ErikTheRedd

How I did it: Kind of cheating.. just like how I went to Japan, I went to China twice through study abroad programs that my school, North Central College, offers.  First I went in 2006 on something our school calls the China/Japan program, and I spent 2 months in Beijing and 2 months in Kyoto.  I was taking Chinese casually before that, but that time in Beijing really cemented a deeper interest in China (I originally went on the trip because … Read how I did it…

How I did it: I pretty much just went through my school, North Central College.  We have a lot of programs available for studying in Japan, and partly because of the quantity and quality of these programs I decided to take Japanese.  I went first in 2006, on a program called China/Japan that spent 2 months in Beijing and 2 months in Kyoto, studying and having fun.  There's no language requirement to go on this program, so I would h… Read how I did it…

How I did it: It's a bit complicated to get there and go around, but worth it.  When I was studying abroad in Beijing, I had a week off for a Chinese national holiday called "National Week" in October (a week off!).  So my friend Parker and I decided to go to Mongolia, partially on a whim and partially because I was into the history of the Mongol Empire.  So a week or so before we bought train tickets; not an easy task, because in Beijin… Read how I did it…