about me
I've gotten past the stage where I can define myself by where I went to school or what I do or even where I'm from. I grew up in North Carolina, but always hesitate when I asked where I'm from since I haven't really lived there since high school. I spent three and a half years in the Chicago suburbs where I enjoyed the culture of a big city. In the aftermath of the economy bust and resulting layoffs, I've had a chance to follow up on different possible paths--teaching in Korea,backpacking in Mexico, studying in Japan, attending grad school, and currently doing research on cross-cultural effects on technology use. I still have the wanderlust and exploration is my specialty. It'd be nice to have a steady job again and hopefully it will be something that takes advantage of my international, writing, and techie experience.
Favorites: Let's see...I spend way too much time on the computer, but one of my main past-times is still reading. Many times I find a topic to devour and raid that particular bookshelf at the library. Mainly historical or social commentary nonfiction with so.me fantasy thrown in for good measure. Lately,it's been mainly cultural studies on Asia because of my trip to Japan. See what I read last year and what I've read this year. ...
Despite or maybe because of growing up sheltered in a small rural town (Pembroke, land of the Lumbee), travel has become one of my main passions. People tell me I'm brave and are often envious of my tendency to end up in far-off places, but there's really not much to it. Plane tickets aren't that expensive--for me the decision of whether or not to get a new car or house or to fund another trip somewhere is a complete no-brainer. So far, I've travelled much of Mexico, studied abroad in Chile, Spain and Japan, taught in South Korea, and had brief adventures in Malaysia,Thailand,France(Paris),Italy(Rome),Portugal, Brazil(Salvador da Bahia),Bolivia,Peru,Argentina,Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and Canada (Montreal).
I listen to a lot of different kind of music--classical,jazz,Latin, folk, but especially like harmonizing humor such as the Four Bitchin Babes, DaVinci's Notebook, and Weird Al. I was an a cappella groupie in college and in Chicago, often frequented the Hothouse, with its variety of world music. For dancing, I enjoy salsa/merengue (esp Shakira and Gloria Estefan) as well as learning different folk dances. I also danced a little with the Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Yale.
TV? My favorite series this past year has been "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". It's gory at times and has quite a backstory to it(which doesn't always make sense), but has both powerfully dramatic and light humorous moments. It also has quite elegant camera angles,choreography and transitions--can tell Joss Whedon studied film. "Once More With Feeling", the musical episode was great. Thanks to Jade for getting me hooked. It finished, so now watching reruns to catch up on first few seasons.
My last movie on the big screen was "Shrek 2". Funny and clever satire, though a few plot holes. This summer I caught "Zaitochi" in Barcelona. Sharp action comedy with great effects and finale. On the small screen, "Samurai Fiction" provided action and satire along with awesome cinematography. Managed to catch the Short Shorts Festival in Tokyo--"The Chubb-Chubbs" was my favorite(kawaii!).
I'm not usually a gourmet at all. I mainly gulp down what I need to stay up and going, though the occasional carne asada, manicotti, pad thai or banana/peanut-butter milkshake is a special treat. Instead I drink in the richness of whatever book or movie or cultural experience I'm involved in. I am growing up a little when it comes to trying new foods--in Japan I enjoyed yakitori and suyuki.
Did I say I missed Chicago? Living there for 3 1/2 years, I started to think of it as home. I miss the summer festivals in the park, the vibrant theatre district, the beautiful views of the skyline and architecture, the little bits of trivia and history you only learn when you've been there a while, and of course, my friends who I try to stay in touch with, who make everything more fun. So now I'm a bit of a nomad as I try to find my place and learn more about the world.