Dear Richard,
Due to the political stability, Chinese literature was in its most charming success at the Tang (ð) and Song (§º) Dynasty. It was around 618 A.D. to 1279 A.D. There was a man, called Ou Yang Xiu (¼Ú¶§×), who came from a poor family and tried his very best in studying. His work is recognized as one of the 'Famous Eight' of the time.
When Ou Yang Xiu was four years old, his father died. The whole family relied on his mother to earn a living. There is no extra money to support him going to school, not even enough to buy some paper and pens. Luckily, his mother understood the importance of education and she tried to teach Ou Yang Xiu herself. She got a straw as pen and a sand box as paper to teach him writing words. Ou Yang Xiu was very diligent and his writing skill was advancing everyday.
Richard, as compared with Ou Yang Xiu, your learning environment is far better than him. You should be glad with what you have and make well use of it.
With love, Dad