Jia was actually born Gro Frydenberg. Gro is a Norwegian name, and I was born in Oslo, Norway. I learned English for the first time when I was 13, in Newcastle, England.
Academically, I have more degrees than anyone needs. I have two degrees from the University of Oslo, Norway, and then I went and got a Master's of Linguistics from the University of Michigan. When I was in my 40's, I applied to the University of California, Los Angeles, for a doctorate program, and they accepted me! (They can't be very selective :-)) UCLA awarded me a Ph.D. in Education about a million years ago.
In my spare time, I love to travel. I have been to almost every continent - with the exception of Antarctica. I'll keep doing that no matter how old I am privileged to get. I also enjoy some decorative arts: making jewelry and painting on silk, among others. And I have 4 rescue animals: two dogs and two cats. They're sweethearts.