Be A Mongolian Nomad
Expand your mind and horizon through this unique program run by the organization Projects Abroad. Participants live with families on the Mongolian steppe and immerse themselves in the daily lives of this nomadic culture. You’ll help with daily tasks like herding livestock and preparing traditional meals and will also teach basic English (and, hopefully, learn a bit of Mongolian). The aim of the program is cultural immersion and exchange. Live outdoors in a gers and learn about a different, and more traditional, way of life. It will give you a whole new perspective on your own life back at home.
Projects Abroad has spent over 25 years helping our participants fulfill their potential and make the world a better place.
Projects Abroad is a social enterprise which means we employ a business model to tackle the world’s social and environmental challenges.
Our plans for the future are big. We believe that meaningful travel provide a defining experience for young people as they move from adolescence into adulthood, and we know that the work we do transforms communities.
How do I get started? Check out their website for more information.
How do I expand this narrative arc? This could be an interesting choice for you if History, Social Science or event Sustainability are in your narrative arc. How do you expand on what you’ve seen and done?
Keep careful track of your experiences and then write an essay, an article or even a research paper that incorporate your observations.
If you are writing fiction or poetry, you should be submitting it to one of the many competitions and journals aimed at teens. See our posts about getting writing and poetry published in the prestigious Hanging Loose Press, Teen Sequin , Elan Literary Magazine and more.
You may also want to consider applying to the prestigious Iowa Young Writers’ Studio for a summer program.
The New York Times runs many student competitions through the year for all different types of writing. Consider submitting an entry.
HOT TIP: This program is sure to have people talking around the college admissions table. But if you want the talk to be in your favor, make sure that there’s a thematic link between your academic and extracurricular strengths and interests and the Mongolian Nomads program. Summer is an amazing time to expand and deepen your arc, but it goes quickly and you only have so many of them during your high school years. If you decide to spend your summer on an adventure with Project Abroad you should make sure that when you come home you are making the absolute most out of your experience.