Ocean Beach

Brief Timeline of Me (for fun, for the past)

Inspired by my recent trips to China and Europe. “把生命释放于大地长天，远山沧海。” One must know her past to understand present and future. "You have to know your history Then you'll have a purposeful presence in the world."

  • *Mid 1970s-------------born in a small and isolated village in central China; poor but happy childhood, enjoyed watching the Yellow river from our backyard, also the clear Milky Way of summer nights. Although I had no clue where life was going and what future was, I loved going to school. Started first grade at the age of 5; had to walk up and down a hill (2 miles) every day, still loved it. Our classrooms were old temples; once a while, we had to evacuate when the roof fell. But the school has got much better now.See photo of the new school (2004, summer).

  • *1984--------------moved to a historical city (Luo Yang) and lived there for 6 years; study, study, and then the national exam. Not much teenage life, many of us were "study machines".

  • *1990--------------entered Beijing (Peking) University. First year was spent in an academy in the Taihang Mountain, He Bei Province. Life was boring most of the time, so I wrote lots of diaries. Later on several stories were born out of them; a well-read one is titled--Days in the Taihang Mountain. The following four years in Beijing were very memorable--lived in a small dorm of 3 bunk beds; studied hard, read a lot, interned for several US companies in Beijing, including the American President Lines Corporation (APL).

  • *1995---------------It was only the 90s but Beijing seemed big and busy, I often felt lost in the crowd. So I decided to leave, somewhere very very far...then it became real, life was like a storybook or a rollercoaster, scary but exciting. Had a few universities to choose from (including a scholarship from U of Hawaii-Manoa, and a full-tuition fellowship from Stanford); gave it up for Penn State, too young too "dumb." But, they say, everything happens for a reason.

  • * August 1995, arrived in Pennsylvania from Beijing, with very little money and two suitcases. Life did not seem real for a whole year; everything was new and challenging. But it felt good to start a new life. Majored in comparative literature and women studies; incidentally discovered educational technology; immersed in making web pages and developing multimedia courseware. Worked for Mary Ann, whom I now work with at SDSU. Small world, indeed.

  • *May 1997, started doctoral study in Columbia, Missouri; quiet but productive life, traveled a lot (including a trip to Dublin), published quite a few novel. Studied with several great professors such as Laffey; interned at Pricewaterhousecoopers in New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island; worked for Columbia's local TV station. Then Columbia became too small...

  • *2000---moved to the San Diego above all. Another new world, an entire different set of challenges! Work continues to be productive; I enjoy teaching, writing, and traveling. Greatly enjoy San Diego's nature and cultural life. Fall in love with dancing, Flamenco and Tango. Still write but more blogging.
  • *2004, first time to Paris (university visit and tour). Discovered Flamenco in a dance studio in Paris's Montmartre district. I still think Flamenco is one of the most beautiful and elegant dances. I have been taking classes with Sylvia Morales at San Diego's Academy of Performing Arts. Here are some photos of Flamenco: http://gingermoon.multiply.com/photos/album/47
  • *2005, the year of travel. Went to China twice; memorable summer. Started writing a novel about Flamenco; influenced by The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Hope to have it published. Hope to see Spain, to watch the real Flamenco.
  • *2006, I saw Spain! I also got tenure from SDSU. Attended two conferences in China, then did a grand tour of Europe, from the Netherlands down to Madrid, train to Sevilla, train to Barcelona, plane to Hamburg->Oslo, Norway in a nutshell tour to Bergen; then back to Barcelona and then San Diego. Sevilla is my favorite. You can smell life in the air; the beautiful moonlight evening, the narrow alleys, and the passionate flamenco. I started to write some chapters, titled Years in the World. It will be a travel memoir. European Album: http://gingermoon.multiply.com/photos/album/46
  • *2007: Summer in Shanghai and Palau; Fall, three weeks in Micronesia, with stops in Guam, Hong Kong, and Southern China. There are still many places I like to visit: New Zealand, Austria, Italy, Greece, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia....
  • The night before leaving to China, I went to an art and flamenco show in Rosarito (Mexico) with a group of flamenco friends. It was an unexpected adventure! A professional photographer saw me lingering in front of the flamenco paintings and asked me to model for him. I danced a little and he took a series of photos. They all turned out well. One of them ended up on the gallery's website. He also took wonderful photos of the paintings, see: http://dshart.com/main.php?g2_itemId=46
  • July 2007 to Jan. 2008, Sabbatical in China, Palau, and Micronesia (FSM). I lived on the equator, and the middle of the pacific. Album: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=cg6dzr1.4yef1r9l&x=0&y=-1gedy6
  • 2008: 青海，西藏，赤道小岛，西班牙，( II
  • I will teach again in Micronesia (the same three islands)

Life continues to be wonderful. And the best years are still await...最好的年华还没来到！

Be strong and persistent, be positive and open-minded, all dreams will come to be true--life has taught me so. "甘于寂寞，坚持梦想，一有机会就去实现它。”

Flamenco debut in Qiqn Dao Hu (Lake of Thousand Islands) of Zhejiang Province (New Year Party of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2007)