Hi Students and Families, My name is Kelly and, as you know, I am Katie’s Nueva counterpart for this trip. Similar to Katie, I was lucky to travel from a young age. My father, an avid and passionate adventurer himself, was determined that I......Read More
Hello, Parents and Friends: This is a transition day for us as he leave the town of McLeod Ganj and move to our final segment in Bir and Deer Park Institute. Yesterday we visited the Tibetan library and archives and had a memorable audience with the......Read More
It is hard to put into words what you experience and even harder to capture in a few photographs. Students have been learning about the plight of the Tibetan people in exile by teaching the monks English (to help with their mission of spreading the......Read More
Hello! My name is Grady and I’m going into 8th grade at Nueva. I’m very excited to go on this trip and become closer with everyone in the group. I chose to go on this trip because I wanted to go last year but unfortunately, I was too......Read More
What a trip to Jizu Mountain! Our group trekked through thousands of stairs up to our hotel and enjoyed a well-deserved grand dinner upon arrival. The breathtaking sunrise marked a wonderful start to our last full day in China as we reflected on our......Read More
The day started earlier than usual. We woke up at an ungodly 4 AM as the first call to prayer rang throughout the streets of Fez. The purpose of was simple: stuff up on food before the sunrise. As one of the “Five Pillars of Dragons,” we decided that we would fast for a whole day. The group fasted not only from food but also from communicative habits, such as “like” or “wicked.” We then took a 4-hour bus ride up North to the blue city of Chefchaouen. We were introduced to the city with a Dragons hallmark scavenger hunt… Read More
Salaam! It’s Esha and I’m writing this Yak after our second day in Fes, the oldest city in Morocco. After a really restful sleep in my hotel room with Hannah and Sydney, we woke up to our usual breakfast of Milwi (bread), jam, butter,......Read More
Hi parents! I’m writing this post in Esha, Syd, and my beautiful bedroom on the top floor of our hotel in Fez, tired but happy after an exciting first day in the biggest city we’ve been to so far. We started the day with our host families, and......Read More
We woke up with a breathtaking view that we would remember for the rest of our lives. As we ate breakfast that morning, we sat around the table talking and laughing while being surrounded by the mountains. Following our breakfast, we met at the base......Read More
The Naxi homestay was definitely one that frightened me in the beginning of the trip. I think I was extremely afraid that I wouldn’t be able to connect with my family, because of language and lack of a shared culture. This was not the case with......Read More
Through her home stay family, Kennedy met a young Tibetan artist/photographer who offered to show us a film about the Tibetans’ struggle to keep their culture alive in the face of continued oppression. It was a moving film, and we are grateful......Read More
Today was the first and longest leg of the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek. We had an early start to keep within our timeframe for the hike, and, after breakfast, we loaded into a small bus, which dropped the group off at the beginning of the trail.......Read More
We arrived at the village on June 16, and my host grandma picked me up and brought me home. Every night, me and my host grandparents would watch their favorite tv show, which was about the Chinese Civil War. My host mom lived in a different house......Read More
Hi parents! Yesterday afternoon we went to the hammam with our host family, which is a traditional Moroccan bathhouse. It was a great bonding experience!!! Next, we headed to our host aunt’s house for some snacks with the whole host......Read More
Hi everyone! My name is Kayla and I’m going to be in 9th grade at Nueva. My hobbies include painting, playing soccer, and watching the Bachelor, Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise. I’m very excited to be going to the DR and I hope to......Read More
Hi, my name is Maya, and I’m going into 8th grade at Bayside STEM Academy after the summer. During my free time, I enjoy hanging out with friends, watching YouTube, and playing tennis. This trip interested me because it seemed like a very......Read More
