What inspires you to work with Where There Be Dragons?
What inspires me to keep working with Where There Be Dragons is the community. I recently returned from our all staff training in the beatific Sierra Nevada Mountains and was (once again) incredibly inspired and impressed by the caliber of people I was surrounded by. Dragons draws some of the most passionate, intelligent, and warm hearted people I’ve ever met.
Megan, on right, at a recent reunion with old Dragons friends. Alex Kendall in middle ran the first Dragons trip in Senegal with Megan in 2005. They’re still friends after all these years! Photo Credit: Katie Hagel
You helped co-create and guide the first Dragons program on the African continent, and more specifically, in Senegal where you served in the Peace Corps. What was it like to share your previous Peace Corps village with the Dragons? And what were you most excited to share with them?
To be honest, the first time I brought a group of Dragons students to my village I was really nervous that the students would complain or wouldn’t respect this community that had welcomed me so wholeheartedly for two years. I’m happy to report that my worries never became a reality and all of the students I’ve traveled with have had unforgettable and transformative experiences in my village. I was most excited to share with them the nuances of village life; the slowed pace of the day, drinking tea under the shade of a mango tree, and going to the fields to farm with homestay families.
How does your background in Contemplative Psychotherapy influence your work as the Co-Director of Adult Programs?
Because of my background in Contemplative Psychotherapy, I see a real need for adults to step away from their own lives and have a safe setting to get in touch with their own sense of meaning and purpose.
So many adults have so many responsibilities, from jobs to children, and have very little time to care for themselves in a nourishing and inspiring way. We like to say that we provide an environment for adults to “tend” to themselves and that this act of taking time out to reflect and grow can have an effect that lasts long after the trip ends.
Megan with Mbouille Diallo, who also lead the first Dragons trip in Senegal in 2005. This image was on a recent visit in Colorado where we had the opportunity to reciprocate years of Mbouille’s hospitality
What is different about working with adult travelers rather than high school or college aged students?
I think one of the main differences working with adult travelers is that they are often acutely aware of how special this type of opportunity is and they come both excited and nervous. They often have similar fears as students, plus the added worry about taking good cares of their bodies.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of the job is the people I work with and that I get to collaborate with colleagues from a wide variety of cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds on a consistent basis. For example, while I was working on this interview, my Senegalese “brother” Mbouille called me to inform me that my Peace Corps grandmother passed away two days ago. Mbouille and I created and co-instructed the first Dragons program in Senegal in 2005 and he has since become an essential part of my family.
What challenges do you face in your current role, and how do you work to overcome them?
The challenge of my current role is getting the word out that we are now offering adults the same type of transformational and authentic cultural experience that we have been offering to students for over two decades. We have been known for so long as an educational organization for high school and gap year students that it’s challenging now attracting adults to our programs.
With a crew of Tibetan ladies who were of similar age. We walked back into the mountains and spent the night in the home of one of these women. Photo Credit: Abrie Koupal
Why do you think it is important for individuals to experience new cultures and gain understanding of different places around the world?
I have found that when we step away from the familiar into a radically different cultural environment, we ultimately cultivate a greater understanding of ourselves and our home communities.
We start to ask difficult questions. We start to doubt that what we are fed in the media is the “truth.” We start to think outside of the box that our society has provided for us and we learn to navigate the world with a greater sense of self-awareness, humility, gratitude, and compassion. Ultimately, we start to see that as humans we yearn for the same things: safety and well-being for ourselves and our families, opportunities to thrive, and a sense of meaning and purpose within our lives.
Enjoying masala chai tea with an amazing student group in the Sikkim area of northeastern India
If you could participate in a Dragons program, where would you go and what would you do?
I’ve long dreamed of visiting the Ladakh area of North India, so I would choose our 6-week summer North India: Identity in Exile program. Then I’d stay on after the program in a small village in that area for the duration of the winter— if we’re talking in an ideal world here! I’m attracted to that dramatic mountain-scape, along with the culture of the Tibetan Buddhist people who have flourished in that extreme environment for generations.
What are your hopes for the future of the Dragons Adult Programs?
My hope is that adult travelers will take the opportunity to step away from their daily lives and experience something completely fresh and inspiring.
