I say I am from New York, but I have moved around since I was born. I have lived in 5 US states and I graduated from high school in Dubai. Moving around is a habit that I have brought with me to China; in my past 8 years teaching here I have taught in 13 different cities in different regions across China.

I graduated from university in New York with a degree in philosophy from Vassar. My motivation for coming to China was to study Chinese philosophy (mainly pre-Qin) and religion and eventually do further education in those areas. After spending a couple of years learning ancient Chinese and working my way through the pre-Qin texts I had come to study, I decided that I really didn''t want to take it further, but I had enjoyed my time in China and wanted to continue living here.

Ever curious about Chinese culture, I have involved my self in various ways. I studied the Chinese flute for a few years, and even dabbled a bit with the xiao and suona. Currently I enjoy doing street and rural photography, trying to capture both common and quirky moments. One thing very Chinese I never did quite get into though was basketball.

I follow a vegetarian diet, and at home cook only vegan. Health is important to me, and as such I don''t smoke or drink. Running is my sport and I enjoy the motto, “running is a sport that requires two balls.”

Current personal study and areas of interest are mostly connected to science and the environment.