Where There Be Dragons

If you come into this program with integrity, intention, and a desire to be immersed in the culture you are visiting, Dragons is right for you. You will be pushed and not everything will fit, but when you come to the end of your course you will find that you have changed. You will find yourself a new person, a person that can adapt to any situation, talk to any person, and can find the beauty in anything. Along with deepening your senses for sight, sound, touch, taste and smell, you will find you have gained an extra sense - the sense of the human heart.

Considering that I had already heard so much about Dragons and how life changing it is, I had high expectations. And generally when I go into things with high expectations, I never end up satisfied. But this experience exceeded my expectations, by far.

I can't praise the idea of student-led travel enough. My Chinese was stretched and warped and beaten all throughout the process, but it only grew stronger for it. My mind was tried by shouts, disagreements, and cancellations, but I'm stronger for them and I appreciate each member of the group for it. Participating in Dragons has widened and developed my approach to learning, leadership, and the world.

An incredible trip. I learned more on it than at any other time in my life.

As someone who was privileged enough to have traveled with Dragons on their semester trip, as well as work closely with the ones who make it all happen, I whole-heartedly recommend Dragons trips. They will open your eyes, heart and mind to so much more than you have ever experienced before.

How about having one of the most educational and memorable summers' of my life. Usually summer for me means working and lounging around. But this year, summer-time is was learning about the beauty of Rwanda and the people there. How often do you get to say that you spent the summer looking at the lights on the hills blend into the stars in the sky; watch the sunset and sunrise come up from behind Rwanda's Thousand Hills, or enjoy a warm cup of African tea as your homestay mother tells you about her children. Those memories along with everything that I learned about the development and healing of Rwanda will be the thoughts that I treasure most when I think about Dragons. BECOME A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD, AND DO IT THE RIGHT WAY WITH DRAGONS.

Global citizenship is more than a hot word. Self exploration isn't an empty catchphrase. My Dragons experience completely reshaped my identity. Every attempt I have made to communicate or express my time in South America inevitably falls short. What I learned about my self, my role in a group, my position in the world, the interconnectedness of humanity and its environment, and more has redefined for me my place in the world and the path of my life. I feel a responsibility and a drive to live up to what my Dragons experience has asked of me. The rest of my life will be a testament to the education Dragons provided for me. It was a priceless adventure, incalculably valuable, adding meaning to my life and challenging me to be a responsible, dedicated, productive global citizen. I have nothing but the utmost respect for this institution. Go Dragons.