My Gap Year

Timing: July 2025–September 2026.

My gap year was a chance to travel, try my hand at entrepreneurship, learn new skills, and rethink how I wanted to live. I checked off most of my list, and what I brought home went well beyond the satisfaction of finishing it.

What I did: I worked on a startup and helped run and grow a boutique B&B in Tengchong. I designed and delivered a retreat for seven entrepreneurs and a six-day family meditation camp for eight adults and 11 children. The retreat earned positive feedback from every participant. The family camp filled a month in advance and validated an off-season offering with a profit margin above 40%.

Where I went: I traveled extensively in eight countries and took my father on a 3,000-kilometer fall road trip through the Greater Khingan Range. I explored plant life in South Africa, practiced meditation and spoke with monks in a U.S. community, and snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

What I took away: Landscapes, local cultures, design, and color sharpened my eye. My English became more natural in everyday conversation, and people from different cultures showed me what openness, creativity, and enthusiasm at work can look like. I learned to DJ, compose music, and dye textiles with plants.

I checked off most of my gap-year list. Along the way, I realized that life can be quiet or eventful, and that neither lasts forever. What matters is coming back to the present and asking what we can do to make life better for ourselves and others.