Bangladesh: Teatulia Tea Garden

Community Partner: Student Life Dining Services (for questions about this trip, please contact Kathy Grant.228@osu.edu)

Trip Dates: March 8-17, 2024

Location: Tetulia, Bangladesh and Delhi, India

Number of Participants: 6

Price: $3000

Included in participant fee:

All logistical and travel expenses: Roundtrip airfare, in-country transportation, and overnight lodging for duration of trip.
GeoBlue Supplemental International Insurance enrollment and coverage for duration of trip/travel.
Buck-I-SERV supplies/swag: Individual items (t-shirts, water bottles, pens, and reflection booklets for each group member) and group items (first aid kit, disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, deck of playing cards, and thank you card for community partner).
Buck-I-SERV Events and Training: Spring Trip Kick-Off and Welcome Back events with catering and pre-trip education and training.
Most meals will be provided throughout the trip.

Travel and housing:

Participants will fly roundtrip. Please note that this trip involves multiple flights and 2 days of travel there and back.
Overnight lodging will be provided at local hotels and estates.
A full packing list will be provided to participants and discussed during pre-trip meetings leading up to departure.

What to expect:

This service-learning trip will allow students to experience the sourcing of tea and the lifecycle of tea from farm to cup. Our goal is to take six students to Teatulia Tea Garden, Bangladesh. The students will hear and see the amazing origin story of Teatulia Teas. We will work directly with local production managers and tea harvesters to learn the organic farming process, how the land is prepared, planting, procured, and shipped.
The students will be introduced to Teatulia’s biopesticide & vermi compost making plant and they will participate in different types of tea tasting followed by a debriefing on international certifications.
Participants will engage in service activities by creating meals using the round balanced nutrition within the region, planting tea bushes, and visiting the Garden’s community elementary school.
Students would also have an opportunity to become familiar with: socio-cultural differences, current approaches to poverty alleviation, community transformation, impact measurement, traceability, and environmental impact mitigation.
Please note: A valid passport is required at time of application for this INTERNATIONAL trip. Passports must have expiration date of at least 6 months after the return date of the trip (ex: September 2024)
Due to visa (2) requirements for this trip, all students must have a valid passport in order to be interviewed. Passport must be in Columbus, Ohio upon acceptance of trip. Visa applications for India commence immediately.