Indonesia Semester: Conservation and Culture in the World's Largest Archipelago

I chose this program not only because I knew I would be able to explore the world but because it would give me the opportunity to immerse myself in new communities. Since being home, I haven't gone a day without texting or calling someone from my trip. Not only including my instructors and other students but also my homestay families. I created bonds with so many people who I now consider family. This program and people taught me about who I am, the beginnings of where I fit into the world, and the skills to continue exploring and learning on my own.

Highlights: a night camping on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean, speaking to people in their language, playing with little kids, breaking through to a homestay family member, spending time as a group on long travel days, hearing people's life stories, boat rides, sunsets (most beautiful i've ever seen), running into the ocean after a 12 hour bus ride

Traveling with WTBD in Indonesia was one of the most extraordinary and remarkable experiences I've had in my life thus far, and will most definitely stay branded in my memory forever. Two factors that made this adventure a serious impact on me was how we learned to speak Indonesian through immersion, and most of us could speak it quite well after only two weeks due to that first hand learning, plus it also gave me a boost of confidence with languages because I had trouble with Spanish in highschool. That other critical factor was how we were all taken in by our host homestay families and integrated into becoming part of the family. For anyone looking to go I the future, I would recommend that you try to be as much of a minimalist as possible, because you will collect things on your trip and it's even more difficult if your pack is stuffed from the beginning. I consider myself very lucky to have been apart of this experience because it gave me the takeaway of being able to interact with a country in which the US had meddled in, and to see that even so, they were some of the kindest people I will most definitely ever meet. It also gave me a first hand look at the sadness and tragedy of deforestation and the animals of which it harms.

What I loved most about the Dragons program was how our instructors incorporated every aspect of travel into our day. We learned about culture, language, religion, and politics, we saw the world wonders, and explored off the beaten trail. They taught us to be travelers but also while
people.
My favorite memory is after our last homestay party facetpainting the cheeks of the children in the village. They were having a blast, and I know I laughed just as much as they.

This trip absolutely changed me as a person for the better in a way I don't think any other opportunity could have measured up to. Do not feel intimidated by this trip -- I went in with no prior backpacking experience. The trip has been something I talk about with nearly everyone, and my experiences there have not only been cherished by me, but also other people respect me for my decision to travel and to learn more about others around the world.

It challenged me mentally and physically every day, and it gave me an opportunity to leave everything I have ever known to learn more about the world and to reflect on myself. There is something amazing about accomplishing a feat you never imagined you could do -- it has given me a self-confidence that has gotten me opportunities after the trip and still now in college with internships. You come back with stories no one's could beat, and strength that no one can take away from you.

I 100% recommend this trip. Indonesia is a beautiful country with beautiful people, and WTBD ensures that you are the leader within your experience and to make of it what you will and feel comfortable with. They are there to guide you and to help you if you need, but in no way do they force you to do anything, which I think is a great part of the trip. I built relationships with people I met there, and I wish every day that I will one day go back and see them again. If you are willing to throw yourself wholeheartedly into something that will make you uncomfortable at times and will challenge you, but will also leave you with incredible memories, a unique, unforgettable experience, and a new perspective of the world, then this is the trip for you.

Attached to this review is my video summing up what I saw and did, and it was amazing.

My semester in Indonesia with Where There Be Dragons was absolutely one of the most important experiences in my life. The opportunity to travel to a developing country and see how the rest of the world lives in a culture completely different to my own has changed the way I think about how I interact with and exist in the environment around me. The instructors are kind, thoughtful, and inspiring. Dragons is a great organization for gap year experiences – the students are encouraged to make the trip their own and have autonomy, but in a safe and supportive structure. Indonesia is a diverse and fascinating country that few Americans know anything about, despite its massive population. The places we lived in on the trip were all unique and wonderful in their own ways. I still think about the trip every day, even a year later, and I will forever be grateful I had the chance to travel to this amazing country with such incredible people.

This program was absolutely incredible. My home stays were the most amazing part throughout my trip- I cried after leaving all four of them because I just felt like I was a part of the family. From spearfishing to going on jungle hikes looking for durian, this trip will blow your mind. There is intimacy within the group and the instructors are incredibly helpful. This creates a safe space on the trip, which is super important when looking at gap year programs. I tell all of my friends to take a semester off because this trip was so influential and I want others to feel and experience the same awesome things I did on this adventure.

This was an incredible trip - I swam with dolphins and learned to spearfish with an adopted Bajo father, I played soccer in bamboo forests and on pitted fields dotted with cows and I became a part of three families that I'll never forget. Every day I was a part of these things and dozens more, things I hadn't imagined and each of them informed my worldview and inspired me to explore and find out whatever was around the next corner like nothing else ever has.

Last fall, I was a student on the Where There Be Dragons Semester course in Indonesia. I hadn't planned on taking time off between High School and College, but my ED school (Middlebury College) accepted me with a gap semester. The idea terrified me, challenged me, and ultimately has been an incredible gift. The course with Dragons changed my life.

One of the most incredible parts of Dragons courses are the instructors. Each program is made up of twelve students and a minimum of three instructors, at least one of whom is native to the counrty and citizens of the world, and each came to the program with a wealth of experience in human rights, conservation, academics, and cultural building. All were wonderful, passionate people with a will to open our minds, widen our knowledge of this world, and to grow with us as we experienced the consciousness-expanding wonder of deep, informed travel.

Whether the experience is four weeks or three months, being immersed in a new culture can be immensely challenging. It is so important to have quality mentorship in times of intense growth. Dragons recognizes this, and the instructors are people who can hold space for this kind of transformative opportunity. I found that, beyond being more than qualified to inform us on human rights issues, the environment, cultural tendencies in the developing and western world, and many more intellectual pursuits, the instructors were there to support us mentally and emotionally. They guided us, challenging us when necessary, but always there for us. They took care of us, but they also helped us learn to take care of ourselves.

Another amazing thing about Dragons is the relationship they build with local communities. Everywhere we went Dragons sought to create a sustainable friendship that benefits students and locals equally. This certainly deepens the student experience as it opens up doors for the friendships and mentorships. A homestay family that trusts Dragons as an organization will be more likely to get excited about sharing their world with a student. I will never forget the connections I made with parents, children, and friends as we traveled through Indonesia.

In each community we studied the culture (religion(s), history, customs, political dynamics, and role of the western world in all of this). environment (conservation issues facing communities, the impact of these on their everyday lives, changes being made going forward, and our roles in these issues), and community (what are the health care and educational systems, how far away is the nearest hospital, how and what language do the children learn to read). We studied all of this through community interaction: we'd sit in on community gatherings, organize talks with the village head, midwife, shaman, workers, and professors, and we'd ask them to tell us about their lives and their world. We also set aside time to process with the group, to learn how best to handle the intensity of our experiences.

The course had a great balance of time spent learning with the group and time spent exploring, hanging out, and integrating our experiences into a newfound awareness of self and the world. Each day we would come together for at least two hours to check in with everyone, take care of medical needs, and rediscover solidarity with our peers. When we needed it we would always make time to go snorkeling in the nearby coral reef, explore the regional volcano, sing songs around a bonfire, have a dance party, drink a coconut, and decompress.

I know that this trip changed my life. On my own, I never could have made it to such remote and beautiful places, experienced so much depth in new cultures, made such close friendships, and internalized my experience as lasting inspiration. I have been blown away by the integrity and values exhibited by all the staff at Dragons, and I am so incredibly grateful to have been their student.

Each student faced many challenges on this program: we went into the unknown and fought against our comfort zones. We pushed into growth and found that, as we were challenged, new worlds started to open up to us. New perspectives appeared, deeper empathy was felt, greater integrity was realized, and we were suddenly more mature, more moral, more in touch with our inner selves, and more sensitive to the lives of those around us in this vast, unpredictable, beautiful world. Having had this experience, I will never be able to live without thinking of myself in service to my community. I can't go back: I will always work harder in my friendships, find ways to explore, adventure, and deepen, and remember that I am a citizen of the world.

I wish that more of my friends would do Dragons programs. I have complete faith they would find their minds and souls expanded by it, just as I have.