Dear Dragons

Herewith a copy of our proposed itinerary for our upcoming adventure. There will likely be revisions once the group begins to travel, for as we get to know all of you better, we will continually tailor the program to meet your particular needs and interests. As well, we always encourage the group to take ownership of the program by sharing your vision and goals, so if you have questions or feedback on this proposed itinerary, know that we, your leader team, are eager to hear it. The itinerary is filled with strange and unfamiliar place names. To give it meaning, take out your Lonely Planet Guide Book and trace our route:

Find Calcutta/Kolkata move east to Benaras and sit your finger there for a minute as this is where we begin our in-depth exploration of the culture and people of Kashi, The City of Light. Now, inch your finger east again to Bodhgaya, home of the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightement, for our Buddhist study and meditation retreat. Then head back to Benaras and pause there for another minute as we contine to take our internships, Hindi classes, volunteer placements and overall understanding of India yet a few levels deeper. Now move west to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, and then north to Delhi and then the sacred city of Rishikesh. If you can find it, wander your finger through the section of the Himalayas called the Garhwal, where we trek in and visit rural villages of the most sacred mountain range on earth. When your finger finds its way out of the mountains, it will settle for a few days in a hill station for a final "disorientation" and closure of the program. As the average temperature of Delhi in May is about 108 degrees, we'll probably race directly from the mountains to the city and straight to the airport for departure back to the States. (please see attached map)

Feb 12th: Students arrive in Calcutta

Feb 13th: Begin India & Course Orientation. Day trip in Calcutta to visit the famous Kali Ghat. 12-hour day train ride to Benaras.

Feb 14th-16th: Continue India/Course Orientation at our Benaras Program House.

Feb 17th: Move into Homestays: day with families

Feb 18th - March 9th: Group begins "Life in Benaras." Morning yoga classes are available, 5 days a week. After yoga, the group has a daily morning (physical and emotional health) check-in and day debriefing. Breakfast is prepared by our lovely program house mother, Kumalauti (and any participants who want also to get extra lessons in Indian cooking!). Breakfast is followed by 1-2 hours of Hindi classes with our beloved Hindi instructor, Binit-ji. Lunch is a shared group event; and 2-3 days a week, is followed by guest speakers with expertise on a variety of subjects within Indian culture and society. The afternoons are largely reserved for Independent Study Projects (ISPs) and community service. Please see the other Yaks on this topic for more details. Most evenings are spent with your host families (as it can be culturally inappropriate for students, especially females, to be out, unaccompanied by family, after dark); however, we do host, at our program house, a number of evening classical Indian musical and dance performances, group outings to cultural events, and Bollywood movie nights as well. Within this first month in Benaras there will also be weekend outings, group community service projects and a 3-5 day rural homestay in a small village outside of Benaras.

March 10-20th: Travel to Bodhgaya for a 10-day Introduction to Buddhism Course at the Root Institute. The course provides an overview of the Tibetan Buddhist path to enlightenment through teachings, guided meditations and discussion groups. Highly recommended by former Dragons groups!

March 21st-April 21st: Students return to homestays and continue with the daily life and schedule of classes, activities, service and internships. At the end of this final month in Benaras, each student has the opportunity to share their experiences and learnings from the their Independent Study Projects with the rest of the group.

April 22nd: Group travels to Agra, home of the Taj Majal, and contines onward to Delhi. Temperature permitting, the group can visit famous Delhi sights and meet with professors and non-profits for further exploration of modern India's issues of urban life and development.

April 23rd-25th: Group arrives in, explores and preps for the trek in the sacred city of Rishikesh while staying in an yoga ashram overlooking the Ganga-ji.

April 26th-May 8th: Kuari Pass trek and rural homestay in the Himalayas.

May 8th - 11th: Group chooses a hilltop station in the mountains to debrief the semester and begin "disorientation" and "transference" of their learnings abroad to their lives at home.

May 11th: Group travels to Delhi

May 12th: Students depart from Delhi and begin trip home.

Awaiting our adventures,

 Jackie, Debi, Bantu and Amrit