Program Reviews

I gained a vast amount of newfound confidence as a self-reliant and responsible traveler. I have come back with much more confidence and a stronger ability to take initiative in various settings, which will benefit me in the rest of my high school career and beyond. The program helped me understand how to be leader while respecting the environment I was in. I lived with three different host families and worked beside them and their communities during my stay, such as Cooperativa Tejidos Cotzal. The cooperative, composed of 45 women widowed by the Guatemalan civil war, was founded on the ideals of self-sustainability and community through maintaining the indigenous tradition of weaving.
Becoming a leader through this program meant learning how to become a poised, attentive, and understanding traveler rather than imposing my values or opinions. I learned how to immerse myself into a new culture without relying on ethnocentric beliefs, keeping cultural relativism in mind while being exposed to new, unusual experiences. I became comfortable with the idea of being there simply to help a community while soaking up and learning about a unique and fascinating culture instead of being there to change it. This was as amazing experience, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a Spanish intensive program and is ready for a rugged, authentic journey.

Nostalgia, humility, and gratitude flood my consciousness as I think back on my three months spent in Nepal with Where There Be Dragons. I think about standing among hundreds of prayer flags at 17,000 feet and never wanting to come down. I think about carbo-loading dal bhaat by candlelight and drinking dudh chia with my host family. I miss my Dragon siblings who went through it all with me. I think about the tears I shed from exhaustion and laughing too hard, of all the lessons learned in between. I think about how far I came; not just over miles of mountain passes and through villages, but over miles of awareness, understanding, perspective, and growth. As I reflect on the person I was before embarking on my journey with Dragons, I recognize the dramatic and positive transformation Dragons guided me through.
Ultimately, this journey allowed me to find magic and growth in myself and within every single moment of our experience in Nepal while also opening my eyes to what it really means to be a global citizen.

I participated in the Andes and Amazon semester for where there be dragons last fall and could not have asked for a better experience. Through the program I made friends that I will stay in touch with forever and instructors who inspired me daily. I was able to increase my spanish speaking and communication skills, learn how to do traditional Bolivian dance, and live with some amazing host families. Although some of my days in the Andes and Amazon were the hardest of my life- trekking at 17 thousand feet is never easy!- I would not trade that experience for anything in the world. Truly, cannot recommend this program highly enough! It will stretch your comfort zone and leave you more prepared for your future life ahead!

My semester in Indonesia with Where There Be Dragons was absolutely one of the most important experiences in my life. The opportunity to travel to a developing country and see how the rest of the world lives in a culture completely different to my own has changed the way I think about how I interact with and exist in the environment around me. The instructors are kind, thoughtful, and inspiring. Dragons is a great organization for gap year experiences – the students are encouraged to make the trip their own and have autonomy, but in a safe and supportive structure. Indonesia is a diverse and fascinating country that few Americans know anything about, despite its massive population. The places we lived in on the trip were all unique and wonderful in their own ways. I still think about the trip every day, even a year later, and I will forever be grateful I had the chance to travel to this amazing country with such incredible people.

The homestay was so helpful for me in learning Spanish. I'm currently a teachers assistant in a Spanish class at my school-- Español para hispanohablantes (Spanish for native speakers) and I understand everything the class says! My family was so patient with my Spanish and very welcoming. I couldn't have asked for a better homestay experience.
I made so many great connections while on the trip, with both my group members and Nicaraguans we met while traveling. While my homestay family was the most prominent in my mind, my Spanish teachers from the village and all the people who helped me practice my Spanish on the farm also played a role in my success as a Spanish student.

Where do I even begin? The Dragons programs are absolutely incomparable, in every sense. I have so many stories swirling around my thoughts that encapsulate just how incredible, enriching and magical my experience was in Nepal. From waking at 5 in the morning with the sun and meditating with the monks at a buddhism retreat to strolling through the bustling and colorful streets of Kathmandu at dusk. One moment (out of many) that has remained with me occurred on the three week trek that we did through the Himalayas. It was eleven o' clock at night, my two tent mates and I were nestled into our sleeping bags, our bodies ached from the eight hour day and we were ready to fall into a deep and well earned sleep. It was flurrying outside but it was expected to stop by midnight or so. However just as our eyes were fluttering closed, the wind began to pick up. Our tent began to shake and our rain flaps blew open, exposing us to what had transpired into an incredible snow storm. Chaos had erupted. Boisterous laughter and shouts could be heard from tent to tent, we were all delighting in the pandemonium.
It was the next morning that ended up being the moment of pure glory. The sun peaked its way through our tent and our watches alerted us of the time; it was 5 am and it was no longer snowing. I slipped on my shoes and mittens and carefully unzipped the tent. The fresh snow on the ground made the unmistakable gratifying crunch underneath my boots.I pushed back the rain flap and there in front of me were the snow capped Himalayas. The morning beams of light casting an absolutely brilliant orange and red glow onto the peaks. I felt as if I was looking at a piece of heaven. As if Shiva was reaching his hands through the clouds and touching the earth, as if it was a preserved sanctuary that no human had ever touched. My entire being filled with the most gratifying and extraordinary feeling. I wanted to stand in that very place for the rest of my days. I breathed in the crisp Nepali air and my eyes feasted upon the unequivocal beauty of the world. I felt so grateful to be where I was.

This program was absolutely incredible. My home stays were the most amazing part throughout my trip- I cried after leaving all four of them because I just felt like I was a part of the family. From spearfishing to going on jungle hikes looking for durian, this trip will blow your mind. There is intimacy within the group and the instructors are incredibly helpful. This creates a safe space on the trip, which is super important when looking at gap year programs. I tell all of my friends to take a semester off because this trip was so influential and I want others to feel and experience the same awesome things I did on this adventure.

Hiking Up to 17,500 with some amazing people and staying at people's houses and learning about the development issues going on in different communities was amazing! I met some of the coolest people I have known, and exploring Peru with them and getting to know them was amazing for me. One of the highlights was the homestays that we did, living the life of the people in Peru. The instructors were so helpful to me in order to learn about myself and explore there, and they know what they are doing because some have lived in the country for a few years. Wasn't your average community service program, as I learned about the place and myself at the same time.

I had a great time on Dragons! It was such a blast, we got to go to some really neat places and it was just superb! The Amazon was my personal favourite, mostly just because I prefer hot weather over cold weather (and I got to make friends with snakes and such!). I've done quite a bit of traveling before, but this was definitely one of my favourite trips that I've ever done. It was unique, well-structured, and I feel like I learned a lot about the culture and how well I can deal with certain situations. We had a great deal of variety, we had a lot of fun, and we had a really great group. There wasn't a ton of drama (and even if there was, I can't blame that on the program), and everybody seemed to get along quite well for the most part.

Some of the group activities struck me as a little bit silly, I felt a little patronized at parts, and I didn't like the reviews we had to do, but other than that it was such a blast! It really was an incredible adventure. I loved the group discussions about culture and politics etc., I had a ton of fun exploring the towns and the countryside (although I could have done with a little less time in Ocangate haha), and the ruins were all so incredible. I would strongly recommend this program to any youth who wants to get a little bit off the beaten trail and doesn't mind getting covered in dirt (and has a few thousand dollars burning a hole in their pocket).

Oh, and if Patrick, Jackson, or Avery are reading this: I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma! Surprise! I found myself struggling to breathe when I was biking (AT SEA LEVEL) in August/September, so I went to the doctor. I'm getting a final diagnosis sometime next week, but we're pretty sure that's what it is. No wonder I couldn't breathe on the mountain. I have a puffer, now. I can't believe I made it up all those freaking mountains with faulty lungs. I kinda wanna go back with my medicine and see if I can take it on for real and not hyperventilate.

Each morning in Ale Gau, a small agricultural village in the foothills of the Himalayas, I woke up to the sound of crowing roosters and cool mountain mist. My Aama and I would huddle around the open fire, sipping fresh, warm bison milk and preparing breakfast. Aama would knead rice flour and water to make roti, and I would stir the vegetables in a large pot, naming the spices in Nepali as she added them to our dish. "Besar" I would say, as she sprinkled tumeric into the sizzling pot. "Ramro (very good)!" she would reply with a hearty laugh and toothy grin. Through cooking and sharing meals, Aama and I forged a new kind of family, built on love, trust, and openness rather than blood.