Description

Magnetic. Inspiring. Devout. Burma is a nation of warmth, beauty, and complexity. Through service-learning and multifarious windows into the world of development, we uncover significant pieces of the puzzle of Burma: how has a country so rich in culture and religion struggled politically and economically for more than fifty years? Our course begins in one of the old capitals, Bego, where we dive into an intensive meditation retreat at a forest monastery, surrounded by monsoon rains and lush greenery. From Bego, our next destination is in the furthest reaches of northern Burma: the foothills of the Himalayas. By volunteering with a conservation organization and exploring the uses of alternative energy, students gain firsthand perspective of Burma’s development on the grassroots level. We follow our work with a trek to remote villages that have rarely seen foreigners, staying with, and learning from, families who live in this mountainous and isolated region. Boat, train, bus, and ox-cart: our adventure down to Mandalay is as creative as it is scenically enchanting. Once settled in Burma’s second largest city, students volunteer at either a local monastic school or at a public health organization. In Bagan we bike among architectural wonders. We also learn about one of the poorest and most famine-stricken areas of Burma, the dry-zone. In Yangon, the largest city and economic capital, we continue our focus on service-learning by volunteering in small groups according to interest and paired with Burmese students as cultural ambassadors. Balancing long days of service, we meet with experts from a variety of fields to deepen our understanding of development, contemporary Southeast Asian issues, and the presence and impact of international actors.

Highlights

Dragons' Summer Abroad Program in Burma is a grass-roots journey through Southeast Asia's least known country, exploring topics of development through service. This program has a high level of rugged travel, volunteer opportunities in education (monastic school), orphanages, rural development, and environmental awareness/conservation, survey of development issues, study of comparative religion.

Travel Types

• 4th World Studies
• Camping
• Cooking
• Hiking
• Heritage Tourism
• Native Culture Studies
• Nature Tours
• Volunteering
• Trekking

Type of Programs

• High School Study Abroad
• Adventure Travel
• Community Service / Volunteerism
• Language Immersion
• Cultural Exploration

Languages

• English

Subject Areas

Cost in US$:

5,700

Program Fees Include:

Tuition includes everything except international flight medical insurance and small personal expenses (personal calls home personal snacks aside from meals laundry services, email/internet cafes, etc.)

Experience Required

no

This Program is open to

American, European, Canadian, Australian, South African, Kiwi, Worldwide and Asian Participants.

Participants Travel

in Groups

Typically Participants Work

in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Written Application
• Letters of Reference
• Phone/Video Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records

Typically The Application Process Time is

1 week

Where There Be Dragons's Mission Statement

Dragons programs are authentic, rugged and profound learning adventures that expose the beautiful and complex realities of the countries in which we travel. Featuring extended itineraries, Dragons programs encourage deep immersion into strikingly different physical and cultural landscapes, combining the best in experiential education, travel, service learning, and physically and intellectually challenging experiences. While programs vary in their focus - with some trekking and wilderness intensive, others strong on service and development studies, and still others language-oriented - all Dragons journeys are designed above all else to be fun, safe and honest educational experiences.

Year Founded

1993