A boat on the Mekong in the sunset. Photo by Sampor Burke.

Southeast Asia Semester

Ecology & Spirituality Along the Mekong River

A 3-Month Gap Year Program

Duration
80 Days
Description

Examine issues of transboundary resource management within Southeast Asia’s largest river basin, explore diverse belief systems, and participate in community-driven learning service.

fall
Sep 15 - Dec 3, 2024
spring
Feb 11 - May 1, 2025
Group Size (4:1 Ratio)

12 Students
3 Instructors

Tuition

$17,550

Plus airfare & insurance

  • Open
  • Open
Suggested Ages

17-22

Tuition Details

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Xishuangbana

Kunming

Luang Prabang

Vientiane

Bangkok

Kratie

Phnom Penh

Program Overview

FROM ITS SACRED HEADWATERS IN THE TIBETAN PLATEAU, THE MEKONG RIVER FLOWS 3,000 MILES TOWARDS THE SOUTH CHINA SEA, CLEAVING A BOUNDARY THROUGH SOUTHEAST ASIA.


To Tibetans, the Upper Mekong is a powerful spiritual entity. To the Chinese, the river is a means of economic development. And to the millions living alongside the great river in Southeast Asia, it is a primary source of food, water, and life. By focusing on the interdependence of people and the natural world, The Mekong Semester examines how the demand for electricity and anthropocentric needs are causing irreparable damage to delicate ecosystems and traditional ways of life.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
  • Experience rural village life in a Laos, Thai and Cambodian homestay participating in the daily rhythms of each place.
  • Meet with community members to learn about the realities of environmental change and how resilience looks in daily life
  • Witness the impacts of large-scale hydro-power dam developments on ecological systems and downriver users.

To Tibetans, the Upper Mekong is a powerful spiritual entity. To the Chinese, the river is a means of economic development. And to the millions living alongside the great river in Southeast Asia, it is a primary source of food, water, and life. By focusing on the interdependence of people and the natural world, The Mekong Semester examines how the demand for electricity and anthropocentric needs are causing irreparable damage to delicate ecosystems and traditional ways of life.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
  • Experience rural village life in a Laos, Thai and Cambodian homestay participating in the daily rhythms of each place.
  • Meet with community members to learn about the realities of environmental change and how resilience looks in daily life
  • Witness the impacts of large-scale hydro-power dam developments on ecological systems and downriver users.
  • Explore the diverse range of spiritual beliefs and religions within the Mekong catchment including: Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism, Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism, Animism, Catholicism and Islam.

Our journey together begins in Thailand for our arrival orientation and getting to know our new traveling family. We’ll spend our first two weeks learning about the influence of Buddhism on the nation’s rich cultural traditions and the impacts of upriver dams on the many villages dependent on the flow of the Mekong. We will have the opportunity to be involved in Independent Study Projects, speak more in depth about the political control over the Mekong river, and come to understand just how many people rely on the River Khong in this populous Southeast Asian nation.

Crossing into Laos, we explore the province of Luang Namtha on treks beneath the jungle canopy and travel through some of the most remote regions in Southeast Asia, where cross-border trade and a booming ecotourism industry are contributing to rapid modernization and environmental degradation. In Vientiane, we turn our focus towards public health initiatives, visiting an international NGO working to clear unexploded mines leftover from the US’ Secret War. We enter rural homestays on the idyllic river island of Don Dohn, relaxing into “Laos time” as we prepare for the final leg of our journey.

In Cambodia, we meet with NGOs in Phnom Penh and stay with communities living on the banks of the sacred river. A highlight of our time is the homestay situated on an island in the Bassac River where we settle into village life and work side-by-side with families, cooking together, sharing our stories and feeling what it’s like to live in rural Cambodia. Near the mouth of the Mekong Delta we conclude with reflections on the long-term health of the river ecosystem and bring our great journey to a close.

Read More Read Less Sample Itinerary

Program Components

5/5
Religious & Spiritual Traditions

Gain insight into Tibetan, Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, as well as the influence of Animist traditions, Islam and Christianity in the Greater Mekong Subregion.

5/5
Focus Of Inquiry

Examine international water resources as relates to mega-dam projects, ecology and biodiversity, cultural ecology, economics, sustainable development, and regional politics.

3/5
Homestay

Live with homestay families in southern China, a Catholic village on a tiny island in the Mekong in Laos, and a Khmer community just south of Phnom Penh.

1/5
Independent Study Project (ISP)

Learn traditional crafts such as bamboo weaving, embroidery, martial arts (Muay Lao), and traditional silk dying from master teachers in Laos' art and cultural hub, Luang Prabang. Explore your academic passions through mentored comparative studies on a topic such as: water rights, public health, education, gender etc. throughout program.

2/5
Language Study

Build proficiency (survival basics) in Mandarin, Lao, and Khmer languages, while exploring the linguistic traditions of ethnic minorities and the migration of three major language families.

5/5
Social & Environmental Justice

Examine issues pertaining to international aid and development, the effects of damming on fisheries, wildlife conservation, minority status and forced relocation issues, effects of modernization on traditional livelihoods, and the impacts of tourism, including orphanage tourism.

2/5
Learning Service

Acquire a more profound and nuanced understanding of complex social and development issues through community-based workshops and activities with organizations in Laos and Cambodia, and through the rhythms of daily life while in homestays.

4/5
Rugged Travel

Hop on buses, trains, tuk-tuks, boats, minivans, trucks and your own two feet to explore the region overland - from the high mountain passes of the Himalaya and the jungles of Laos to the temples of Cambodia.

3/5
Trekking

Multi-day and day treks in the foothills of the Himalayas in China and in the rainforests of Laos among waterfalls, elephant habitats and jungle paths sleeping in simples guest houses (village to village) or in supplied tents.