Program Reviews

I went on the Mekong trip last year for the first part of my gap year, and it was an incredible experience. I learned so much about regional culture, food, language, and politics during my time traveling through China, Laos, and Cambodia and developed frienships on the trip that have continued to this day, almost a year later. I will always remember my WTBD trip as one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

On this trip, I met beautiful people from both Nepal and around the US. I couldn't ask for a better experience. I felt connected to the staff, the students, and the local culture in the Kathmandu valley! This was the most beneficial learning experience of my life. Before leaving I knew very little about Nepal and after my very short stay there I would say I feel confident about navigating the streets there alone. Students are given freedom to express themselves and see the parts of the country that THEY want to see due to dragon's adjustable itineraries. I lived with two families, one from a village, one from the city, and also stayed in a monastery in order to get a fuller view of the culture. The people in in the foothills of the Himalaya, and their religious acceptance and practice has had such an impact on me even after returning. I know on most other teen travel programs I could not have had these experiences, and urge anyone considering the trip to take a leap. I was pushed very far while in Nepal: there was a language barrier, a difference in social norms. I am so proud of the personal growth within every person in my group and am grateful for the sacred experience this course was.

The Madagascar program through Where There Be Dragons was the most transformative and amazing experience EVER!! I am a huge animal and nature fan and that is the reason that I chose Madagascar. Nearly 80% of the species on Madagascar live nowhere else in the world which provides for once in a lifetime wildlife viewing experiences, and they truly are extraordinary experiences. However, the part of the trip that changed me the most was the homestays. They are absolutely the most impactful part of the trip. The people of Madagascar are the happiest, friendliest, and most welcoming people I have ever met. We did 1 week long homestays and within hours it feels as if you have been living there forever. When we did our homestay in Mangily within 30 minutes I was already playing games with my family and their friends. If you care about the environment, human rights, want to learn more about the Malagasy culture, or just go somewhere none of your friends have been (or will likely ever go) the Island of Diversity is the ideal choice for all of those.

Where There be Dragons is truly an incredible organization and I had such a positive experience on the Identity in Exile course. My instructor team was absolutely amazing and their combined wisdom and experience in country allowed my group to learn so much, explore remote locations and have the opportunity to meet with inspiring individuals throughout our travels. My two favorite aspects of the trip were our homestays and the Independent Study Project. Being able to live with 2 different families in both and urban and a rural homestay was one of the most valuable opportunities that Dragons has given me and I fostered such profound connections with the families I was fortunate enough to become a part of. I also really enjoyed our Independent Study Project. I chose to study Hindi and I had 2:1 lessons over the course of 6 weeks with my instructor, a native speaker. My group-mates explored a variety of topics ranging from Buddhism, Social Justice to meditation and it was so awesome being able to explore an area of interest and later share that with the rest of my group. I loved every second of this course and I would recommend it to the open minded, curious and adventurous traveler in a heart beat.

At the time I committed to a 4-week Summer Program to Senegal I was ready to experience something other than North American and Western European culture. I ran from materialism and superficiality and when I looked down I was in Senegal with 8 like-minded people. Meeting people with such different beliefs and practices was essentially a mental/spiritual ice bath. I held hands with boys I met in streets and walked with a smile and received non of the venomous looks I would expect from home. Singing was encouraged and self-consciousness seemed not to exist.

The trip simply opened my eyes to the vastness of the world and all of the cultures and histories it (reluctantly) still holds. I am more interested in life and in people. I cannot imagine what it would be like to never have seen Senegal.

While on my trip I spent a week at a homestay in the little beachside village of Baan Tele Nok in the Ranong Province of Thailand. Now a homestay for those who don’t know is when a student stays in a home with a local family and eats, does activites, etc. with them. I was fortunate enough to stay in a small fantastic muslim village. There I lived with my homestay family and my caring, charismatic mother who didn’t speak a lick of English. All we had between us in terms of communication was a small Thai-English Phrasebook and a lot of hand gestures. One day while sitting out in the front of the house, eating some small sour green fruit, I was instructed to throw the pits of these little fruits into the bushes on the side of the house. I would sit with my mother, grandfather, and 2 other students on my course and dip these sour fruits in the sweet and spicy chili sugar we had in a little bowl in front of us. As I sat there with my peers and newfound family we reminisced on a few of the things we did back home. Jokingly as I threw a few pits, I exclaimed, “Kobe!” in reference to one my favorite basketball players Kobe Bryant. However as my mother began to throw her pits into the bushes she also began to say “Kobe!” we laughed and she smiled back at me giggling. My homestay grandfather who probably had no idea what was going on let out a hearty laugh. It was a sweet and simple moment I will never forget. Throughout the rest of my homestay whenever my mom threw anything away she would always say “Kobe!” with a smile on her face and putting a smile on mine. There’s a reason Thailand is considered “The Land of Smiles” and it’s not from all the smiles you see but from the happiness you can feel.

As a teacher, I have traveled with many other companies and organizations. I will do everything I can to continue traveling with WTBD in the future-- especially with students. Their ethical and conscientious approach to culture and travel had a lasting effect on me. Leaders with WTBD are careful and selective about which organizations participants visit to ensure that we learned as much from them as they learned from us. Our presence was never to treat the local people or organizations as if they were in a fishbowl, but to interact and engage. The expectation is that experiences are intended to built lasting impact, not create a cursory "awe factor" or photo op. The opportunities for reflection and connection with the culture and fellow travelers is also something that I have never experienced before, but WTBD gets so right. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to travel with WTBD and look forward to my next opportunity.

It has been almost a year now since I departed for my semester south of the clouds in China with Where There Be Dragons. I had just finished my first program with Where There Be Dragoons in the fall; where I traveled to the majestic Himalayas and explored Nepal. I do not know where to begin, but needless to say, any experience with Dragons is bound to be a "life-changing" experience. The China program, what I will focus on reviewing now, was what first encouraged my heart to take a gap year. I had previously studied Chinese for four years before jumping on a plane that February morning; a skill base that was immensely helpful but by no means necessary to reap the benefits of this experience. Whatever your experience or knowledge of China, go for it. There is no place more enticing and fascinating than China, the kingdom of 5,000 years. You will become enthralled with the beauty of China's past, its present & future. It has been a year since I was last in China. I was there for four months and yet this land is still a mystery to me. However, I left the program with a far greater sense of self; something I never guessed China, Dragons and myself would bring me.

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.