Las Terasas!

carpediem Cuba - CHANGO
Blog by Sean and Colin Hola, Hello, and welcome to our 7th (I think) blog! This week we began our retreat in Las Terasas, named for the terrace like system of agriculture established to create a sustainable ecosystem. We were each placed in our separate bird houses and have enjoyed it so far. Each bird house is 9 feet above ground and requires super human strength to enter. We have… Read More

Fiji Time!

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Hello from paradise! This is our 6th day on the beautiful island of Vanua Levu, one of the two largest Fijian islands. Last Tuesday we said our bittersweet goodbyes to New Zealand, and were excited to embark on the next leg of our journey. After a brief flight from Christchurch to Auckland, we boarded our next plane heading off to Nadi, Fiji, on the island of Viti Levu. We were… Read More

Rishikesh & Yoga

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Blog from Emma Parker We arrived in Lakshman Jhula, Rishikesh, exhausted, after a 5 hour train ride and almost 2 hour rickshaw ride from Haridwar station. Despite most of us being in desperate need of a nap, air-conditioning, and lunch, we were immediately struck by the beauty of this unique town. Temples and stupas stuck out among buildings, nestled in between the beautiful Ganges river and huge green hills. After… Read More

Our Time in Rwanda

carpediem East Africa- KIFARU
Blog from Moreh Stewart I think I speak for all of us when I say we wish we could have more time in Rwanda, especially the beautiful city of Kigali. We arrived in this vibrant city on the 28th of March and each day has brought its own challenges and joys. we visited five memorials, a colorful market, and an amazing Coffee farm. After our first night in Kigali we… Read More

Viñales, Español, y Cuevas!

carpediem Cuba - CHANGO
Blog by Ally and Julia We’ve spent this past week farming, speaking Spanish, and relaxing in the beautiful town of Las Jazmines right outside of Viñales. During our mornings here we’ve been helping out on local farms, doing jobs such as planting lettuce, moving soil to beds, harvesting tomatoes, and prepping beds. The farmers here had difficulty finding jobs for us to do because of the drought that has been… Read More

Pun Pun and Suan Sati

carpediem Southeast Asia- SABAI
What a mindful week we’ve had! We began with a warm welcome from Rompei and Peggy, our wonderful guides at Pun Pun Organic Farm. Rompei could teach you about virtually anything, from soap making to Thai massages to the uses of garlic and all the plants in Pun Pun’s garden to an intense organ massage Luke was able to experience! Each night, we would take on a job: We’d gather… Read More

Project Bona Fide

carpediem Latitudes Year
Blog and photos from Matthew C Hello from Ometepe, Nicaragua! I’ve spent the last 2 months or so here on Ometepe island in Lake Nicaragua volunteering at Project Bona Fide, a permaculture farm based in the small community of Balgue. Each day starts at 6:45 here on the farm, when all the volunteers meet in the communal kitchen areas and break off into different groups going to work in different… Read More

Student Directed Travel and Gooood times

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Kia Ora! After a high-action week: trekking from Raglan on the North Island to Wellington, across the Cook Straight by ferry to Picton, a bus ride to Nelson, a van ride to Tākaka, a few days hiking, swimming and kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park, and finally a relaxing night back in Nelson… …we began our second week of Maori cultural exchange in Le Bons Bay on the Banks Peninsula… Read More

Yogendra, Columbia

carpediem Latitudes Year
Blog and photos from Jada Smith Greetings from Yogendra! If someone told me a year ago I’d be living at a yoga ashram in the middle of Colombia at this time in my life, I’d probably brush them off as insane. Upon finishing my senior year of high school, I was committed to what I thought was the university of my dreams, despite having never visited it. It was a… Read More

Twiga, Tembo, and Pumba, Oh My!

carpediem East Africa- KIFARU
Blog from Nina S, photos from Chris and Kelsi Over the last week we had the honor of living and working with the NGO Wildlife Connection. This NGO specializes in bridging the gap between wildlife and humans. We worked with them to build elephant friendly fences for local farmers. Elephants will often travel outside of Ruaha National Park, looking for food, often finding it on farms and tramping all the… Read More

Madagascar!

carpediem Latitudes Year
How many people do you know have been to Madagascar? Me, I’ve only ever met one person, a well traveled man whom i greatly respect and admire. “What do you think of me going to Madagascar for my Latitudes program?” I asked. “You’ll love it.” A 14 hour international flight to Tananarivo, the capital, an hour and a half local flight to Fort dauphin, Madagascar’s most southern city, a three… Read More

Mirror Foudation Fun

carpediem Southeast Asia- SABAI
Blog from Cooper After arriving at the Mirror Foundation and helping restore some of there rice fields, we got dropped of in the Lahu village. Right away we got greeted by friendly smiles and kids jumping on us already wanting to play football. Abooja, abooja saying hello in Lahu to the friendly people. We get into our home stay and get accustomed to our blankets for beds and the ground… Read More

Ghana times

carpediem Latitudes Year
The first thing that hit me as I stepped outside the airport in Accra, Ghana was the intense heat that is West Africa. Within minutes my clothes were soaked with sweat as the humidity clung to every inch of my skin. I was welcomed by my contact and his wife, and after a restless nights sleep in a dingy hotel, we made the six hour drive to Kumasi where I… Read More

Wild and wacky student adventures

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Hello Family and Friends! This week was our student directed travel week! The week began with a trip to Hobbiton, the film set for both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. During our visit we had the opportunity to walk through the shire and learn all about how the movies were made. Pierce and Aislinn, our die hard Lord of the Rings fans, was bursting with excitement the… Read More

New Heaven Dive

carpediem Latitudes Year
Blog from Tyler C Writing this hiding from the heat that’s only getting warmer as the days go on. The rainy season on Koh Tao is over and the dry season is approaching with only my fan to keep me cool. But don’t worry many cold showers are being taken to try to stay cool. I arrived on this island kind of lost and with very little idea of where… Read More

Mufinidi & Fox Farm

carpediem East Africa- KIFARU
Blog from George Geike We continued our cultural immersion in the highlands of Southern Tanzania through a two-part program in Igoda province organized by Foxes NGO, a non-profit dedicated to child welfare and regional healthcare. The first half of our program was a four-night homestay with farmer families of the Hehe tribe. Here, our Kiswahili and “kulima” (cultivation) skills gained over the past two weeks at Lutheran Junior Seminary and… Read More

Peace Farm Australia

carpediem Latitudes Year
Blog and photos from Anna Rapson 7 weeks ago, I arrived in Yarra Junction, a little bit confused and extremely exhausted. My host was nowhere to be seen, and after three hours of traveling to get to the valley, I was upset and already in a bad mood. After about an hour, my host Travis picked me up on the side of the road. I discovered that that day was… Read More