Passage International (previously Passage Project for International Education) is grateful to the many parents over the years who have supported their sons and daughters' desire to experience life in South Asia through Passage programs.

 

As a concerned parent of a student who may have applied or is contemplating applying to Passage, you deserve our best effort to provide information and assurance that your son or daughter is going to be well looked after, and that we have taken every reasonable health, safety and security precaution to minimize risk.

 

We are proud to present some of the comments parents have sent us, and we hope that this will help reinforce in your own mind that we really do give our students personal attention, and go all out to look after their welfare.

 

 

“We just will never be able to thank you for the "kindness of strangers." You will forever hold a special place in our hearts and we will keep in touch.  There really are no words to express my amazement and gratitude for the things you are doing on behalf of Keenan and her memory.

 

We know that Keenan, most of all, feels the love and caring that all of you have given her. You were all her home away from home, her family away from family, and she loved all of you with all her heart – which was the only way that Keenan knew how to love.

 

Through the Passage Program our daughter grew in ways she never would have. She experienced the tutelage of a learned doctor, lived in the home of a nurturing Tibetan family, and was wrapped in the arms of the spiritual Nepalese people. The program also provided a reflective environment, away from the Western culture, where she had the opportunity to find her inner balance. The Personal Passage is a wonderful experience.”

"Our son, Jacob, at the age of 17, traveled to Nepal and Tibet with a program called Passages in 2001.  He wrote things like ‘my eyes have been opened' or 'I am now walking down the road with all the ordinary people, cows, chickens, goats, monks and an occasional ascetic.'  His comments, only, can do justice to the remarkable experience Passages provided for him.

 

For three months he moved from a comfortable, indulgent, middle class, North American home to home stays with Nepali and Tibetan families.  Some of the homes were primitive and all of the homes had no familiar cultural, linguistic or family patterns. He had to draw from his own internal resources, new ways of dealing with everything around him.  He had doting Nepali and Tibetan teachers.

 

As parents of a boy who had not traveled alone before, we worried unnecessarily and incessantly.  The Program leaders kept us updated and Jacob would frequently email with poetic stories.  He sent pictures showing how he had gained attractive weight!

 

Prior to his experience with the Passage Project Jacob had been a dependent son (or he had an overly involved mother), he was a rebellious adolescent and a disinterested student.  From our parent point of view Jacob’s experiences with the Passage Program in Nepal and Tibet were indescribably challenging, beautiful, and transformative.  He returned from Nepal, thoughtful, self-motivated, (mother had to back off) and caring, particularly toward the underprivileged.  He has gone on to anthropology major at Reed College in Portland, Oregon and will be applying to medical school.  He has returned to Nepal three times and speaks the language fluently.

 

An addendum includes that we, the parents, are currently enjoying a sabbatical, teaching in Dharan, Nepal (academic year 2007-8)."

"Kristen chose to visit Nepal under the direction of the Passage staff as a means to learning more about holistic health practices in the hopes of pursuing a career in this area.  She has had an incredible experience under their guidance and has seen a part of the world in the process.

 

We have always encouraged her spirit of travel and adventure, yet as parents have also been concerned that she have as safe an experience as possible.  The Passage staff has been so kind, responsive and enlightening.

 

We have all been following Kristen's travels with the information from Passage and have enjoyed some of her experiences from afar.  Thank you for providing such an incredibly satisfying experience for our daughter."

“When my daughter said she and her best friend wanted to go to Nepal and Tibet, I was initially hoping they would change their minds.  There seemed to be too many unknowns, which translate into fears in the heart of a parent.  I was so relieved when Loy and Leah found Passage Project (now Passage International).

To know there would be a group of people who would give them the most authentic, safe experience possible gave me incredible relief.  The experience that Passage Project provided changed Loy in a deep and profound way.  She has always been a compassionate person; however she has grown up in America.  The experience of seeing people who have not had the advantages and privileges the American lifestyle provides deepened her compassion even more.  Seeing her photos, reading her journals, and listening to her talk about her experiences fills me with pride - to know she had the courage to take the journey and embrace this part of the world.

Being side by side with people from other cultures not only changes the traveler, but it creates a ripple effect, which inspires the world to change as well. Thank you!