“There is a saying in Tibetan, “Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.” No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.” The 14th Dalai Lama

Archive India- SHANTI
Hi families and friends, significant others and random readers! Sorry for the delay with the blog. Each moment in McLeod Ganj ends up being too precious to find the time to sit in an internet café. I post from Delhi but wrote from McLeod (for the most past): Our group arrived in McLeod Ganj, home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government over a week ago, and our days… Read More

SCUBAAAA WEEK :))))!!

Archive South Pacific- WALKABOUT
So we start our week in Carins* going to a scuba school and meeting our instructors, Matt and Dave where they thought us for 2 days the risks and rewards of scuba diving. After the first day we had loads of homework due the next day, We had to read a whole book and fill out questions for the scuba certification test. We had a ton of fun with our… Read More

wasssssssabiiiiiii

Archive Southeast Asia- SABAI
Wazzzzupp Capre Parents, This is a story all about how the Southeast Aisa group turned Vietnam upside down. I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there,  I’ll tell you how we became the princes of vietnam. In Ho Chi Min we started our stay in a waterpark where we spent most of the day, chillin out maxin, relaxin all cool, causein mahammm in the wave pool. I whistled… Read More

Flood Relief: Team Awesome

Archive South Pacific- HONGI
First off i would like to apologize for the delay in this posting. I attempted to finish it before our Outback excursion but now here i am. This is the entry for Team Awesome, which includes Krysten, Caroline, Ruby, Avery, Dan and Myself (Matt). After getting picked up in Brisbane, we headed to our destination of Tenterfield, New South Wales. Since Queensland (where Brisbane is) doesnt use daylight savings time,… Read More

Cusco: the city of many steps.

Archive South America- INTI
Hola mi famila y amigos. this has been one fun rest period (relatively speaking)  from working everyday. As Megan has said we have safely returned from the jungle.  On Wednesday after we reached our hotel, after picking up our things from John’s and then dropping off our laundry many of us became reacquainted with a computer and or our beds in our hostel,  I know I did.  Thursday was our… Read More

Work After Play

Archive East Africa- KIFARU
After rafting we hopped right back into our service work, which was, as always, filled with amazing people and loads of inspiration. The first morning we got to tour the Soft Power headquarters which included a library, a clinic, a theater, one of the only biogas projects in the area and many other art projects that tie in with the typical Ugandan school curriculum. The added creativity is always great… Read More

Happy Thanksgiving

Archive South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Hayden and Dylan wishing everyone at home a Happy Thanksgiving. It has been a very pensive week here in Australia as we have been staying at the Chenrezig Buddhist retreat center. Before arrival we got a quick briefing of customs and practices of buddism and the expected behavior while attending the retreat, which includes living alongside spiders which has proven to be quite a challenge for some. It also began… Read More

Conquering the Nile

Archive East Africa- KIFARU
Here we were, staring at the beautiful stretch of river commonly known as the Nile. Personally, if you told me a few years ago that I would see the Nile river, I would’ve questioned you. We arrived hungry at the site where we would start the course. To our pleasant surprise, there was an array of snacks for our eating pleasure. With full tummies, we met our guides and took… Read More

We’re having Phở(n). Get it? Fun.

Archive Southeast Asia- SABAI
We’re in Vietnam! I think the border crossing was a great foreshadow for the week to come; it was relaxing and easy. After the bus ride across the border, we rode right in to Ho Chi Minh City. There we had an evening to explore the city on our own. A lot of us tried some staple Vietnamese food: pho and Vietnamese coffee. Pho, pronounced fuh, is a noodle soup… Read More

Tiger in My Lion

Archive India- SHANTI
Bir Nov 15-21: Buddhist Teachings, discussion, films pooja ritual at Chokling Monastery Movies: The Story of Stuff, 10 Questions with the Dalai Lama, Thich Naht Hahn film about peace Hike to Sherabling Monastery Hike to Upper Bir village, waterfall working in Craftshop with my man Trilockk Went to an incense factory Talk with Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (The coolest cave lady) Thoughts Ole:”Self is the problem not the solution” Cobie: “Meditation… Read More
Archive South America- INTI
Hola familia y amigos 🙂 Once again it is Megan blogging from Cusco. HAPPY THANKSGIVING! It’s crazy this will all be over in two weeks. I hope my family is ready to deal with some sucio laundry and backpack que huele malo. Good news: we survived the selva! Volunteering with Robin at Camino Verde was awesome. Our days consisted of waking up at 5:40am, eating breakfast at 6am,… Read More

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Archive Central America- MAYA
HEY! Sup? we´re in Costa Rica! We spent the last week in beautiful San Juan Del Sur, at Playa Madera. We stayed at a sweet ec0-art hostel called Parque Maderas, which is owned and run by Tyler, Ethan´s childhood friend. Tyler´s dream was to build the hostel right on the ocean and it is one of the coolest places that we have been so far. We felt really at home… Read More

Rah! Rah! Rishikesh!!

Archive India- SHIVA
Namaste, We have just arrived in Rishikesh last night, and have only a few hours of internet, phone, and food stock-up time before we check in at the ashram in Pulchati!  We’ll be on a pretty rigid schedule which includes yoga, meditation, cleaning the ashram, and discussion periods.  The thing which our group has been talking about the most is the fact that this week is a silent retreat.  There… Read More

S21 and The Killing Feilds

Archive Southeast Asia- SABAI
Hello everyone ! For our last day in Cambodia we visited S21 and the Killing feilds. S21 was formerly a high school that was transformed into a prision during the Kemer Rouge. It now serves as a genocide musem. I think our group could agree that it was one of the more intense places that we have visited.  S21 is full of jail cells, interrogation rooms, and tourture instruments that… Read More

FLOOD RELIEF – TEAM SCOOP

Archive South Pacific- HONGI
After a blissful and refreshing week chanting mantras and grasping at the deepest meanings of our conciousness we have reentered the “real world”.   Brisbane welcomed us with opportunities galore however we had a date with the Conservation Volunteers Australia.  Our group was divided in half to work on two seperate projects.  My group included myself, Greta, Allistair, Trent, Casey, Francesca, and Katie (so if youre child or friend or aquaintence… Read More

Free Travel!

Archive Central America- MAYA
¡Hola familias! Many apologies for the delay in updates. Free travel was a great experience for all of us as we chose what adventures to embark on, whether it was chilling by beautiful natural springs, or speeding down a volcano on a sled! We started the week off with an extra day in León, three of us attending an extra day of Spanish school while the rest headed to the… Read More

SWAGger Like Us!

Archive South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Hey everybody, it’s Annie and Blair from ALICE SPRINGS! We just finished up our week long bus tour with Groovy Grape through the Australian Outback! Last Monday our tour guide, Steve, picked us up at 6:45 AM from the YHA. We had a long day on the bus and visited a cave with Aboriginal art inside. That night we stayed in Angorichina Village in the Flinders Ranges, a location soliders… Read More