Roundabout Cusco

Archive South America- INTI
To kick off our second week in Cusco, Sunday morning´s breakfast featured crepes, made by our favorite French Canadian Claudelle, and topped with various fruits and some improvised chocolate sauce. The rest of the weekend consisted of  intensive chilling out (any grand ideas for activities around the city were put to rest by the low energy levels resultant of so much Spanish and loveable, if rather hyperactive children) and cleaning… Read More

Updates from Carpe HQ

Archive Central America- MAYA, Central America- QUETZAL
Hello family and friends of Carpe Diem’s Central America groups! I hope you are all well and have been enjoying following along with all the groups adventures so far.  I just wanted to touch base in the wake of the earthquake in Guatemala and reassure you that both groups were safely in Nicaragua at the time and have not been affected. I also want to clarify that the affected area… Read More

Dharma Center

Archive Southeast Asia- SABAI
  Our stay at the Dharma Center was eye-opening. Our guide, Laurie was a very nice, funny, wise, old man from Australia. It was our first time with an English translator at a temple so it was inspiring to learn the history and true methods of Buddhism. The first day we traveled to the border of Burma and learned about the history of conflict between the different villages. We saw… Read More

Sam Fan Orphanage

Archive Southeast Asia- SABAI
So this blog post is a little late. but we spent a week at the Sam Fan Orphanage with some orphans from Thailand. They were all great kids and have very bright futures. they are getting valuable life skills from living there. We helped the kids every morning doing their chores, making compost and playing with them. One day we went on a hike up a creek to a place… Read More

San Marcos…..The Temple Of Light

Archive Central America- QUETZAL
  Hey there Itza friends and family! Tom here, just wanted to give a little insight on what our time on Lago Atitlan entailed. After much deliberation and last minute planning, we had to cancel our 3 day trek. However, we were still able to do a 2 hour hike down the Indians Head mountain which had constant photo ops and a beautiful look over lago Atitlan. The view alone… Read More

From Kampala…

Archive East Africa- KIFARU
Greetings from Kampala! After a few unforeseen events, the group decided to spend some extra nights in Kigali, Rwanda. This extended stay, however uexpected, allowed us more time to explore the city. We were pleasantly surprised by Kigali’s immense cleanliness and modernity, which made us feel quite safe and welcome. We treated ourselves to coffee, Rwanda’s specialty, and even checked out the local arts scene. Now, after a long bus… Read More

Arrows and Radical Fairies

Archive Indigenous America
  October 28-November3 We kicked off our week twisting through reservation roads fraught with potholes and washboard, our destination the Johnson’s Ranch in Cornfields.  Elizabeth and Justin Johnson met us with much hospitality and welcome. They told us about the history of their Ranch going back to their parents, the work of their local chapter and its impact on the community (Local form or Navajo government), and the struggles and… Read More

What the Hoodoo?!

Archive Indigenous America
Yah T’eh Friends, Family, and Loved Ones! On October 20th we embarked on our hike into Canyon del Muerto (one portion of Canyon de Chelly) near Chinle, Navajo. We went with a wonderful and informative guide named Colleen, who recounted history, personal stories, and various information about plants, animals, traditions, and more. As we walked along, we were amazed at the fresh beauty of the canyon as the cottonwood leaves… Read More

Almost in Uganda…

Archive East Africa- KIFARU
Friends and Family, It has been quiet an adventure over the last few days trying to get to Uganda!  A few setbacks have required the group to temporarily return to Kigali, but they will be back on the road first thing tomorrow morning on a bus for Kampala. Because of the unanticipated circumstances, the itinerary over the next couple weeks will be adapted to meet the changing needs of the… Read More

So sorry for the delay…

Archive Central America- MAYA
I apologize for the tardiness of this blog post. We arrived last night in Granada, Nicaragua and are staying for two days and three nights before we head to our next set of homestays in Playa Gigante. The city is beautiful and very historic – every street is lined with gorgeous Spanish architecture and vibrant colors. More to the point, I shall now reflect on the past week and our… Read More

Kia Ora from the Rongomaraeroa Marae!

Archive South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Kia Ora (Hello) everyone! Tara (T. Banks) Cherwony, here to tell you all about our amazing stay with the Maori! October 28th was the day we started our stay at the Rongomaraeroa Marae, but our fisrt stop was the Porangahau festival. We spent the afternoon relaxing with the locals, trying new foods, and checking out local art creations. We met Ahuriri who organzined our stay at the Marae (communal sleeping… Read More

Hola Peru!

Archive South America- INTI
Last Sunday we got up nice and early (3:30am) to catch our plane to Lima, Peru and then on to Cuzco, where we were greeted with a nice, welcoming Spanish exam. Having been placed in pairs according to our level of fluency, we started classes the next morning at FairServices Spanish school. Our classes consist of 2 hours of grammar in the class room and 2 hours of practice. Practice… Read More

Varanasi: home-stays, internships, Hindi lessons and more in the city of light

Archive India- SHANTI
Alice’s turn to blog! Leaving Bodhgaya with 2 shaved heads and, for the most part, healthy people, Shanti group headed to Varanasi, where we became students again. The first night we all stayed in a long-term hostel for students, which was almost like a dorm room. The next day, it was immediately time for us to begin our Hindi study and then visit all the different options for internships. Those… Read More

Half-Way Day!

Archive India- SHIVA
Here in Kolkatta the Shiva crew is celebrating both Halloween and the half-way day of our semester.  It is hard to believe that we are half-way through – I am so proud of what our crew has accomplished as a group already, and looking forward to seeing even more self-growth, adventures, and hilarity in the remaining half!  I wanted to give a shout-out to all of the family and friends… Read More

Bodh Gaya and Calcutta

Archive India- SHIVA
  Namaste friends and family! Our Shiva family is in Calcutta now, doing some volunteer work at the Mother Theresa Home. Before Calcutta, we spent a lovely couple of days in Bodh Gaya. Bodh Gaya was a breath of fresh air. Literally.  After crowded, polluted, over-powering Varanasi, it was nice to take a couple days to decompress in such a beautiful, calm, and spiritual place. We stayed at the Root… Read More