The highlights of the project:
These few days in India will mark you deeply in a positive way, our real school exchange with India will allow you to visit the main historical sites and monuments in the area and above all, you will discover the daily life of an Indian family who will welcome and pamper you throughout the duration of the exchange. In addition to the activities at the Indian establishment that will open its doors to you, you will have the option of going to see and touch the Taj Mahal.
Our Strengths:
– Stay with motivated Indian families, selected carefully from the Indian school that you will attend
– Involve in the daily life of an Indian school
– Improve your English level with a non stop practice and get a certificate for the entire project
– Introduction to Hindi or the regional language
– Learn about the Indian cultures from the Milna Person, with you during the entire project
– Participation in many activities and discover the area in the afternoon and on weekends
– Even if your Indian family is not in New Delhi area, you will be given the option to book and add a visit to the Taj Mahal if you wish.
Safety:
– We follow strict safety instructions especially when the group is outdoors.
– We follow French regulations for the protection of minors and we respect local laws.
– One or more Milna Person are with the group for the duration of the project, reachable at any time.
Responsible traveler:
– We use the public transportation when available
– We favor the use of small/recent vehicles, fuel efficient, when the public transportation are rare
– We limit the group detritus to reduce the impact of the carbon footprint caused by this project.
Briefly, the program consist of involvement time in the Indian school with the Indian students, usually in the mornings. The afternoons are dedicated to the visits and the evenings and weekends are spent with the Indian host family.
During the entire exchange, you will get to understand what is surrounding you, why this or that is done that way, we will attract your attention to the different aspects of India and Indians people. At the end, India will have fewer secrets for you.
Below, an example of an exchange program, as it all depends on the city/area where you will be.
Day 1
Flight Finland → New Delhi. Welcome ceremony and presentation of the school. Installation with the Indian families.
Day 2
Activities at the school (Hindi, Indian plastic arts, dance, music, yoga…) in the morning. Visit the Gandhi Museum after lunch.
Day 3-4
The weekend with the families who will do different activities with the participant.
Day 5
Activities at the school and visit of Old Delhi in the afternoon.
Day 6
Activities at the school, like swimming if the school has a pool and visit of the Lotus Temple in the afternoon.
Day 7
Activities at the school and visit to a Sufi district to travel 7 centuries back in the past and meet a local NGO, followed by overnight stay together for those who want.
We try to set up a weekly overnight stay, done in a “camping” style, to gather the group, where the Indians are welcome, we set it up in one of the hosting family having a big space or at a place like a temple, a private garden, a terrace…
Day 8
Back to school, dance practice and afternoon with the families.
Day 9
Activities at the school and Qutub Minar in the afternoon.
Day 10
Day with the families and other Indian hosts
Day 11
Visit of Agra and the Taj Mahal
Day 12
Activities at the school and visit to India Gate and Connaught Place and as usual, the end of the day with your Indian family
Day 13
Activities at the school. Involvement in the social activities of a temple. Overnight stay together.
Day 14
Activities at the school and the final show, the result of the different dances and songs practices that you have done in the past few days with your Indian partner.
Day 15
Last moments with the families and return to Finland.
Rates:
You need to select the appropriate options to see the rate displaying
→ “Age at return“: Select the age you will have during the project. Let’s say that you are now 15 and before or during the project, you will be 16, then please select 16.
→ “From“: Select the airport from where you want to start your project. If your desired airport is not displayed, please contact us.
→ “When“: Select the month you want to do your project. In case you have several options, please select the earliest month.
→ “Payment terms“: It needs to be coherent with the selected month in “When“. Let’s say that we are the 25th January and you’ve mentioned your wish to go in April. In such case, your departure is in more than 60 days but less than 90 days. You need to select the 60 days payment terms if you plan to make the payment at least 60 days before the departure.
Contact us, if you need clarifications.
Who can go?
– Participants up to grade 14. (Up to 20 years old)
When can I go?
– An exchange program to India is possible throughout the year, however, when the school is having holidays, it is not possible to access the school. In such case, the moments spent in the school will be replaced with moment spent with local educational organisations having teenagers of similar age. Contact us if you are planning to go during a period where the Indian schools are closed.
– Each Participant will still have an Indian host family with an Indian student of similar age.
– Here is the calendar displaying the dates when the Indian schools are closed.
For how long?
For 7 to 14 days according to your possibilities, the rate will remain the same irrespective of the duration between 7 to 14 days. However the program will be more intense when you decide to have a shorter duration. (Want a different duration? Contact us)
Rate including:
– Homestay accommodation
– The daily meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) when in the country of the project.
– All the transportation from the selected airport of departure
– The visits and activities as per the program
– The management of the group by at least one Milna person during the entire project
– Preparation meetings before the departure (Online or on site as per your location)
– Assistance for the eventual Visa application
– Certificate for each Participant
The rate does not include:
– Personal expenditure
– Eventual Visa fee to the country/ies of the project
– Transfer to/from the starting concerned airport
– Insurances (Check if you don’t already have them with your school/home/bank insurance)
– What is not mentioned in “Rate including”
Possible options:
– Indian Sim card (prepaid)
– Additional sightseeing days in India
– Explore other regions/a neighboring country
– Extended stopover in the country of the possible stopover
– Cancellation insurance
– Departure from another airport, upon request
About the “150 and 120 days payment terms”:
For the 150 and 120 days payment terms, we will do our maximum to respect your preferred date of departure, however, the dates of the project must be flexible /- 7 days.
The flights:
– Possible from the displayed city/ies above, in the “From” dropdown. For other airport, please contact us.
– Dates are changeable /- 72 hours.
Formalities:
– Valid passport
– Visa/e-visa/no visa (As per your citizenship).
Health :
– Our team has a pharmacy adapted to the destination.
– No compulsory vaccination.
– India has modern hospitals and rapid treatment. (Max, Fortis, Apollo, Medanta…)
– A member of Milna is present with the participants for the duration of the exchange. He/she ensures the safety and well-being of the group.
– In the event of an emergency, the participant will be taken to the nearest competent hospital. If necessary, he will be repatriated in the best conditions. (If an appropriate insurance has been subscribed by the participant)
Reachable:
– The parents of the participant will have the full details of the Indian family and the eventual hotel before the departure (address, phone, email…)
– Milna will share the contact of the Milna person who is going to be with the participant
– Milna will update the parents by daily messages/photos/videos on a specially created Whatsapp group.
– Milna will provide the participant and his parents with a 24h number to reach someone from Milna at any time.
Where I will stay?
Each participant will have an Indian family with whom they will stay for the duration of the exchange. These Indian families are selected by Milna and come from the Indian school.
Who will be the host family? Can we have his contact details?
You will be staying with an Indian family in which there is a student from the Indian school you will be going to. That same Indian student would come and stay in your home if he/she is able to come to your country. You will get the details of your Indian family before the departure.
Who will manage the group?
In addition to the teacher(s), there is always one or more Milna Person who manages the group from its arrival in India until its departure. the Milna Person is responsible for taking care of the group, ensuring the application of the program and the good general organization.
What language the Indian family will be speaking?
In India, the population speaks one or several Indian languages depending on their location and origins (Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil…).
English is the second official language of the country, if sometimes the old generations have got less exposure to English, the new generation does study it at school and practices it more often.
In all cases, your Indian host will be speaking English and sometimes will have more or less important knowledge of French, German, Spanish…
Thus, if the participant has difficulty with English, we will do our best to place him/her in a family having knowledge of a common language with the participant. And it will be an opportunity for the participant to improve his level of English by the practice and by using dictionary and other Google translation.
Where will the participant be?
The exchange can be done anywhere in India. The location will be confirmed to you once the exchange is confirmed. Of course, we take your preferences into account and we will make suggestions.
Who takes care of the visas?
Milna will guide you through the administrative procedures to obtain the visa for participants and adults. We will provide you with the list of documents to constitute the application file.
In terms of insurance, what is the situation?
We advice the participant to check if he/she does not already have a hospitalization/civil liability insurance covering him/her.
Consult your school/health insurance/bank card insurance to find out…
If you do not already have insurance, we recommend that you obtain one. Contact us if required.
How much pocket money for India?
The Indian family tends to offer the participant the things he/she wants to buy. In order not to let them pay for everything, The equivalent of 400 INR a day seems sufficient, unless you have substantial purchase plans.
Milna gives you the option to order Indian rupees and receive them when you arrive in India.
Should I bring a gift to the Indian family?
Yes, the family will be happy with the gesture. Something that comes from your country will always please. To hit the bull’s eye, it’s best to ask the family directly.
What if we have additional questions?
Do not hesitate to contact us.
