India: Service in the Clouds

Arrive into Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi 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. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture.

Enjoy the sights, sample new foods, and start practicing some basic Hindi phrases in India’s vibrant capital. Walk in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi, marvel at the famed Lotus Temple, and help make chapati bread.

There are 3 options for transportation up to McLeod Ganj: Flight (3 hours travel time, $150), drive (13 hours travel time, included in price), overnight train (12 hours travel time, included in price). We recommend flight or train. The following description is based on the flight.

Fly to the Kangra Valley and take a short drive to McLeod Ganj. Home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in exile. McLeod Ganj will be the site of your first homestay and cultural learning experience with Tibetan families. You’ll begin your service project working with Tibetan refugees through Lha Charitable Trust, a local nonprofit that provides English language and life skill development training. Pair up with a Tibetan mutual learning partner for a scavenger hunt.

Visit the Tibet Museum, which highlights aspects of Tibet’s history and the more current occupation by China. Spend the afternoon with your language partner at Lha before returning to your homestay for evening cooking lessons.

Start these two days with yoga or meditation before continuing your language service. In the afternoons, hike to the temples of nearby Bhagsunath or head to the Norbulingka Institute of Art to see work by local artisans.

Enjoy a final breakfast with your host family and goodbye conversation with your language partner before the hour-long trip to Balla for your next homestay. Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, Balla is home to Gaddi and Gurkha communities—two different Himalayan cultures with their own dialects and histories.

Contribute to service that could include construction, education, or environmental service. Following your service projects, head to the nearby river for a quick dip in the stream, or take off your shoes and shake a leg—Bollywood style. Take a short drive to the Gyuto Monastery, home to the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, one of the high lamas of Tibetan Buddhism. This introspective look into Buddhism will help wrap up your time in northern India on a spiritual note! Take a break from your service to visit a nearby school for students with special needs. Share a final dinner with your homestay family, then come together for a night of music, dancing, and food.

There are 3 options for transportation down to Delhi: Flight (3 hours travel time, $150), drive (13 hours travel time, included in price), overnight train (12 hours travel time, included in price). The following description is based on the flight.

After a final breakfast and heartfelt goodbye to your host family, travel to the airport for a short flight to New Delhi, where you’ll spend your final evening in India.

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.

Venture into the old city and use your bargaining skills to find the perfect souvenir. Your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your departure as you reflect on your adventure.