Where There Be Dragons

My daughter just completed the Visions of India Semester. She had an unbelievable experience. The Dragons staff is professional in every category. Rebecca, Jeff, and Parker were excellent instructors and worked very hard to form a cohesive student group. My daughter was the youngest traveler, and the instructors welcomed her and helped her overcome any and all difficulties she encountered on her trip. She LOVED her homestay family. She enjoyed the freedom she had to explore Varanasi on her own, and she found all of the classes and instruction extremely interesting and educational. The TREK was the highlight of the trip. Dragons administers were quick to reassure parents during the Himalayan earthquake getting word out FAST that our students were unaffected by the quake. My daughter was on 3 different GAPS this past year and Dragons is «hands down» the most professional and reputable company around. There is no doubt that my daughter will be signing up for another Dragons trip in the future!

Last fall, I was a student on the Where There Be Dragons Semester course in Indonesia. I hadn’t planned on taking time off between High School and College, but my ED school (Middlebury College) accepted me with a gap semester. The idea terrified me, challenged me, and ultimately has been an incredible gift. The course with Dragons changed my life.
One of the most incredible parts of Dragons courses are the instructors. Each program is made up of twelve students and a minimum of three instructors, at least one of whom is native to the country where the course is based. The instructors are chosen because of their experiences as travelers, teachers, and citizens of the world, and each came to the program with a wealth of experience in human rights, conservation, academics, and cultural building. All were wonderful, passionate people with a will to open our minds, widen our knowledge of this world, and to grow with us as we experienced the consciousness-​expanding wonder of deep, informed travel.
Whether the experience is four weeks or three months, being immersed in a new culture can be immensely challenging. It is so important to have quality mentorship in times of intense growth. Dragons recognizes this, and thus the instructors are people who can hold space for this kind of transformative opportunity. I found that, beyond being more than qualified to inform us on human rights issues, the environment, cultural tendencies in the developing and western world, and many more intellectual pursuits, the instructors were there to support us mentally and emotionally. They guided us, challenging us when necessary, but always there for us. They took care of us, but they also helped us learn to take care of ourselves.
Another amazing thing about Dragons is the relationship they build with local communities. Everywhere we went Dragons sought to create a sustainable friendship that benefits students and locals equally. This certainly deepens the student experience as it opens up doors for friendships and mentorships. A homestay family that trusts Dragons as an organization will be more likely to get excited about sharing their world with a student. I will never forget the connections I made with parents, children, and friends as we traveled through Indonesia.
In each community we studied the culture (religion (s), history, customs, political dynamics, and role of the western world in all of this), environment (conservation issues facing communities, the impact of these on their everyday lives, changes being made going forward, and our roles in these issues), and community (what are the health care and educational systems, how far away is the nearest hospital, how and what language do the children learn to read). We studied all of this through community interaction: we’d sit in on community gatherings, organize talks with the village head, midwife, shaman, workers, and professors, and we’d ask them to tell us about their lives and their world. We also set aside time to process with the group, to learn how best to handle the intensity of our experiences.
The course had a great balance of time spent learning with the group and time spent exploring, hanging out, and integrating our experiences into a newfound awareness of self and the world. Each day we would come together for at least two hours to check in with everyone, take care of medical needs, and rediscover solidarity with our peers. When we needed it we would always make time to go snorkeling in the nearby coral reef, explore the regional volcano, sing songs around a bonfire, have a dance party, drink a coconut, and decompress.
I know that this trip changed my life. On my own, I never could have made it to such remote and beautiful places, experienced so much depth in new cultures, made such close friendships, and internalized my experience as lasting inspiration. I have been blown away by the integrity and values exhibited by all the staff at Dragons, and I am so incredibly grateful to have been their student.
Each student faced many challenges on this program: we went into the unknown and fought against our comfort zones. We pushed into growth and found that, as we were challenged, new worlds started to open up to us. New perspectives appeared, deeper empathy was felt, greater integrity was realized, and we were suddenly more mature, more moral, more in touch with our inner selves, and more sensitive to the lives of those around us in this vast, unpredictable, beautiful world. Having had this experience, I will never be able to live without thinking of myself in service to my community. I can’t go back: I will always work harder in my friendships, find ways to explore, adventure, and deepen, and remember that I am a citizen of the world.
I wish that more of my friends would do Dragons programs. I have complete faith they would find their minds and souls expanded by it, just as I have.

My daughter attended the intensive language program for China in 2011 and loved it. It was everything they said and more. Her instructors were very hands-​on and the structure of the program was just what she needed to feel confident and successful while on her first big trip way from home. It was challenging and fun culturally, socially, emotionally and physically. She grew up a lot and improved her Mandarin beyond our expectations. She is not a typical ‘classroom learner’ and was concerned beforehand that 4 hrs of class per day would be too much. But when she got home and I asked her about it she said that those 4 hours felt like only a few minutes because it was so exciting and fun all the time. For her, it was a big adventure and her group-​mates all got along. She loved everyone. There was a lot of support for the kids, yet at the same time they were expected to find their way around using Chinese. I can’t say enough good things about it, especially the ‘global citizenship’ aspect. They were exposed to many facets of society and culture.
We knew ahead of time that the first 2 weeks in rural China she would be living with Naxi people who don’t speak Mandarin as their first language. They were prepped in how to communicate effectively and my daughter reported that they spoke more basic Mandarin than she did. During this time she attended Mandarin classes every day, and those were taught by Native Mandarin Speaking instructors.
The second part of the trip was spent in the modern city of Kunming where she lived with a well-​educated modern family than ran a private pre-​school. Here she was in a high-​rise apartment building, they owned a car, and she had to find her own way to the program house on public transportation. So she had a good taste of both the ‘old’ and ‘new’ China.
Another aspect of the trip that she liked but was hesitant about at first, was living without her cell phone/​ipod. It sounded drastic, but in the end she said one of the best things about the program was the group dynamic and friend-​connection. The kids had to rely on interacting with each other rather than zoning out on the internet, which is what she slipped back into doing once she got home.
The only aspect of the program that we, as parents, struggled with was not being able to communicate with our daughter on a regular basis. It was the first time she travelled so far from home and we are a very close family so it was probably harder for my husband and I than for her because her days were filled with excitement and ours were spent hoping all was OK. I thought the Dragons staff prepped us well for it, and I understand that because of the nature of the program and the areas where they were travelling, it was not possible to have more frequent communication. It was something I decided I needed to «let go» of.

Fantastic organization. I did the Nepal Semester Program in fall 2012.
Here’s a little bit of an email I sent to a prospective student that inquired about my trip:
I’m so glad you’re considering the Himalayan Studies Program! Spending three months in Nepal with Dragons was one of the best decision I’ve ever made.
In fact, its funny you contacted me, since I’m actually just beginning to look at study abroad programs available to me in college. And I’m starting to realize that nothing can really compare to the experience you get while traveling with Dragons. The Himalayan Studies program truly allows you to immerse yourself in the land more deeply than any other organized trip I have heard about.
A little bit about my trip: After graduating from high school, I planned 7 months of traveling in South Asia. Starting with 3 months with Dragons in Nepal, followed by 4 months volunteering at a school in India. The semester I spent with dragons was invaluable to my year. They really introduced me to the idea of being a world traveller. From that semester, I gained an awareness of culture in the area that I simply wouldn’t have gotten any other way. At the same time, I formed many new fantastic relationships both with my host families and with the students and instructors traveling with me. After three months in Nepal, with the guidance of extremely interesting and knowledgeable instructors, I felt much more prepared to take on India as an independent traveller. Plus, towards the end of my trip, I arranged to meet up with the Dragons’ India spring group and felt right at home hanging out with them as well.
There certainly are challenges that come along with spending a semester in Asia. Most things you will learn naturally as you go on the trip, from small Nepali mannerisms (you’ll quickly pick up the characteristic «head bobble») to some life changing lessons about yourself and others, be it in gratitude, individuality, beauty or something else.
At the same time, It can feel like a different world. And there will no doubt be situations that can feel overwhelming. That’s a huge part of the instructors roles; to help work out those times when your out of your «comfort zone.» There were quite a few instances when I just wanted to be laying on my couch at home, watching New Girl and eating a grilled cheese sandwich. But it’s at these times, where we get to see what we are really capable of mentally and physically. I discovered so much about myself that I never would have found out if I hadn’t gone abroad… especially with the Dragons group.

I am so glad to see Dragons on Unilocal!There are so many programs available for young people to choose from-​the task can be daunting. However, fortunately my son had a close friend whose family had participated in numerous Dragons programs and he was sold: hook, line and sinker. He did a gap year program in Bolivia and Peru and it was truly life changing. It was certainly challenging, taking him out of him comfort zone, while also posing physical and health challenges at times, but of all the many experiences he has had over his lifetime, I can’t say enough about the positive impact this experience had on him– in ways that can’t be taught in a classroom or advised. He left a boy, who although academically ready and mature enough to head off to college, did not have the confidence in himself as a leader or conviction to know what he wanted. He came back a man, who was focused, self assured, and ready to start the next chapter in his life. Thank you Dragons for giving him the environment and opportunity to grown and develop in that regard. In addition, the program was well organized, provided frequent communication and had well-​trained, dedicated leaders.

The program gets everything right. They were well-​organized. The Chinese instruction was rigorous, a full four hours a day, yet the instructors managed to create spontaneous events that kept it fun. My son adored playing soccer with Buddhist monks. We loved that they would send the kids in teams into the middle of a huge Chinese city on a scavenger hunt. They had to use their Chinese to find the items and find their way home. He had a wonderful time. We would definitely recommend them.

Immature instructors who are unable to explain to kids what they are seeing or to create a positive group dynamic. They let cliques and meanness go unaddressed. In spite of what dragons says about safety some kids went out drinking – where were the instructors? And forget about sticking to the suggested packing list — just pack what you want – everyone else does.