Tibetan Summer

  China

• All Other Areas in China: 
Lhasa
• Rural Areas: 
Rural Areas

  Tibet

Lhasa,  Rural Areas

Term: Summer 
Dates: 6 weeks - June 18 to July 29

Description: During our Tibetan Summer Passage, we give the students a broader understanding of the Tibetan situation by living in and learning about Tibetan communities: at refugee communities in the Kathmandu Valley; with ethnically and culturally Tibetan people in the Himalayas; and in Tibet itself, both in Lhasa the capital, and in smaller villages and towns.

Upon arrival in Nepal, students undergo an orientation that provides information about the hosts and their customs, the area's history and culture, health and safety, and cross-cultural adjustment. The program coordinator meets with each student to explore his or her interests and explain excursion and workshop possibilities.

A couple of days after the program begins, students move in with a home stay family. The families are all ethnically Tibetan and provide students with an excellent introduction to the culture, customs, and exile experience of the Tibetan people. Students will also be living in neighborhoods that are largely composed of other Tibetan refugees, situated near important Tibetan monasteries and temples.

Determined by each student's interests, workshops usually range from community and humanitarian projects to arts, music or philosophical understudy.

An experienced teacher teaches situational and conversational language. We provide a few lectures led by guest speakers who are local experts, professionals, and scholars. The discussions, determined by each group's interests, cover topics relevant to Tibet such as history, politics, religion, ethnic groups, gender issues, the environment and the impact of development.

There are other organized activities, such as trips to temples, monasteries and festivals. The interests of the group will play a role in determining the content of these activities.

All our programs include a trek or village-stay in a Tibetan Buddhist area of the Himalayas where students will experience how Tibetan culture has transcended national boundaries throughout the centuries and established itself significantly within the mountains of Nepal.

The group then fly on to Tibet, to the heart of the culture they have been exploring. Tibetan life is centered in the old part of Lhasa where students will stay, visiting many of the important monasteries and temples in and around the city--the Potala, the Jokhang, Sera and Drepung monasteries. From Lhasa there are short excursions out of the city to witness rural and nomadic Tibetan life.

The overland journey from Lhasa to Kathmandu gives the chance to visit some of Tibet's smaller cities such as Gyantse, Shigatse and Sakya. It is an extraordinary ride down off the Tibetan plateau through the Himalayas and back to Kathmandu, where students will spend a last day before returning home.

Highlights: Home stay, language learning, workshops, trekking or village stay, Tibet tour

Cost in US$: Tibetan Summer $4,965

It does not include visa fees for Nepal, and China, international travel to and from India, airport departure tax, medical expenses, and personal expenses.

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel Independently Or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit DebriefingAbroad

Passage Project for International Education's Mission Statement: Passage offers you the opportunity to broaden your view of the world, and of yourself. We strive to instill in our students a greater appreciation and understanding of different cultures. By looking at life from a completely new perspective, you can appreciate your own culture as well. We are committed to providing you the best cultural immersion by drawing from our many years of experience and vast array of contacts with deep insights into the cultures and communities in which our programs operate.

Year Founded: 2002