Varanasi and life along the Ganges River

  India

Varanasi

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring 
Dates: Feb.-May and Sept.-Dec.

Description: This program is designed to give its participants a meaningful immersion into Indian culture with a focus on life along the Ganges River. Students have the opportunity to earn one semester of college credit for language study, cultural anthropology, service projects and independent study projects.

Based in Varanasi, the City of Light, our program will begin its third year in the subcontinent's holiest city. Over the past four semesters, students have come to love this intensely thriving community located above the banks of the Ganges River. Part of Varanasi's appeal lies in its diverse blend of cultures and religions. Students will have the chance to see Hindus walk through dawn light for a ritual dip in their cherished Ganges as well as to admire Buddhists, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs and other devoted people who live and practice in Varanasi.

It is in this inspirational celebration of life and transformation that we immerse ourselves. Students will live with welcoming families whose members might include world-renowned sitar and tabla players, traditional doctors, university professors, or local artisans. Daily language classes in Hindi will help students communicate not only with Indian hosts, but also with leaders of community service projects sponsored by schools, clinics, or environmental organizations. Independent Study Projects, another critical component of the semester, will give students the chance to acquire new and fascinating skills, develop a fresh perspective on a historical or social issue, or practice traditional Indian art forms. While engaging in these studies, students will also have the chance to explore some of the subcontinent's most venerated and least-known places. From a trip to the Bodhi Tree and Temple at Bodhgaya, where the Buddha was enlightened, to stays in traditional local villages rarely visited by Westerners, students will witness what it means to live in India in the 21st century. In addition, they will also have the opportunity to explore the life and culture that has flourished along this most sacred Indian river from Gangotri Glacier, the source of the Ganges in the Himalayas, to Calcutta, where the river empties into the Bay of Bengal. And throughout the journey, students and leaders collaborate to create spaces in which students may discover new aspects of compassion and leadership and grow to better know themselves.

Highlights: The first month: home stays, language training, service projects in and around Varanasi. The second month: travel to Gangotri Glacier, the source of the Ganges River. The third month: Independent Study Projects (ISP's) with ISP mentors in and around Varanasi.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: 7500 - 8000

Credit Available: yes

Experience Required: no

Application Process Involves:

• Other
• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Written Application

Where There Be Dragons's Mission Statement: Through expertly guided and honest introductions to the cultural and physical landscapes of developing Asia and Latin America, and through Experiential Education that stresses the empowerment of the student, Dragons strives to cultivate cultural awareness and sensitivity, opportunities for personal growth through physical and emotional challenges, and a commitment to the communities through which we travel, providing young adults with a richer understanding of themselves, and of the social and physical worlds around them.

Year Founded: 1992