Description

Central America, a narrow strip of steaming jungles and fiery volcanoes, is the earth’s most recent major land formation, and a melting pot of cultural and biological diversity. At its heart lays Nicaragua, the “land of lakes and volcanoes,” and a hotbed for innovative community response to the rapid changes of globalization. With an emphasis on community based service-learning, intimate home-stays, and exceptional language instruction, our Nicaragua program allows students to learn directly from community activists, famers, and NGOs working for social justice and sustainability. In the picturesque colonial city of Esteli, we build a profound foundation of Spanish language and burning social issues of Latin America while immersing ourselves in the warm hospitality of Latin Culture through intimate home-stays. Hiking through mystical cloud forests we arrive in small farming villages to roll up our sleeves and get dirty, working on organic dairies, building solar ovens, and making life-giving compost with local experts. On the island of Ometepe, we summit the active Concepcion volcano and visit lush coffee and banana plantations that skirt its base. The Nicaragua program is a rich cultural immersion that allows students to gain a deep understanding of important social issues facing Latin America while greatly improving their Spanish language and exploring new skills in farming and sustainable development.

Highlights

Following is a sample itinerary for Dragons Nicaragua: Cultivating Change Summer Abroad 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 One and Two: Orientation at an organic coffee farm located amidst the twin volcanic peaks that comprise the island of Ometepe. Students collect coffee alongside locals, learn about cooperative communities, and get oriented to each other and the experiences to come. Leaving the coffee farm, students will volunteer at a renowned permaculture farm on Ometepe where they get their hands dirty in the classroom of sustainable food production, water conservation projects, and community-centered development projects. Alternatively, the group may opt for home-stays with a lakeside community cooperative to learn about traditional fishing practices, organic agriculture projects, and community initiatives like constructing water pumps from converted bicycle pumps.

Weeks Two and Three: Leaving the prominent volcano views of Ometepe, students trek through a cloud forest which is home to a wide diversity of tropical flora and fauna from spider monkeys to toucans. From the forest, the group settles into the picturesque city of Esteli for a week of semi-urban home-stays and one-on-one language instruction. Surrounded by lush 5,000 foot mountains, the pleasant climate of Esteli is the perfect host site for students to practice their Spanish in open air markets and colorful colonial plazas.

Weeks Three and Four: After being immersed in home-stays and language school for the week, the group plunges into the scenic river ways and canyons of the countryside for a weekend wilderness excursion and visit to an organic goat cheese cooperative. Then it's off to the incredible community of El Lagartillo for a second week of rural home-stays and one-on-one language instruction. Students will have many opportunities to learn about the living social history of Nicaragua through interviews, discussions, and collaboration with the small community while improving through Spanish conversation with the welcoming host families. From El Lagartillo, students will help volunteer with the inspirational children of Los Quinchos whose families live from scavenging through the city garbage dumps before heading to a quaint coastal town to process all of the amazing experiences of the past month.

Travel Types

• 4th World Studies
• Camping
• Cooking
• Environmental Studies
• Homestay
• Language Immersion
• Overland Tours
• Volunteering
• Trekking

Type of Programs

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

Languages

• Spanish

Subject Areas

Cost in US$:

5,850

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