SUMMER & GAP YEAR PROGRAMS | 2020-21 THE LEADER IN CROSS-CULTURAL + EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION SINCE 1993
All images in this catalog were taken by students and instructors on Dragons programs. Cover: A Dragons student group takes in the sunrise as they prepare to hike out of a rural homestay community in Nepal. Arvin Singh Uzunov-Dang
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This spread: Students welcome the rising sun with a celebration on Laguna Chilata in the Cordillera Real, Bolivia. Ryan Gasper
MAPMAKERS ON C E D R E W D R AGON S TO R E PR E SE NT L A NDS UNKNOW N. BOLD EXPLORER S W HO VE N T U R E D BE YON D T HE M AP ’ S E D G E W E R E SA I D TO G O “W HER E T HE R E BE D R AGON S.” W E GO T HE R E ...
will you?
W E H O P E T H I S C ATA LO G H E L P S YO U G E T TO K N OW U S . . . About Dragons
Programs
Resources
WHO WE ARE
5
PROGRAM COMPARISON CHART
14–15
OTHER OFFERINGS
62
WHAT WE DO
7
ASIA SUMMER
16–31
NOTES ON SAFETY
63
LATIN AMERICA SUMMER
32–39
MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS
INTENTIONAL DESIGN
10–11
AFRICA SUMMER
40–45
ALUMNI
66
OUR PROGRAM COMPONENTS
12–13
GAP YEAR SEMESTERS
NEXT STEPS
67
OUR STUDENTS
9
46–61
64–65
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Thus travel spins us round in two ways at once: It shows us the sights and values and issues that we might ordinarily ignore; but it also, and more deeply, shows us all the parts of ourselves that might otherwise grow rusty." — P I C O I Y E R , W H Y W E T R AV E L
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Each June, Dragons brings staff in from over 15 different countries to participate in a two week intensive training and staff orientation in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Charis Boke
WHO WE ARE A N I N T E R N AT I O N A L CO M M U N I T Y Dragons offers educational travel programs for high school, Gap Year, and college students in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Our students, led by the best educators in the industry, develop an understanding of critical global issues through immersive travel, meaningful engagement, and empowered student leadership. Over the past three decades, our work has created a global community representing six continents, over 30 countries, and countless languages, villages, NGOs, religions, host families, students, perspectives, and stories. We believe that future leaders will be required to think beyond borders in order to cultivate a more inclusive, collaborative, and just future. Our goal is to help students develop the self-awareness and cross-cultural competencies to be active participants in the world.
We are... •FRO
D•
We are committed to cross-cultural education as a tool for breaking down barriers and enhancing understanding between
B
AR
» A Value-Driven Company
E YA K
O
M
TH
people and communities around the world. » Professional Educators The majority of our staff are multilingual and hold a master's degree or PhD. Over 60% have worked 3+ programs with Dragons. When not guiding with Dragons, our instructors are graduate students, returned Peace Corps Volunteers, U.N. development professionals, veteran wilderness guides, and career teachers.
STRAIGHT FROM THE YAK'S MOUTH The best way for you to understand Dragons is to hear about the experience in the words
» Committed to Equity
of our participants. In this catalog, you can find
We provide financial aid to over 20% of our participant body as well as need-based scholarships via The Dragons Fund, a non-profit 501c3 entity of the COMMON Foundation. For more information, please visit www.dragonsfund.org. » B-Corp Certified Dragons is continually striving to meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance and public transparency in efforts to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. » A Preferred Partner of Schools We have designed collaborative programming with Princeton University, Tufts University, Milton Academy, Carleton College and 50+ other esteemed high schools and universities.
stories told directly by students in their Yak Board reflections on pages 21, 24, 35, 38, 44, and 53. Or flip to the back of this catalog (page 66) for post-course reflections on the most valuable insights our students brought home. To read the full range of reflections from students past and present, visit the Dragons Yak Board on our website at
» Experts in the Field of International Education
yak.wherethereb ed rag ons .com
We have over 25 years of experience guiding groups and managing risk in the context of international education and regularly facilitate training programs for teachers and administrators. For more on our institutional reputation and integrity, please flip to page 64–65.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
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There is wisdom in turning as often as possible from the familiar to the unfamiliar; it keeps the mind nimble; it kills prejudice; and it fosters humor." — S A N T AYA N A
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Students hike an ancient trail around the sacred Peruvian peak of Ausungate. Aaron Slosberg
W H AT W E D O A N D H OW W E D O I T D I F F E R E N T LY Students tell us they want real travel experiences, in which they can explore while feeling supported, lean into challenge, and become comfortable with being uncomfortable. These are the spaces we work tirelessly to cultivate at Dragons: spaces where students can learn skills and insight through direct and carefully mentored experiences. Here’s what Dragons uniquely offers:
G E N UI N ELY I MME R S I V E E X P E R IE NCE S
H AND-CRAFTE D PRO G RAMS
DY NAMI C I T I NER AR I ES
We travel like locals, live with families, apprentice with artists,
Each Dragons course is directly infused with the
Many travel programs provide a day-by-day (sometimes
and learn from scholars, factory workers, sages,
experiences, expertise, passions, and local connections
hour-by-hour) itinerary that is reproduced year after year. At
and community leaders alike. We intentionally create
of our instructors, making every course an original creation.
Dragons, each itinerary is specially designed and implemented
spaces for unscripted, serendipitous, and candid
For a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes of
by the instructors leading the course, ensuring that every
moments of surprise and discovery.
program development, please visit page 10.
program is a custom-crafted and responsive experience.
SM A L L G RO U P S & ME NTO R S H I P
ME ANING FU L O FFLINE RE LATIO NS H IPS
ET HI CAL T R AVEL
A typical Dragons group consists of 12 students and 3
We embrace an offline—and fully present—travel
Small groups and longer-term programming reduce
instructors so that each participant receives individual
experience. Group dynamics are carefully managed to
our ecological and cultural footprints. We believe that
support and personalized challenge. To see the range of
foster safe dialogue, an inclusive group spirit, and lifelong
how you engage abroad and what you take home from
professional life experiences and academic backgrounds
friendships. Participants return home with a shared
your travels matters. To see a sample of student
that make our community of international instructors so
experience, language, and connection to the Dragons
take-home skills, please flip to page 11.
exceptional, please flip to pages 64–65.
network of alumni students and instructors.
The manner in which you run your programs—student driven, flexible itineraries, tremendous freedom for the student, small groups, unbelievable student-to-instructor ratio—made this a valuable learning opportunity for Scott, but also facilitated his personal growth in a manner I’m not sure any other program could have accomplished. — PA R E N T O F PA S T D R AG O N S S T U D E N T W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
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The flexibility allowed my group to turn hikes into classes about religion. It allowed for us to get lost, which then turned into lessons on how not to get lost. We were given the freedom to explore like a traveler, not like a tourist.� — A LY S S A H I L B , S I L K R O A D P R O G R A M
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A well-deserved day of group rest and relaxation in southern Sulawesi, Indonesia. Olivia Werby
O U R ST U D E N TS CO M E F R O M M A N Y P L AC E S H E R E A R E S O M E S N A P S H OT S O F R E C E N T D R AG O N S S T U D E N T S A N D T H E I R A L U M N I I N S I G H T S . . . LILLIAN
I VA N
AGE: 16
AGE: 15
HOMETOWN: Seattle, WA
HOMETOWN: Oakland, CA
DRAGONS PROGRAM: China
DRAGONS PROGRAM: Bolivia
HOBBIES: Piano, Coding, Ultimate Frisbee
HOBBIES: Running, Videography, Political Junkie
WORDS: “You won’t be driving to different sights on
WORDS: “...before you know it, the things that once
tour buses. Instead, you’ll experience the country by way
made you uncomfortable will be your favorite stories
of learning the traditions and hearing the stories of the
to tell.”
communities you stay with.”
SAM
EMMA
AGE: 18
AGE: 18
HOMETOWN: Chelmsford, MA
HOMETOWN: Edina, MN
DRAGONS PROGRAM: Senegal
DRAGONS PROGRAMS: Peru, Indonesia
HOBBIES: Basketball, Writing, Music
HOBBIES: Writing, Languages, Travel
WORDS: “I jump at any opportunity to step out of my
WORDS: “I’ve often found that I discover myself only
comfort zone while learning about a place and culture
when I am lost.”
so foreign to my own.”
VA N E S S A
ETHAN
AGE: 17
AGE: 19
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, CA
HOMETOWN: San Rafael, CA
DRAGONS PROGRAM: Guatemala
DRAGONS PROGRAM: Peru
HOBBIES: Art, Movies, Beach Volleyball
HOBBIES: Spanish, Environmental Science, Food Justice
WORDS: “I didn’t realize how much I would learn
WORDS: “New experiences allow me to realize how
beyond improving my language. There was never a
little I know about in the world, and how narrow my
moment I wasn’t learning something from my group of
perspective is.”
awesome students and instructors.”
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
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INTENTIONAL DESIGN H OW W E B U I L D O N E - O F -A- K I N D P R O G R A M S The world is constantly changing and we believe our programs should too. Far from a fixed tourist itinerary, we keep our programs flexible and responsive because many of the best experiences are found in the unscripted and unexpected moments. Here’s how our programs are uniquely crafted, every time.
STEP 1: PEOPLE
STEP 2: PROCESS
ST UD E NTS
ITINE RARY DE S IG N
R ESP ONSI BLE T R AVEL
That means you! Although Dragons
Months before departure, we begin co-
We see responsible travel as environmentally
students come from all different
creating an itinerary based on instructors
conscientious, culturally aware, and
backgrounds, they're bonded by a shared
and Dragons in-country connections,
focused on developing mutually beneficial
sense of curiosity and adventure. All
the goals of the course, and the specific
connections with communities. As travelers,
students undergo a formal application
ambitions of the student group. Program
we ask students to humbly adapt to the
process with references and interviews.
Components break the course vision into
places we visit, rather than asking those
actionable pieces: homestays, language
places to adapt to our expectations.
I N ST RU CTO R S
study, learning service, etc.
We don’t give staff a pre-made itinerary. Instead, instructors’ passions, skill-sets,
CO RE CU RRICU LU M
and experiences drive the design of each
Rather than a series of sightseeing stops,
program. We select three instructors with
each Dragons course is built with a curric-
complementary areas of expertise to best
ular flow underlying the itinerary. Working
meet the course vision.
backwards from our Learning Objectives, we create a progression of appropriate
COM MU NIT Y R E LAT IO NS H I P S Dragons has cultivated a notable depth and breadth of community networks. Our
challenges for students. We employ leadership models that empower student voices, self-directed learning, and engagement.
programs are born out of sustainable connections in the places we travel rather than impersonal contracts with tour operators. Our personal relationships and desire for reciprocal engagement, not travel trends, dictate where we choose to travel.
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STEP 3: EXPERIENCE
The Himalayas greet a group of Dragons students trekking through Nepal. Amrit Ale
GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT » Culturally sensitive & responsible travel practices » Cross-cultural competencies » Community & relationship building
W H AT STUDENTS TA K E H O M E
» Ethical photography & videography » Environmental awareness & advocacy » Exposure to diverse arts, cultures, & traditions » Learning service & social justice
LEADER SHI P Our courses help students clarify their own values,
» Foreign language competency
and discover how to embody those values in the world. We hope to foster self-awareness, global
» Critical thinking & decision making
S E LF-AWARE NE SS
» Conflict resolution & communication skills
engagement, and leadership skills that last well
» Education, career, & life path development
» Engagement with different perspectives
after the course conclusion.
» Growth mindset, grit, & resiliency
» Self-reliance & humility
» Power & privilege awareness
» Giving & receiving feedback
Beyond our time abroad, we help students
» Comfort with discomfort
» Adapting to the unexpected & unfamiliar
integrate the lessons and experiences from
» Reflection & mindfulness practice
their Dragons course into their lives back home.
» Appreciation of “unplugged” time
Here is a sample of just some of the skills and
» Compassion, curiosity, & gratitude
outcomes alumni have reported “taking home” after their Dragons course:
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
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OUR PROGRAM COMPONENTS T H E B U I L D I N G B LO C K S O F E V E RY D R AG O N S CO U R S E We adventure. We explore. We learn. A Dragons course is designed to be a fully immersive journey. We employ nine program components to ensure that every course is a well-rounded experience.
LANGUAGE ST UDY
T R EKKI NG
Dragons students are travelers,
In a Tajik yurt, in a Bedouin tent,
All Dragons courses include
From strolls to the strenuous,
not tourists. We believe in low-
in an apartment in Kunming…
language instruction. We do
some Dragons students hike over
impact travel, and that means
Every Dragons student is
not expect students to arrive
16,000 ft passes in the Andes;
minimizing our environmental
carefully matched with a local
with any level of understanding.
others walk to waterfalls outside
and cultural impact at every
family. Students live in nearby
We do expect students to
a homestay village. Wherever
possible juncture. On course,
neighborhoods, allowing them
interact with locals and build a
you choose to trek, you can be
we respect cultural norms
to build meaningful connections
collection of vocabulary words
assured that Dragons instructors
by staying in family-owned
within the host community and
that enables them to deftly
will guide you into wilderness,
accommodations and taking
group. Students often tell us
navigate a new cultural context.
exposing you to the beauty of
local transportation. The most
that their homestay was the
On our language intensive
nature, mingled with the unique
profound learning moments
most transformative part of their
courses, students can expect
cultural context. Treks provide
often arise in the spaces
Dragons experience. All families
3–4 hours of daily instruction
opportunities for students to
in-between, and traveling
are selected based on the safety
in small groups. Few skills do
assume leadership roles and
like locals creates space for
of their home environments and
more to empower students to
build personal backcountry skills,
un-orchestrated moments of
their genuine enthusiasm for
be independent global citizens
like learning to pitch a tent or
engagement.
cross-cultural engagement.
than language study.
read weather conditions.
Right: Arvin Singh Uzunov-Dang; Micah LeMasters; Photo from Dragons archives
H O ME STAY
Left: Steven Gu; Aaron Slosberg; Michael Woodard
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R U GGE D TRAVE L
L EA RN I N G SE RV I C E
DE V E LO PME NT ST U DIE S
INDE PE NDE NT STUDY PROJECTS (ISPs)
COMPAR AT I VE R ELI GI ON & P HI LOSOP HY
FOC US OF I NQUI RY (FOI )
We take pride in learning first
What variables contribute to a
Dragons students are often
In each place we visit, we con-
Dragons courses are built
and helping second. Students
good quality of life? How does
paired with local mentors to
sider how local spiritual beliefs
around particular academic
rarely arrive in-country with the
privilege shape our sense of
study a particular question, craft,
are employed to interpret daily
themes. This allows students
tools to genuinely ‘help’ another
global responsibility? These
or cultural tradition in greater
reality. Dragons instructors help
to delve into a specific line
community, and we work hard
questions are central to the
depth. Anything is possible, and
students explore the belief sys-
of questioning, exploring the
to dispel such expectations.
conversation about human
as a student, the ISP is a great
tems of their host culture while
impacts of climate change, local
Students use a four-step process
development in the 21st century.
way to tailor the course to meet
living with homestay families,
religious traditions, or the idea of
to listen, assess, act and then
Instructors introduce students to
your specific interests. We’ve
visiting religious monuments,
cultural survival, for example. We
evaluate: a framework that can
local activists who’ve taken a vo-
had students study everything
observing local rituals, and
explore the focus of inquiry by
be applied to future learning
cal stance on the topic of ‘human
from kathak dance in India to the
reading relevant texts. Such an
hosting guest speakers, reading
service ventures. We don’t
development,’ while using local
impacts of exploratory drilling
examination generally sparks
local news, and engaging in
measure our success by the
examples to prompt discussion.
in the Amazon. ISPs are a great
an internal conversation, and
group discussions. Please
number of ‘service hours’ logged,
Students are encouraged to
way to develop place-based
instructors are available to assist
reference individual Dragons
but rather by the number of
challenge their assumptions and
expertise, learn hands-on skills
students as they juxtapose
program descriptions to learn
critical conversations that such
expand their understanding of
from local mentors, and actively
in-country traditions with their
more about the FOI on your
an engagement provokes.
what it means to be “developed.”
engage living cultural traditions.
own belief systems and values.
course of interest.
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P R O G R A M C O M PA R I S O N C H A R T
LOW EMPHASIS MODERATE
ASIA
HOMESTAY
LANGUAGE STUDY
TREKKING
LEARNING SERVICE
China: Mandarin Language Intensive, 4-wk
10+ days
40+ hours
Day Hikes
China: Mandarin Language Intensive, 6-wk
15+ days
60+ hours
China & Kyrgyzstan: The Silk Road
10+ days
China: The Yangtze River
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
DATES
AGES
PAGE
5+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
15 – 18
p18
Day Hikes
5+ hours
6/28 – 8/8
16 – 18
p18
5+ hours
3+ days
5+ hours
6/28 – 8/8
16 – 18
p19
5+ days
10+ hours
3+ days
5+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
16 – 18
p20
China & Laos: Holy Mountain to Hidden Kingdom
10+ days
10+ hours
5+ days
10+ hours
6/28 – 8/8
16 – 18
p22
Myanmar: Visions of Democracy
5+ days
10+ hours
Day Hikes
10+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
17 – 20
p23
Indonesia: Community & Conservation
15+ days
15+ hours
3+ days
5+ hours
6/28 – 8/8
16 – 18
p25
Cambodia: Peace-Building & Conservation
5+ days
10+ hours
Day Hikes
5+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
16 – 18
p26
Thailand: The Spirit of Greng Jai
10+ days
10+ hours
3+ days
10+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
15 – 17
p27
Nepal: Traditions of the Himalayas
10+ days
10+ hours
3+ days
10+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
17 – 20
p28
Bhutan: Happiness in the Himalayas
10+ days
10+ hours
5+ days
5+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
16 – 18
p29
North India: Roof of the World, 4-wk
3+ days
5+ hours
10+ days
10+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
16 – 18
p30
North India: Roof of the World, 6-wk
3+ days
10+ hours
10+ days
15+ hours
6/28 – 8/8
17 – 20
p30
Eastern Himalayas: West Bengal to Sikkim
5+ days
5+ hours
3+ days
10+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
16 – 18
p31
HOMESTAY
LANGUAGE STUDY
TREKKING
LEARNING SERVICE
DATES
AGES
PAGE
Guatemala: Spanish Language Intensive, 2-wk
7+ days
20+ hours
2+ days
5+ hours
13 – 14
p34
Guatemala: Spanish Language Intensive, 4-wk
15+ days
40+ hours
3+ days
15+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
15 – 17
p34
Guatemala: Spanish Language Intensive, 6-wk
15+ days
60+ hours
5+ days
20+ hours
6/28 – 8/8
16 – 18
p34
Bolivia: Spirit of the Andes, 4-wk
10+ days
20+ hours
5+ days
10+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
17 – 19
p36
Bolivia: Spirit of the Andes, 6-wk
20+ days
20+ hours
10+ days
10+ hours
6/28 – 8/8
17 – 19
p36
Colombia: Stories of Peace & Resistance
10+ days
20+ hours
5+ days
5+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
16 – 18
p37
Peru: Sacred Mountains, 4-wk
5+ days
10+ hours
5+ days
5+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
15 – 17
p39
Peru: Sacred Mountains, 6-wk
10+ days
10+ hours
10+ days
5+ hours
6/28 – 8/8
16 – 18
p39
SUMMER
LATIN AMERICA SUMMER
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RUGGED TRAVEL
HIGH EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
6/28 – 7/12 7/14 – 7/28
LOW EMPHASIS MODERATE
AFRICA
RUGGED TRAVEL
HOMESTAY
LANGUAGE STUDY
TREKKING
LEARNING SERVICE
Madagascar: Island of Diversity
10+ days
10+ hours
5+ days
Morocco: Crossroads of Mountains & Cultures
10+ days
15+ hours
Senegal: In the Shade of the Baobab Tree
10+ days
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
HIGH EMPHASIS
DATES
AGES
PAGE
10+ hours
6/28 – 8/8
16 – 18
p42
5+ days
5+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
16 – 19
p43
10+ hours
3+ days
10+ hours
6/28 – 7/28
15 – 17
p45
HOMESTAY
LANGUAGE STUDY
TREKKING
LEARNING SERVICE
DATES
AGES
PAGE
30+ days
60+ hours
5+ days
20+ hours
17 – 22
p48
20+ days
20+ hours
10+ days
10+ hours
17 – 22
p49
10+ days
20+ hours
5+ days
20+ hours
17 – 22
p50
30+ days
30+ hours
5+ days
10+ hours
17 – 22
p51
30+ days
40+ hours
20+ days
20+ hours
17 – 22
p52
20+ days
20+ hours
15+ days
20+ hours
17 – 22
p54
30+ days
30+ hours
15+ days
20+ hours
17 – 22
p55
30+ days
60+ hours
20+ days
10+ hours
17 – 22
p56
30+ days
60+ hours
10+ days
20+ hours
17 – 22
p57
20+ days
30+ hours
5+ days
20+ hours
17 – 22
p58
20+ days
40+ hours
10+ days
10+ hours
17 – 22
p59
West Africa Semester: Rhythms of Senegal
30+ days
30+ hours
5+ days
20+ hours
17 – 22
p60
Independent Spring Experience (Locations Vary)
30+ days
40+ hours
Varies
Varies
18+
p61
SUMMER
GAP YEAR 3-MONTH SEMESTER China Semester: South of the Clouds* Mekong Semester: Tibetan Plateau to the Heart of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia Semester: Spirituality & Resilience Indonesia Semester: Community, Culture, & Conservation Nepal Semester: Himalayan Studies* Bhutan Semester: Environmental Sustainability & Community Happiness India Semester: On the Front Lines of Climate Change* South America Semester: Andes & Amazon* Guatemala Semester: Spanish Language & Social Justice* Morocco Semester: Ancient Cities to the Atlas Mountains Madagascar Semester: Cultural & Ecological Diversity
RUGGED TRAVEL
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
INDEPENDENT STUDY PROJECT
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 9/15 – 12/6 2/7 – 5/1 1/15 – 2/26 2/12 – 3/25
*Students participating on select Gap Semester programs (China, Guatemala, Nepal, South America, India) may choose to take courses for college credit (optional). Give us a call for more information: 303.413.0822
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Bustling street corners. Steaming chai... ...A cacophony of engines, horns and vendors blend into the ambient hum that gives every conversation a sense of urgency and movement.
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ASIA IS CHANGING EVERYDAY.
Whether you’re in China, where suited entrepreneurs cut deals beneath billboards papered in Communist slogans, or in Cambodia, where monks might friend you on Facebook, the collision between traditions and modernity is evident at every turn. We invite you to join us in this exploration of culture and contrasts. In cities where cows share the bike lane and monkeys slide down the banisters. In mountains where holy men bless the dead and stand guard as vultures return their remnants to the sky. On rivers where pink dolphins swim free, and fishermen rise at dawn to drag their nets to shore.
will you?
Asia is enchanting and full of mystery. We go there... 
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CHINA MANDARIN LANGUAGE INTENSIVE 4-Week & 6-Week Summer Abroad Programs
AGES
Improve your Mandarin language skills through daily instruction in small, personalized classes; live with carefully selected homestays; engage in Independent Study Projects (ISPs).
June 28 – July 28 June 28 – August 8
15 – 18 16 – 18
MORE PEOPLE SPEAK MANDARIN CHINESE THAN ANY OTHER LANGUAGE
mentors about topics ranging from Chinese cooking, calligraphy, traditional Chinese medicine,
the 1.4 billion people who live here, learning Chinese is the first step. Our approach to
martial arts, musical instruments, and
language study is holistic: including group travel,
environmental issues. Students also
homestays, and Independent Study Projects (ISPs)
explore local historic and cultural
Our 4-week and 6-week program options divide their time between Kunming (capital city of Yunnan
AS I A: S UM M ER
MONGOLIA
BEIJING
XI ’A N
CHINA
HONG KONG KUNMING
Lake Park. During rural homestays, sample activities include organizing pick-up soccer or basketball games
terrain, natural beauty and ethnic diversity—including Naxi,
with village teenagers, foraging for
Mandarin instruction per day, with the option for 1:1 tutoring
LASHIHAI
sessions in the afternoon for hungry learners. Homestay placements
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Bird and Flower Market, and Green
Province) and one of several small villages in rural
and rural homestays, students meet for 3–4 hours of formal
TIGER LEAPING GORGE
ISPs
sites such as The Golden Temple, the
Yunnan. This is a region renowned for mountainous Tibetan, Yi, Dai, and Miao (Hmong) people. During both urban
LANGUAGE STUDY
While in Kunming, students also engage in ISPs, learning directly from local
IN THE WORLD. For anyone interested in exploring and understanding China’s rich
in addition to formal classroom instruction.
18
HOMESTAY
history and culture, its ever-increasing influence in the world, and what life is like for
RUSSIA
INDIA
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
medicinal plants with local practitioners, visiting Buddhist monasteries, and learning about the work of local NGOs. Students return home with a firsthand
reinforce language acquisition and offer students opportunities to
understanding of China’s diversity and increased confidence in their ability to
practice new vocabulary with their families in the evenings.
communicate and navigate in a rapidly changing China.
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
Right: Photos from Dragons archives
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Left: Photos by Eric Jenkins-Sahlin
31/42
DESCRIPTION
C H I N A & KY R GY Z S TA N THE SILK ROAD 6-Week Summer Abroad Program
42 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Explore the diversity of China’s cultural traditions: live with herders on the Tibetan Plateau, cross the Taklamakan desert, discuss issues of religious plurality with monks and Imams.
June 28 – August 8
16 – 18
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
SILK ROAD…THE WORDS ALONE CONJURE UP ALL KINDS OF IMAGES:
breathtaking natural scenery, explore historic mosques
CAMEL CARAVANS BRINGING THE TREASURES OF ANCIENT CHINA
and massive bazaars, and confront issues of ethnicity,
ACROSS THE HEART OF ASIA; e mpires—old and new—vying for power; knowledge
nationality, and power in China today.
and ideas traveling between cultures. Traveling from China into Kyrgyzstan and back, our Silk Road program explores this region’s history of exchange with all of Eurasia, and examines the connections between people living here today, including Han Chinese, Uyghur, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Tajik, Mongol, Tibetan, and Hui communities. Our journey begins in Xi’an, home to the
Continuing even further west, we enter Kyrgyzstan! Outside the city of Osh, on the plains of the Fergana Valley, we live with homestay families and experience
MONGOLIA
URUMQI
K Y R G Y Z S TA N OSH KASHGAR
TURPAN
BEIJING
XINING
XIAN
CHINA
rich in history and offers windows into the Soviet era and post-Soviet politics that shape Kyrgyzstan today. Jalalabad Walnut Forest, said to have originated with
into the Amdo region of Tibet for a
walnuts carried from Western Eurasia by Greek settlers
homestay with rural Tibetan homestay
after the conquest of Alexander the Great. Before
families, learning about how life continues
returning home, we reflect on all we’ve seen and experienced together on this journey made famous by the countless travelers and traders who walked them before us.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
INDIA
ASI A: S UM M E R
capital. From Xi’an we head southwest
of Xinjiang, we take in some of China’s most
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
RUSSIA
been in operation for more than 2,000 years, Osh is
Our time in Kyrgyzstan concludes with a visit to the
to change for people who were once
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
their legendary hospitality. Home to a market that has
Terracotta Warriors and China’s ancient
nomadic herders. In the far-western province
HOMESTAY
19
CHINA T H E YA N G T Z E R I V E R 4-Week Summer Abroad Program
AGES
Experience life in Asia’s largest river basin: live with families on the Tibetan Plateau, learn about interconnected environmental realities at the Three Gorges Dam, explore the world's largest port.
June 28 – July 28
16 – 18
ASIA’S LONGEST RIVER HAS SHAPED CHINA’S HISTORY, CULTURE, AND ECONOMY LIKE NO OTHER FEATURE OF THE LANDSCAPE. Students on
RUGGED TRAVEL
along the banks of this vital waterway. Beginning in Yunnan Province, where the river
explore the vibrant cultural scene
winds through deep gorges amidst spectacular
and unique history of the world’s
mountain scenery, we begin our exploration of
busiest port. Here we reflect on how this river shapes and has been
Tibetan Buddhist monasteries as well as ethnically
shaped by all of the people who rely
Lisu, Yi, Naxi and Pumi communities.
on it for food, transportation, power,
Our downriver journey takes us next to
MONGOLIA
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Continuing east, we conclude our journey in Shanghai, where we
China’s ethnic and ecological diversity, visiting
TREKKING
control water resources.
this course will gain firsthand insight into the lives of the 550 million people who live
RUSSIA
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
and inspiration.
AS I A: S UM M ER
Chongqing, one of the fastest growing cities in
INDIA
20
BEIJING
the world, where porters haul cargo on bamboo shoulder poles, as avant-garde skyscrapers line the
CHINA NANJING CHONGQING
SHANGHAI
downtown.
“This was a truly transformative experience for her. She returned with a broader outlook on life and the world. She has a better understanding of what is important
From here, we travel by boat 360 miles downstream to the world’s largest hydroelectric project, the Three Gorges Dam, learning about issues related to economic development,
to her and not worry about the little things. She’s a much more centered person and this will serve her well as she heads into her senior year of high school. This trip exceeded all expectations for her and that speaks volumes.”
environmental destruction, and China’s age-old struggle to QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
— PA R E N T O F S U M M E R PA R T I C I PA N T
Right: Camille Albouy
Days
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Left: Parker Pflaum; Eric Jenkins-Sahlin
31
DESCRIPTION
E YA K
AR
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B Y R YA N S U N G , S T U D E N T Dragons Princeton Bridge Year China
APPLES ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF KUNMING STANDS XUNING TEMPLE, A
When I finally admitted to her that we had never met before, she didn’t show
BUDDHIST PLACE OF WORSHIP SPLASHED WITH TANGERINE
disappointment, but rather smiled with the same enthusiasm from before and
GOLD, NAVY BLUE, AND A STRONG, BOLD RED. Adorning the temple
said “Enjoy them! They’re a gift.”
stands a massive golden Buddha, whose four faces watch in every direction the residents of the homogeneous, concrete dominoes below. Before embarking
After lunch, we were allowed to explore. I approached the central temple,
on what would be a month’s trekking into the rural Yunnan countryside, our
and was greeted by a friendly monk as humble in speech as he was in his
cohort reached the temple for a vegetarian lunch.
appearance, which consisted of plain yellow robes, worn sandals, and a shaved head. He gave me a warm welcome with his limited English, and in turn, and
With some time left before entering the dining hall, I stopped by a small
we spent some time conversing on complex theological topics with my solely
vendor’s stand, which I assumed sold Xuning souvenirs. I found instead that
conversational Mandarin. Before we concluded giving our formal farewells, the
it sold jewelry, but as to not offend and show complete disinterest, I did not
monk unexpectedly pulled out the latest Chinese smartphone from his robes
leave immediately. Running the stand was a woman in her golden sixties,
and said “Add me on WeChat!”
modestly dressed yet luxuriously welcoming. When I approached her, she unveiled a contagious toothy smile and excitedly said Hao jiu bu jian, “long
I left the temple now with four bright red apples, and my seventh friend on my
time no see!” She immediately reached for the box behind her, pulled out
Chinese social media account.
two bright, red apples, and handed them to me. Very much confused, I took the apples, uncertain on what to do with them. I had never been to either
Whether shop or temple, kindness was in no shortage in Kunming. After my
Xuning Temple or China, so I was certain I could not have met the
return to the city in October, I hope to be able to someday give away apples of
woman before. She began to speak enthusiastically to
my own; not with any particular underlying motive,
me about our supposed previous contact, but I had
but for the mere joy that comes with giving apples to a “long lost acquaintance,” or a monk
differed greatly to what I was used to.
with a new foreign friend on WeChat.
ASI A: S UM M E R
difficulty comprehending because her accent
Visit the Yak Board for course reflections from Dragons students past and present at YA K.WHER ETHER EB EDR AGON S.COM
21
CHINA & LAOS F R O M H O LY M O U N T A I N T O H I D D E N K I N G D O M 6-Week Summer Abroad Program
AGES
Discover the historical, economic, environmental, and cultural mosaic of China and Laos by exploring the communities and landscapes along the upper stretches of the Mekong River.
June 28 – August 8
16 – 18
or Mother Mekong—and a critical
MEKONG RIVER COURSES THROUGH GORGES AND MEGA-DAMS,
source of sustenance, divinity, and
GRADUALLY WIDENING INTO THE TROPICAL RAINFORESTS OF LAOS. The
economic stability.
RUSSIA
families, hike to glacial
traditions, and critical issues connected to life
waterfalls dripping off sacred
along the Mekong River.
AS I A: S UM M ER
MONGOLIA
22
CHINA
KUNMING JINGHONG LUANG NAMTHA LAOS
LUANG PRABANG
VIENTIANE
into the sparsely inhabited rainforests of northern Laos,
glacial springs, and tumbles southward. Here in
learn from world-class artisans
China, our first three weeks are spent descending
in the tranquil UNESCO World
from the highlands toward the Golden Triangle. Our
Heritage Site of Luang Prabang,
second three weeks are spent in Laos, where the
and meet with inspiring NGOs
the Mekong river as a natural resource and, perhaps more importantly, as a cultural symbol: In China, it is seen as an untamed power source to be harnessed, while in Laos it is nothing less than a living deity—known as the Mae Nam Khong,
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
Kawagebo Mountain, trek
where we meet the river as it gathers Himalayan
Mekong basin swells into jungle streams. We explore SHANGRI LA
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
We live with Tibetan
we explore the diverse landscapes, spiritual
Our course begins on the Tibetan Plateau
INDIA
RUGGED TRAVEL
FROM THE BASE OF SACRED KAWAGEBO MOUNTAIN, THE MIGHTY
Mekong program splits time between China's Yunnan province and northern Laos as
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
in Vientiane, Laos’ capital-village. Offering students an opportunity to explore the region through a transnational lens, the Mekong summer program delves into the historical, economic, environmental, and cultural mosaic of China and Laos.
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
Right: Photo from Dragons archives; Micah LeMasters
Days
DATES
Left: Parker Pflaum; Photo from Dragons archives
42
DESCRIPTION
M YA N M A R VISIONS OF DEMOCRACY 4-Week Summer Abroad Program
31 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Explore one of Asia’s most diverse countries: learn the tenets of Theravada Buddhism, build core competencies in learning service, hike between the serene farming villages of Shan State.
June 28 – July 28
17 – 20
TRANSITION. INSPIRATION. DEVOTION. Myanmar is a nation of warmth, beauty,
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
LEARNING SERVICE
area surrounding the village absolutely gorgeous,
be supporting exchange between travelers and local communities. Through engagements
but interacting with our families and really just living
with development professionals, activists, NGOs, and local people, we uncover significant
with them was an experience I will never forget..”
CHINA
— L U C Y WA S S E R S T E I N
where we watch the sunrise over the majestic Irrawaddy River and then cycle among goldenspired temples in a vast complex of ancient pagodas.
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
“The homestay was incredible. Not only was the
and complexity, and despite past unrest, there has never been a more important time to
pieces of Myanmar’s puzzle. Our journey begins in Bagan,
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
M A N DA L AY
unforgettable patchwork fields of Shan State before arriving at our rural homestay community. Here we sleep in stilted
M YA N M A R BAGAN
K ALAW
LAOS
houses, learn from village elders and youth alike, and help out
Next we travel to Sagaing, the spiritual heart of Myanmar and center of the
on the seasonal harvests. From here, some groups choose to travel to Naypyidaw to learn about the transition from a military state; others venture
one of the 500 monasteries scattered over
into the Irrawaddy Delta to discover how local farmers are
the hills, and delve into Buddhist learning
creatively dealing with water scarcity.
alongside local practitioners while also assisting on a community-driven service project. Pressing east, we arrive at Kalaw and enjoy a day-long village to village trek through the
Concluding the course in Yangon, we wander among one of the most striking Buddhist stupas in the world and get a glimpse of the bustling former colonial capital through the eyes of young politicians, activists, and artists.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
MAWLAMYINE
ASI A: S UM M E R
country’s Buddhist faith. We come to rest in
YA N G O N
THAILAND
23
E YA K
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BY LARKIN BARRON, STUDENT Indonesia Semester
DEAR HOME Dear Non-Quick Dry Clothes, I don’t even remember what you feel like. My shoulders and knees are so used to being covered, the idea of wearing shorts is almost scandalous. I have so much respect for the strong women and men who are able to wear jeans, long sleeves, and head scarves in this kind of heat. That’s some kind of devotion.
Dear Friends, I think of you and smile. Dear Home, I have come to believe that you, home, are a deceptive concept. If home was just one thing then, to me, it could never be a house. I think that it must instead be a state of heart. Not a state of mind or state of being, but a way that your heart feels when you are given ease and joy by your surroundings. That moment when the smile comes from the inside, the outer shells collapse and you
from these chili-filled, rice-mounded bowls of deliciousness. Food styles so
know, in your heart, that you are home. I have had to say goodbye to you Bed,
different I can’t even compare, though I’m starting to realize that not only is it
Shower, Phone, Kitchen, Clothes, Friends. I chose to do this not out of spite but out
possible to eat rice three times of day, but it is, in fact, a cultural expectation.
of an inner compulsion to stretch my boundaries. To expand my mind. To fill my
Dear Bed, You are so much more comfy than I ever appreciated. How could a simple mattress, so much more than 2 inches of padding on a wooden panel, bring so much joy? How I long to sink into your welcoming folds and lie there till all exhaustion has fled from my body and mind. I would jump on you… or just fall asleep. Bed, I miss you most.
heart with the sights and sounds of the unknown, even if it meant squat toilets and bucket showers and fleets of loud motorbikes, or a new language and a new diet and a new state of being. I did it because sometimes one home isn’t enough, and when the heart says it’s time to go exploring, well, who am I to disagree. So, home, I have left you behind.
But in many ways, in almost all the ways maybe,
Dear Shower, Sorry to say it, but I’ve actually replaced you. Yeah, I mean hot water can be nice, maybe calming, maybe relaxing, but I honestly enjoy cold water in a bucket. I’ll pour it over my head slowly and feel cleaner than I ever did with your
Larkin
Dear Phone, Okay. There are times when I wish I could escape to Facebook. Music I especially miss. I wish I was able to use GPS, but sometimes in order to see more you must carry less. I’m relieved not to have you. Distraction, I think, would only be degenerative. I don’t want to be stopped from living fully. I don’t want to miss a flash of color or smell of spice. Any moment lost could be a lifelong memory missed. Visit the Yak Board for course reflections from Dragons students past and present at
24
Love,
YA K.WHER ETHER EB EDR AGON S.COM
Left: Celia Mitchell
AS I A: S UM M ER
electric spigot. Although—I never was this hot and sweaty at home.
I haven’t left home at all.
Right: Beatriz Schaver Eizaguirre; Katie Loebner
Dear Kitchen, The tastes you’ve given me throughout my life are a world away
INDONESIA C O M M U N I T Y & C O N S E R VAT I O N 6-Week Summer Abroad Program
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Experience the most diverse archipelago on Earth: live with sea nomad communities, harvest coffee, and learn about efforts to protect the world’s most extraordinary rainforests and coral reefs.
June 28 – August 8
16 – 18
42 Days
CHINA
MANADO
BORNEO
LUWUK
TA N A TO R A JA
MOROWALI KENDARI
MAKASSAR
WA K ATO B I
UBUD, BALI
RUGGED TRAVEL
COMPRISED OF OVER 17,000 ISLANDS
nomads.” The Bajau live in stilted houses built over
AND 700 LIVING LANGUAGES, INDONESIA
the open ocean and spend the majority of their
IS HOME TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF
lives on the water. We embrace their unique
BIODIVERSITY OF ANY NATION. Whether
lifestyle, snorkeling over fragile reefs, attending
hiking through bamboo forests, spearfishing with your
indigenous ceremonies, and learning about
homestay father, or examining gender roles in the
conservation initiatives from local leaders.
world’s most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia is
of Indonesia, we begin to understand that our
senses. Arriving first in Yogyakarta, students dive
definition of “community” extends far beyond
headlong into Javanese culture, working with street studying the basics of the Bahasa Indonesian language.
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
As we engage with the diverse peoples
sure to challenge your worldview and stimulate your
artists, attending shadow-puppet performances, and
HOMESTAY
the people in our own towns. Diverse experiences help expand our worldview and encourage us to be more mindful of the interconnected relationships.
We then head east to the island of Flores, where students live in the pastoral village of Langa. We meet with local coffee producers, hike amid dormant volcanoes, and learn about local religious traditions with our gracious hosts. A few flights and boats take us to the archipelago AUSTRALIA
“To me, the most special component of this trip is the environment Dragons has co-created with the Indonesian communities...This environment not only fosters, but more importantly promotes the formation of real relationships between homestay families and Dragons students. ”
of Wakatobi, home to the Bajau people, or the “sea W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
—SEAN DOHERTY
ASI A: S UM M E R
INDONESIA
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
25
CAMBODIA P E A C E - B U I L D I N G & C O N S E R VAT I O N 4-Week Summer Abroad Program
AGES
Examine issues of human rights and international development: engage in the optimism of Cambodian youth, unpack the legacy of the Khmer Rouge and gain insight into Theravada Buddhism firsthand.
June 28 – July 28
16 – 18 RUGGED TRAVEL
KNOWN FOR THE INCOMPARABLE RUINS OF ANGKOR WAT, CAMBODIA IS
with the Cambodian people, and gain
A COUNTRY THAT EVOKES IMAGES OF OVERGROWN JUNGLE TEMPLES,
context around Cambodia’s present-
BRIGHT ORANGE ROBED MONKS, AND LUSH RICE FIELDS. Our course begins
day political landscape. We meet
in the overgrown temples of Angkor civilization which hold the secrets to the ecological
with activists and artists who call
and architectural wonders of a culture that ruled much of Southeast Asia for nearly a
one of Asia's hippest emerging
thousand years. Here we explore the storied ruins to discover the traditions that have
cities home.
endured throughout the centuries of changing power. Continuing past the floating villages of Lake Tonle Sap, we gain insight into the effects of upriver dams on the L AOS
ecology of Cambodia’s largest body of freshwater
AS I A: S UM M ER
and discuss environmental issues that are critical
26
to Cambodia’s food security. Our course continues on to the sleepy city
SIEM REAP
CAMBODIA
B AT TA M B A N G
VIETNAM KEP
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
way to the coastal village of Kampot, where we engage in a community-run mangrove restoration project and celebrate the final days of our course reflecting with group members near the sea.
of Battambang where we meet with dedicated NGO representatives working on education, child
“The walls that humans put up between countries, made up of money, skin color
rights, and anti-orphanage tourism initiatives. PHNOM PENH
HOMESTAY
Finally we make our
CHINA
THAIL AND
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
and language are meaningless. Our experiences shape the way that we see the world,
In Phnom Penh, we confront the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge genocide, build empathy
but we are unified on the basis of compassion, love and a thirst for knowledge.”
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
—OONA McDOWELL
Right: Photos from Dragons archives
Days
DATES
Left: Photos from Dragons archives
31
DESCRIPTION
THAILAND THE SPIRIT OF GRENG JAI 4-Week Summer Abroad Program
31 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Explore the idea of reciprocity: a 3-day Theravada meditation retreat in the cool mountains of Chiang Rai, help out on community-driven learning service permaculture projects, and live with marginalized hill tribe communities.
June 28 – July 28
15 – 17
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
CHINA
LEARNING SERVICE
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
MYANMAR MAE HONG SON CHIANG MAI
FROM THE BUZZING METROPOLIS OF
L AOS
BANGKOK TO THE VERDANT MOUNTAINS AND RICE PADDIES OF THE NORTH, THE
SUKHOTHAI
U B O N R ATC H ATA N I
THAILAND BANGKOK
CAMBODIA
— K AT E S PA U L D I N G
STAGGERING BEAUTY OF THAILAND LEAVES living in a region experiencing rampant development while
THE NEXT WONDER. Our program begins in the
maintaining ritual and custom.
Kingdom of Siam’s first capital, Sukhothai. culinary nuances of the Land of Smiles before boarding the slow train north to the art and cultural hub of Thailand,
KRABI
in school). I know now what I want to do and what I love and how I want to live my life.”
ONE ENCHANTED AND YEARNING TO EXPLORE
Here students orient to the cultural, spiritual, and
INDIA
“This trip changed my life and I learned so much about myself (more than I ever learned
Chiang Mai. Here we explore the city’s many temples and meet
monastery in Chiang Rai for a three day meditation retreat where we learn and practice many forms of meditation—insight, walking, eating, silent—to center ourselves. We then venture to a Thai-run eco-village to study permaculture and sustainability practices. We
migrant workers rights, environmental protection, and elephant
learn about seed banking, traditional organic farming,
conservation. We then move further north into the mountainous hill
adobe building, natural medicines, and rice cultivation in a
tribe regions in Mae Hong Son, where we hike from village to village
valley surrounded by picturesque national parks. Our Thailand
through tea plantations and coffee fields staying with ethnic minority
journey culminates with a few day’s exploration of the country’s
communities to catch a glimpse into their traditional way of life. Amid paddies and
colorful and bustling capital, Bangkok, where we say goodbye to Southeast Asia amid
glittering Buddhist temples, we explore some of the dichotomies that come with
the wild sprawl and awe-inspiring skyline of one of the world's great alpha cities.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
ASI A: S UM M E R
with grassroots NGOs and activists working on gender equality,
From here, we enter into a small Theravada Buddhist
27
N E PA L T R A D I T I O N S O F T H E H I M A L AYA S 4-Week Summer Abroad Program
Days
AGES
Discover the beauty of the Himalayas: experience life in remote mountain CHINA communities, participate in a meditation retreat, and study traditional arts with local masters.
June 28 – July 28
17–20
SINCE ANCIENT TIMES, TRAVELERS, MONKS,
TIBE T DELHI
N E PP OAK LH A R A
MERCHANTS, POETS, ARTISTS, AND WARRIORS K AT H M A N D U
BHUTAN PATA N
INDIA
HAVE PASSED THROUGH KATHMANDU DURING THEIR
JOURNEYS ACROSS THE GREAT HIMALAYAN RANGE.
Here we learn the daily rhythms of agricultural life and have the chance to talk to local
across the Himalayan region all peacefully co-exist in the peaks
pressing global concerns such as climate
and valleys of this dynamic country. Nepal’s rich cultural diversity
change and foreign aid.
AS I A: S UM M ER
For the comparative religion aspect of this course, we explore the intertwined religions of Hinduism and Buddhism and also go on a
environments and different religious communities as we explore
short meditation retreat, where we have the chance
how ancient traditions can survive in a rapidly developing
to fully immerse ourselves in monastic life. We learn
society. During our time in the Kathmandu valley, we meet with
about the foundations of Buddhist philosophy from a monk and
local activists and experts who share their insights on Nepal’s history, politics, and
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
subsistence farmers in the Himalayan foothills.
people about their lived experience of
Our program weaves a path between rural and urban
ISPs
valleys, before settling into a homestay with
provides a strong foundation for a larger conversation about the
28
HOMESTAY
Some never left, and today a multitude of ethnic groups from
underpinnings of identity, community, and spirituality.
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
participate in a spiritual practice that is both informative and deeply introspective.
culture. They also offer a unique perspective on the socio-political complexities facing a newly-democratic Nepal, and challenges the 2015 earthquake continue to pose to
“Nate scored his trip an “11” on a scale of 1-10. He arrived home dirty and smelly, but more
Nepali society.
mature, thoughtful and with a greater understanding of that part of the world.”
Moving into rural Nepal, we get the opportunity to trek through stunning mountain
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
— PA R E N T O F N AT E Z U C H E R
Right: Jack Greene; Mika Adley
LEH
DATES
Left: Benjamin Felser; Maria Xu
31
DESCRIPTION
B H U TA N H A P P I N E S S I N T H E H I M A L AYA S 4-Week Summer Abroad Program
31 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Explore a Himalayan culture where happiness has become a measure of national development. Homestays and intimate community connections help unveil unique Buddhist worldviews.
June 28 – July 28
16 – 18
TIBE T
PUNAKHA
NASPE
THIMPU PARO
URA
B H U TA N
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
on this planet. We seek to understand how these embodied
“GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS”
philosophies impact people’s daily choices. Through
METRICS FOR DEVELOPMENT, Bhutan
listening to local villagers, professionals, and academics, we gain insights into perspectives on the environment,
encourages us to think critically about what
our role in conservation, and the concept of the earth
"happiness" means. It prompts us to ponder,
as an interdependent organism. Since the arrival of
in both Himalayan and personal contexts, what
television in 1999 and a cascade of global influences,
contributes to our quality of life. Our journey into the
Bhutan has experienced a steady increase in foreign
Himalayan nation of Bhutan gives us rare access to the sacredness in the vast and wild landscapes, challenging
tourism which contradicts long-held traditions. How can we understand the pressures and adaptations of Bhutanese
us to reevaluate commonly held notions of our role in the
culture in the face of a globalizing world? In our questioning and
natural world.
exploration of Bhutan, we hope to find a better understanding of the
We learn how Buddhism, as the state religion, has had
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
worldviews and assumptions that shape our lives and happiness back home.
deep social impacts, particularly on the creation of unique government policies on conservation, preservation, and BANGLADESH
"I feel like I got everything possible out of Bhutan and Nepal in 4 weeks...The most
sustainable development. We will also delve deeply
important part of this trip is how learning about these cultures and having these
into Buddhist philosophy, histories, and folk tales to understand different ways of viewing our existence
experiences made me reflect and learn about myself and how I view the world.”
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
—MARGAUX HOLLARD
ASI A: S UM M E R
INDIA
HOMESTAY
IN A COUNTRY WHERE THE PHRASE LANDS ITSELF ON A LIST OF KEY CHINA
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
29
NORTH INDIA ROOF OF THE WORLD 4-Week & 6-Week Summer Abroad Programs
31/42 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Examine diverse Himalayan cultures, explore Tibetan Buddhist traditions, and trek into the awe-inspiring mountains of Ladakh.
June 28-July 28 June 28-August 8
16 – 18 17 – 20
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
HOMESTAY
TREKKING
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
CHINA LEH
DELHI
NEPAL
sharing meals and learning about village life,
MILES FROM PAKISTAN TO CHINA,
or we pitch tents and sleep outside under
THE HIMALAYAN RANGE BOASTS HALF THE WORLD’S HIGHEST MOUNTAINS. Clinging to the far western flank of the Tibetan
AS I A: S UM M ER
INDIA
30
the brilliant blanket of stars. The six-week program travels further south into the Himalayan foothills to the
plateau, jagged peaks and windswept valleys have
Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Upon
largely preserved the local cultures of Ladakh. Our
the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet,
exploration begins close to the regional capital
thousands of devout followers settled
of Leh, where we learn language basics, explore
in Dharamsala, the seat of His Holiness’
pastoral communities, and acclimatize to the 11,500
exiled government. Today, Tibetan language,
ft elevation. We explore local issues in meetings with
traditional medicine, art, and spirituality are
NGO leaders who share their firsthand experiences
preserved here. It is a place that inspires with stories
trying to preserve Ladakhi heritage and environment
of struggle and perseverance and a message of hope and compassion. We stay in a
despite shifting cultural, ecological, and economic patterns within the region. We trek deep into glaciated valleys, passing
Buddhist monastery to better understand the basic tenets of Buddhism before moving onto Dharamsala to live with Tibetan refugee families, work in the fields, and attend classes at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts. The North India course is a window
through tiny hamlets as we follow remote herders’ trails. As we pass through some
into diverse Himalayan cultures and landscapes, as the region adapts to challenging
of the world’s most breathtaking mountains, we stay in family homes in tiny villages,
environmental and political climates.
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
Right: Christina Rivera Cogswell; Photo from Dragons archives
TIBE T
PA K I S TA N
STRETCHING MORE THAN 1500
Left: Caleb Brooks, Photo from Dragons archives
DHARAMSALA
E A S T E R N H I M A L AYA S WEST BENGAL TO SIKKIM 4-Week Summer Abroad Program
31 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Experience the hospitality of remote mountain communities: work with local artists and healers, and gain insight into the myriad spiritual traditions of the Eastern Himalaya.
June 28 – July 28
16 – 18
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
HOMESTAY
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
ISPs
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
CHINA
NESTLED DEEP IN THE EASTERN END OF THE GREAT HIMALAYAN MOUNTAIN
NEPAL
DARJEELING
INDIA
— B R I G E T T E B A R N AT O
ARE INDIAN STATES THAT SIT SNUGLY BETWEEN NEPAL AND BHUTAN. The tension
KANCHENJUNGA GANGTOK
something to hold on to that has sparked a new light, purpose and ambition in my life.”
RANGE, WEST BENGAL AND SIKKIM
TIBET DELHI
“You gave me such an opportunity this summer, not just to travel to this magical place, but
BHUTAN
with local mentors, taking up apprenticeships with artists,
between modern influences and traditional values
musicians, healers, cultivators, and practitioners of
is strikingly apparent in this region, as various ethnic
Hinduism, Buddhism, and types of shamanism.
groups work to safeguard their heritage amidst the
We delve more deeply into Buddhism by
draw of globalization and development. Dragons
sitting in meditation for a short retreat at a
students engage with local communities and explore
local monastery, complementing our more
ancient Buddhist and Hindu traditions, gaining insight
with personal practice. Heading further into the Himalayas,
Our course begins in northern West Bengal, an area renowned for its fine tea that serves as an introduction to the cultures and traditions of the region. Amidst verdant tea plantations ready to be
students witness Sikkim’s incredible biodiversity, with day hikes through lush forests with potential views—when monsoon
plucked, we learn about the living blend of religious and cultural traditions which rival
rains abate—of Mount Kanchenjunga, the world’s
the beauty of the landscapes. In Kalimpong, we live with homestay families and work
third highest peak.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
ASI A: S UM M E R
into the age-old wisdom that has held Himalayan people together for centuries.
theoretical understanding of the religion
31
Take three coca leaves between your fingers and bless Pachamama.
ASI A:   S UM M E R 32
32
L AT I N A M E R I C A IS ALIVE WITH THE COLOR OF CHANGING TRADITIONS.
Plant a row of seedlings to ensure next year’s harvest. Crest a 15,000 ft pass and give thanks to the Mother Earth. Float by canoe along tropical waterways in the embrace of the jungle. In the folds of the Andes, Quechua communities are learning to cope with the impacts of climate change while staying rooted to traditional ways of life. In Central America, Mayan communities listen to Reggaeton while weaving patterns handed down from centuries past. These landscapes and stories impart valuable lessons about globalization, indigenous identity in our modern world, and natural resource use in some of the most diverse pockets of our planet. Latin America is a land of movers and shakers, of sacred peaks and vibrant community systems, of rhythm and color. Whether you’re interested in learning more about the silver mines in Potosí or the rhythms of marimba in Guatemala, Latin America is a landscape rich with beauty, complexity, and transformation. In Latin America, we are students of community reinventing itself…
are you?
33
G UAT E M A L A S PA N I S H L A N G UAG E I N T E N S I V E 2-Week, 4-Week & 6-Week Summer Abroad Programs
AGES
Investigate issues of social justice amidst Guatemala’s diverse landscapes and communities while improving your Spanish language skills through personalized instruction.
June 28–July 10 | July 14–28 June 28 – July 28 June 28 – August 8
13 – 14 15 – 17 16 – 18
OUR GUATEMALA COURSE OFFERS THE PERFECT MELD OF INTENSIVE
Todos Santos. Hidden in the clouds, Todos
LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION, LEARNING SERVICE, AND HANDS-ON
Santos is a mystical mountain town that
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING. Known as the “land of eternal spring,” Guatemala is a
challenges definitions of “traditional”
country where towering volcanoes cradle the rich cultural heritage of the colorful and
and “modern.” While continuing with
L AT IN AM ER IC A : SU M MER
resilient Maya people. Through this lush and textured land we
34
travel to remote communities to study under professional
ME XICO
Spanish instructors in personalized one-on-one lessons while engaging in authentic homestays and meaningful community-driven learning service projects.
TIKAL
BELIZE
TODOS SANTOS
HOMESTAY
LANGUAGE STUDY
LEARNING SERVICE
our Spanish language instruction, we meet with shamans and healers, learn traditional cooking, volunteer in local schools, and receive instruction in weaving and marimba.
We begin our course in Pachaj, a small mountain
We then wind our way into the protective
community nestled in the pine forest outside of
folds of the Cuchumantes Mountains to the
Guatemala’s second biggest city, Quetzaltenango. In
community of San Juan Cotzal. Here we join our homestay families in the fields as
Pachaj, we live with generous homestay families, enjoy
they plant their food staples of beans, corn, and squash. Our comprehensive journey
one-on-one Spanish language instruction, and volunteer
COBAN
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
concludes with a few days in the spectacular colonial capital of Antigua.
with the Chico Mendes Reforestation Project. G UATE M A L A SANTIAGO ATITL A N
After a three-day trek from Quetzaltenango to Lake
“We sent our son to Guatemala as a teenager, and he returned as a Spanish-speaking,
Atitlan and a visit to the Mesoamerican Permaculture
thoughtful, sensitive and appreciative young man; a powerful evolution!”
Institute, we travel to the highland community of
SAN LUCAS TOLIMÁN
EL
SALVADOR
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
— R O B I N F E L L , PA R E N T
Right: Mitch Haddad
Days
DATES
Left: Photo from Dragons archives; Juancho Galich
15/31/42
DESCRIPTION
E YA K
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BY CAROLINE FENELON, STUDENT Guatemala Semester
A NEW VIEW ON SERVICE CHOOSING TO DEFER FROM COLLEGE AND TAKE A GAP YEAR IS A MAJOR
how to construct a solar composting latrine. While our friends at IMAP led the construction
ABNORMALITY FROM WHERE I COME FROM. The situation was prompting
of the latrine, we helped where we could—from mixing cement to carrying rocks—all while
questions upon questions: What is a gap year? What do you mean you are not going to
taking detailed notes. We were not imposing our building techniques on the locals. No,
college next year? What will you be doing?
they were teaching us.
How do you begin to explain a Dragons course to anyone? I told these people that I would
The reason why we spent that week learning was actually so we could later act as a
be living in homestays in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala and learning Spanish.
bridge. Luis, a few weeks prior, had received a call from the leader of a women’s weaving
Then, I would pause for their reaction: Wouldn’t you be taking Spanish classes in college?
cooperative who inquired on how to get into contact with IMAP to learn how to build a
“Well, yes, but I will also be volunteering.” With that word, “volunteering,” the doubter’s face would light up with a more approving expression of understanding. I was always hesitant to throw around that word (volunteering) because I deliberately did
solar composting latrine. It hit Luis—why not have our group use the skills learned working at IMAP to construct a latrine with the weaving co-op? That is exactly what we did.
not choose a program that’s main focus was service. Yet it was as though because I was
Though those two weeks ended up being focused on
traveling to developing countries, everyone expected me to volunteer—like if I was not
construction, or what many would label as “service,” in reality, we were working and learning side by side our
going to volunteer, I was doing something wrong, being selfish.
I remember being welcomed with open arms into families’ homes; I remember studying Spanish in a thirty-six family town; I remember learning so much about local cultures and life in general from the many characters we met along the journey.
transmitting information from one local institute to another one that had asked for it. It all made me start to think about how I am going to
We have encountered this legendary “service” element on this course; yet the “volunteer work” has been vastly different from what might be imagined. We did not come into a town with the mentality that we were there to help and teach the “less fortunate” how to construct “superior” buildings or live in a “better” way.
explain the past three months when I return home. I could boil the adventure down to being described simply as service work; people would probably be impressed. But the lessons I have learned, and relationships I have formed, go so much deeper. So no, these past three
For example, in our first “service” oriented week, we partnered with IMAP (the Meso-
months have not revolved around service work, and I
American Permaculture Institute), a Guatemalan-founded and run organization, to learn
am not ashamed of it.
LATI N A ME R IC A : S U MM E R
When I recall the past three months, I do not immediately think of volunteer work. Instead,
Guatemalan friends doing what we could to act as a bridge—
Visit the Yak Board for course reflections from Dragons students past and present at YA K.WHER ETHER EB EDR AGON S.COM
35
“I looked for a course that would challenge me physically, emotionally, mentally yet still teach me about the world. Well I found it.” —JAMES TEJERA
BOLIVIA SPIRIT OF THE ANDES 4-Week & 6-Week Summer Abroad Programs
36
AGES
Immerse yourself in the Andes: perform ritual mountain ceremonies, trek over snow-swept passes, and discuss the impacts of climate change with local communities.
June 28 – July 28 June 28 – August 8
17 – 19 17 – 19
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
HOMESTAY
LANGUAGE STUDY
KNOWN AS A LAND OF EXTREMES, BOLIVIA IS HOME TO SOME OF THE
on a four-day trek in the snow-capped Cordillera Real range, descending into the
MOST STAGGERING CULTURAL AND ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY ON THE
dense cloud forests on the edge of the Amazon Basin. Observing striking ecological
BR A ZIL
PLANET. Host to 36 distinct ethnic and
transitions, we traverse an original Incan roadway that once served a an important trade
language groups, vast mountain ranges,
route between the high Andes and the tropical cloud
dense Amazonian jungle, and a shifting
forests below. Our journey takes us along the
socio-political landscape, Bolivia provides
base of snow-capped peaks, through misty
a panorama for students to explore the links
montane forests, alongside coffee and
between past and present in the heart of South
coca fields, and into the heart of Afro-
America. Students integrate into several local CORDILLERA APOLOBAMBA
communities through extended homestays, focused
S O R ATA
language study, and direct engagement with local
L A PA Z
activists and landscapes
COCHABAMBA CORDILLERA REAL
BOLIVIA
unique flora and fauna, aquamarine
in a small Quechua farming community. Students enjoy
lagunas, and the largest reserves of lithium on the planet. Summiting
House while learning about the vibrant history of grass-
ARGENTINA
Our final excursion takes us south to the Uyuni Salt Flats, an
daily Spanish language instruction at our Program roots mobilization and resistance in the Andes. CHILE
Bolivian culture in the Yungas region.
otherworldly landscape home to
The course begins in Cochabamba, where we live
PAR AGUAY
TREKKING
Acclimatized to the Andean elevation, we depart
an active volcano, we discuss issues of resource use and environmental conservation in one of the most dramatic locales on the planet.
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
Right: Nathaly Granados; Sara Monzon
L AT IN AM ER IC A : SU M MER
Days
DATES
Left: Moriah Kofsky; Photo from Dragons Archives
31/42
DESCRIPTION
COLOMBIA S T O R I E S O F P E AC E & R E S I S TA N C E 4-Week Summer Abroad Program
31 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Learn about community approaches to conflict resolution and peace-building, explore cities and mountains, and practice Spanish through the arts, dance, and music.
June 28 – July 28
16 – 18
EXPERIENCE A VIBRANT AND DIVERSE COUNTRY FROM SNOWY
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
HOMESTAY
LANGUAGE STUDY
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Our journey begins in a sub-tropical corridor between the Andes and tropical
ANDEAN PEAKS, RAINFORESTS WITH ENDLESS SHADES OF GREEN,
lowlands, where we partner with a cultural and ecological restoration program
ALPINE WETLANDS THAT PRODUCE WATER AS IF BY MIRACLE, AND THE
that is working on the construction of a giant “forest of peace.” From
COLORS AND RHYTHMS OF THE PACIFIC AND ATLANTIC COASTS. with the many traditions of Colombia’s
there, we transition to our first homestay with Guambiano indigenous families in the western Andes, learning about their relationship with land and nature. In Bogotá, we explore one of Latin America’s largest cities, and
indigenous communities, African
practice Spanish through the arts, dance, and
descendants, and people of European
music with young people’s cultural collectives.
heritage create a fascinating
We end our adventure with a trek to the ancient
fusion of landscapes, cultures, and
Lost City in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta,
identities. The history of conflict and
where massive peaks rise up out of the tropical shores
transformation that Colombia has
of the Caribbean to altitudes above 18,000 feet. Our
endured in recent decades, leading to the current Peace Process, offers meaningful lessons around the power of resistance, memory, resilience, and forgiveness in the face of civil conflict.
trajectory connects us to artists and dreamers,
SIERR A NE VADA D E S A NTA M A RTA
VENE ZUEL A
B O G OTÁ
COLOMBIA SAN AGUSTÍN, HUILA
farmers and indigenous leaders, peace builders and musicians, all working to weave together narratives of peace, resistance, and unity for
ECUADOR
their people and nation.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
PERU
LATI N A ME R IC A : S U MM E R
These spectacular backdrops—along
ISPs
37 BR A ZIL
E YA K
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B Y A L LY S O N , S T U D E N T South America Semester
MIND & BODY When you trek, it’s impossible not to be aware of your body. Each day becomes broken up into a set of systems and routines—all of them ways to care for your physical health, your cohesion with the larger group, to care for your ability to continue. Thoughts fly out of my head and all that remains is the way my feet sound on the path, the air whooshing in and out of my lungs, the sun and the clouds and the rain. In those long hours, especially the ones we recently spent in the Valle de Sondondo, it is so obvious to me: The mind and body are intrinsically connected, each dependent on the other. And nowhere is that more apparent for me than on a trek. HEAD I feel my head pound as we ascend, bit by bit, towards the mountain pass
HEART I’m in the kitchen tent, helping cook dinner with Miguel and Teo.
in the distance. When we get there, I know instantly that every step was worth
Miguel shows me how to peel cloves of garlic with a blunt knife. I carefully strip
it. From this viewpoint, Miguel (our guide) tells us we are at the exact midpoint
away each layer of translucent purple skin. When I ask Teo about his cooking
between two districts. Neighborhoods sprawl out before us, encompassing the
experience, he tells me that he has eighteen years of experience in being a
valleys and tapering off into the ridges beyond. Each person in the group finds a
cocinero for treks like these. And when I ask why, he just shrugs and smiles. Es
rock, and together the group builds an apacheta—a structure, a miniature tower—
un acción de amor, no? he asks me with a grin, and continues to stir.
river, feet instantly going numb. Why did I decide to do this, again? I think for a
be contrary, waiting for a way to speak without conflict. But that’s not always
moment, remembering the steamy indoor hot spring I just left to swim in these
possible. On this trek, we’ve had lots of difficult
unforgiving waters. Besides me, Jackson and Michela are gasping and shouting
conversations—about power and privilege, victimization and the framing of history, on
just like I am, striving deeper in the water before their nerves leave them. I grit my teeth and follow. Above us, Rosel calls encouragement. I screw my eyes
foreign aid and development. None were
closed and, sucking in one more breath, dunk my head underwater. In that split
peaceful, but all were necessary. As we
second, everything about what I’m doing right now—the cold pressing in around
continue our descent into the community
me, my hair floating around my head in a halo, my feet firmly planted on the
where we’ll camp tonight, I can't help but wonder: How many conversations and people
riverbed—brings me irresistibly into the present. Here I am, I think. And again: Here I am. And then my head breaks the surface, and I can’t stop smiling.
and experiences have I missed in the past, by choosing not to speak?
Visit the Yak Board for course reflections from Dragons students past and present at 38
YA K.WHER ETHER EB EDR AGON S.COM
Right: Photo from Dragons archives; David Haffeman
FEET Go! Before I let myself think twice about it, I splash into the freezing
THROAT I always have trouble finding my voice in a group—never wanting to
Left: Nina Saligman
L AT IN AM ER IC A : SU M MER
bringing the height of the pass a few inches higher, all to say: We were here.
PERU S AC R E D M O U N TA I N S 4-Week & 6-Week Summer Abroad Programs
31/42 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Celebrate Peru’s unbelievable diversity: paddle the Amazon River Basin in a dugout canoe and live with Quechua families in the heart of the Andes.
June 28 – July 28 June 28 – August 8
15 – 17 16 – 18
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
TREKKING
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
ECUADOR
PERU
BR A ZIL
PERU, ANCIENT SEAT OF THE INCA IS A LAND OF
Plaza, listening to tales of Incan rulers
TOWERING PEAKS AND STEAMY JUNGLES, OF
and the Spanish conquistadors that
MODERN URBAN CENTERS AND HIDDEN VILLAGES.
came before. A short trek takes
The radical juxtapositions in landscape and culture of
HUARAZ
this majestic country are mirrored in the striking socio-
CHIQUIAN S ATI P O
CUSCO
economic disparities that pervade society. Students dig
PUNTO M A LD O N ATO
in for a four-day homestay in the
into critical development issues by living with
Parque de la Papa. We rise with
families in remote indigenous communities
our homestay siblings, harvest
and exploring seldom-visited regions of BOLIVIA
quickly skirt the crowds and settle
potatoes, herd and milk livestock,
the sacred Andes Mountains and lush
and participate in a learning service
Amazonian forests.
project led by local leaders.
Our journey begins with a short flight into the heart of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. A small boat takes us up the Madre de Dios River,
By the end of the course students are equipped with basic wilderness skills, and a deeper understanding of regional environmental issues and the mysticism of Andean cosmology.
where we learn about forest ecology while listening to a symphony of tropical birds and jungle calls. We meet with local elders who share their
“Q’eros changed something big inside me. What I value has changed;
hopes and fears about regional development initiatives.
so has my definition of happiness.”
We travel overland to Cusco, exploring the relics of Sacsayhuamán and the central
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
—JULIA LOTVINA
LATI N A ME R IC A : S U MM E R
LIMA
MACHU PICCU
us to Machu Picchu, where we
39
The beat of a djembe. The call to prayer. A warm chuckle as your nene pulls up her chair and serves you another plate of ceebu jen.
40
AFRICA HAS ITS OWN RHYTHM.
Sounds announce our arrival in a new place, and slowly their rhythm reminds us that we’ve landed in Africa. In urban Senegal, you’ll find young entrepreneurs huddled in high-tech co-working spaces just as readily as you’ll stumble upon an open-air market selling fish from the morning haul. Get lost among techni-colored mounds of spices or the snow capped Atlas mountains in Morocco. Find the meaning of biodiversity among the Baobab trees of Madagascar. Whether you’re dancing to the beat of a drum, paddling a pirogue out to sea or sipping black coffee in a souq, there are stories in the lands of our ancestors and wisdom in the echoes of their laughter. Come ready to hear Arabic, French, Wolof, Malagasy… there are stories waiting to be heard. We’re listening…
are you?
41
MADAGASCAR ISLAND OF DIVERSITY 6-Week Summer Abroad Program
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Explore Madagascar’s biological and cultural diversity, economic challenges, environmental conservation efforts, and the stories of the Malagasy people.
June 28 – August 8
16 – 18 RUGGED TRAVEL
MADAGASCAR: THE EIGHTH CONTINENT.
MADAGASCAR
rainforest. Next, we travel to the coast of the
of the plant and animal species in Madagascar are not
Mozambique Channel for our first homestay.
A NTA N A N A R I VO AMPEFY A M BATA M A N G A
MOR ANDAVA
ANTISRABE
R ANOMAFANA PARK
AF R IC A: SUM M ER
ISALO PARK
42
are similarly unique. Two thousand years ago, voyagers from Polynesia traveled across oceans in outrigger canoes to settle in Madagascar, settling a previously unpeopled
This community is grappling with the impacts of overfishing and marine habitat destruction, and local environmental activists share unique perspectives on these global issues.
land. Since that time, other travelers arrived from Southeast Asia and from across the Mozambique Channel to form a distinct Malagasy identity. Over the course of the summer, we uncover the diverse narratives of the Malagasy people, as well as the diverse species that inhabit this incredible island.
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
search for lemurs in Ranomafana's lush mid-altitude
Stunningly diverse and colossal in size, more than 80% found anywhere else in the world. The Malagasy people
HOMESTAY
The rest of our journey takes us on a rugged, winding path through rural homestays and breathtaking landscapes. Whether we’re meeting with policymakers in Antananarivo or looking for chameleons in
Our journey begins in Ampefy, a village nestled in the shadows of a booming waterfall. A short orientation provides the
Andasibe National Park, we come to realize that each creature has a role to play in shaping the future of Madagascar.
foundation for our future travels, as we learn to navigate local transportation, speak with homestay families, and examine the influences of globalization with a more critical eye.
“This trip was incredible. The fact that we fit so much into six weeks and were able to explore so many different aspects of Madagascar from rainforest to beach to sandstone
We journey south to camp in the sandstone canyons of Isalo National Park and
canyon was amazing. Everything was an experience. I loved it.”
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
—ELSA BECHU
Right: Cara Lane-Toomey; Gigi Crouch
Days
Left: Eloise Schrier; Bella Heffer
42
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
MOROCCO C R O S S R O A D S O F M O U N TA I N S & C U LT U R E S 4-Week Summer Abroad Program
31 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Discover the famed hospitality, faiths, and languages of Morocco across mountain ranges, ancient cities, and rural villages.
June 28 – July 28
16 – 19
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
HOMESTAY
WANDERING THROUGH A MOROCCAN SOUQ (MARKET PLACE), FRAMED BY THE ANCIENT WALLS OF CITY MEDINAS, YOU ARE SURE TO THINK THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ANOTHER ERA. Hiking along ancient trade routes and current nomadic enclaves, we experience a Morocco that few travelers
LANGUAGE STUDY
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
“The rural homestay taught me the most. I learned so much in terms of spoken and comprehensive language, Moroccan culture and way of life, and friendship and hospitality. I also learned a lot about myself, as I was surprised I was able to thrive so well in an environment I never could have imagined myself being in.” —JACKSON KENNA
encounter. Our time in remote villages immerses us in Morocco’s unrivaled hospitality; families welcome us as kin and our tea cups are never left empty. Throughout the country we
Though Morocco shows us a land of great differences, we come to see how religion and culture unite indigenous provides us wonderful opportunities to learn about
budding Arabic language skills. In the
the history and tradition of this, often mystical, Muslim
imperial cities of Fes and Marrakesh,
culture. Whether outside an intricately decorated mosque in
the sounds of people bargaining in
Casablanca or walking an unpaved road in a quiet mountain
Arabic fill our ears as the smells of
town, we often hear the call to prayer, and are reminded
exotic spices fill your nose. Yet only
five times a day that among the vastly disparate lives of
cities and to a village of peaceful mud huts in the mountains.
Morocco’s people, Islamic culture, faith, and devotion continue to bring families and communities together as it has for over 1300 years.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
FES CASABLANCA MIDDLE ATL A S M O U NTA I N S
ESSAOUIRA MARRAKESH
H I G H ATL A S M O U NTA I N S
MOROCCO
AF R IC A : S U MM E R
engage with locals using our
a few hours hike takes us out of the
SPAIN
Amazigh and Arab peoples. Our time in Morocco
43
E YA K
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BY ZANDRA CAMPBELL, STUDENT Dragons Princeton Bridge Year Senegal
SOME THOUGHTS ON RELIGION A WEEK AGO, AS I POSTULATED BEFORE ALLAH
motions of a prayer that didn’t mean anything to me at face
IN A SUFI SERVICE FOR TABASKI (A CELEBRATION
value, we shared something. We were sharing an experience—
OF THE SACRIFICE OF ISHMAEL), TEARS ROLLED
the sun on our faces, the feeling of the plastic woven mat
DOWN MY CHEEKS. The tears surprised me, but I soon
under our knees, and the feeling of jàmm (peace). We were
recognized that I was crying because the practitioners’
connected through these moments in the universe that we
prayer was so beautiful, and they were so united, and I wasn’t
share.
a part of it. Their faith in Allah connected them, and I felt that, despite my love for Judaism, my disbelief in a god
Faith in a god can be a beautiful thing, but it isn’t some
isolated me from that community experience. Afterwards,
magic ingredient for joy—you don’t need faith to do good
the group conversed about their faiths, and members of my
or be connected to people. And in any case, I do have faith. I
team expressed that although they did not subscribe to Islam,
have faith in people to be and do good. The teranga (spirit of
joining in the prayer connected them both to their own faiths
hospitality) pervasive through Senegal gives me hospitality.
and the community. My sadness deepened; everyone’s faith
On our last night in Dene, the spiritual community in which
seemed to be such a part of that community experience that
we stayed during Tabaski, the community threw a goodbye
I so desperately craved. I felt that I must be missing out on
party for us. We danced around a bonfire singing in Wolof,
some of the world’s joy, but you can’t force yourself to believe
and to close the night, one of the woman of Dene sang the
in something, right?
national anthem of the United States in Wolof for us. I was so
With or without God, the world is an amazing place.
taking selfies, and they begged me to pick them up and spin
Statistically, the chances of our own existences are so
them around again and again until I grew so dizzy, I could
infinitesimally small, and the chances of that many people
barely stand. I realized that not sharing the same religion
equally as improbable of existing as I should come together
or even the same god didn’t mean I couldn’t take part in
and stand in that circle around that bonfire is practically
the community. Even going through the seemingly empty
impossible. Yet there we were, and that’s miraculous.
Visit the Yak Board for course reflections from Dragons students past and present at 44
YA K.WHER ETHER EB EDR AGON S.COM
Right: Angelica Calabrese; Nicos Christou
Later on in the day, however, I was playing with all the children as they helped sacrifices the rams. We were laughing and
Left: Christy Sommers
AF R IC A: SUM M ER
touched, I teared up again.
SENEGAL IN THE SHADE OF THE BAOBAB TREE 4-Week Summer Abroad Program
31 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Discover true generosity: live with Senegalese families, learn a new craft, drum yourself immersed in a new worldview.
June 28 – July 28
15 – 17
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
and dance, MAU RIT A N I A find
RUGGED TRAVEL
HOMESTAY
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
SAINT LOUIS DENE DAKAR
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NDEM THIES
SENEGAL TA M BACO U N DA
TEMANTO SAMBA KOLDA KEDOUGOU
GUINE A
MALI
Heading south, we watch the flat desert
IN SENEGAL. Enter a fortuneteller’s hut and ask a
landscape scattered with ancient baobab
question about your future. Spin and dance with Sufi
trees turn into lush, green forest. We
mystics. Discover fluent Spanish speakers on a man-
trek through the foothills of the
grove island. Speak with a young man preparing to
Fouta Djallon mountains, visiting
cross the Strait of Gibraltar to find work in Spain. This
Pulaar villages, traditional healers,
country is a collision of influences: French, Islamic,
and environmental activists
African, and increasingly, American and Chinese. Renowned for its hospitality and tolerance, Senegal makes room for all.
for a week of homestays, where students live in traditional thatched-
tchieb-u-dien, Senegal's national dish, and explore colorful
hut family compounds. Students
markets, dance and drum with local teachers, and begin to
spend the day as locals do, working
examine issues surrounding the term 'development.' From Thies
in the fields, milking cows, partaking in
we travel to the sandy shores of Dene, where we study comparative religion amongst
drumming and dance lessons, and listening to
a community of Islamic scholars, practice French and Wolof greetings and learn new
village meetings.
cultural norms, and possibly stay up late drumming and dancing under the stars. This
As we sink into the rhythm of Senegalese life, we see that the tradition of teranga
week sets the stage for an in-depth exploration of issues related to public health,
(the culture of giving) offers us many lessons about community and the web of
gender, education, social justice, and human migration.
connections we share. W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
AF R IC A : S U MM E R
Our journey begins in Thies, where we get our first taste of
along the way. We come to rest
45
Take a breath. Listen for the rhythm of your own steps.
46
GAP YEAR SEMESTERS CAN TURN THE WORLD INTO A CLASSROOM.
Beyond well-worn routines, discovery of new perspectives awaits. You might find it from a snow capped peak in the Andes or from a sleepy fishing village in Laos. You could feel moved by an impromptu drum circle in Senegal or a meditation retreat in the Himalayas. This is your time to revel in awe. To find joy in unexpected places. To reconnect with curiosity. To use your voice. To consider critical issues and be optimistic about cross-cultural solutions.
are you ready to let the world teach you?
You don't need a classroom to be a student…
47
RUSSIA
MONGOLIA
BEIJING
CHINA
XI’AN
XIAHE
CHENGDU
SOUTH OF THE CLOUDS
KUNMING
NDIA
3-Month Gap Year Program
Days
DATES
AGES
Improve your Mandarin, practice a traditional Chinese art form, and explore ethnic minority communities throughout China.
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22 HOMESTAY
THROUGHOUT ITS LONG HISTORY, CHINA—LIKE FEW OTHERS—HAS
hear from visiting scholars, and meet as a group
INSPIRED CURIOSITY AND FASCINATION IN TRAVELERS, SEEKERS,
to plan our adventures and investigations.
MERCHANTS, AND DREAMERS. Our semester in China does more than introduce
GA P Y E AR SE MEST ER
LANGUAGE STUDY
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
ISPs
Building on all we've learned and
the contemporary China that is seen in the country’s ever-expanding cities; we gain a
experienced in Kunming, we begin five
firsthand understanding of the country’s diverse peoples and cultures, moving through
weeks of travel through China's western
lesser-visited urban and rural landscapes.
corridor with unique itineraries that
Immersive travel experiences are balanced with a strong language curriculum and a
48
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
may take us through Guizhou, Sichuan,
comprehensive, interdisciplinary exploration of modern Chinese history and economic
Qinghai, Ningxia, or Gansu Provinces.
development, society, and cultural traditions. Kunming—located southeast of the
With a broad curriculum and an
Tibetan Plateau—is our home for five weeks of the program. This “city of eternal spring”
itinerary designed to explore the variety
is the capital of China’s Yunnan Province; an ideal location from which we explore
this country has to offer, our semester
ethnic diversity, environmental issues, and the dramatic changes that people in China
program offers an unparalleled overview of
have witnessed in recent decades. Through guest lectures, discussions, and mentored
China today.
community engagement, we explore traditional Chinese approaches to healing, cooking, exercise, art, and music.
"Some of the best most impactful and enjoyable [memories] were actually unplanned
While in Kunming, students live independently with homestay families, many of whom represent the “new middle class” in urban China today. At the Dragons Program
or even unintended. They just happened on the road or were bumps along that road, and those are probably the ones which leave the biggest impressions."
House, we gather for language classes, work on Independent Study Projects (ISPs), QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
—ROBERT BURNS
Right: Sampor Burke; Emma Hoffman
83
DESCRIPTION
Left: Photos from Dragons archives
CHINA
KUNMING
CHINA
XISHUANGBANA
VIETNAM LUANG PRABANG
LAOS
MEKONG
VIENTIANE
THAILAND
T I B E TA N P L AT E A U T O T H E H E A R T O F S O U T H E A S T A S I A
BANGKOK
CAMBODIA
3-Month Gap Year Program
K R AT I E
PHNOM PENH
83 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Examine issues of transboundary resource management within Southeast Asia’s largest river basin, explore diverse belief systems, and participate in community-driven learning service.
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
FROM ITS SACRED HEADWATERS IN THE TIBETAN PLATEAU, THE
the idyllic river island of Don Dohn, relaxing into
MEKONG RIVER FLOWS 4,800-KM TOWARDS THE SOUTH CHINA SEA,
“Laos time” as we prepare for the final leg of
CLEAVING A BOUNDARY BETWEEN MYANMAR, LAOS, AND THAILAND.
our journey.
To Tibetans, the Upper Mekong is a powerful spiritual entity. To the Chinese, the river
In Cambodia, we meet with NGOs in
is a means of economic development. By focusing on the interdependence of people
Phnom Penh and stay with communities
and the natural world, The Mekong Semester examines how the demand for electricity
living on the banks of the sacred river. A
and anthropocentric needs are causing irreparable damage to delicate ecosystems and
highlight of our time is the homestay situated
traditional ways of life.
on an island in the Bassac River where we
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
settle into village life and work side-by-side with
Tibetan Buddhist landscapes and examine the impacts of China’s controversial
families, cooking together, sharing our stories and
mega-dam projects. In border villages, we explore transnational trade and China’s
feeling what it’s like to live in rural Cambodia. Near the
impact on the cultural integrity and economic security of the Greater Mekong
mouth of the Mekong Delta we conclude with reflections on
sub-region. Crossing into Laos, we explore the province of Luang Namtha on treks
the long-term health of the river ecosystem and bring our great journey to a close.
beneath the jungle canopy and travel through some of the most remote regions in Southeast Asia, where cross-border trade and a booming ecotourism industry are contributing to rapid modernization and environmental degradation. In Vientiane, we turn our focus towards public health initiatives, visiting an international NGO working to
“Dragons strengths are in the authenticity of where they go, what they choose to do and see, where they stay and how the participants are involved along the way. Dragons does not just lead students by their hands and guide them, they let them figure things out.”
clear unexploded mines leftover from the US' Secret War. We enter rural homestays on W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
— PA R E N T S O F N I T S A P L AT I S
GA P Y E AR S EM E STE R
Our journey begins in China’s Yunnan Province where we trek through sacred
HOMESTAY
49
CHINA
M A N DA L AY
M YA N M A R BAGAN
K ALAW
LAOS
SPIRITUALITY & RESILIENCE
YA N G O N
MAWLAMYINE
THAILAND
83 Days
SOUTHEAST ASIA 3-Month Gap Year Program
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Volunteer at a Buddhist monastic school, meet with international development experts, explore issues of migration and human rights, and immerse yourself in meditation practices.
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22
HOME TO OVER 135 ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS, THE THAI-MYANMAR BORDER IS A MELTING POT OF SPIRITUAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY. The post-WWII decolonization of Southeast Asia led to new land borders. Overnight,
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
LEARNING SERVICE
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
“At a difficult moment in Myanmar’s history, there has never been a more important time to foster intentional exchange between travelers and local communities.” —JESSICA ARMSTRONG, SOUTHEAST ASIA PROGRAM DIRECTOR
entire communities along the Thai-Burma border found themselves divided by an
GA P Y E AR SE MEST ER
remained strong and unchanged.
50
Students on this semester program explore themes related to human migration, spiritual resilience, and cultural preservation. Starting in Bangkok, we board a train to Sukhothai,
of traditional Buddhist life. The next few weeks are spent meeting and living with several ethnic Karen and Dara’Ang minority tribes who face hardships relating to land ownership, access to healthcare, and discrimination in schools. We take part in unique Buddhist and Animist ceremonies and discuss the importance of spirituality as a form of resilience. At the end of our first month we enter a multi-day meditation retreat to sharpen our mindfulness practice. Crossing the border into Myanmar, we spend two weeks living in a rural monastic
Thailand’s first capital and begin
school alongside local students. Here, daily meditation as well as classes co-facilitated
lessons in introductory Thai, Theravada
by Dragons instructors, local school teachers, monks, and students, foster meaningful
Buddhism, and the ethnic, historical, and political landscape of MyanmarThailand. Traveling further north to Chiang Mai we meet with local NGOs and activists
exchange. After a rural homestay, we travel to Yangon to see the country through the eyes of entrepreneurs and young activists who aim to redefine the way the world views Myanmar. Concluding in Bangkok, we get a glimpse of the megacity from the perspective of migrant workers living thousands of kilometers from home.
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
Right: Sadie Fischbeck; Photo from Dragons archives
the physical boundaries, their spiritual beliefs
working on human rights, and sit with monks and laypeople to unpack the complexities
Left: Micah LeMasters; Danny Wood
invisible line that dictated movement. But despite
CHINA
MANADO
BORNEO
INDONESIA
LUWUK
MOROWALI
TA N A TO R A JA
KENDARI MAKASSAR
WA K ATO B I
C O M M U N I T Y, C U LT U R E , & C O N S E R VA T I O N 3-Month Gap Year Program
INDONESIA UBUD, BALI
AUSTRALIA DESCRIPTION
83 Days
Experience the majesty of the most diverse archipelago on Earth: explore Javanese arts, trek to hidden jungle hot springs, spearfish with sea nomads, and discuss conservation initiatives with local experts.
DATES
AGES
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
SPANNING FROM MALAYSIA TO AUSTRALIA, WITH OVER 17,000
ecosystems, and look at the nuances of environmental
EQUATORIAL ISLANDS, Indonesia hosts the world’s highest level of biodiversity
conservation.
and one of the richest cultural tapestries on Earth. Our program begins in Yogyakarta
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
a source of nutmeg and cloves. Featuring dramatic
have been for centuries. With our Program House as a base, students engage in arts
volcanic formations draped in luxuriant vegetation
study, language instruction, and topical discussions on the course’s themes of religious
and uninhabited islands wrapped in white sand
diversity, creative expression, and cultural and environmental conservation, all while
beaches, the Bandas boast incredible marine
living with carefully selected homestay families.
diversity and a fascinating history at the center of the spice trade. We return to Yogyakarta to conclude a course that is
coffee production, hike spectacular dormant volcanoes, explore topics in spiritual
rugged and comprehensive, and that introduces students to some
plurality, and develop a deeper understanding of traditional farming.
of the most significant ecological, cultural, and geo-political conversations of our time.
We then travel to the southeastern archipelago of Wakatobi, an extraordinary National Marine Park and home to the Bajau people (also known as “sea nomads”).
“Each place we went to and family I stayed with showed me something about life.
Staying in the stilted bamboo huts of Sampela, students learn about Bajau culture,
Spear fishing in Sampela. Playing soccer in Langa. Playing gamelan in Java.
practices, and religion. We snorkel world-class coral reefs, learn from host fathers how to fish with spears and nets, attend indigenous ceremonies, visit endangered mangrove W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
There were so many impactful and enjoyable activities.” — W I L L I A M D U FA U LT
GA P Y E AR S EM E STE R
Bandas, a small group of volcanic islands famous as
orchestra), Javanese dance, and shadow puppetry are studied and performed as they
From Java, we head east to the island of Flores where students live in the pastoral
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Heading east we may travel to the mysterious
on the island of Java. In this center for arts and culture, ritual crafts of gamelan (bronze
village of Langa. Here students stay with generous homestay families, learn about
HOMESTAY
51
CHINA LEH
N E PA L
TIBET L A N G TA N G
NEPAL
DELHI
K ATH M A N D U
KANCHENJUNGA
BHUTAN
H I M A L AYA N S T U D I E S 3-Month Gap Year Program
INDIA
83 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Experience the enchantment of the Himalayas: trek on the roof of the world, study traditional arts with local masters. Live in a farming village, and sit for a Buddhist meditation retreat.
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22
THE HIMALAYAS. SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL, THESE COLOSSAL PEAKS WITH THEIR VAST WEB OF RUGGED, ISOLATED VALLEYS AND DISTINCT ETHNIC GROUPS HAVE DRAWN ONLY THE MOST INTREPID TRAVELERS
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
HOMESTAY
TREKKING
ISPs
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
"I learned how to harvest barley, milk cows, and sort flax seed. I learned about Ayurvedic healing and took a jungle hike to find herbs. I had private lessons on the Bhagavad Gita. I witnessed the true meaning of community and felt a deep connection to humanity.”
FROM DISTANT LANDS. Through rural and urban homestays, a retreat in a
—ISABELLE GRANT
Buddhist monastery, high mountain trekking, and in-depth independent study, Dragons
52
deep roots in a mystical land. Our Himalayan Semester is based in the
range of concepts in Buddhism and Hinduism and how these blend and co-exist in a beautiful patchwork. From academic discourse to hands-on study, students find areas of personal interest to explore during our time in our urban homestays. Bronze casting, jewelry making, stone carving, thangka (Buddhist iconography) painting, and music
Kathmandu Valley, an ancient crossroads
are just a few of the apprenticeship opportunities available. Students critically reflect
and melting pot of Himalayan peoples.
on their place in the world through exploring concepts of service, visiting grassroots
While living with host families and
development projects, or participating in the daily workings of an ashram.
studying Nepali language, students
We leave the Kathmandu Valley for the foothills to explore rural Nepali village
meet with local scholars and activists
life. We settle into a calmer pace of agrarian life, living simply while learning about
and learn about Nepal’s history, politics,
subsistence living. We also venture high into the Himalayas for an unforgettable trek
and culture. The study of spiritual traditions is a central component of our Nepal semester, introducing students to a
amid the earth’s tallest mountains. Hiking over high elevation passes, we enjoy two weeks of active exploration through one of the most ruggedly beautiful and dramatic areas on earth.
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
Right: Iris Kim
GA P Y E AR SE MEST ER
encountering ancient spiritual traditions with
Left: Maria Xu; Scott Diekema
Nepal students explore this remarkable region,
E YA K
AR
D•
•FRO
B O
M
TH
FROM THE STUDENT GROUP JOURNAL Nepal Semester
I N N E PA L . . . "AS OUR STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM COMES TO A CLOSE, THE GROUP WANTED TO ANONYMOUSLY SHARE SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT WHICH WE EXPERIENCED, OBSERVED, AND LEARNED OVER THESE MANY MONTHS... “In Nepal...I experienced a supportive, inclusive, and compassionate group culture.
“In Nepal...I experienced what it is like to be a part of a true community.
I had the chance to step up as a leader, take on significant autonomy, independence, and
Everyone addresses each other as “brother” or “sister” even if they are complete strangers,
decision-making responsibility. I experienced life in a Buddhist Monastery, hiked in Gaurishankar
and they will not hesitate to go way out of their way to help each other out. The communal
Conservation Area, lived in Patan in the Kathmandu valley, solo traveled, and much more.”
mentality reminded me how important it is to be connected to others...”
“In Nepal...I learned how to braid momos, how to cut tiny tomatoes with a very dull knife,
"In Nepal...I stepped outside my comfort zone in various ways and consequently,
and how to walk along the edges of a terraced bean field, holding up the hem of a scarlet sari.”
experienced many different ways of thinking, viewing the world, and living. We met a diverse range of Nepalis: Tami farmers, permaculture practitioners, young
"In Nepal...I learned that culture exists in the grit and grime. In the dust created by
urbanites striving for change, Newari artisans, Kagyu Karmapa Tibetan Buddhist lamas,
civilizations. Its in the magenta and bright coral smeared across my hair playing Holi.
hiking guides, influential fixers and liaisons, and travelers. That access allowed
In the cracks between stones of a temple, in the carved hands of a goddess on a roof strut.
us to problematize and nuance our understandings of this country that is increasingly
It’s in the crimson, auburn, and ocher spices thrown over chopped potatoes frying in a
connected with the global community and navigating its way through complex questions.”
pan of sunflower oil. It’s even in the dust over Kathmandu, a specter so vast and omniscient and sentient that it has become its own character in the story."
“In Nepal...I experienced earth-shaking thunderstorms, bruised hips from terrible jeep
“In Nepal...I experienced sadness as I learned how fast the aquamarine glaciers
I experienced sharp pain followed by instant relief as I washed my aching feet in frigid
overhead were receding, and when I sat with women, tears streaming down their faces
opalescent pools, and stifling silence when we awoke to a fresh blanket of snow
as they relayed their life’s unimaginable hardships."
covering the small Tibetan village”
GA P Y E AR S EM E STE R
rides, and countless red rhododendron bushes, growing smaller as the altitude increased.
Visit the Yak Board for course reflections from Dragons students past and present at YA K.WHER ETHER EB EDR AGON S.COM
53
CHINA
TIBE T
PUNAKHA
PARO
B H U TA N
NASPE
THIMPU
URA
B H U TA N
INDIA
E N V I R O N M E N TA L S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y & C O M M U N I T Y H A P P I N E S S 3-Month Gap Year Program
BANGLADESH
54
AGES
Experience this secluded Himalayan country where “happiness” and Buddhist belief systems are the guiding principles underlying economic, environmental, and community development.
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
HOMESTAY
CLOISTERED AMIDST THE DRAMATIC BACKDROP OF THE HIMALAYAS,
border with Tibet, we continue to immerse ourselves
BHUTAN HAS CAPTURED THE IMAGINATION OF EXPLORERS AND
in the lesser-explored cultural heartlands of Bhutan
SCHOLARS ALIKE. Part of its allure can be found in Bhutan’s intentional seclusion
through extended treks in Himalayan peaks,
from the world beyond its boundaries. Up until very recently, the royal monarchy
community homestays, attendance of religious
carefully controlled external influences, only allowing television into the country in
festivals, and Independent Study Projects (ISPs)
1999. Even today, travel to Bhutan is tightly monitored by a deliberately restrictive visa
with local masters in traditional arts and crafts.
program for foreign visitors. Bhutan’s seclusion, however, has resulted in an unparalleled
Our semester concludes back where we started,
conservation of long-held values, Buddhist beliefs, and cultural practices. Through
spending the last two weeks of the program back
homestays, community engagement, and immersion in cultural practices, our semester
in Nepal, using the opportunity to better understand
explores how Bhutanese traditions have created a society uniquely centered on the
our time in Bhutan in contrast to its Himalayan
values of community happiness and environmental sustainability.
neighbor, and concluding our course with a reflective
Starting in neighboring Nepal, we spend our first three weeks in the Kathmandu Valley learning about the shared geographic and cultural foundations common to
TREKKING
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
retreat to bring perspective and closure to our time together. Throughout our travels in Bhutan, we gain new perspectives on our relationship with
this Himalayan region before flying into Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital. Partnering with a
the environment, broadened understanding of sustainability, and awareness of how our
Bhutanese environmental NGO, we explore how Buddhist traditions have given rise to
underlying values can influence individual and societal choices. In a country where the
a belief in the inherent sacredness and non-economic value of Mother Nature. We live
phrase “Gross National Happiness” has become a key metric in national development,
in homestays, engage with thriving Buddhist monasteries, and explore the many sacred
Bhutan presses us to ask how our own “happiness” can contribute to the sustainability
sites in the regions surrounding Thimpu. Moving to more remote regions along the
of our communities and shared resources.
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
Right: Stefanie Daehler; Stew Motta
GA P Y E AR SE MEST ER
Days
DATES
Left: Chelsea Ferrell; Rishi Bhandari
83
DESCRIPTION
CHINA
TIBE T
A K I S TA N
KANCHENJUNGA
NEPAL
DELHI
GANGTOK
INDIA
KALIMPONG S A NTI N I K E TA N KO LKOTA
INDIA
SUNDARBANS
O N T H E F R O N T L I N E S O F C L I M AT E C H A N G E 3-Month Gap Year Program
83 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Trek and meditate in the Himalayas, focus on the practical impacts of climate change, and access the vast diversity of India’s people, cultures, and landscapes.
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22 HOMESTAY
FROM THE EXPANSE OF THE GANGETIC PLAINS TO THE HIGHEST
about the fragile ecosystem and the impact of
HIMALAYAN PEAKS, WATER DICTATES THE LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS OF
decades of river damming, listen to enchanting
MILLIONS. As the Earth’s climate changes, warming temperatures at altitude result in
local folklore, and day hike through lush forests.
higher glacial melt in the Himalayas, while more unpredictable weather patterns leave
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
ISPs
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
An extended trek with majestic views of the
millions vulnerable to drought and cyclones or other tropical storms born out of the
mighty Kanchenjunga—the world’s third tallest
Bay of Bengal. Dragons India semester offers students the opportunity to live and learn
mountain—allows students to witness the exquisite
alongside communities on the front lines of this era’s climate crisis.
beauty and power of the Himalayas. Off the trail,
Students navigate from verdant tea plantations to high Himalayan passes; from
TREKKING
the group settles into an intensive meditation retreat at a local Tibetan Buddhist monastery,
Ganges river. We experience how India’s emerging global economy and changing
gaining insight into Buddhist philosophy and practicing
climate patterns have generated riches for some and displaced others. Two extended
contemplative techniques, as well as questioning the role
homestays—one in the Himalayan foothills and another in an idyllic Bengali plains
that religion has to play in generating environmental awareness
town—allow students to participate in the daily rituals that underpin the rich
and social change. Following waterways all the way out to their end point in the Bay of
cultural and spiritual traditions of the region. Community leaders and experts share
Bengal, a visit to the Sundarbans mangrove forest reveals the tensions between tiger
perspectives on Indian politics, climate change, and culture, and Independent Study
(and other) wildlife conservation and development for the human communities that call
Projects (ISPs) engage students with artists, musicians, mystics, and farmers.
the forest their home. Following the water that provides a lifeline to millions from glacial
Traveling north to the ancient Buddhist kingdom of Sikkim in the heart of the Himalayas, students settle into a group stay with an indigenous community learning
melt in the Himalayas to the ocean, India semester students are witness to some of the quickest and most consequential environmental changes of our time.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
GA P Y E AR S EM E STE R
mangrove forests lining the coast to expanses of lush rice paddies fed by the sacred
55
BR A ZIL
PERU CUSCO CORDILLERA APOLOBAMBA
SOUTH AMERICA
PUNO S O R ATA L A PA Z COCHABAMBA
ANDES & AMAZON 3-Month Gap Year Program
CORDILLERA REAL
BOLIVIA
CHILE
83 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Examine social movements and environmental conservation efforts in the mountains and jungles of Bolivia and Peru.
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN COLORFUL FLOWING SKIRTS. THREE COCA LEAVES PRESSED TOGETHER FOR PACHAMAMA. Fresh snow on a ridge of the
HOMESTAY
TREKKING
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
"The most wholesome, frustrating, nourishing, enriching program. This journey came full circle, and the experiences we had on our own, as a group and within Bolivia and Peru
Cordillera Apolobamba. Gold miners bent over trays alongside the Madre de Dios…
seemed to be exactly what we all needed. I would not change a thing.” — F A R I D A H N D I AY E
These scenes all speak to the many walks of life in Bolivia and Peru. Whether it’s a
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this display of collective creativity in action,
the Andes & Amazon semester have the opportunity to learn about issues of social
we strike out on our first trek, circling up
justice and environmental activism, while the warm culture of ayni (reciprocity) makes
at night to discuss the impacts of climate
them feel at home throughout their journey.
change as we witness glaciers receding
The semester begins in the agricultural town of Tiquipaya in Central Bolivia. Here,
before our eyes.
students live with local families, largely of Quechua descent, and settle into the rhythms
In Peru, we re-trace ancient Incan
of daily life. Our time is characterized by intensive Spanish instruction, exposure to local
trekking routes to Machu Picchu, and
activists in Cochabamba, and Independent Study Projects (ISPs). This first month lays
venture into the Amazon basin where
the foundation for our future travels, helping students develop critical language and
we listen to indigenous leaders recount
leadership skills. Ready for the next challenge, we set off for the twin cities of La Paz
the impacts of natural resource extraction
and El Alto, dramatic urban centers that sit above 13,000 feet amidst the snow-capped
on their communities. Traveling along tropical
peaks of the Cordillera Real. Here we partner with Teatro Trono, a local theater group
waterways, we conclude amidst a symphony of birds
that empowers youth to engage with issues of social justice on stage. Charged up by
and the embrace of the most bio-diverse forests on the planet.
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
Right: Laila Skramstad; Photo from Dragons archives
that resonates from this sacred land seeps into every aspect of daily life. Students on
Left: Grace Powell; Julianne Chandler
GA P Y E AR SE MEST ER
remnant of the Spanish empire or a tribute to Aymara gods, the magic and mysticism
ME XICO
TIKAL
BELIZE
G UAT E M A L A
SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS
TODOS SANTOS
PACHA J
G UAT E M A L A
S PA N I S H L A N G UAG E & S O C I A L J U S T I C E 3-Month Gap Year Program
SAN JUAN LA LAGUNA ANTIGUA
EL SA LVA D OR
83 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Build Spanish language fluency, examine models of political activism, and engage with diverse Mesoamerican communities and cultures.
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
HOMESTAY
LINKING TWO MASSIVE OCEANS AND CONTINENTS, CENTRAL AMERICA
the state of Chiapas in Southern Mexico to explore
IS A CAUSEWAY OF MESOAMERICAN CULTURES AND ECOLOGICAL
the common Mayan cultural heritage which
DIVERSITY. Today, the communities sharing in this Mesoamerican heritage continue
transcends national boundaries. While living
a legacy of adaptation to rapid environmental and social challenges. The Guatemala
with farming communities and further
Semester takes a hands-in-the-dirt approach to understanding the indigenous cultures
honing our Spanish skills, students learn
of Mesoamarica through extended rural homestays, personalized language study, work
about Chiapas’ history of revolution and
on community learning service projects, and examination of grassroots activism.
resistance, participate in agricultural
In the western highlands of Guatemala, over eighty percent of the population is
LEARNING SERVICE
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
initiatives, climb mystic ancient temples, and explore the delicate encounter
pressures. Living in with indigenous families, we work in el campo, learn Spanish
between past and present. Through a rugged and authentic
healers, weavers, and community leaders share their knowledge through Independent
exploration of some of the most remote
Study Projects (ISPs) while conversations with local NGOs working in human rights,
regions of Guatemala and Mesoamerica, our
community health, and development provide opportunities to get involved in
semester unearths the complex issues facing indigenous
contemporary struggles for continuity and change in Guatemalan society. Beyond
communities working towards sustainable development in a
intensive community engagement and homestays, we explore Guatemala’s geographic
globalizing landscape. With intensive Spanish lessons, rural homestays, and thoughtful
and cultural diversity through extended travel and hiking expeditions.
learning service engagement, students gain an immersive perspective on our
The final phase of our itinerary has the option to take us across the border into
relationships with land, tradition, and community.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
GA P Y E AR S EM E STE R
indigenous Maya, maintaining a legacy of rich cultural strength in the face of external in personalized classes, and immerse ourselves in Mesoamerican culture. Herbal
LANGUAGE STUDY
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SPAIN
FEZ
MOROCCO
H I G H ATL A S M O U NTA I N S MARRAKESH
MOROCCO
A N C I E N T C I T I E S T O T H E AT L A S M O U N TA I N S 3-Month Gap Year Program
ALG ERIA
83 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
From forested mountains to the Sahara desert, study the languages, faiths, and diversity of culture that make up the western-most outpost of the Arab world.
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
HOMESTAY
LANGUAGE STUDY
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
ISLAMIC ART AND DIVERSE TRADITIONS COMBINE IN THE ENCHANTING
"Jennifer loved everything about the group, the instructors, the people of Morocco and
CITIES WHOSE VERY NAMES STRIKE COLORFUL CHORDS IN THE IMAGI-
Morocco...It opened her mind about what she would like to do with her life...”
NATION: CASABLANCA, MARRAKESH, AND FES. Within and beyond the city
— S A N D R A L E M U S , PA R E N T O F J E N N I F E R L E M U S
walls we explore incredible sites, tastes, and experiences, accessible only to the intrepid opportunity to explore philosophical and political
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Islam, as well as progressive approaches to gender issues and ethnic diversity.
youth and elders, urban and rural dwellers, Arabs and indigenous tribes, farmers and
Our journey will allow us to compare
academics. Through rugged travel and authentic interactions, we examine the dominate
the vastly different rural and urban
issues of this diverse society standing at the crossroads of Middle Eastern, African, and
Moroccan lifestyles, as well as see
European cultures.
first hand the varying degrees
We stay with urban families in cool cinder-block buildings and indigenous families
to which history and religion
in warm mud-homes, help host communities with daily activities, travel through
impact daily duties, culture, and
striking natural settings, and walk through an endless series of canyons in search of
understanding of the world beyond
the opportunity to camp alongside nomadic families. Our time in urban environments
Morocco. In the western-most outpost
and remote villages immerses us in Morocco’s unrivaled hospitality, as people
of the Arab world, we explore a culture
welcome us as kin and our cups are never left wanting for sweet mint tea. In a world
which will embrace us at every opportunity
where understanding Islam becomes increasingly relevant, we are given the unique
with its famed hospitality and kindness.
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
Right: Photos by Steven Gu
GA P Y E AR SE MEST ER
We travel through the most ecologically diverse country in North Africa. Buses and pack animals help us wind through the great diversity of people who make up Morocco:
Left: Stefan Reutter; Ami Li
traveler fueled by a curious spirit.
AMBANJA
MAHAJANGA
MADAGASCAR
A NTA N A N A R I VO AMPEFY
MADAGASCAR
A M BATA M A N G A
MOR ANDAVA
ANTISRABE
C U LT U R A L & E C O L O G I C A L D I V E R S I T Y
R ANOMAFANA PARK
3-Month Gap Year Program
ISALO PARK
83 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Study endangered landscapes and cultures, witness the competing interests of economic development, and discover the natural wonders of the "8th continent."
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
SET APART FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT, MADAGASCAR IS THE
production while working alongside
FOURTH-LARGEST ISLAND AND ONE OF THE MOST BIOLOGICALLY
local farmers.
DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS IN THE WORLD. Historical and geographic isolation have
taxi-brousse, through the candlelight
nowhere else on earth.
of family dinners, or under the canopy
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
of a lush rainforest, our semester exposes us to the stories that make Mad-
alongside wildlife researchers. We learn about the many species of lemurs, an endan-
agascar a place unlike any other. Alone at
gered primate well-known for their catlike faces and playful sounds and behaviors.
the bottom of the Indian ocean lies a beautiful and wild island waiting to be explored.
homestay families and exploring the natural wonders of tsingy (limestone pinnacles) and the Avenue of the Baobabs. After watching the dancing shadows of the majestic baobab
“The most powerful aspects of the Madagascar course were incredibly small things...
trees at sunrise, we travel north to a quiet highland village near the capital. Electricity is
These moments are what make Dragons special because in order to really experience
rare and time passes quickly as we spend our days with families tending to daily needs:
these simple and profound things, one needs to...step out of the ideal and into the
planting crops, fetching sticks for cooking, or washing clothes in the river.
real. Open your mind and let go of the previous, secondhand judgments. Let go of
Even further north, on red dusty roads of the desert, we arrive in a place where the
convenience and complaints. Stop taking everything for granted. Open your mind and
rainforest touches the coast and the scent of vanilla fills the air. Here we spend the final weeks of the program volunteering in local villages and learning about cacao and vanilla W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
listen and look and let everything wash over you.” — AV A W E I L A N D
GA P Y E AR S EM E STE R
We trek in two of the country’s most famous national parks and conduct animal surveys
In the eastern region of the country, we practice the Malagasy language with
TREKKING
From the bumpy back seat of a
made Madagascar a place where almost all of what you see, hear, and do are possible Early in the program, we set out to explore some of the country’s unique ecosystems.
HOMESTAY
59
MAURITANIA
SAINT LOUIS
DAKAR THIES
SENEGAL TA M BACO U N DA
KOLDA
THE
MALI
G AMBIA KEDOUGOU
WEST AFRICA RHYTHMS OF SENEGAL 3-Month Gap Year Program
LABE
GUINE A
60
AGES
From agricultural villages to mangrove islands, explore West Africa while delving into artistic and musical traditions in a culture renowned for its generosity and hospitality.
Sept 15 – Dec 6 February 7 – May 1
17 – 22
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
RUGGED TRAVEL
AS YOU WALK DOWN THE STREET IN SENEGAL, PEOPLE GREET YOU WITH
for dinner and keeping our eyes peeled for the
THE WORD “PEACE” AND STRANGERS INVITE YOU INTO THEIR HOMES
dolphins, manatees, and flamingos that call this
FOR A CUP OF TEA. It's a country of contrasts where new development occurs
unique environment home. Returning to the
beside centuries-old traditions. The Muslim call to prayer sounds five times a day
mainland, our feet carry us to breathtaking
when hundreds of people stop to worship on the city’s sidewalks. Senegal’s famous
waterfalls and plateaus, where we speak
hospitality, called “teranga,” is in the air from the moment we set foot on the sandy
with local environmental activists and
streets of Dakar.
explore the home of some
The semester takes us from the French colonial outpost of St. Louis, to the fastpaced capital of Dakar, all the way to a Sufi Islamic coastal village on a white sand
HOMESTAY
DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
of West Africa’s last chimpanzees. We conclude in an artist enclave
stretch of beach. With possible multi-week excursions to neighboring Guinea and
perched on rocky cliffs above the sea,
Gambia, students stay almost exclusively with local families and have the opportunity
leaving with the stories we've earned, and
to meet with leaders, traditional healers, regional development specialists, and other
will re-tell for years to come.
experts in West African history, geography, and philosophy. Students study Wolof and French throughout the semester, using their new language skills at the market, in service work, and with the community.
"Amazing and transformative! Eve learned so much about global issues...She became
Casting off in a pirogue (a Senegalese fishing boat), the group sails to an island
sensitized to how people live outside the US and the challenges they face. All this
community where students are welcomed by host families. We serve alongside a local
learning and growing took place within a joyful, warm and welcoming environment."
women’s cooperative to replant mangroves and camp on nearby islands, catching fish
— PA R E N T S O F E V E S T E I N
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
Right: Tavinee Maithai
GA P Y E AR SE MEST ER
Days
DATES
Left: Zach Witkin; Nicos Christou
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DESCRIPTION
INDEPENDENT SPRING EXPERIENCE AN INDEPENDENT GAP YEAR OPTION 6 to 12 Weeks; Locations Vary
42-84 Days
DESCRIPTION
DATES
AGES
Looking for a more independent next step in your Gap Year? For those who have completed a group program (+1 month, any provider), we offer more autonomous and self-directed travel options over the spring semester.
Starts: January 15 Starts: February 15
18– 25
PROGRAM COMPONENT EMPHASIS
HOMESTAY
LANGUAGE STUDY
ISPs
MAYBE YOU’VE DONE A GROUP TRAVEL PROGRAM WITH DRAGONS OR
LOCATIONS
ANOTHER ORGANIZATION. Maybe you’re feeling ready for a more independent
ISEs are offered in places where Dragons has long-established and active community
experience abroad…but here’s what you’re wondering: How can I avoid the backpacker
networks: Guatemala, Bolivia, China, Senegal, Nepal, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
tourist traps? How do I build authentic connections when I don’t know anyone there? Who do I call on for support when I have questions or if something goes wrong? It can be hard to know where to even start. We’ve heard from many past Dragons stu-
ON-SITE SUPPORT Each program site is staffed by a Dragons On-Site Coordinator: a veteran Dragons instructor with extensive in-country expertise and experience. The On-Site Coordinator
feeling lost, unsupported, or even conflicted about the ethics and efficacy of their presence
has weekly face-to-face meetings with each student, conducts a multi-day orientation
and projects. So we’ve launched the Dragons Independent Spring Experience (ISE).
focused on safety, cultural norms, and strategies for engagement, and acts as a cultural facilitator and mentor throughout. Participants are placed with a vetted homestay
ISE PROGRAMS OFFER
family for the program duration, receive intensive language instruction (as desired), and
» Meaningful cross-cultural engagement outside the structure of a group semester,
are paired with local mentors for an Independent Study Project (ISP). Participants also
but still with the support of Dragons local (in-country) resources and mentorship.
have 24/7 access to our in-country and international emergency response resources.
» A co-created, personalized, and self-directed Gap Year or study abroad experience. » Direct Support from Dragons international network of trained in-country staff and vetted resources.
ISE programs have two start dates with a 6-week minimum length and weekly exten-
» Access to Dragons Administrative Team & our decades of expertise in managing international risk and emergency response.
DETAILS & ELIGIBILITY sion options (up until May 1). ISE programs are for those who have previously completed a group travel program (international or domestic of 1+ months) with any provider.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
GA P Y E AR S EM E STE R
dents that some of the travels they pursued on their own after a group program left them
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OT H E R O F F E R I N G S T H E R E A R E M A N Y WAYS TO E N G AG E W I T H D R AG O N S P R O G R A M M I N G Dragons offers programs for different audiences. Whether you are a parent, teacher, college student, or business leader, Dragons has opportunities for inspired community engagement,
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COLLEGE STUDY ABROAD
EDUCATOR PROGRAMS
ADULT TRAVELERS
PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS
Credit-Bearin g Academic Courses for Col lege Students
For Teachers, Administrators, & Professional Educators
For Individuals, Small G r o u p s , & Fa m i l i e s
For Schools and Organizations
An alternative approach to college study
International and domestic professional
Culturally immersive small group and
Customized travel programs for schools,
abroad through cultural exploration,
development courses that deliver a
custom-designed programs for adult
universities, businesses, and organizations.
regional and intercultural studies,
core curriculum in cross-cultural and
travelers and families. Created to
We also offer consulting and training
independent study projects, language
experiential education while immersing
inspire curiosity and cultivate profound
in ethical cultural engagement and
courses, and a small-group experience.
educators in critical global issues.
relationships with people and place.
program development.
WTBDRAGONS.COM/COLLEGE
WTBDRAGONS.COM/EDUCATORS
WTBDRAGONS.COM/ADULTS
WTBDRAGONS.COM/PARTNERS
This Page: Elizabeth Causey; Amrit Ale
facilitated experiential learning, and immersive cross-cultural travel. Here are a few more ways to go Where There Be Dragons...
N OT E S O N S A F E T Y U N D E R S TA N D I N G O U R R I S K M A N AG E M E N T SYS T E M S At Dragons we challenge our students intellectually, emotionally, and physically because we believe growth and discovery are often found outside of their comfort zones. Our job is to create opportunities for meaningful challenge while safely, professionally, and transparently managing the inherent risks of travel. In our 25+ years of experience in the field, we’ve successfully trained over 1,000 Dragons instructors and stewarded over 300,000 “in-field” days. Over time, we’ve built robust risk management systems, extensive local contacts, and a practiced understanding of regional safety issues that help us to offer innovative and intentional programming.
THERE ARE FOUR FOUNDATIONAL ASPECTS OF OUR RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS THAT ENSURE SAFETY IS ALWAYS OUR TOP PRIORITY:
1
W E H I R E E X P E R I E N C E D I N ST R U C TO R S Typically, a Dragons instructor team collectively represents multiple languages, ten or more years of in-country experience, and years managing groups in remote settings. Every instructor
team has Wilderness First Aid/Responder, or higher, medical certifications. Instructors are also adept at working with students to manage medical issues.
2
W E P L AC E A P R E M I U M O N I N S T R U C T O R T R A I N I N G A N D P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E LO P M E N T Each year, we facilitate a 2-week all-staff training focused on student group management, physical and emotional safety, cross-cultural communication, experiential education, leadership
development, and international risk management. We also lead trainings on best practices in international programming for outside faculty, schools, and organizations. For these reasons, schools and universities such as Princeton University, Thacher School, Milton Academy, and over 50 other institutions have chosen Dragons to design and facilitate custom programming.
3
W E H AV E A N E X P E R I E N C E D 2 4 / 7 F I E L D S U P P O R T T E A M With experienced administrators based domestically and internationally, Dragons Risk Management Team is dedicated to ensuring the highest-quality international programming, with careful
attention to the safety and security of our students, instructors, and in-country partners. This team is on-call 24/7 to support our groups in the field.
4
W E H AV E A R O B U S T N E T W O R K O F I N T E R N AT I O N A L R E S O U R C E S Our organization is built on 25+ years of personal connections, and we often receive word of security issues before they are taken to press. We supplement word-of-mouth
updates with reports from the US State Department, the Overseas Security Advisory Council, the World Health Organization, and the Center for Disease Control. We work closely with International SOS to receive access to 24/7 medical consultation and emergency support services. We have carefully researched in-country medical facilities and our instructors go into the field with comprehensive emergency management tools.
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IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT DRAGONS SAFETY AND SECURITY POLICIES PLEASE CONTACT US. WE WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DISCUSS THE FINER POINTS OF OUR RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WITH YOU.
W W W.W H E R E T H E R E B E D R A G O N S . C O M / S T U D E N T S
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M E E T A F E W O F O U R I N S T R U C TO R S T H E Y A R E E X P E R I E N C E D E D U C ATO R S . T H E Y A R E CO M M U N I T Y B U I L D E R S . T H E Y A R E M E N TO R S . With an average of 4+ years living abroad and local language fluency, our instructors have developed the skills to return to communities as cross-cultural liaisons. Our instructors draw upon personal networks to create opportunities for connection and guide students as they navigate inter-cultural nuances. We feel honored to work with this incredible community of global educators. We hope you’ll take a moment to get to know them.
4: 1 RAT I O
H IGH R ET E N TIO N RATE
E DU CATIO N
LI FE EXP ER I ENC E
DI VER SI T Y
A typical group consists of 12 students and 3 instructors
On average, over 80% of our instructors return each year; over 60% have worked 3+ programs
The majority of our instructors hold a master's degree or PhD
Dragons instructors average 30+ years of age and have a wide range of professional backgrounds
51% male, 49% female; the majority were born outside of the U.S. and are multilingual
Shuier Zhang China
Anna McKeon Cambodia
Shuier's parents have been Dragons homestay parents for over a decade in Yunnan. She spent the last 10 years studying in the London area, where she works as a professional translator and interpreter. She loves using her language fluency to bridge cultures and facilitate communication. When she is not leading Dragons students or working on translation projects, Shuier works as a freelance art journalist, writing about art exhibitions in London for publishers in China.
Anna left university intending to be an actress and singer in London’s West End, but ended up working on social change initiatives in Cambodia. Anna's experiences along the way have given her a unique skill set that she finds particularly useful for introducing young people to new cultures, challenges, and perspectives as they explore the world and their own identity. Now a freelance communications consultant based in Phnom Penh, Anna spends most of her time working for the Better Volunteering, Better Care initiative, advocating against volunteering in orphanages and promoting ethical and responsible volunteering alternatives.
Joseph Vincent China
Uttara Pant India
Joseph first began learning Chinese at the age of sixteen when he moved to Taiwan as a Rotary exchange student. He continued to study Chinese literature, history, art, and religion at Reed College before completing his MA in Chinese Literature at National Taiwan University. Joseph came to Dragons after two years working as an instructor at the Chinese summer programs at MiddleburyMonterey Language Academy and when not instructing for Dragons, works as a translator for Tzu Chi Foundation, a Buddhist NGO based in Hualien, Taiwan.
Uttara’s love for the mountains began in the Palani Hills of India. Here, among eucalyptus trees and bison, she attended an international boarding school with students from around the world. Moving to the US, she attended Sarah Lawrence and Harvard Universities while focusing her studies on psychology, geography, and development economics. After graduation, she found her way to SECMOL, an alternative school in the remote Himalayan communities of North India, and later worked at Navdanya, an India based NGO working to preserve traditional agricultural methods through seed banks and advocacy for women farmers’ rights.
Talia Brooks-Salzman China
Ming Jiu Li China, Southeast Asia
M.Sc. in Translation Studies, University of Edinburgh M.A. in Interpreting and Translation, University of Westminster
B.A. Chinese Literature and Language, Reed College M.A. Chinese Literature, National Taiwan University
B.A. East Asian Studies, Oberlin College M.S.O.M. Acupuncture & Chinese Herbalism, SW Acupuncture College A past Dragons student, Talia majored in East Asian Studies at Oberlin, concentrating on Mandarin, Chinese religion, and politics before recently completing a 4-year graduate degree in East Asian Medicine. She has worked and lived in Cambodia, Laos, Japan, and China as a cross-cultural educator with US and international students. In her native New York City, Talia has worked in education and advocacy around issues of body awareness and identity through The Body Positive. She is a Wilderness First Responder, yoga teacher, and acupuncturist. 64
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
M.A. University of Cambridge: English Literature P.G.Dip GSA Conservatoire, Musical Theatre
B.A. Liberal Arts, Sarah Lawrence College M.A. International Education Policy, Harvard
B.S.E. Environmental Engineering, Duke University Ming was born in southwest China, but spent most of his youth in Singapore. After finishing high school, and two years of mandatory military service, Ming moved to North Carolina where he obtained his engineering degree from Duke University while working on issues of gender and social justice with the Women’s Center. Ming has led over 5 courses in China and Southeast Asia with Dragons. As an educator, he is guided by Simone Weil’s quote that “attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”
Caitlin McKimmy North India
Irene Platarrueda Latin America
Caitlin has led courses in the Himalayas and the Andes. Caitlin speaks Tibetan, Hindi and Spanish. She has lived in a Buddhist monastery in central India, taught English in Northeast Tibet, interviewed Sri Lankan forest hermits about love, and worked with the Tibetan community in exile to understand their conception of “Buddhist Ecology.” Caitlin believes that the upheaval of conscientious travel can unearth something inexpressibly rich within us.
Irene spent her early childhood in the Colombian Amazon forest where her mother worked with indigenous communities. Later, her family moved to the shores of Lago Atitlan in Guatemala. As she grew up, Irene came to believe that the real richness of our planet lies in the diversity of the human experience. Irene has since worked with the United Nations Development Program on a joint peacebuilding initiative with the Colombian government. Irene is committed to holistic community building, and works with Dragons students to help them realize the fullness of their potential.
Japhy Dhungana Nepal
Richard Brown Guatemala
B.A. in Religion and Neuroscience, Carleton College M.T.S. in Buddhist Studies, Harvard Divinity School Ph.D. Candidate, University of Colorado Boulder
B.A. Summa Cum Laude, with Honors in Anthropology from the University of California Los Angeles. Japhy speaks five languages, and always has a difficult time answering the question: “Where are you from?” Raised in Nepal, Japhy spent his childhood exploring the Himalayas and dreaming of exploration and adventure in distant places like California. As a teenager, he immigrated to inner-city Los Angeles with his family, setting the stage for a dramatic cross-cultural education. After completing his undergraduate studies, he rode his beloved bicycle, “Bucephalus,” from his mother’s front door in the US all the way to Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia. Japhy is an accomplished alpinist and rock climber.
B.A. in Socio Cultural Anthropology from the National University of Colombia
B.A. Anthropology, Columbia University Born in South Africa to a journalist and a diplomat, Rich has lived in Guatemala since 2013. After graduating from Columbia, he worked with miners and activists in rural Appalachia to combat mountaintop removal coal mining. Rich is an editor and journalist for EntreMundos, a bilingual magazine in Guatemala focused on human rights and social development issues. Rich is just as passionate about identifying bird and plant species as he is about fostering intercultural dialogue.
Nick Gredin Nepal, North India
Micah LeMasters Madagascar
Nick found his passion for cross-cultural education and Buddhist studies as a past Dragons student in Nepal. After completing an undergraduate degree in sociology, Nick went on to earn his master’s degree in religious studies with a focus on Sanskrit language and the spiritual traditions of the Himalayas. He then trained as a Wilderness EMT before returning to Nepal in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquakes to work for a year with Helping Hands Health Education, an NGO that provides medical and educational aid in rural Sankhuwasabha District.
Micah first traveled outside of the US after buying a plane ticket to London on a whim. Immediately falling in love with the idea of ‘other’, he spent a year living in Australia studying Aboriginal history and Australian literature. After several backpacking trips through Europe and the US, Micah joined the Peace Corps in Madagascar, where he taught high school, conducted adult literacy classes, and worked with the World Wildlife Federation. He then enrolled in a Master’s course where he studied the implications and effects of multi-modal literacies, cultural nuance and language on educational processes and experiences.
Claire Bennett Southeast Asia, Himalayas
Babacar Mbaye Senegal
Claire is driven by a passion for global equality and social justice. She first ventured to Asia as a volunteer in Nepal and later returned to found a rural development organization, PHASE. Since then, she has spent time volunteering in Cambodia, coordinating regional strategy for “global education” within the UK school system, and facilitating Global Youth Action—a global work project for disadvantaged youth. Claire is an incurable optimist and has boundless energy—mainly fueled by caffeine from her British tea-drinking habit. Claire is the author of the book Learning Service: The Essential Guide to Volunteer Travel.
It takes a wise man to know one, and sometimes it feels hard to quantify all that Babacar brings to a Dragons program. Babacar is an educator at heart, and has worked as an English teacher in Senegal since 1997 after receiving his MA in English. Babacar has been working with Dragons since 2006, first supporting Dragons summer courses and more recently moving into a full-time position with our Princeton Bridge Year program. Although students see Babacar as their fearless leader, he maintains that he is first and foremost a student of their unique perspective and wisdom.
Juan Salvador Galich Guatemala
Sidonie Emerande Madagascar
M.A. Religious Studies, Naropa University B.A. Sociology, University of Southern Maine
M.A. History, University of Cambridge
Proud of being the son of artists and a true nature lover, ‘Juancho’ has worked as a professional guide and educator in Antigua Guatemala for over 10 years. When he is not climbing volcanoes or guiding film crews on adventures, he is collaborating on musical projects with local and international artists. Juancho discovered the beauty of Guatemala through his passion for mountain biking and outdoor adventures, and was inspired to work as a local activist campaigning to help support communities as they endeavored to preserve nature and improve their lives. Juancho is a trained chef who traveled and lived in the U.S. for two years before following his heart back to Guatemala—where he continues to pursue a lifestyle that is deeply connected to the natural landscape.
B.A. with honors, American history/English, University of Indianapolis M.S.ed, Literacy, Language and Culture studies from Indiana University
M.A. English, Cheikh Anta Diop University
B.A. Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching M.A. Studies in Civilization on Gender/Social Issues, Antananarivo University Growing up in Madagascar, Sidonie moved around the country for her parents’ work. At 19, she participated in an international exchange program that sparked her passion for exploration and adventure. She started her teaching journey with Peace Corps in Madagascar as a Malagasy language and cross cultural facilitator. Sidonie’s work with Peace Corps allowed her to collaborate with US volunteers, NGOs, and local authorities. Sidonie is also a lover of languages and speaks Malagasy, English, French, German, and passable Arabic and Spanish.
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A L U M N I S TO R I E S W H E R E A R E T H E Y N OW ? Extraordinary students go on to live extraordinary lives after Dragons. Our alumni have been the heart of our community since 1993. Here are a few recent alumni stories.
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OLIVIA SOTIRCHOS
D AV E F U C H S
EMMA SCHINDLER
NORTH INDIA PROGRAM 2011 & HIMALAYA SEMESTER 2012
SOUTH AMERICA SEMESTER 2011
GUATEMALA PROGRAM 2008
B.A. Candidate NYU, Global Health & Social Impact Aspiring Designer & Researcher for Social Good
B.A. Geography, Middlebury College Southwest Bureau Reporter for NPR Utah
J.D. Stanford Law School; B.A. Humanities, Yale University NYC Public Defender
My travels informed my perspective on the world around
Doing the Andes and Amazon Semester when I was
More than a decade after my Dragons program, I still credit
me, as well as my path in life. I learned that community is
eighteen had a huge effect on me. I had never spent
my three remarkable instructors with modeling for me what
a powerful tool when harnessed for good, that momentary
so much time away from home, or been in a place so
honest and intentional self-reflection looks like. With the
discomfort can lead to individual growth, and how
utterly different from where I was raised, or traveled
utmost sincerity and kindness, they pushed us, every day,
important it is to be unrelentingly curious about the
in the rugged, spontaneous, and engaged style that
to question our assumptions and think about our impact on
world. Since my last Dragons program, I've been lucky
is characteristic of Dragons courses. The semester
the world. I returned home in love with the beautiful people
enough to work in a bunch of amazing roles: for a climate
showed me how powerful it is to step outside your
and landscapes of Guatemala, but also deeply committed to
change documentary company; alongside a landscape
comfort zone, gave me a lifelong thirst for adventure,
learning from those with life experiences different from my
architect; with an urban agriculture nonprofit; and I even
and humbled me in respect to how much I could learn
own. Dragons helped me articulate a set of values that have
served as the director of an environmental education
by exploring new places and listening deeply to new
guided me ever since; the same values that led me to law
nonprofit that empowers the next generation of youth
people. I don’t think I would be the reporter, or the
school and to pursue a career as a public defender. Values
environmental stewards here in NYC.
person I am today without my experience with Dragons.
that will continue to shape my advocacy for years to come.
QUESTI ON S? GI VE US A CA LL AT 303.41 3.0822
NEXT STEPS
S O W H AT N O W ?
F I N D I N G T H E R I G H T P R O G R A M S TA R T S W I T H A S K I N G G O O D QUESTIONS.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE Visit Dragons website to see photos, videos, more specific program descriptions, and read participant reflections from the field via our Yak
With so many travel programs out there, it can be hard to know where to begin. Here are some questions for you to consider and ask of different providers as you do your research:
Board. If you have questions while exploring our site, just send a message to us via Live Chat.
SPEAK WITH DRAGONS STAFF
» How many years have you been running international programming?
Give us a call! We love hearing from prospective students and
» What is your ratio of instructors to students?
parents. Our staff is ready to answer any question, no matter how big or
» What are the typical professional qualifications and ages of your field staff?
small. And we’re always happy to put you in touch with alumni students for their perspective on specific programs.
» Do your field staff speak the local languages and have extensive in-country experience?
MEET A DRAGONS INSTRUCTOR
» How many of your field staff return year after year?
We have Dragons instructors touring the country and meeting with prospective students and families. Connecting in-person is a great way to
» What type of trainings do you provide your field staff?
hear about programs and find out if Dragons is right for you.
» How do your mitigate and respond to risks on course?
READY TO JOIN US?
» How are your programs and itineraries designed?
Don't wait too long. Our most popular summer and semester
» How do you approach the theme of “service” and manage the dangers of “voluntourism”? » How do you ensure the sustainability of your programming with local communities?
programs generally start to fill up 3–6 months before departure. Students are admitted on a first-come, first-serve basis, so get in touch to hold your place on a program. Or check our website for updates on the spots remaining on a specific program.
» How do you help students apply what they've learned after they return home?
T H E A P P L I C AT I O N P R O C E S S
To hear our responses to these questions, and more, give us a call at 303.413.0822.
WHERE THERE BE DRAGONS ON INSTAGRAM
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INTERVIEW
FINANCIAL AID Any student that demonstrates reasonable financial need is eligible to apply for financial aid. When awarding financial aid, we look for applicants who are curious, driven, and ready to fully engage with communities around the world.
Follow us on Facebook for community news and reflections, photos, and videos from around the world. facebook.com/WhereThereBeDragons
Approximately 20% of our students go abroad with some level of financial assistance each year. Check out our website to find out more.
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MAPMAKERS ONCE DREW DRAGONS TO REPRESENT LANDS UNKNOWN. BOLD EXPLORERS WHO VENTURED BEYOND THE MAP’S EDGE WERE SAID TO GO
“ where there be dragons ”…
There are people who live their lives for adventure, exploration and knowledge… people who are willing to venture into the unknown for the sake of discovery. For those people, we offer incredible experiences. We hope you are one of them.
RUGGED TRAVEL
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TREKKING
STUDY
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741 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302
Phone: 303.413.0822
OR
800.982.9203 | Email: info@wheretherebedragons.com
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