Where There Be Dragons

Program Reviews

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Thea
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The best trip!

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What would you improve about this program?
It was perfect .
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Claire
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A life altering experience

I entered a place that I knew little about and came into the lives of people whose language I could barely speak and the connections I made were stronger than anything I could have imagined. Living with a family, walking home to their house everyday and feeling the love and care and warmth they extended to me was a feeling beyond anything I could describe in words. I felt loved and safe and so connected. Over the three months I spent with Dragons In Senegal I was challenged and pushed beyond my comfort zone and within that experience I feel that I grew an exponential amount. I have never felt more in touch and aware of the world around me then I did in that magical vibrant and enchanting place. I carry the memory of my host mothers and siblings and grand parents and neighbors with me everywhere I go. I cannot express enough how much I learned from the moments of deep connection that I shared with the people around me. Dragons gave me a place to grow in a safe and supportive environment and lead me on a path that will forever influence my life decisions in the future.

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Julia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Quite the Adventure!

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What would you improve about this program?
Honestly nothing! It was challenging and it took me a little distance to see the beauty in the challenge and I wouldn't give it up for the world.
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Yasmeen
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Decision of my Life

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What would you improve about this program?
I cannot imagine a single way this could be improved. I would have loved to stay for longer!
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Emma
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A diffrent kind of gap year program

I spent the fall of my gap year doing this program. Before I left I had a lot of misconceptions of what to expect from the trip.. I pictured myself spending the three months petting elephants, drinking from coconuts, and hanging out on crystal beaches (though at certain points on our trip we did do all three of these). I had friends who also took gap years and chose to go with other programs where the majority of time they spent doing things like this, and its clear we got very different things out of our trips. Where There Be Dragons is something else--my experience in Myanmar was rugged, exhilarating, and though it was tough at times, one of the most gratifying and joyful experiences of my life. If you're looking for an experience that does not push you out of your comfort zone, that does not make you question the world you live in and your role in it, then this trip is not for you. Now going off to college next year, I am fearless. I spent the last three months sleeping on mats, eating rice with my hands, and trekking through muddy mountains-- I know that if I can do that, then I can do anything!

What would you improve about this program?
I wish we could have studied and practiced meditation more.
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Natalie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Life Changing

I went to Nicaragua and Guatemala in the fall of 2017. Before going on the trip I had never taken Spanish and I was really scared that my lack of language skills was going to ruin my trip. My instructors and fellow students gave me the support I needed to get through my first couple of homestays while I was still struggling. Through the teachings of the really quality Spanish schools we went to I actually learned Spanish! I was able to learn a good portion of a language in 3 months along with all that I learned about myself and about the communities we stayed with. There is no way to learn more about a language or a culture than to live there. Dragons will give you the opportunity of a lifetime.

What would you improve about this program?
I have already given them feedback.
man, skiiing
Benjamin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Transformational Experience

Dragons is an incredible community of passionate and inspiring educators and students. Dragons pushes students to engage in deep learning about the world and about themselves. My Andes and Amazon semester was transformational, and I came home with a difference perspective about my priorities and values.

While the communities in which we traveled are central to the experience, Dragons students and instructors really set the organization apart. Instructors are experts in their countries, and comprise a community of activists and change makers who carefully craft each individual program. The students on my program are some of the most inspiring, motivated, and passionate people I have ever met. Now, as a college student, my interests have been largely shaped by my experience in Bolivia and Peru, as I am interested in studying issues of development, anthropology, sociology, and Latin American studies. These interests were not even on my radar before my trip, but grew out of my gap year experiences.

What would you improve about this program?
My only complaint was that it was almost too short! It was difficult to say goodby to Bolivia and Peru and my Dragons group, but ultimately the experience of applying my new learning to life post-Dragons was equally valuable.
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Pixie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Where There Be Dragons: Andes and Amazon

On the last day of my trip to Peru and Bolivia our instructors asked the group to brainstorm words that qualified in some way the trip we had just completed. Concentrating some of the most influential three months of my life into a word seemed like an impossible task, but as I talked to the people who had walked with me around mountains, who had stopped to examine tiny flowers on the ground and gotten distracted by an especially beautiful pebbles, who had danced their hearts away holding the hands of their host sisters and brothers, the word that I felt fit the most was Care. This program taught me that to care is so many things. I felt cared for by my instructors and the other students on my course, my host family fed me soup and tea with every meal when I got sick. I couldn't have asked for a better course on compassion and adventure, on culture and dancing and cooking and feeling. I think back a lot to the time that I spent in South America and the people that I spent it with. My life has changed a lot since then but the person I am since leaving this program is much more prepared to handle it all.

What would you improve about this program?
While we were at our longest home stay, one month long, we spent a few days with the Princeton gap year program run by Dragons. Their program stayed in the same place, with the same family, for most of 8 months. They took small excursions but spent a lot of time building relationships with their families. I wish I had more time to interact and live with my host family.
Paul
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best way to first travel in China

I attended the 2017 spring semester in China, and it was one of the greatest experiences in my life so far. Of all the programs I looked into Where There Be Dragons seemed like the most immersive travel experience, and I was not wrong. The group travels with local contacts of the instructors, so you never feel like a tourist. After travelling with WTBD I feel capable to travel to China again on my own. I have contacts of my own and have grown close with the group of students and instructors. Thanks WTBD!

What would you improve about this program?
You should be able to use phones throughout the whole program except for during specific activities. I missed out on photos from the first month of the trip which is a bit of a bummer.
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Sam
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Gap Year in Myanmar

I spent the fall of 2017 in Myanmar with “Where There Be Dragons” and I could not have had a better experience. I learned a lot about the culture in a very short period of time. The program connections really allowed us to get below the surface and form lasting relationships with people all over the country. Expect to be traveling In cramped quarters for long periods of time, living out of a backpack, and sleeping on the floor. It won’t always be easy but overall awesome experience.

What would you improve about this program?
Even more trekking.