India: House Boat Service Adventure

Arrive into Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi Airport (DEL) and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Head to the hotel and settle in, relaxing after your long flight, and join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture.

Catch a flight from Delhi to Cochin, then head directly to Alleppey where you will settle into a traditional Ketuvallam houseboat. Once you’re settled in, break into smaller groups and begin lesson planning for an afternoon in a nearby school. Design your lesson plans with help from local staff to make them as fun and impactful as possible. Head to the school for an afternoon of service work, then return to the houseboat for a friendly canoe race among your group and take a stroll through the paddy fields.

Tonight, your group will have the first of a series of nightly reflections and discussion periods. Tonight’s discussion will revolve around how we conceptualize “service.”

Continue your service at the nearby school, splitting your time between teaching and working on a small construction project designed with the school principal. In the afternoon, hop aboard a rickshaw and visit Santhwan Home for students with intellectual disabilities. Meet the students who call this place home, learn about their lives, and share your own stories over afternoon tea.

In the evening, take a dip in the peaceful Kerala backwaters right off the deck of your mobile boat home! Join your group for a post-service debrief in the evening, discussing what you experienced and learned through hands-on work in the community.

Head back to the school for another morning of service and then visit the Santhwan Home to continue the interactions and activities from the previous day.

In the evening, take an (optional) trip to the beach for swimming or camel rides! Then settle back into your houseboat home for a sadya dinner and a chance to reflect in your journal about your experience on the program so far.

After another morning of service at the school visit Santhi Bhawan, a home for the elderly. Spend time with the residents, help build a vegetable garden, and harvest tapioca. In the evening, paddle in traditional country boats through the secluded waterways of Vembanand Lake. Pass by small villages and see how village life is attuned to the waterways of this area.

Focus on cultural immersion today. Participate in a mock Onam Festival that welcomes the Gods to Kerala. Create beautiful patterns from freshly picked flowers on the deck of your boat, dress in traditional Indian clothing, and have a huge feast on banana leaves as you dive into the local culture.

You’ll also have the chance to get a massage in the birthplace of the Ayurveda massage. In the evening, enjoy your last sunset cruise through Kerala’s backwater canals, lakes, and rivers.

Say goodbye to the waterways and the houseboat that was home. Transition to your ‘land legs’ again! Catch a flight back to Delhi and freshen up at the hotel before heading out to explore a few local bazaars for last minute souvenir shopping.

This evening, celebrate with a final meal together at a Delhi restaurant and wrap up the trip with one last discussion and reflection. At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences and the issues they engaged with, and talk about how to apply this new understanding to their own worlds. During or after their closing discussion, groups participate in Rustic Ties, a unique and powerful activity that allows students to capture the memories and learning moments of their program to process and share with their communities back home.

On your last day in India, use your bargaining skills to shop for last souvenirs before heading to a resort in South Delhi to relax in a pool and enjoy a final dinner. Your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your departure as you say goodbyes and reflect on your adventure.