Description

Central America - a narrow strip of steaming jungles and fiery volcanoes, unites two massive continents and splits the world's largest oceans. Rising out of the sea at a confluence of five tectonic plates, this causeway of cultures and ecological diversity is an explosion of rapid biological and cultural change. Today the countries of Central America continue their historic legacy of adaptation, responding to environmental and social challenges with innovative communal strategies. The Central America Semester takes a hands-in-the-dirt approach to understanding indigenous culture and collective life in Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador through extended rural home-stays, one-on-one language study, work on communal farms, and a participatory examination of land-use and grass roots activism.

In the western highlands of Guatemala, over eighty percent of the population is indigenous Maya who maintain a legacy of rich cultural survival and community strength in the face of diverse external pressures. The villages surrounding the bustling city of Quetzaltenango, known locally as Xela, are where the Q'iche' Maya continue a way of life centered on the cultivation of corn, beans and squash, wearing traditional dress as a marker of identity and following a many thousand year-old calendar using a base-twenty system as accurate as the most advanced computers of today. Living with indigenous families, working the fields, and learning Spanish, we begin our semester with an experiential understanding of Mesoamerican culture and the legacy of conquest and resistance that has played out here for five hundred years. Herbal healers, weavers, and community leaders share their arts and experience while conversations with local NGOs working in human rights, community health, and development provide opportunities to get involved in contemporary struggles for continuity and change in Guatemalan society.

After leaving our base in western Guatemala, we spend a few weeks exploring the rest of the Mayan heartland. We will hike Central America's tallest volcano, visit ancient pyramids towering above the jungle, and spend time in communities heavily affected by the civil war. From Guatemala, we bus down into El Salvador where we learn about its own distinct civil war history, focusing in particular on the US’s military and political involvement, and meet up with local non-profits to learn about the solidarity work they undertake with supportive US organizations. In between guest speakers and service projects, we will make sure to eat plenty of pupusas and catch a wave or two in one of the country's many coastal beaches.

From El Salvador we pass briefly through Honduras, entering into Nicaragua where we will spend the rest of our journey. In the country's northern highlands, communities have long relied on local solutions to social and environmental challenges. In the face of political strife, devastating war, and rapid globalization, these communities have joined together and come up with creative and revolutionary responses in the form of radical people's movements, progressive organizations, and innovative appropriate technologies. While living in homes with local farmers and continuing with their one-on-one Spanish instruction, students will learn about the revolution, participate in local agricultural co-ops, intern with NGOs, partake in the annual coffee harvest and meet some of the friendliest folk in this part of the world.

The final portion of the trip is turned over to our students who will decide how they want to end this Central America learning adventure. Options include homestays in fishing villages, visits to organic permaculture farms, ascents up active volcanoes, additional service projects, or extremely off-the-beaten track journeys into the jungles surrounding the Rio San Juan or the Caribbean villages of the Moskito coast.

Through a rugged and authentic exploration of some of the most remote regions of Central America, the "Roots of Rebellion" semester seeks to unearth the complex myriad of issues facing indigenous and peasant communities working towards development and conservation today. With Spanish lessons, rural homestays on organic farms, and service learning at the forefront, this semester program provides an experiential and fresh perspective on relationships with land and community organization.

Highlights

Following is a sample itinerary for Dragons Central America: Roots of Rebellion Semester Abroad and Gap Year Program. Our sample itineraries are based on past courses; in order to meet instructor team goals, as well as the goals and interests of particular student groups, future itineraries are subject to change.

Week 1: From bustling Guatemala City, our journey will begin with an escape to the verdant countryside of the Pacific Slope. Driving past coffee, sugar, and palm plantations we’ll make our way to Finca Nueva Alianza, a community-based organic macadamia and coffee cooperative and plantation. This gorgeous farm, with waterfalls, swings, and endless orchards will be our base and living classroom as we orient ourselves to the major themes and logistics of our course. While building a strong foundation within our group, we'll also listen to the communal struggle for local resource management, work in the dairy and orchards, swim in crystalline rivers, and learn about important medicinal plants of the region.

Weeks 2, 3, 4: Heading up the mountains from the Pacific Slope, past rushing mountain rivers and into the valley of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala's second largest city, we’ll set up a base outside the city in the peaceful hamlet of Pachaj, a small agricultural community made up of Qiche Maya. Living with indigenous families, we'll split our days between one-on-one language instruction, farm work, and participation on communal reforestation and water management projects. From Pachaj we will make frequent field-trips into the city of Quetzaltenango (known locally as Xela) to visit with NGOs, community clinics, and up to the summit of surrounding volcanoes.

Week 5: Moving deeper into the highlands of Guatemala, we embark on a three week segment of rugged travel to our final destination in Nicaragua. We start by exploring the mystical pine forests of the Cuchumatanes Mountain Range. Trekking through small indigenous communities, we listen to testimonies of the civil war, and the people's ongoing struggle against the oppression of the Guatemalan Army.

Week 6: Continuing East through Nebaj and Uspantan, we arrive to the cloud forests of Coban where we wash off the dirt from the road at Semuc Champey in crystal clear multi-colored pools of water. From Coban we move north, to the Maya Biosphere Reserve and visit Uaxactun, where community members have long maintained themselves from nontimber forest products and current efforts at conservation are heatedly underway. Here we also visit the world-renowned ancient city of Tikal and enjoy the wildlife and archeological wonders this national park holds.

Week 7: From Guatemala we travel south to El Salvador, stopping for several days to visit unions and workers who share their story of moving from the country to the city to work in factories, or maquiladoras. We'll take a look at U.S. Central America relations, free trade, the response from El Salvador, and also take a break along one of El Salvador's many hidden beaches to rest.

Weeks 8,9: Arriving in the highlands of Nicaragua, we make our way to the intriguing small city of Esteli where we'll spend a few days meeting with local activists, working on our Independent Study Projects, and taking our second round of Spanish classes. We also collaborate with a local women's environmentalist group.

Week 10: In the highlands around Esteli, we will collaborate with local community-based projects in drip irrigation, communal gardens, energy efficient stoves, and habitat conservation. During this period we'll be staying in peasant community homestays, working on agricultural and sustainable development projects, speaking a lot of Spanish and hiking in the green hills of Northern Nicaragua.

Weeks 11, 12: Moving down into the lowlands of Nicaragua, we take two weeks to put into action all that we've learned thus far. These two weeks are open and flexible for student input and decision-making. Options include field trips to the southern coast of Nicaragua to explore ecotourism, and development, excursions to the isolated east coast of Nicaragua where few travelers venture, or the rainforests of Southern Nicaragua in the Santa Maria protected area. The colonial city of Granada, or extended time in the highlands are all possibilities.

Week 13: We cross the water of Lake Nicaragua and under the twin shadows of the mighty Maderas and Concepcion volcanoes on the island of Ometepe we debrief our semester in Central America. Staying at a permaculture farm and sustainable living center, we spend our final days winding down, sharing our independent study project presentations, and exploring the beaches and lagoons of this magical island.

Travel Types

• Camping
• Cooking
• Environmental Studies
• Hiking
• Homestay
• Language Immersion
• Native Culture Studies
• Nature Tours
• Overland Tours
• Volunteering
• Trekking

Languages

• Spanish

Languages Used as a Medium of Teaching

• English

Subject Areas

Cost in US$:

11,300 USD

Cost Includes:

• Travel while in host country
• Housing
• Food
• Excursions
• Language instruction
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Written materials pre-departure
• Written materials abroad

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

Volunteer Types

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