Featured Yaks
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.
‘Two cheers for local culture’
Charles Ji, Participant
Yak of the Week
(To Li Li) Dear Outside World, We the Dragons, on the last night at Bagan, came to write to you about our exciting adventure. This one-week experience is understood by many of us as unparalleled. Magnificent pagodas as the epitome of the 11th......Read More
Filling the Gaps Between Me and My Peers
William Suan, Participant
Yak of the Week
To my many Yak followers, Thus far, my experience in Guatemala has been one filled with amazing highlights featuring new friends, a loving host family, and dedicated instructors. On June 28, our group hit the ground running with a delicious dinner......Read More
Ciudadanos de Nuevo Horizonte- Citizens of Nuevo...
Tom Ni, Participant
Yak of the Week
Don Miguel angel “Gato”, the former cooperative president of Nuevo Horizonte, has given us a detailed introduction explaining the various projects and the daily life here. But what does it mean to live in a such self-sufficient “utopic”......Read More
The hills of Betafo
Micah, Instructor
Yak of the Week
The Hills of Betafo Imerina: The ancestral lands of the Merina people that is situated in the high plateau of central Madagascar Betafo: The name of a small town near Antsirabe whose name means ‘place of many roofs’ Vakinakaratra: The region......Read More
Why travel to Myanmar?
Hannah Sachs (Instructor), Instructor
Yak of the Week
Today’s classroom: The ancient, marvelous pagodas of Old Bagan. I consider it a rare and treasured opportunity to work as an instructor this summer and am humbled you are trusting me with your loved ones on this adventure. It’s the path less......Read More
Reflections on Dene
Griot Team 1: Arli, Elizabeth and Lucie, Participant
Yak of the Week
Arli’s Reflections: As I sat here writing the yak, I couldn’t help but feel the urge to dance around to the beat of the dreams and go back to the night before we left Dene. The sense of acceptance and sharing of culture from one person to......Read More
Borderless Indulgence
Harry Polsky and Jack Holmgren, Participant
Yak of the Week
Surrounded by the buzzing motorcycles of night-time Battambang, we stood before a small, but appealing selection of ice cream. Although the land we stood on profoundly lacked familiarity, the flavors reminded us of our lives thousands of miles away.......Read More
Feet on the ground, head in the clouds
Brooke, Participant
Yak of the Week
Inhale. Exhale. I can barely contain my rapture as I step out of the bus onto the white-lined pavement. Our guide Tiger la tells us that this is the highest elevation most of us have ever been, 3000 meters. I breathe in the cleanest air in the world......Read More
Xi’an to Xining
Team Silk Road, Instructor
Yak of the Week
Our journey to the west has begun! Xi’an, the first capital of China and terminus of the Silk Road was a perfect spot to start our adventure but we are excited to get out of the big city and get more off the beaten path. Our next stop is Tianshui,......Read More
Anti-Personal Landmines
AnnaRose Craig, Participant
Yak of the Week
Today we visited Apopo, an NGO that uses a certain breed of rats to detect and eventually clear land mines throughout Cambodia. Following the conflicts of the country’s past (bombings and wars), there are still an immense amount of land mines that......Read More
Our intentions for the course
Claire, Tsering, Rishi, Instructor
Yak of the Week
On Day 2 of our course we asked the Bhutan student group a series of questions about their expectations for the course. Here are a selection of their answers (anonymous, and in a random order): 1. Why did you choose to come on this trip?......Read More
Chefchaouen Day 1
Phil, Participant
Yak of the Week
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
Ramadan
Oscar Platt, Participant
Yak of the Week
The fasting month of Ramadan has finally arrived, and here in Jogja, everything seems to be moving at a more relaxed pace. People wake up later, the streets are quieter, and life just seems to be slower. During Ramadan, the day starts at 3:45 am......Read More
Instructor Introduction :)
Ben Daley, Instructor
Yak of the Week
Dear Students! Today, I write to you with anticipation from Little Gibson Lake in Northern Wisconsin. I’ve been here seeing friends and family, sharing stories of a recent road trip in the Western US, and reminiscing about memories of these......Read More
In Nepal, I experienced and learned…
Parker, Instructor
Yak of the Week
As our study-abroad program comes to a close, the group wanted to anonymously share some thoughts about that which we experienced, observed, and learned over these many months: In Nepal I experienced love. Not the eros kind but the philia,......Read More