Washington and Lee University
After graduating in 2006 with a double major in Physics and East Asian Languages and Literatures, Adam Jarczyk left the States behind courtesy of a Watson fellowship. For a year, he traveled through Southeast Asia, studying cuisines, working in restaurants, and (most importantly) experiencing a variety of cultures. Adam learned Thai and worked in one of the best restaurants in Bangkok. He learned Vietnamese and motorcycled from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Adam traveled through Tibetan villages, volunteered in a city beset by flooding, and came face to face with heart-breaking poverty.
He decided to take only what he could carry on his back: "I am very grateful for all of the things that I have had over the years; they have helped me lead a very enjoyable life. But near the end of my senior year, I realized that sometimes, things do nothing more than weigh you down. There is a tremendous amount of freedom to be found in being able to put all of your belongings on your back and move on a whim."
Adam returned to the States in late 2007. He will begin his graduate studies in fall 2008 with a year in China at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center and finish with a year and a half in Washington D.C. at the Johns Hopkins' School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS). By the time he graduates, he will have an M.A. in International Relations from SAIS, a certificate in China Studies from Nanjing University and SAIS, and (hopefully) fluency in Mandarin.
