IVHQ INDIA - DHARAMSALA

I volunteered on the IVHQ INDIA - DHARAMSALA in the town of Bir for 2 months in 2014, and I'm going back again for another trip in 2017. The program is a perfect mix of culture, self-realisation and volunteering.

I did the English teaching program, which meant I taught monks in one of the 4 local monasteries in Bir. The monasteries are all within a 5 min walking distance from the homestay. Volunteers are generally the only teachers in the classroom, and classes in English are taught around their schedule of Buddhist classes. Volunteers are expected to teach things like maths, cultural studies and english on weekdays, with a morning and afternoon session and a break in the middle of the day for lunch back at home. The young monks are VERY energetic and sometimes uncontrollable, but they are generally eager to learn and being able to help with that is rewarding. There are plenty of resources already in the homestay to use for lessons, and there is a local printing shop down the road which can be used for photocopying at around 2 rupees per sheet.

The local homestay is a 3 storey Tibetan home, with a rooftop balcony. The home belongs to a Tibetan family who live in and run the house with the help of a local cook/maid. They are some of the most friendly people you will ever meet, and English is well understood. The house has a TV with local channels and wifi. Running water is generally constant, although hot water is solar powered and can be unpredictable. There are washing lines already set up on the balconies, and there is a washing machine, although most volunteers generally did their washing by hand.

Bir is up in the Himalayas, and there are lot of things to do on the weekends. You can go to Macleodganj for the weekend, which is a tourist hub around 2-3 hours away, which has lots of western (and tibetan) restaurants, souvenirs and scenery. The Dalai Lama's residence is in Macleodganj, and you can visit while you're there. I'd also recommend doing the overnight hike to Triud, going to Amritsar, Manali, Chauntra and Barot.

Bir is a very small town, but there are many local shops which sell things like toilet paper, water, biscuits, chocolate and other necessities. For more western items, the best place to go in Macleodganj.

To get to Bir, you can either fly or take the bus. The bus is the cheaper option, departing from Delhi at night and arrives in Macleodganj in the early morning. From there, IVHQ will send a taxi driver to pick you up with a project co ordinator and take you to Bir. Be aware that the bus can be challenging is you are prone to motion sickness, and many people have raised concerns in terms of safety, especially if travelling alone. However, I took the bus with another young women, and we were fine. For my next trip, I will be flying to Dharmsala airport, and then getting a car to Bir.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is particularly interested in Tibetan of Himalayan culture, Buddhism or traditional Indian practices like yoga and meditation - Bir is a fantastic place to experience all these. The lifestyle is very relaxed, and it's a great place to make friends with the locals and learn about their culture whilst also helping the community through your volunteering!