Service on the Tibetan Plateau

Begin a 4-hour transfer to Mt. Siguniang (a series of four separate peaks), the highest point of which is 6250 meters above sea level. We check into our accommodation and, after lunch, set off for a four-hour hike on an ascending and descending trail. Students hike to a maximum height of 3800 meters above sea level. Upon returning, after a rest and some dinner, students will enjoy a campfire under the surreal starry night sky.

We set off early to complete our journey to our service site. Upon arrival, students first meet with their host family; the owners of the guesthouse that we use for the duration of our project. We kick off our time here with a traditional Tibetan lunch in this beautiful village. After lunch, students will gather for an orientation session about the service project as well as a safety briefing for the specific project they will be doing. Students will go on a walking tour of the area, visiting the holy mountain shrine and the center that will be our base camp for the week.
Projects span architectural restoration (water grain-mills, traditional houses, traditional stone trails), artistic research (creating traditional Tibetan dyes from scratch, learning embroidery), anthropological field studies (recording and translating oral traditions, filming and understanding traditional rites of passage), as well as historical inquiry (examining and analyzing century-old watchtowers).

Today, you’ll be getting on with your project. This is a great opportunity for team-building with classmates, as well as a chance to get to know the local community. You get what you put in – so work hard and be friendly.

After a good day’s work, join the host families and local villages in the evening. Listen to their oral traditions in their native language, Tibetan, around a bonfire.

Spend another day working hard and making friends for life on your service project.

In the evening, get creative as you learn traditional Tibetan embroidery from an expert Tibetan embroiderer in the village.

Discover how every community has its own ways of voice, vibe and values. Stop by a different Tibetan village, and learn about student life at a local school. Later, head through the forest to a Tibetan white stupa to learn about Tibetan Buddhism. Make sure to make a wish at the temple!

In the afternoon, it’s time to continue with your service project, before joining the locals to make handicrafts.

You’ll be busy this morning – you’re finishing your service project! To celebrate, participate in a ceremony in the afternoon, and spend a reflection evening sharing stories and discussing what you’ve learned over the last week.

Transfer back to Chengdu and catch your flight back. It’s home time, but it’s not over – this service trip in Tibet will follow you all back to the classroom.