnostic, in case labels were needed but prefer not to be considered of "a specific kind", just someone who respects the honest and humble scientific approach. Apolitical but aware of the danger of corrupt politicians. Held various jobs translating both written material and also simultaneously at international sporting events in Cali, COL; then became a self -taught English teacher. Engineering, dentistry, and anthropology dropout both in Cali and Popayan. Circa 1991, had my first attempt to read "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection". Became an Ecology student. Circa 1997, second attempt to read "On the Origin of Species". Undergraduate Thesis "Entomological Tanatocoenosis on an Introduced Species, "Spathodea campanulata", in Popayan, Colombia. Undergraduate degree in Ecology. Became an ecstatic husband. English Instructor in Tokyo, JPN. Became an ecstatic father. High School Ecology / Biology Teacher in Cali, COL. English Instructor in Yokohama, JPN. Circa 2007 Read and finally understood: "On the Origin of Species" (a must for everyone). Charles Darwin admirer and added "The Descent of Man" and "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals" to my personal list of completed readings, which is not long. TESOL Master course dropout in Tokyo, JPN. Circa 2010 Translated my first TED talk. High School English Teacher in Popayan, COL. Interdisciplinary Studies Master course dropout in Popayan, COL. High School Ecology Teacher in Popayan, COL, placing an emphasis on respect, cause the current state of the whole natural system is due to our failure as a society to understand it and respect it. Finally penned an opuscle in Spanish and dedicated it to my child; the title: "El Poder de la Arepa", a chronicle on the beauty of life and also about the power, importance and beauty of women, male stupidity and my road to becoming an agnostic. It is also a critique of how bully-like adult church leaders take advantage of the curious minds of children. All-around critic of the traditional school system and a supporter of observation and nurturing of talents in kids, specially my own kid. Self-taught Skype homeschool teacher. 2013 till today, avid TED translator, still grateful agnostic, a reader, an ecstatic husband and father. Life to be joyfully continued until the last breath. Cheers!