SPRING 2014
Global citizenship and leadership programs in the developing world since 1993
IN
THIS
ISSUE
3.
LETTER FROM
8. VIVIR BIEN
12. GLOBAL
THE EXECUTIVE
by Julianne Chandler CITIZENSHIP
DIRECTOR
by Chris Yager
4.
NOTES FROM
THE FIELD
6.
WHAT
TRAGEDY MEANS
by Parker Flaum
10.
THE GREATEST RISK OF ALL
by Tim Hare
11.
BOOK REVIEW:
STUMBLING ON
HAPPINESS
by Aaron Slosberg
EDUCATION
by Simon Hart
15.
LIVING BIG
by Merete Mueller
16.
ALUMNI
18. WATER:
SPOTLIGHT: BIKING DID YOU KNOW
WEST TO EAST
with Jordan & Gus
Perkins
17.
ALUMNI
SPOTLIGHT:
SOMETIMES LIFE
JUST ADDS UP
with Chris Temple
19.
ALUMNI:
TOP PICKS
20.
COURSE
HIGHLIGHTS
PORTRAITS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
BEYOND
THE GATE
a letter from our executive director
Chris Yager
In the mid 1980’s, nearly every working adult living in China subsisted on a
State-provided income that translated to $34/month. At that time a particular group of people
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1ST ROW: BRAZIL Thomas Bisinger, INDONESIA Michele Ferrari, BOLIVIA Slade Cogswell 2ND ROW: NEPAL Adam Brobjorg, NEPAL Where There Be Dragons archive, CHINA Sabrina Pearson 3RD ROW: INDONESIA Lauren Harper, BURMA Matt Reichel COVER: PERU Aaron Slosberg
emerged as a first-wave of China’s economic elite: taxi drivers.
I was in a cab, in the fall of 1987, when I pulled into one of the few Western hotels that serviced foreign visitors. There, on the
periphery of the hotel’s grounds, stood Tom Brokaw, NBC’s news anchor. Mr. Brokaw stood alone gazing over a pile of rubble. In the
mid-80s rubble piles dominated the Chinese urban landscape, and much of the country was falling apart faster than it was being built.
I had waited for nearly an hour to catch that cab, because there were very few in a city still dominated by bicycles. Throughout
the 1980s, you could stand on Beijing’s busiest streets and see several thousand bicyclists pass in quiet commute before seeing a
single car.
I had traveled to this hotel to change money. For my American Express traveler’s check, I would receive FEC, or Foreign
Exchange Currency. A special currency different than the Renminbi - the “people’s money” that was used by every Chinese citizen,
FEC was issued to foreigners only, and could be used at specialty stores that were stocked with imported goods. Consequently there
was a large black market in which FEC was traded for Renminbi, at a rate of nearly 2:1. The people who were on the frontline of
the currency trade were the city’s cab drivers.
Because few – if any – Chinese citizens had the resources to take a cab ride, many of the taxis serviced foreigners, and many of
those foreigners paid their fares in FEC. The cab drivers could immediately trade their FEC on the black market, adding significantly to their income. The few bars and restaurants that existed at the time were crammed with cab drivers, spending discretional
money that no one else had.
As I pulled up next to Mr. Brokaw, I wondered if he knew about this black-market that was among the harbingers of the radical
commercial shift that was to come, and that presaged a level of corruption that was to become a large part of the storyline in China’s economic growth. Standing in crisp khakis and a pink shirt, Mr. Brokaw, alone in an otherwise bleak post-apocalyptic-looking
landscape, was insulated from life outside the hotel’s compound; China’s state-police would make sure that he wouldn’t engage in
any meaningful interactions outside the hotel’s grounds.
Mr. Brokaw was in China to report on the country’s emergence from decades of closed Communist rule. With such limited
access to people on the street, I wondered how much Mr. Brokaw really knew. Seeing him looking out over a landscape beyond the
hotel’s gate, I could see in his gaze a desire to truly know and understand what was beyond the hotel’s periphery.
I left Mr. Brokaw in his solitude, but I’ve always wished that we had talked, and that I had been given the opportunity to tell
him what I had learned from my time beyond the hotel’s gate. Particularly in a state with so many veils (and walls), it felt to me
that the Westerners who were beginning to understand China were those young adults who were the first to study there. It seemed
to me then, as it is clear to me now, that if you want to know the reality of a place, you ought to connect with the youth who are
able to find their way through the cracks, and whose undeterred moxie and inquisitive minds are actively searching for authentic
experiences and for truth.
Within Dragons, we work with hundreds of guides who have developed their knowledge of place through experiences among
the countries’ youth. And our programs themselves facilitate engagements that bring the realities to the surface, in all their beauty
and in all their ugliness. Engaging with place honestly is at times a bruising experience. Distinguishing reality from veiled-perception is essential if we’re to pursue a lasting peace through constructive dialogue and engagement. It’s important to know who’s
benefiting in a country’s economy. It’s important to know what’s beyond the gate.
—Chris Yager
Founder and Executive Director
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3
NOTES
YAK YAK
FROM THE FIELD
PERCEPTION VS. REALITY
A MONTH OF CONTRASTS
by CINDY LIU, Andes & Amazon Semester, Spring 2014
HIMALAYAN STUDIES
Spring 2014
VISIONS OF INDIA
Spring 2014
CENTRAL AMERICA
Spring 2014
ANIL DAAI
BODH GAYA, BIHAR
by MADDIE PRYOR
by EMMETT ROSENBAUM
Anil Daai, who came to speak to us this
past Friday about development, commanded the attention of a room full of
students like no other. Change, he said,
his eyes dancing around the room at
each of our individual faces, only comes
when you step outside of your comfort
zone. You must be willing to make
mistakes. Few have ever accomplished
anything while thinking inside the box.
Anil Daai went on to explain that he
prefers to refer to things that may be
considered a problem as things he wants
to change. To me, this is an incredibly
important distinction. When you think
of issues in this way, you empower yourself to make a difference.
Needless to say, I am looking forward
to Part II of Anil Daai’s talk this coming
Friday. If asked to summarize the
significance of Anil Daai’s talk with us,
I am struck by an exchange between
him and a peer of mine as we sat on
our patio, post discussion, enjoying daal
bhat. My fellow student Robert inquired,
who is the most powerful person in the
world? Without hesitation, Anil Daai
responded: you.
Today as we drove back from Mahakala,
the cave where Buddha meditated, there
was a traffic jam. The kind of traffic
jam that happens in movies where the
world is about to end and everyone is
fleeing NYC or Los Angeles and there is
chaos in the streets and there are aliens
and there is no hope. Or, what they
call in India, traffic. We had 10 people
in our jeep, with a tractor on one side,
an 18-wheeler on the other, and auto
rickshaws in every other direction.
During such moments of total stillness, you get to know the surroundings
outside your window. There were shops
selling fresh samosas, gulab jamun, and
other fried foods that came straight from
a giant cauldron of boiling oil. Next door,
a sweet shop, then an Ayurvedic medicine corner store; in front, a fruit stand,
a peanut roaster and a cobbler with his
tools displayed on a blanket. Really quite
a pleasant scene if you think about it. I
have been especially grateful recently
because of our teachings with Venerable
Sarah, and despite the delay, I tried to
keep a Buddhist mentality throughout
the traffic jam: Go forth with kindness,
wisdom and compassion.
Sandinistas drink Somoza’s
Blood from glasses.
I suppose a Revolution was in order.
Though all the tensions along the border
Remain unclear, Reagan still screamed
“We’re not coming for your
Sandinista dreams.”
And while Nicaragua needed money,
They knew they weren’t no communist honey,
But the US said “We won’t give you none.”
So what else could they have done?
So the US decided to send in the Contras
To ensure it wouldn’t be another
communist mantra.
So the FSLN had no other choice
Since they needed to fight to keep their voice.
So they asked the Soviets to give them aid
With helicopters the currency with
which they were paid.
Yet normal funds were still in need
For the people’s screams they wished to heed.
They decided money printing to initiate,
But that only caused things to inflate.
As children fought brother on brother,
Not knowing which had killed the other.
But while it seemed like chaos reigned,
Everyone jumped aboard the literacy train.
And despite a decade engulfed in fight,
Nicaragua has emerged to see the light.
by SARAH WEINER
4
THE MAP’S EDGE, Spring 2014
NICARAGUA THROUGH THE 80s
H
OW CAN ONE YAK EVEN
BEGIN TO SUM UP MY IMPRESSIONS OF PERU,
or any of my experiences for that
matter? But as I think back on the past
month, four images wrought with irony
and contrast stand out to me.
The first is of a taxi driver who
drove a group of us from Cusco to
Ollantaytambo, and his pouring a sip of
his Fanta on the ground as an offering
to the Pachamama before drinking
from the bottle. The second is of my
home-stay mama in the town of Japu in
Nacion Q’eros, who pulled a cellphone
out of her pocket the night we were
there. When I asked her if there was reception, she shyly shook
her head no. The third is of a young university music teacher, who
presented to Emma and I an entire table of Incan and Pre-Incan
instruments at the Inka Museum in Cusco; among them included panpipes made from condor feathers, flutes made from llama
bones, and ceremonial whistles in the shape of a hummingbird.
He was initially wearing a ‘North Face’ sports jacket, but halfway
through donned an indigenous poncho and wool hat ‘in case we
wanted to take photos.’ The final one is of reading in the Machu
Picchu museum that the terraces at the ancient Incan city were
now covered with a type of African weed, because it appeals more
to the ‘Western aesthetic.’
These four images remind me of the complicated dynamic
between traditional culture and development. It is interesting to
RESPONSE TO CINDY’S POST
by MARTINA HILDRETH
Andes & Amazon Semester, Spring 2014
I
AM SO GRATEFUL TO CINDY for putting so eloquently
something I’ve felt unable to express in words. The contrast
and complexity within Peruvian and Bolivian society has been
very evident, and at times hard to reconcile with how I think
things are, or how I wish they were. It is especially difficult
when it appears that travelers like me are partially responsible
for creating the confusion, as illustrated by Cindy’s example of
the grass at Machu Picchu.
see a taxi driver remain loyal to his
ancestors’ beliefs, but it is ironic that
he did so with a soda produced by a
Western company. It was bittersweet
to see my home-stay mama with a
cellphone, because I didn’t know how
often she had use for it, or how much
modern technology had touched the
people of Q’eros, who still seemed very
attached to their land and traditional
lifestyles. It was funny to see the young
music teacher drape his poncho over
his Western-branded jacket, as if doing
so would give us a more authentic
experience. It was sad to see a site as
mystic as Machu Picchu so touched by
tourism, and confusing to realize that
tourism is probably also what sustains
the preservation and continued excavation of the city.
What these impressions have taught me though, is that development is not black or white, nor good or bad. The struggle between preservation and development is real, albeit unconscious,
as I’ve seen with my very own eyes. I can still remember Fabian,
our local guide in Q’eros, who had been the president of the five
local communities, sitting in the grass telling us about his wish to
preserve the culture and practices of the indigenous people, but
acknowledging that he had moved his family to Cusco so that his
children could get a better education.
The most important lesson I’ve learned in the past month is
to feel as equally with my heart as with my mind, so although
much of what I’ve seen still confuses me, I know that at least
these impressions will stay with me long into the future.
I believe that I am looking for a culturally “authentic” experience with Dragons, but what does that mean? Does it mean bemoaning and overlooking the facts that Peruvian museum workers
wear North Face and express their thanks to the Pachamama with
Fanta? No, I don’t think so. The best I can do is to stop imposing
my own preconceptions upon their reality, and instead embrace
what I see, in all it’s complexity and incomprehensibility, with open
eyes and a mind free of judgement. I realize that the places we
are visiting are impossible to know and understand in just a few
months. I will strive to value the questions I have been given just as
much as I would the answers I lack.
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5
WHAT TRAGEDY MEANS
CURRENT EVENTS: KUNMING, CHINA
“No matter what sort of difficulties,
how painful the experience is, if we lose our hope,
that’s our real disaster.”
–the Dali Lama
by PARKER FLAUM
Instructor - China: South of the Clouds, Spring 2014
AT 9:20PM ON MARCH 1 ST, EIGHT KNIFEWIELDING ATTACKERS RAN INTO THE KUNMING
TRAIN STATION AND FOR TWELVE MINUTES,
THE LOBBY OF THE STATION DESCENDED INTO
INDISCRIMINATE CHAOS. I was not there, but I can fully
imagine the confusion, the turmoil and the screams. If you
were one of the unlucky people standing in line to purchase
train tickets on Saturday night, you would have heard yells;
you would have felt people turning around, standing on
tip-toes, craning their necks, running away. You might have
seen pools of blood and islands of luggage strewn across the
concrete, bodies laying face-down, not moving, not breathing.
Twenty-nine people were killed that night and over 140 people
were injured.
This is what tragedy means: an unexpected event causing
great suffering, loss and distress. When great tragedies occur
they often make us question our reality or at least our perception of the world and our place within it.
forces. The authorities vowed to crack down on violent terrorist
activities in all forms and guarantee the safety of people’s lives
and property2.”
With independent journalists silenced, the Xinhua has
been able to shape the public narrative around the Kunming
tragedy. Commentary published by Xinhua editors has become
increasingly divisive, framing the attackers as “anti-China parasites” or “Uighur separatists attempting to fulfill secessionist
plots3” through an event that can only be considered “a typical
terrorist attack,” “a severe crime against the humanity,” or by
one Xinhua editor, “China’s ‘9-114’.”
I fear that Xinhua commentary may re-frame the public
perception of Uighur minority groups in Kunming even before the
Chinese Community Party has collected substantive facts. It’s been
over two weeks, and no group has taken credit for the attack. No
pictures of the attackers have been released. No evidence has
been released that the attackers were even Uighurs. If the Chinese
government continues to censor public dialogue and present a
narrative that vilifies Uighur minority groups as terrorists from
IT’S DIFFICULT TO TELL WHAT ACTUALLY
Xinjiang, I fear that the legacy of the Kunming tragedy will augHAPPENED IN THE KUNMING TRAIN STATION THAT ment the sectarian divide between China’s Han majority and the
NIGHT. I have Internet access at the Dragons’ program
ethnic minority groups in China’s Northwest Provinces.
house in Kunming and I have local friends. We can postulate
about the motives behind the attack and share speculations
THERE ARE MANY IN CHINA THAT WILL CRY OUT
about what it means for the future, but for the large part, the
LOUDLY THAT UIGHURS ARE DANGEROUS, THAT
Communist Party has stymied all public dialogue about the
CHINA NEEDS MORE POLICE, MORE ARRESTS
Kunming tragedy. The Xinhua, the official news organ of the
AND MORE ENFORCED STABILITY. They will decry the
Communist Party, released two basic statements immediately
lack of security in Xinjiang. They will insist that the Uighurs
following the tragedy in Kunming on March 2nd. The first was
have benefitted greatly from the Chinese Community Party’s
increased economic investment in the Northwest Provinces and
sent to Chinese journalists, stating, “Regarding the stabbing
show no gratitude by lodging continuous complaints about a
incident in Kunming on March 1: When covering this, follow
the Xinhua story strictly and [reporting] should be based on the lack of religious and political freedom.
The Uighurs might denounce the influx of Han migrants to
information released by the local authority. No big headlines,
1
a region in which the Uighurs are quickly become a minority.
No pictures .” And the second was directed to Chinese public,
“Evidence at the crime scene showed that the Kunming Railway They might yell out that the Han have better access to
Station terrorist attack was orchestrated by Xinjiang separatist resources, better political connections, and more educational
6
THE MAP’S EDGE, Spring 2014
photo ELODIE FREYMANN, China Comprehensive 2012
opportunities. They might decry the fact that Muslim students
are banned from fasting during Ramadan, or that Uighur
language instruction is limited in public schools.
Whatever their perspectives, these two narratives are
quickly diverging. There is little contact between the Han and
the minorities in the far reaches of China. There is often no
conversation between them.
I WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR DIALOGUE. I don’t
know who the train station attackers were, where they came
from, their past, or what their reasons were for committing
this unthinkable, unacceptable and horrible atrocity. We
will probably never know the true story, but we can start by
sharing our perspectives. In America, we host talks, we write
editorials, we call our Congressional Representatives, we
form support groups to help victims of crimes and disasters.
The Chinese government should open up a public space for
empathy. There is little contact between Han and minorities,
and without a forum to share perspectives, it is unlikely that
the two sides will ever understand the others’ grievances. Now
it seems likely that some Uighur people are going out to maim
and kill. Clearly, they feel there is no forum for them to speak,
no recourse but to kill. That is not right. We must listen.
There is a saying in Tibetan, “Tragedy should be utilized
as a source of strength;” the Dali Lama says that, “no matter
what sort of difficulties, how painful the experience is, if we lose
our hope, that’s our real disaster.” My hope is that China can
begin a new era. An era where people can talk freely, community-to-community, person-to-person, and begin to practice
universal love, no matter what part of China you’re from.
Beech, Hannah. “China Reacts to Terrorism ‘Double-Standard’ After Kunming Mass Stabbing.” Time.com, 3/3/2014. Online: http://time.
1
com/11432/china-kunming-terror-attack-uighurs/
Yi, Yang. “Kunming terrorist attack orchestrated by Xinjiang separatists.” Xinhua.net: March 2, 2014. Online: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/
2
china/2014-03/02/c_133152815.htm
Qing, Shen. “Commentary: High time for West to see the real evil face of “East Turkistan” separatists.” March 5, 2014. Online: http://news.xin-
3
huanet.com/english/indepth/2014-03/05/c_133162664.htm
Tao, Gui. “Nothing justifies slaughter in China’s 9-11”. Xinhua.net March 2, 2014. Online: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/in-
4
depth/2014-03/02/c_133153400.htm
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7
VIVIR BIEN:
Is B o l i vi a ’ s g o v e r n m e n t c e le b ra ti ng or e xp l oi ti ng And e a n B e l i ef syst ems?
I
by JULIANNE CHANDLER
Andes & Amazon Program Director
T WAS NIGHTTIME IN THE PERUVIAN ANDESand we had just finished a simple dinner of potatoes and broth.
The only light in the small stone hut emanated from a fire in the corner, and the last flames danced wistfully before leaving
only the embers glowing in the darkness. Outside we could make out the arch of the great mountains against the night sky
and the glow of the first stars painting their way across the darkness; stars that I knew would soon glow in a profusion
that most of my students had never before witnessed. Directing his ‘kintu’ of three leaves towards the ‘apus’, or mountain gods,
my host father blew across the leaves then asked permission in Quechua from the earth mother to partake in this ritual. As
we huddled together on llama skins in the warmth of the hut, the couple then commenced their nightly conversation with the
‘apus’, the great protector gods of the valley. Their gentle words floated into the night sky like smoke, and I almost sensed the
delicate ears of the earth as they sunk in.
BOLIVIA IS MY HOMEand I am
moved and inspired by this vibrant
country every single day. It was only a
few decades ago that indigenous people,
who make up over 60% of the population,
were not permitted to walk on sidewalks
or pass through public plazas. Today,
indigenous people hold important seats
in government, children are learning
native languages in schools, and the
nation’s development agenda is shaped
by centuries-old Andean belief systems,
such as ayni.
The daily ritual that I shared with a
family in the Nación Q’eros region of
Peru, a people that trace their lineage
of
lations, through the full complementarity
munity and its resources to thrive.
of the rights of peoples, persons, states
Evo Morales is the first indigenous
and Mother Earth.” And in practice,
president of Bolivia and he values the
he ordered the building of a road that
concept of ayni. Morales’ first presidencut right through the heart of Bolivia’s
tial campaign hinged on a platform that
largest National Park and indigenous terprioritized the rights and representation
ritory. Abroad, he is a hero—even awardof traditional Andean cultures over a
ed “World Hero of Mother Earth” by the
development regime driven by foreign
corporations. And upon election, Morales General Assembly of the United Nations
in 2009. And yet at home, indigenous
instated a national development initiapeoples have organized brazen demontive known as Vivir Bien. Understood in
contrast to concepts of “living better,” the strations against Morales and a national
Vivir Bien model is based on the concept agenda does not protect or prioritize
Mother Earth.
of ayni, and is meant to limit overconPresident Morales is set to run for
sumption and exploitation by prioritizing
his third term at the end of this year. In
equality, community systems of produclight of the upcoming elections, I’d like
In its essence, ayni is the spirit and philosophy to take a moment to share my perception
of Morales’ political legacy thus far, and
how humans may live on this earth in harmony what his likely re-election will mean for
with all that surrounds us Bolivia’s reality in the future.
directly back to the Inca, is one example
of ayni, or reciprocity. In its essence, ayni
is the spirit and philosophy of how humans may live on this earth in harmony
with all that surrounds us – on a personal,
communal, natural, and celestial level. In
practice, ayni is the exchange of resources, labor, and spiritual rites that maintain
balance in the universe and allow a com-
8
THE MAP’S EDGE, Spring 2014
tion and respect for Mother Earth.
Thus far, the concept of Vivir Bien has
served President Morales well, however
I’ve observed a strong disconnect between how this model is expressed in
theory and how it has been expressed
in practice. In theory, Morales proclaims,
“Vivir Bien is based on the full realization
of human happiness of peoples and popu-
FROM A PEASANT BACKGROUND IN ORURO,Morales began
his political career as a representative
of the Coca Grower’s Association in the
Chapare region of Bolivia, and fought
fervently against US-sponsored efforts to
criminalize and eradicate coca throughout the 1990s as part of the War on
Drugs. In 2005, Evo was elected presi-
from over – for now the road project has
dent in a landslide victory and immediresources for their own benefit.” A few
been put on hold – Morales is set to run
ately convened a Constitutional Assembly years later, in June of 2011, the Morales
for his third term at the end of this year.
to draft a new Bolivian Constitution,
administration inaugurated construction
giving increased rights and representaon a road project that would cut through There is little doubt that he will win,
although perhaps with less of a landslide
tion to indigenous populations, enacting
the heart of the Isiboro-Sécure National
than his previous election. Recently, as
land reforms, and prioritizing state and
Park and Indigenous Territory (TIPNIS)
the campaign takes on more vitality, I
national industries over foreign corpoin the Bolivian Amazon. In the process
have noticed a somewhat disturbing postrations. Upon assuming the Presidency,
the government blatantly bypassed the
er hanging on the walls of government
Evo re-negotiated contracts with the
new Bolivian Constitution by failing to
offices, on buses, and in the streets. The
oil and natural gas industries, allowing
consult the communities that would be
image depicts a profile of Evo Morales
profits to stay in-country for the benefit
affected by the highway. Financed by
alongside the late 18th century indigeof the Bolivian people.
the Brazilian Government and part of a
While Evo’s economic reforms have
larger trans-continental highway project, nous leader Tupac Katari, a man who has
become the primary symbol of the MAS
not been popular with all sectors of
the road promised economic developsociety, Bolivia has reaped the benefits
of increased GDP and successful cash
“I am convinced that the indigenous people are
transfer programs. Since 2005, extreme
the moral reserve of humanity. Among them there
poverty in Bolivia has dropped considerably. The country has recorded a steady
does not exist the mentality of being selfish or
international growth rate. And Bolivia
individualistic nor an attitude of trying to take over
currently has the highest ratio in the
and control resources for their own benefit.”
world of international reserves compared
to the size of its economy. By many meamovement. The caption reads “Tupac:
sures of success, Morales has knocked the ment and national integration for the 64
Insurrection, Evo: Revolution,” the
ball out of the park.
indigenous communities living within
implication being that Evo is fulfilling
Morales is lauded for his success on
the park. According to an environmenthe international stage as well. He took a
tal-impact study, it also promised to leave Katari’s failed attempt to overthrow the
Spanish colonial power over 200 years
strong stand on climate change by rejectup to 64% of one of the world’s most
ago. As coopted emblems from the past
ing the Copenhagen Accord in 2009, and
bio-diverse rainforests deforested within
continue to proliferate, the government’s
a year later Bolivia passed the world’s first a 20-year period.
promise of a sustainable and represen“Law of the Rights of Mother Earth,” in
A few weeks later, over 1,000 indigtative future based on the deeply-rooted
theory granting nature equal rights to huenous demonstrators initiated a 65-day,
tenets of ayni prove increasingly shallow.
mans. In a country poised to be one of the 500 km march from Trinidad in the
The successes of the current governmost vulnerable to the impacts of climate
Bolivian Amazon to the highland city of
ment cannot be undervalued, but the
change, the government has challenged
La Paz in protest of the highway project.
country continues to be dangerously
wealthy nations to take responsibility for
Several weeks into the march the demtheir increased role in carbon emissions by onstrators encountered brutal violence as dependent upon non-renewable natural
resource extraction to sustain its econpaying a “climate debt” to poorer nations.
hundreds of Bolivian police tear-gassed,
omy. As I observe the ebb and flow of
While this discourse has elevated Morales’
fired upon with rubber bullets, and beat
change, my mind floats back to my host
image internationally, the story on the
the peaceful protestors. It seemed that
family in the remote Nación Q’eros reground remains glaringly different.
Morales’ unyielding support for indigegion of Peru that opens this story. In my
In a famous speech delivered at the
nous populations and the environment
mind, there is no doubt that we have impre-Incan site of Tiwanaku in 2007, Evo
only went so far.
portant lessons to learn from the wisdom
Morales declared, “I am convinced that
of traditional cultures around the world.
the indigenous people are the moral
IN RECENT YEARSthe MAS governMay that conversation – between cultures,
reserve of humanity. Among them there
ment’s utilitarian understanding of Vivir
across social sectors, with ourselves, and,
does not exist the mentality of being
Bien has only escalated, placing Evo
selfish or individualistic nor an attiMorales at the center of intense criticism perhaps most importantly, with the earth
tude of trying to take over and control
at home. While the TIPNIS conflict is far that sustains us – continue.
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9
The Greatest Risk Of All
by TIM HARE, Director of Risk Management
Dragons. One of Dragons’ central goals
is to move students from their ‘comfort
zone’ into their ‘learning zone’, as such
a shift is often cause for the greatest
personal growth and discovery. As a
24-year old adventurer, striking out on
an unknown trail, I too was growing and
discovering more about the world and
my place within it.
I’ve worked as a professional
guide and program director at
Where There Be Dragons for
nine years now. One of the things
that keeps me around is my belief that
my vocation is closely aligned with
my personal values. In this case, that
means designing summer and semester
What are we advocating for? We
advocate for exploration and curiosity
towards the unknown. We advocate
for a healthy amount of unsettling in
our lives; a wanderlust in our hearts;
a steady agitation that motivates
us to shake up the status quo on a
regular basis – both individually and
collectively. As soon as one veers from
the path of the known and towards
an unknown realm, they enter an
ambiguous space that creates emotional,
physical, and even spiritual risk. From
my perspective, heading down this
path is essential to living a full and
interesting life. Students that join our
programs tend to agree. We are not
just talking about traveling to far-flung
‘What is life but a series of inspired follies?
The difficulty is to find them to do.
Never lose a chance: it doesn’t come every day.’
– George Bernard Shaw
photo HILLARY SITES, Staffing Director & Southeast Asia Program Director
Tim Hare is Dragons’ Director of Risk Management. Tim has worked in experiential education since his days as an Outward
Bound instructor in 2001. An avid climber and alpinist, Tim has climbed and guided some of the most rugged peaks in the Americas. After
4 years in Bolivia as Dragons’ Latin America Program Director, we’ve been lucky enough to welcome Tim back to Boulder to oversee
Dragons’ comprehensive risk management systems. As we look ahead to our largest season of summer programming ever, we asked Tim to
share his perspective on the word risk: how to plan for it, how to manage it, and how to optimize its educational value.
I met Dragons at a propitious
time. I was in Charazani, the cultural
center of the Kallawaya healers of the
Apolobamba Mountains in northern
Bolivia.
I was 24 and I had been working
as a mountain guide in Patagonia for
the southern summer before traveling
to Bolivia to buy 3 donkeys and trek
across the altiplano (high plateau). At
the end of the trek, I sold my donkeys,
bid adios to my friend, and made a solo
journey to the Apolobamba, where I
10 THE MAP’S EDGE, Spring 2014
planned to traverse the range and eventually descend into Madidi National
Park in the Amazon. I had a machete, 2
weeks of food, and a journal.
As I began my trek from Charazani,
I saw another gringo in the plaza and
struck up a conversation. His name was
Lyle, and he was in town to meet with
community leaders on behalf of an
oddly named company, Where There
Be Dragons. His main task in Charazani
was to set up a home-stay for a group of
students due to arrive in 4 months. I was
impressed. Here I was, an increasingly
seasoned traveler on the greatest adventure of my life, and there was another
gringo planning to bring a group of students to this isolated valley to live with
local families? We chatted for a while and
exchanged contacts. I headed into the
high peaks, and vowed to look into these
Dragons when I was back in the city.
I say this was a most propitious time
because I was on a trek that placed me
far outside of my comfort zone when I
met Lyle, and subsequently discovered
programs that offer students the
opportunity to take calculated risks to
foster personal growth.
Risk is often considered a four-letter
word. Most conversations involving it
are about mitigating or managing it,
often about eliminating it. In my new
role as Director of Risk Management
at Dragons, it is at the forefront of the
work I engage every day. Understanding
and managing risk is the foundational
pillar of all of our programming, with
the end goal of creating the safest
possible experiences for our students.
Let’s look at risk from another
angle, though, and turn towards positive
language, rather than negative – just
as an activist can either choose to fight
either for or against, and a complaint
can easily be re-stated as a request.
Inasmuch as we are managing risks, we
are also advocating for taking them.
Indeed, we actually find it impossible
to untangle our efforts to create
transformational learning experiences
from the inherent risks involved.
book review
‘Stumbling on Happiness ’
by DANIEL GILBERT (2007)
reviewed by AARON SLOSBERG
Did this course meet your expectations? Please explain... At the end
of every Dragons course, students fill
out an evaluation. After reading hundreds of pages of feedback over the
years, I’ve noticed a common pattern:
many students’ expectations were not
“met.” Far from being disgruntled, the
vast majority of these students gave
their courses the highest marks, but
could not report that the expectations
formed at home were the ones fulfilled
by Dragons. Instead, the common
response is more philosophical and
prescriptive... typically, What I actually experienced could never have been
expected, so just show up with an open
mind and leave expectations at home.”
In Stumbling on Happiness, Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert makes
a convincing case that how we manage
our expectations can be even more important than the experience itself; in
fact, our happiness may depend on it.
locales, however. Even greater risks may
be found by veering from a value system
that we’ve outgrown, or discarding a
way of life that doesn’t suit us anymore.
I advocate for embracing life’s sharp
Gilbert argues that with the evoluedges, rough surfaces and meandering
tion of the pre-frontal cortex the hupaths that are increasingly turning soft,
man brain gained the unique power of
smooth and straight, respectively. I do
prospection: the act of looking forward
not advocate being reckless or taking
in time or considering the future. Our
risks with excessive or unpredictable
brains are future simulators, constantly
consequences. I advocate being smart
making predictions about not just what
and well prepared before heading out,
will happen, but how we’ll feel in our
knowing where hazards lie, and then
fabricated futures. As Gilbert illustrates
stepping courageously into an unknown
through dozens of fascinating studies
realm to better understand ourselves,
and stories, our misguided expectation
others, and the world in which we live.
for accuracy and control over our proAt Dragons, this is what we call positive
jected futures is the source of much
risk taking, or leaning into risk. With
avoidable discontent. Stumbling on
our students we describe it as stepping
Happiness is a fascinating scientific
outside of your “comfort zone” and into
affirmation of that common Dragons’
your “learning zone”. It is likely the only
epiphany: show up with in an open
way to know and explore our full and
mind and leave expectations at home.
authentic potential in this life.
Check out Gilbert’s TED talk on the
Then, there is also the greatest risk
“Surprising Science of Happiness.”
of all, and that is to live without taking
risks.
[email protected] | www.wheretherebedragons.com | 800.982.9203
11
Global Citizenship Education
upcoming courses
C a t ch p h r a s e o r p a r ad i gm s h i f t?
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SEMINAR:
BEST PRACTICES IN GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
by SIMON HART, Director of Custom and Professional Programming
A
T DRAGONS WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THE
GROWING TREND IN GLOBAL EDUCATION.
In a world fractured by cultural misunderstanding, the global citizenship education movement
has the potential to cultivate a generation of empathetic,
self-aware students that seek connection and understanding
rather than isolation from that which is foreign. But widespread popularity and growth is not always good for a movement; like “sustainability”, people struggle to define what it
means when it comes in so many different forms.
As the Director of Custom and Professional Programming
at Dragons, I’m in the unique position of working both for an
–Dragons’ Training in Global Citizenship Education participants
stand next to a memorial for community members killed by U.S.
backed contra soldiers in Lagartillo, Nicaragua.
–The Rocky Mountain Seminar focuses on Best Practices in
Global Citizenship Education, bringing together educators and
administrators involved in the design and implementation of
effective global programming. Participant titles include, directors
of diversity and community outreach, civic engagement, service
learning coordinators, and directors of experiential learning.
12 THE MAP’S EDGE, Spring 2014
experiential education company in which cultivating global
citizenship, self-awareness and leadership define the core
tenants of what we do, and with high schools and universities
that follow a more traditional model of classroom education.
The schools we partner with—Princeton University’s BridgeYear Program, Norfolk Academy, The Hawken School, and
Castilleja School—to name a few, have taken important and
bold steps to integrate global citizenship education (GCE) into
their student experience. All of them have done the important
work of defining what GCE is to their community, and
have made a strong commitment to pursue these outcomes.
However, the critical conversation around how we get students
to a place of humility, gratitude, and interconnection requires
further clarity and emphasis.
Jenny Anderson of The New York Times asks the rhetorical
question of Avenues: The World School, in lower Manhattan
in a May 2003 article: “How do you build humility at a school
that costs $43,000 a year? Where students are tended to by a
10-person success team and are expected to find a passion —
any passion — around which expertise, confidence and college
admission may come?” For any school working through this
paradox, the answer should be sought in examining what types
of “spaces,” both literally and metaphorically their students
are offered. Are they being supported through an intentional
progression of challenges? Are they offered opportunities to be
physically and intellectually uncomfortable?
G
LOBAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION IS THE
PROCESS THAT ALLOWS THE INDIVIDUAL
TO REDEFINE THEMSELVES IN EVER EXPANDING CONTEXTS OF “OTHERNESS,”
such as unfamiliar cultural, national, physical and ideological
constructs. In my mind, effective global citizenship education
programs remove students from the points of reference that
they have used to define themselves since birth, and intentionally challenge them through exposure to foreign realities.
Such close encounters with “the other,” if carefully crafted,
allow students to consider ways of life other than their own,
and in turn, help to cultivate a greater sense of humility,
empathy, self-awareness, and interconnectedness. But these
outcomes are difficult to “teach to,” in the conventional sense
of the word. Rather, they must be understood by students
through the development of meaningful relationships across
barriers of difference. In short, the values of a global citizen
must be sincerely lived to be understood.
“Going abroad, or getting students into the woods is
a good start, but teachers need adequate preparation
to facilitate the experience in a safe and intentional
way towards empathy and self-awareness.”
–Sara Mierke
Director of Experiential and Service Learning
Hawken School
Course Dates: 11/6/15 – 11/9/15
Location: Boulder, CO
A four-day seminar for educators in the majestic Rocky
Mountains of Colorado, focusing on best practices in
international global education. Course topics include best
practices in risk management, global citizenship education,
cross-cultural facilitation, and course design.
NICARAGUA EDUCATOR:
BEST PRACTICES IN INTERCULTURAL EXPERIENTIAL
EDUCATION
G
LOBAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
REPRESENTS A PARADIGM SHIFT, NOT
BECAUSE OF WHAT WE ARE TEACHING
TO, BUT BECAUSE OF HOW WE MUST
WORK WITH STUDENTS TO GET THERE. This relates to
both the opportunities student have to authentically engage
with real world problems, i.e. the “spaces” that a school
offers for learning, as well as how the experience is framed
and facilitated by teachers.
Hawken School, in Gates Mills, OH, receives widespread
acclaim for restructuring their yearly schedule to include
3-week intensives at the end of each semester. These short
courses require teachers to offer opportunities for students to
engage learning through direct participation and experience.
They may collaborate with Burmese refugees on urban farming
initiatives, embark on extended wilderness literature programs,
or immerse students in the daily life of a rural community in
Nicaragua as a part of their regular academic calendar.
But as Sara Mierke, the Director of Experiential and Service
Learning at the Hawken School acknowledges, “going abroad,
or getting students into the woods is a good start, but teachers
need adequate preparation to facilitate the experience in a
safe and intentional way towards empathy and self-awareness.”
For GCE to be effective, teachers need critical professional
development in managing students’ physical and emotional
safety and offering a depth of engagement that allows students
to freely pursue an authentic version of self in relation to the
world around them.
At Dragons, we’ve been working on this for over twenty years,
pouring over student feedback, analyzing courses design, and
learning from masters of the trade. Over time, we have come
up with our own language and training curriculum to prepare
educators to guide students to a safe and deep engagement with
“otherness”. We refer to this process as the establishment and
Course Dates: 8/2/14 – 8/11/14
Location: El Lagartillo, Nicaragua
A professional guide-training in safe, innovative approaches
to traveling with students and fostering global citizenship,
awareness of self, and leadership in multicultural exchanges.
This course introduces field-educators to best practices in
student travel risk-mitigation and emergency response,
access to the countries most significant teaching-moments,
and methods of realizing optimal student engagement.
JORDAN EDUCATOR:
HOW TO TEACH THE MIDDLE EAST
Course Dates: 3/7/15 – 3/15/15
Location: Wadi Rum, Jordan
The Jordan Educator Course is designed to provide
professional educators with the tools to teach high school
students about the multiple narratives that define the
modern day Middle East. Course themes include a study of
a) the history of land rights and resource management in
the Jordan River Basin, b) inter-ethnic conflict and cultural
identity, c) gender issues, d) peace-building strategies
e) cultural survival and modernity in Jordan.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
HTTP://WHERETHEREBEDRAGONS.COM/
PROGRAMS/EDUCATOR-COURSES/
OR CONTACT SIMON HART:
[email protected]
maintenance of the “container”. We contribute to the global
citizenship education movement by sharing these tools with
educators of diverse backgrounds through our Professional
Educator Programming. The conversation is ever evolving, and
we’re excited for the journey to come.
[email protected] | www.wheretherebedragons.com | 800.982.9203
13
living
BIG
Q. Merete, what first inspired you to build a
‘tiny home’? The project started in 2011 when my partner
Christopher Smith decided that he wanted to build a home. The
added challenge of building a tiny home fit with our lifestyle;
it would be environmentally sustainable and more economical.
Christopher envisioned building the cabin in Boulder and then
moving it up to the mountains. It was a romantic vision, really.
Owning a cabin in the mountains, living debt-free, being able to
pick up and move should the whimsy strike.
Q. What did you discover while building your
STATS ON TINY
HOMES IN AMERICA
AVERAGE SIZE OF AMERICAN HOME: 2480FT 2
AVERAGE COST OF AMERICAN HOME
(The Economist Housing Guide, 2013): $134,500
AVERAGE SIZE OF A ‘TINY HOME’: 500FT 2
TO QUALIFY AS A TINY HOME:
80FT 2 < TINY HOME > 1000FT 2
AVERAGE COST OF A TINY HOME: $26,000
Q.
What are some of the most innovative feats
of engineering that you observed during your
timeline… It took us a year to finish construction, and 3 years
research? We saw everything—just use your imagination: a
later, we’re still intimately involved with both the ‘tiny homes’ floating teepee, a solar-powered yurt, a home built out of recommunity and TINY-the film.
purposed pine beetle kill, lots of repurposed trailers. Inside, many
Christopher and I took several trips across the country
of the homes used composting toilets, portable solar-generating
when we were first researching the tiny homes movement in
systems, pop-up tables, kitchen utensils as art displays, really
America, and the most interesting thing we discovered was that innovative stuff. If you ever want to learn more about how to use
most people who opt to live ‘tiny’ do so for financial reasons.
space at home efficiently, start browsing tiny home blogs.
I had expected people to make the switch for environmental
reasons; you know, to reduce their carbon footprint, live off
Do tiny homes tell a bigger story about the
the grid, limit consumption... Instead, we met couples that
American Dream? I think the tiny homes movement
wanted to get out of debt. Many of them had lost their homes
reflects a shift in the American Dream. People no longer dream
during the housing crisis in 2008. Others felt overburdened
of settling down in the suburbs with 5 kids and a Subaru.
by debt and wanted a quick escape from lifelong mortgage
People are more and more motivated by connection—to people,
payments. An added sense of environmentalism came second.
to their passions, to the freedom to pick up and move. The
Interestingly enough, every couple we met unequivocally
internet has allowed us to maintain close connections across
agreed that downsizing their home had increased their quality space and time, and I think that both the economic benefits of
new home? Well, 2.5 months wasn’t exactly a realistic
Q.
photo KEVIN HOTH
MERETE MUELLER, Himalayan Studies 2001
e
“
co-producer of TINY: A STORY ABOUT LIVING SMALL
interview by CATE BROWN
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life,
and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
very Dragons student has one thing in common:
they’ve left home. Be it for 4 weeks, 6 weeks or
3 months, participating in a Dragons course requires that you strip down to the essentials, pack
everything into one backpack, and hop on a plane.
I believe that leaving home can be one of the most power-
ful ways to reflect on what actually defines home for you. Isn’t
that perhaps the root of homesickness? Discovering the parts
– Henry David Thoreau
”
Although I don’t suspect Dragons alumni Merete Muel-
living ‘tiny,’ as well as the ability to put your home on wheels
Q. In your opinion, what about living ‘tiny’
and join a new community are very desirable.
correlates to a perceived increase in ‘quality of
life’? I think it’s easy to equate ‘stuff’ to feeling at home. You
Q. If you could put your home down anywhere,
where would you put it? I am from Maine, so the ocean is
accumulate belongings and start to identify home by the familiar in my blood. If I could put my home anywhere, I would put it on
line-up of objects on your windowsill. When you convert to a
a cliff overlooking the ocean somewhere along the East Coast.
1000ft2 home, your definition of home hinges on relationships
and life experience. Many of the couples we met cited spending
Q. Any final thoughts? One of the other big takeaways
ler suffered from extreme homesickness as a student on the
more time in their communities since the switch. They also
from the film was that we never wanted to say, “everyone
Himalayan Studies semester in 2001, Merete has gone on to
described an increased sense of freedom, as they could spend
should live in a tiny home.” Instead, I believe that tiny homes
co-produce the award-winning documentary TINY – A Story
more money on their passions rather than on their monthly
are an extreme case study that can help us examine the
about Living Small, exploring the essential questions related
payments.
In many ways, the idea of ‘stripping down to the essential’
is linked back to my experience with Dragons. When I first left
for Nepal in September 2001, I had to fit my entire life into
one backpack. I was pushed out of my comfort zone, and as
a result, I found that my experiences were more genuine and
more direct.
essential questions, like ‘what contributes to a high quality of
to home, how we define it, and how it contributes to our quality of life in America.
The film TINY premiered in Boulder, CO on February
of home that contribute to your daily happiness; the parts of
16th, and I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Merete
home that you can’t live without?
after her debut.
14 THE MAP’S EDGE, Spring 2014
of life.
life?’ and ‘what defines our sense of home?’ These lessons can
be applied to any square footage.
As part of their documentary TINY: A Story About Living Small,
filmmakers Christopher Smith and Merete Mueller built a Tiny
House from scratch with no building experience.
[email protected] | www.wheretherebedragons.com | 800.982.9203
15
ALUMNI
ALUMNI
Biking West to East:
Sometimes Life Just Adds Up
SPOTLIGHT
SPOTLIGHT
CHRIS TEMPLE, Andes & Amazon, Fall 2013
BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN WASTE AND WANT
JORDAN PERKINS, Visions of India, Spring 2008
GUS PERKINS, Andes & Amazon, Fall 2013
Jordan’s voice sounded slightly
faint. Not from the connection
on my cell phone, but perhaps
from his full-body fatigue. He
had called from a playground
behind an elementary school
in California’s Central Valley,
finally out of the saddle after
day two of his 90-day bike trip
across the country.
“Have you had dinner yet,
Jordan?” “Yea, we found a Trader Joe’s yesterday and stocked
up on food. Both Gus and I ate
20 pieces of sushi on the spot,
and then we loaded our panniers up with almond butter,
peanut butter, Larabars, meat
sticks…we’re still trying to find
a good balance between meeting our caloric requirements
and meeting our nutritional
requirements. And of course,
we’re both unemployed, so
economy counts too…”
Jordan and Gus Perkins are
brothers. They’re food enthusiasts, and they’re currently
riding bikes across America to
raise money for a Cambridge,
MA-based non-profit Food for
Free (FFF). FFF collects fresh
produce from local farms, either gleaning the excess or collecting donations, and distributes it to 80+ food programs
in Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea,
Medford, Peabody, and Somerville. In 2012, FFF donated
over 998,000lbs of food and
fed over 25,000 people.
“I studied food and sustainable agriculture at Green
Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont, and I spent my
summers working at Lindentree Farm in Lincoln, Massachusetts. School gave me an
academic understanding of
the issues related to food access in America; working at
Lindentree Farm connected
my heart to the cause.” Lindentree Farm is one of the
oldest community-supported
agriculture enterprises (CSA)
in America, and along with
supporting 220 local CSA accounts, the farm donates ¼ of
its produce to Food for Free.
“I respect Food for Free
because they address the sustainability of our regional
food network from two angles.
First, they reduce excess food
waste by mobilizing volunteers to collect excess produce
from local farms, local grocers
and wholesale produce distributors.” “And then; Food
for Free redistributes excess
food that is fresh, local and
nutrient dense. Securing nutrient dense food is often a
challenge for food shelves,
and I think that providing
lower income families with
healthy options is incredi-
16 THE MAP’S EDGE, Spring 2014
Chris Temple did not start
his gap year expecting to be
moved by ‘global poverty’
and eventually inspired to
found an independent film
studio, Living On One.
APRIL 2013
Sonoma International
Film Festival
Living on One wins
Best Documentary at the
Sonoma International
Film Festival
SOMETIMES
LIFE JUST ADDS UP:
SEPTEMBER 2007
Andes & Amazon
Semester
bly important.” According to
the National Resource Defense Council, over 40% of
the food in America goes to
waste each year, amounting to
more than 20lbs of food/person per month. That translates
to $165 billion/year, 25% of
our freshwater resources, or
a 16% increase of methane
production in our landfills. If
we are serious about reducing
global greenhouse emissions,
preserving freshwater resources and reducing our national
budget deficient, addressing
food waste and re-distributing food to some of the 16.5%
of Americans that lack access
to secure food networks, is a
great place to start.
“Eventually Gus and I will
make it back to our home
Lincoln, MA, and before we
do so, our goal is to raise
$5,000. We’ve raised $700 in
two days, so we’re not doing
too bad.”
If you’d like to follow Gus
and Jordan’s route across
America, you can find their
trip notes on http://evenbikersgettheblues.tumblr.
com/. To donate to their
cause, please find their fundraising page at http://www.
youcaring.com/nonprofits/
across-the-country-to-support-food-for-free/145345 .
Jordan and Gus will be biking for 2.5 more months. Be
sure to tune in for their adventure as they head south
and bike through Zion National Park, past The Grand
Canyon, into New Mexico,
across Texas, and due east
through the Louisiana Bayou.
And if you have friends who
would like to save their leftovers and serve up an extra
plate of food, I’m sure they’d
appreciate it!
JANUARY 2008
Microfinance Intern at
Grameen America
Dedicated to helping
women who live in
poverty build small
businesses to create
better lives for
their families.
SEPTEMBER 2008
Freshman at
Claremont Mckenna
Meets Zach Ingrasci,
his partner in crime.
OCTOBER 2008
Founds MFI Connect
An online resource
for student microfinance
organizations to learn,
collaborate, and take
action to help the poor.
JUNE 2012
The 1978 Tour Bus
Chris & Zach spend 4
months traveling around the
States to share the film.
GOOD TRIP?
It was awesome! We traveled
for 4.5 months and we
didn’t stay in a hotel once.
We gutted the tour bus,
built two beds, installed
desks and drove it around.
Friends could track our
journey on Facebook, and
our supporters donated
AUGUST 2010
Youtube short gets
700,000 views
Shocked and inspired, Chris
and Zach decide to complete
a feature-length film,
Living on One Dollar.
JULY 2010
Living on One
Spends 1 month in a
rural Guatemalan village
living on $1/day with
Zach Ingrasci
gas money, driveways, and
plates-on-plates of hot food
along the way. My favorite
moment occurred in Seattle.
We’d booked a slot at a
local theater. and when we
pulled in, there were 650
people waiting to greet us,
along with Charlie Rose,
the anchor from CBS. That
moment taught me that “if
you tell a story in the right
way, you can mobilize
our generation to have
a positive impact and
engage with big issues.”
SEPTEMBER 2013
Change Series
Living on One partners
launch an 8-part video
series for high school
students examining major
global issues, including
water scarcity, nutrition,
and disaster relief
JANUARY 2014
Salam Neighbor
Living on One’s next
documentary on the
Syrian refugee crisis
MARCH 2014
Chris & Zach move into a production studio in LA
and start working for Living on One full-time!
Look for the debut of Salam Neighbor in August 2014.
LIVING ON ONE
a non-profit production and impact studio that uses
immersive storytelling to create films that inspire
action around pressing global issues.
For more information, look up livingonone.org
Contact: [email protected]
Donate: http://livingonone.org/donate/
–CATE BROWN
[email protected] | www.wheretherebedragons.com | 800.982.9203
17
WATER
ALUMNI
DID YOU KNOW
TOP PICKS
MARCH 22ND WAS WORLD WATER DAY,
AND WE’D LIKE TO SHARE A FEW FACTS:
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING
RADICAL TO DO THIS SUMMER?
For those of us who are fortunate enough to have access
to abundance freshwater resources, there are many
ways that we take water for granted every day. Over
768,000,000
people in the world do not have this luxury.
7,000,000,000
2,800,000,000
people live on earth today.
That’s 1 in 9 people on earth.
Women spend
200,000,000 By 2030
we will need
30%
hours/day collecting water.
only
21
10%
seconds a child dies from a
water-related illness.
70%
of our freshwater
resources support
agriculture.
of global wastewater
is treated.
1 lb
of chocolate
requires
1 gallon
of coffee
requires
gallons of water.
gallons of water.
3,170
880
1/10
of our global disease burden could
by solved by
improved water sanitation systems.
1 lb
burgers
require
1,799
gallons of water.
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS:
more water, 40% more energy,
and 50% more food
to support our population.
one
5-minute shower equals
the daily water supply for
1 person in the developing world.
DIY SOLAR WATER PUMP SYSTEM - The only solar-powered water pump that
requires no maintenance.
RAINCHUTES, www.rainchutes.org
RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEMS USING DECOMMISSIONED VIETNAM-ERA
PARACHUTES - One parachute can harvest 25,000 liters of water/year. This is enough
to provide water for 14 people/day if coupled with basic water storage systems.
WHAT HAVE DRAGONS
STUDENTS BEEN
WATCHING THIS SPRING?
FAVORITE DOCUMENTARIES IN 2014
THE SQUARE – on the 2011 uprisings in Tahrir Square
GOD LOVES UGANDA – a look at evangelical churches and
gay rights in Uganda
GASLAND II – Josh Fox’s revolutionary call to action on
fracking in America
MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS – behind the scenes with the
band The National
BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD – on the world’s
greatest chess player, Bobby Fischer
NICHOLAS CURTIN
Course: Bolivia: Culture and Ecology, 4-week Summer, 2013
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
My next big project is to improve educational opportunities for the indigenous people of Alaska.
MADDIE SHANKLE
Course: Himalayan Studies Semester - Fall, 2013
Hometown: Nashville, TN
The wildest thing I’ve ever done is race the sun up to
Machu Picchu.
WILL MAAS
Course: The Silk Road: Linking People & Traditions Summer, 2013
Life Along the Mekong Semester - Fall, 2013
Hometown: Lagrangeville, NY
The happiest I have ever been was watching a sunrise
on the outskirts of a Buddhist Monastery over the Shaxi
Valley.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR
DRAGONS STORY?
Become an alumni ambassador. For more information,
please contact Admissions Director Eva Vanek, eva@
wheretherebedragons.com, or fill out an online application at: http://wheretherebedragons.com/admissions/
apply-alumni-ambassador/
CALL FOR
SUBMISSIONS:
SEMESTER
PHOTO CONTEST
2014
SUBMISSIONS DUE BY MAY 18
PUMPMAKERS , www.pumpmakers.com
18 THE MAP’S EDGE, Spring 2014
IN NEPAL – Sattya Media Arts Collective
IN THAILAND – International Women’s Partnership for Peace
and Justice (IWP)
IN SENEGAL – Tostan: Dignity for All
IN RWANDA – Gardens for Health International
IN JORDAN – Friends of the Earth Middle East
65%
of people who lack
safe drinking water
live on less than $2 a day;
33% live on less than $1 a day.
live in areas of high water stress.
every
CHECK OUT 5 ORGANIZATIONS
RECOMMENDED BY DRAGONS
STUDENTS AND INSTRUCTORS:
MEET OUR NEW ALUMNI
AMBASSADORS
You can live
3
days without water.
Please submit digital photographs to:
[email protected]
Top three photographers will receive Dragons’ customdesigned Patagonia swag. Top photo submissions may be
re-printed in Dragons future online/print materials.
photo NAYA HERMAN
[email protected] | www.wheretherebedragons.com | 800.982.9203
19
Where There Be Dragons
3200 Carbon Place #102
Boulder, CO 80301
DRAGONS WILL OFFER 24 SUMMER COURSES THIS YEAR.
CHECK OUT A FEW OF OUR COURSE HIGHLIGHTS BELOW:
CAMBODIA
JORDAN
MADAGASCAR
Exploring peace studies, comparative
religion, sustainable development, and
best practices in international service
Exploring Jordanian culture through
Arabic language study, service learning,
home-stays, and a comprehensive
development studies curriculum
Exploring cultural and biological
diversity through service learning,
home-stays, language study, and
community development
Studies in Development and Peace
Course dates: June 29 – July 28
12 students : 3 instructors
Ages 17–20
Arabic Language and Culture
Course dates: July 1 – July 29
12 students : 3 instructors
Ages 17–20
The Island of Biodiversity
Course dates: June 28 – August 8
12 students : 3 instructors
Ages 15–17
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