About Raymond

I'll start with a quick blurb on my professional life since this page's original intent was professional:
I am completing my degree in Computational Analysis and Public Policy at the University of Chicago, I plan to graduate in June 2021, and am excited to see what's in store. My objective is to work as a data scientist in an international development organization, leveraging my programming skills and statistical knowledge to create better policy and aid programs. I worked in DC for a couple of years at the IMF, where I got my first taste of policymaking on an international scale. You can see my CV here and my LinkedIn at the icon at the top of the page.

Now for things I like:

Ortaköy, Istanbul- 2019

somewhere in Rio de Janeiro- 2017

meeting Ibrahim Maalouf post-concert in D.C.- 2018

Turkey and Brazil, pictured above, were the two most exhilarating trips I've taken. Franco-Lebanese composer/trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf is an awesome artist and the most (and only) famous person I've been photographed with. While I am lucky to be healthy as this pandemic still rages, I certainly am looking forward to a future where it is safe to travel again. Also looking forward to establishing a career abroad as soon as I can.

Cultures and languages are two of my main passions in life...

Tout d'abord, le français, c'est ma deuxième langue. J'ai eu la chance de l'appendre petit, à l’âge de 7 ans j'ai déménagé en Bretagne, où j'ai fait le CE2 et le CM1. Plus tard, je suis retourné en France, à Paris, pour un échange de ma fac. Entre les amis et la musique francophones, ainsi que ma lecture du Monde, le français fait partie de ma vie quotidienne. Quant à la musique, je vous avoue être un grand fan du rap & hip-hop français (et belge !). J'écoute beaucoup Dadju en ce moment - un petit exemple ci-dessous :

Além do francês, falo português em nível conversacional. Ao contrário do francês, nunca fiz aulas de português: aprendi graças a amigos brasileiros - bem pacientes - nos Estados Unidos. Sonho em visitar Brasil outra vez depois da pandemia, mas, enquanto isso, escuto muita música brasileira da velha geração, como João Gilberto, Vinicius de Moraes, Gal Costa, Jorge Ben Jor. Compartilho com vocês uma musica muito conhecida e espetacular de Jorge Ben:

وكمان بحكي عربي بس ما تعلمته انا وزغير. بسنة ٢٠١٨ نتقلت علبنان وقضيت سنة بين طرابلس وبيروت والمتن. لبنان بيضل قريب من قلبي مع اني بعيد عن البلد .اما الموسيقى العربية، اكيد في فنانين لبنانيين مشهورين كتير، بس مغنيتي العربية المفضلة هي لينا شاماميان. بسمع الغنية بالڤيديو تحت لما اشتاق للشرق الوسط وأصواته وأجواءه

That's all folks! Special thanks to Christoph Aoun and Natália Thiemi for the proofing! 🇱🇧 🇧🇷

Some pics for the road

the ancestral village, Lebanon

waking up at 5am for a hot air balloon ride, Cappadocia, Turkey -- worth it

Knefeh and a view of Palestine in the distance, en rotue to Salt, Jordan