"We receive three educations: one from our parents, 

one from our schoolmasters, and one from the world. 

The third contradicts all that the first two teach us." 

- Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu

mon•soon män-ˈsün, ˈmän-ˌ verb

1 : to travel despite limited time and money

2 : to take advantage of one's youth in sampling all of the

 world so one may know where to return when older

Examples of MONSOON

• "The intrepid backpackers decided to monsoon through 

 the Middle East before heading towards Eastern Europe"

Origin of MONSOON

• From the original word monsoon, inspired by the behavior of a

 periodic wind and heavy rainfall covering a large region of the Earth

First known use: 2010

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Time and money are not our friends. How much of the world can you see if you don’t have much of both?

This is the story of young diehard travelers embarking upon budget whirlwind itineraries around the world. Some are as abrupt as 24 hours in another continent (our ridiculous Blitzkrieg! trips), and others are as extensive as 88 cities and 13 countries in 75 days. No program, no travel agencies, no travel packages, no middlemen and a bare bones of a budget: We want to show that when it comes to travel, the impossible can be done.

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The photo that started it all

THE MONSOON DIARIES: It began with a camera lens, and it began with a picture.

Calvin was afflicted with the travel bug at an early age when his father took him along on regular business trips to Western Europe and East Asia. These trips unfortunately came to an abrupt end when his father unexpectedly died in 2006.

A few months later, Calvin was cleaning out his father’s closet when he found a pair of camera lenses. Wiping the dust off and finding them a new home, Calvin promised himself that he would one day put them to good use.

Another few years would pass until Calvin stumbled upon a second omen: a picture of Halong Bay on Wikitravel. Unable to tear himself away from the idea that there could exist such a place in the world, he produced an itinerary where he would visit 13 countries in Southeast and South Asia within 9 weeks. However, his friends gawked that he couldn’t, that he was insane, or that he would burn out. To prove them wrong, Calvin started a travel blog: The Monsoon Diaries was born.

His mission has been and is always: travel the world, break down the stereotypes, dispel the ignorance, and uncover the obscure. Armed with his father’s lenses by his side, Calvin knows that wherever he’ll be, he’ll never be alone.

Want to join him on his next adventure? Just ask!

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CALVIN SUN is awesome and writes about himself in the third person all the time. Born and raised in NYC, Calvin graduated from Columbia University in 2008 with a B.A. in biochemistry and was Vice President of his class. He was the founder of the Columbia University National Undergraduate Film Festival and served as the President of the Columbia University Asian American Alliance (AAA). During his presidency, AAA’s accomplishments were profiled on CNN and Sparknotes, and his organization was selected that year by AngryAsianMan and APAsForProgress as one of the “Top 10 Collegiate Organizations for AAPI Students” in the country. Calvin’s work has also been featured in Hyphen and Asiance Magazine.

In the media, Calvin had made appearances as a regular panelist and guest commentator on MTV’s “The Freshmen” and is an award winning independent filmmaker. He is known for his films on Asian American stereotypes and female body image, the latter of which won the inaugural One to Watch Audience Award at the 2007 Asian American International Film Festival. His work on Asian American female body image has been featured in various articles and books, including The American Beauty Industry Encyclopedia.

Calvin currently attends SUNY Downstate College of Medicine in NYC and is the President of his class. He also runs a business in healthcare, will serve as the incoming President of the Columbia College Young Alumni, and sits on the Board of Directors for the East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU), a national 501(c)(3) non-profit and the oldest and largest ethnic-interest collegiate organization in the country. In his spare time (if any!), Calvin cultivates a passion in hip hop choreography and South Asian dance while paying for medical school by working odd jobs as a bartending instructor, research assistant, events promoter, and DJ.

Finally, Calvin is an expert in underwater fire prevention and rescuing small animals. Rumor has it that he performed a transurethal guided laser induced prostatectomy on a male squirrel with his bare feet all while doing pushups with one finger.

Calvin’s total travel experience:

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GO YANG (Travel Date: December 22 2011 – January 3 2011 from Spain to Morocco) is the kinda girl that breaks the mold. For one, she’s not gonna write in the third person (zing!).

Hey, I’m Go. I met Calvin at Columbia when I attended Barnard College my freshman year, but I ended up getting my degree in English and History at the University of Michigan, and spending a year and a half or so in Seoul, Korea, not teaching English (see? breaking the mold) but studying at Yonsei University and freelancing at everything from translations for artists to voice acting. Right now I’m one of the few students over the age of 21 at Art Center College of Design getting a second Bachelor’s degree in Illustration (more mold breaking), and I’m really excited to be traveling, drawing and blogging with Calvin.

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