Welcome to our forum for courses in the field. The Yak Board is a digital group journal where students and staff share photos, stories, reflections and group updates while on course. Check out our Featured Posts below or explore Yaks by program by clicking on the icons above.
Want to follow a program in the field? Click on the Subscribe to Updates button to receive one email a day if new content is posted.
As I sit on the plane with Today’s Hits pulsing in my ears, the distance between myself and my home for the past six weeks seems to grow exponentially. The stories I collected in Ambatomanga seem as long ago as my childhood and the rocks I turned......Read More
Wow. Six weeks have gone by. It’s nearly over and I’m not sure where to begin. We have settled in to our final location in Guatemala City, our last stop on this journey before we have to say our goodbyes. We are surrounded by pine trees, city sounds, and most importantly by each other. After 2 weeks of individual homestays in San Juan la Laguna, it is comforting to be back together as one single Dragons clan. This last chapter is called transference. It is a time marked by reflection: first looking back at our experiences together in Guatemala and… Read More
There will always be a point in your life when you will feel lost, when you look in the mirror and you don’t recognize who you’ve become and you’re starting to lose grip on what you’re meant to do. This feeling, for me, accumulated over the......Read More
I love you Madagascar I love your people Your nature And even your bugs Sometimes… But most of all, I love how you’ve changed me How you’ve made me think How you’ve made me grow And how you’ve made me love both myself, others And......Read More
Up until two years ago, I had grown up in Asia living in Singapore and Japan. My entire life I was surrounded by different cultures and religions, eating some of Asia’s finest foods, and being exposed to the wealthiest and poorest parts of the......Read More
A wonderful morning breeze on the rooftop of our beautiful Shechen guesthouse where we do our morning reflection as a group and this is why we all fall in love with Nepal! We are so inspired by this beautiful place! Jacqui, ” The prayer flags,......Read More
I’ve made it four weeks and two days successfully avoiding writing a yak, but I cannot be blamed. Just think, yaks are how most people back home are keeping up with this trip. This is a form of looking back on a trip after it has finished. And......Read More
The Quechua people of the mountains are deeply sewn into their environment to create a way of life that is very different from our own. The people (Runakuna), the watchers, and places (Tirakuna) weave a band of fabric through collaboration. As an......Read More
Our time in Guatemala comes to an end and the comforts of home feel closer than ever. During our time in the Sierras in California for Instructor orientation we did a small simulation for what it may feel like for students coming on a Dragons......Read More
Saludos desde Ollantaytambo We are on the last days of our course, we call transference at this couple of days were we are preparing ourselves to go home, we are reflecting on our journey together and off course we are enjoying our last moments as a......Read More
As I carefully lumbered through the rough terrain, down the steep riverbank exposed by the dangerously low water level, exhaustion from carrying my backpack and luggage made each necessary step towards our small lancha boat harder. But for the......Read More
Dear me when I get home, Firstly, you must always remember the moments that took your breath away. The green valleys stretching far beyond the eye can see. The sun setting on the village of Domkhar as you said farewell to its residents, your family.......Read More
Jullay from the North India Crew! We just got back from our beautiful Markha Valley trek. It is difficult to express in words or pictures what we just experienced. Spending time in the Markha Valley is a wonderful thing and we hope one day to do it with all of you reading this yak. Even during moments of pain and discomfort during our trek, we didn’t forget to take in the views, wonder at how these mountains came to be and thank whatever and whoever it was that made it possible for us to be there. As we trekked out… Read More
I write this yak from the curbside of a busy street in Rabinal – “The Entertainer” plays from an ice cream stand on the corner, rogue tuk tuks run rampant through the intersection, the air is hot and dry, and the mountains peek out from......Read More
Yesterday afternoon we had the chance to meet Matt, an American from Washington state spending two years in Bangdong as part of the ICWA (institute of current world affairs) program. Meeting Matt was perhaps the most anticipated event of the......Read More
I started out my homestay by being greeted by an old lady who spoke no English. I would later know her as angay, which is the Dzongkhan word for grandma. Now that the week is complete, I can confidently say that in my opinion, I had by far the best......Read More
