My first trip to China was in 1999 while earning my bachelor's degree in History and Asian Studies. I lived and attended classes at Zhongyin Minzu Daxue (Central University of Nationalities) in Beijing. I also traveled throughout the country with a group of students studying Chinese minority groups and then later as a backpacker.
My experiences as a young traveler gave me the confidence to pursue any goal and sparked an interest in the greater world that still drives me today.
I returned to China in the summer of 2004 to teach English in a small town near Hangzhou. I traveled up the coast for 8 weeks and met wonderful people along the way. I do love China, and expect it will always be a significant part of my life.
