Hey everyone!

This is my first time contributing to a blog and it feels a lot more formal than the other internet alternatives…like twittering or updating your status on facebook…but very cool nonetheless! Props to Meredith for setting this up!

My name is Andrew, from Beijing, China. I am currently in Guangzhou, China, studying Chinese literature-related subjects as an auditing student at Jinan University. It may not be as cool as Wushu or Calligraphy, but it is just absolutely fascinating to learn of the forces that have shaped Chinese history and the reflections of history through literature. I chose to take a gap year for multiple reasons: to volunteer, to study Chinese literature-related subjects, and to better understand the society as a whole.

This is my second stop during the gap year. I spent the first 8 weeks as a volunteer for the Qianqiu Reading Aid Project (qianqiuzhudu.cn) in Mao County, Sichuan. It’s been only a year since the disastrous earthquake struck the region but the recovery has been impressive. I was in charge of delivering the donated books and other materials from the project to the surrounding villages and organizing activities to get the villagers borrowing books. It actually turned out to be much more difficult than expected. Some of them had a completely different notion of studying, in the sense that to them, every extra month spent studying is lost income. Nonetheless, most villagers fervently welcomed the idea and their friendliness was just touching. As of this point, the libraries are maintained by local villagers and I will probably return next year to check on the situation.

Though I am thousands of miles away from Palo Alto, I cannot contain my excitement every time I think about Stanford. (or hear about the alums, like Brook Lopez, who absolutely kicked butts in the first NBA game of the season). I lived near Palo Alto (Concord) during my four years or so in the States and Stanford was the only university I had ever visited. I was in elementary school when I first visited and was quite surprised to find students reading books on the grass in…a relaxing manner. Studying…is FUN?! That was quite inexplicable to me, but the aura of mystery around it has cleared up over time. I can’t wait to see everyone there!

Hope all of you are having a fantastic gap year
Andrew