Program Co-Director Introduction: Lindsay
My name is Lindsay and I am excited to meet and get to know you as we start to prepare for our China visit! The first thing I want to mention is--PACK LIGHT! I know that we are all stoked to get on over to China, and you may have started purchasing items that you will need, but if traveling through China since 2001 has taught me anything--it is don't over pack. China has most of the things you want to buy, and you don't want to drag things around with you, you are going to want to use that free space to buy things to bring home! Think about that as the trip approaches.
I have moved around quite a bit, but I continuously find myself back in Asia. My parents took a university study broad program to China in 2001 and my sister and I went along for the ride. After the extensive travel of a semester, I was loving China and all its quirks. I went to university in Macau and went to China quite often to travel or shop, or just as a change of pace. Macau was beautifully situated in South East Asia so I was able to travel around quite a bit. I left China, only to find myself back in China leading youth groups then teaching at a university. I was in a town called Zhanjiang in Guangdong province and most of the Chinese people I met didn't know where the city was, though it was the 3rd largest city in the province--and we had an airport! I also was able to work with an organization called Joy in Action, and they do work camps with former leprosy colonies, it was amazing! I taught in Thailand for a bit recently, again both academic and corporate settings and then found myself back in the San Francisco area.
Be prepared, we have a high energy trip organized and we want to show you the China we know and love. Try to get rid of any expectations you have because China is interesting and random. Can't wait to meet you all and start our journey together!
Children believe they can fly, that there is nothing to stop their dreams from coming true. Some may call that wishful thinking, or simply being naive. Some call young people idealists, as if it were a stage they need to outgrow. But I feel the world could do with more idealists, that there are never too many dreamers.--Craig
Kielburger