Sitting close, huddled around the fire, sharing all that we are grateful for, and gawking at the breathtaking stars overhead, we realized so easily how lucky we were to be spending our Thanksgiving in such a beautiful space with such caring people.......Read More
What a powerful and beautiful 3 months this has been. 11 students just left on American Airlines flight 922 (one student Amy will be staying in Bolivia and traveling with family & friends). When the students arrive in Miami they will call the......Read More
Having left Tiqipaya for the last time this semester, I find myself in an emotional limbo, trapped between the excitement of moving on and the sadness of leaving behind an awesome community and homestay family. Looking back on it, I can readily......Read More
I am incredibly grateful for my host family in Tiquipaya, though it was very different from my family back home. In Bolivia, I really appreciated having people who cared for me so much and so quickly and who were so wiling to welcome me into their......Read More
Itch. Itch. Itch. Itch. Finally gentle sleep comes. Burning tingles drag me back to consciousness. Itch. Comfort won’t come. Roll over. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Furiously. Sweet sleep arrives once more. Passage back into long since forgotten......Read More
Saludos desde El Alto! We are oficailly at our last stop of the semester! After three sunny days of reflective writing, goofy theater, and intense individual feedback sessions, this morning, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo (founders of the Inca Empire......Read More
It starts with dust and darkness. Wearing loose fitting hard hats and headlamps, young men burrow into the earth in search of the minerals that the Pachamama offers. They are headed to the place where God cannot reach them. Every inhale takes in the......Read More
Here we are, at the end of the road. Words can’t describe the life altering oddesey we have experienced over the past three months, but like all good things, this journey must come to an end. And so we are here on La Isla Del Sol, a place......Read More
Dear Fall 2017 Andes and Amazon Group B Semester Families, It is hard to believe that 3 months have passed since your student embarked on this incredible adventure! It won’t be long until students will be boarding their planes back home. We are......Read More
In 1544 the Spanish invaders discovered the mighty Cerro Rico mountain of Potosi. Arguably the largest silver mine in history it’s said that the silver extracted from Cerro Rico could build a road of pure silver from Potosi all the way to......Read More
We’ve just arrived in the community of Tocaña where we’ll be until the 29th. Our predominantly down hill hike on the Choro Trek took us through a wide variety of beautiful climates. Here are a couple photos from the last couple of days......Read More
Within our first week in Bolivia, Zack jokingly (?) revealed that, although Dragons may have advertised this trip as three months of once-in-a-lifetime adventures and cultural immersion, it’s mostly an extended lesson in group dynamics. While......Read More
There wouldn’t be enough space to write about all the amazing places and people I have had the privilege to experience and meet, but one common favorite out of my whole group and personally one of my favorite experiences has been our time in......Read More
Each time we come back to Tiquipaya we are blessed with the opportunity to work with Vilma, Delma, Maria and Carla. These four women are amazing educators that work tirelessly to create interactive and useful Spanish lessons for our students. In......Read More
This is a collective yak written by the whole group during our morning meeting. In an in improvisational style each person would have to play off of the sentences provided before them. Please enjoy our campfire style story, compiled for your......Read More
Heads tucked low, we pressed forward with wind, snow and a mysterious fog swirling around us amidst unrelenting mountains. Legs quaking from an endless decent; faces pressed tight into our collars, softly rubbing against the cool, condensed moisture......Read More