Abriendo Mentes!

carpediem Latitudes Year
Hot dirt brushes along steaming pavement, dogs pant, sweaty children play, the devious sun beats relentlessly down on anything brave enough not to seek shade. I hide out in the relative coolness of the office where the remnants of air conditioning still linger from an earlier meeting. The weeks here in Potrero, Costa Rica seem to have come and gone more quickly than my initial, fleeting hope that it might… Read More

City of Sails

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Auckland, the City of Sails, heart of New Zealand’s city life, as well as a nice change from the rest of our trip. For the past month, we’ve roamed beaches, milked cows and collected chicken eggs, hiked legendary peaks, mountain biked and trekked (or tramped as the kiwi’s say) through the vast expanse of National park. We’ve learned about permaculture from people who treat it as a lifestyle, as well… Read More

Foxes’ NGO – Mufindi

carpediem Latitudes Year
Five incredible weeks at Foxes’ NGO, and I’m still not sure exactly what label to give the organization where I’m working – besides “NGO”. It’s non-governmental, sure, but it’s a lot of other things, too. And all of them are worth writing about. What is this place? An orphanage? Yeah, kind of – though we don’t use that term, since it tends to paint a sad, Western, “institutional” picture –… Read More

“Back to School”

carpediem Latitudes Year
I hadn’t been to school in quite a while, so I figured that it was about time to head back for a little bit. 😉 And the past two weeks have certainly been one of the best “back to school” intros! The two schools at which I am both teaching and learning is found amongst the lusciously green, rolling hills of south western Uganda, in the small village of Kitanga.… Read More

Wildtracks…

carpediem Latitudes Year
Hello world and welcome to another post of the cool side of the blog. your host Valiant Val! As you know, and actually as you probably don’t know Valencio is currently in the beautiful country of Belize, where the water is warm and the sky is blue as a really… blue sky…. What did you expect. Any who back to business, Valencio is working hard and doing things right. Not… Read More

Mangos and Monkeys

carpediem Latitudes Year
Project Bona Fide. Permaculture farm on a volcano, on an island, in a lake, in the heart of the tropics. Imagine one of those early fly over scenes from Jurassic Park and you’ll get the gist of it. As I’m writing this I’m watching the silhouetted volcano fade in front of a sky that’s literally traffic cone orange. The orangeness is just ridiculous. But so is everything about this island,… Read More

Dolphins in WA!

carpediem Latitudes Year
Giddy from down unda’! It’s been six weeks since I arrived in Bunbury, Western Australia, (aka “The Dolphin City”), and I can’t believe how fast the time is passing. I’ve been lucky to be doing my FVP at the Dolphin Discovery Centre, a volunteer-based organization on the coast of Australia. Because of the warmth and safety of this one small bay, hundreds of wild bottlenose dolphins roam free. It’s the… Read More

All about our Maori Stay

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Our week of intercultural immersion in New Zealand began with a traditional powhiri, the Maori word for welcoming ceremony. We were called on to the Marae with a sound of a single female voice and Kawharu, a prominent man in the Raglan community, recited his whakapapa, or family history, for us. The ceremony continued with the exchange of songs, and finally, the much anticipated Hongi, or the Maori greeting practice… Read More

Lake Atitlan

carpediem Central America- MAYA
¡HOLA! I am writing this in a small internet cafe in Guatemala City. Cars zoom by, honking their horns at any pedestrians who dare assume they have the right of way. We are immersed in the sights and sounds of a bustling city. It is strange to remember, then, that just yesterday we were in The Mystical Yoga farm, one of the most tranquil places that I have ever visited.… Read More

A Friday Night in Morocco

carpediem Latitudes Year
My past month in Morocco has been a blast to say the least. Instead of giving a summary of the past four and a half weeks, I have chosen to share the events of this past Friday night. My homestay brother Taha and I entered his cousin’s house, dressed head to toe in traditional Moroccan regalia, and greeted by the traditional “Salaam Alaikum” which was followed by a handful of… Read More

Solscape and Sustainability

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Solscape- a hostel or a way of life? As we pulled up to Solscape on the evening of the 3rd, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Our sleeping accommodations were a mix of upcycled train cars and eco-tipis in the woods. Yoga classes are offered overlooking the ocean and all the food in the cafe is grown on site. Our first morning we met with Phil, the creator and… Read More

Baby birds from Durban South Africa.

carpediem Latitudes Year
Temperature is currently 91 degrees Fahrenheit. I’ve just finished your typical day at CROW. I work in the baby bird room with all the little birdies that have been abandoned, injured, misplaced, or just without a home. They are cute little nuggets but needy and must be hand fed once every hour. It’s a big responsibility and not always a happy one. More often then not, the birds don’t always… Read More

Lord of the Rings Style-Tongariro Crossing!

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
What an incredible thing for two leaders to see: our entire group rallying together and completely planning out four wonderful student directed travel days! After only knowing each other for a week, each student stepped fully into their chosen leadership roles; booking accommodation, transportation, planning and cooking meals, and facilitating group meetings. Our adventure began in the remote Waipatiki beach. We welcomed our newest member, Taylor, and celebrated with delicious… Read More

Yogendra – Cali, Colombia

carpediem Latitudes Year
I flew in to Cali, Colombia, and was greeted by the 96 degree embrace of the Equatorial city. A taxi took me through the city, past the numerous monuments to revolutionaries and salsa musicians. We ascended a mountain crowned by a colossal statue of Jesus called Cristo Rey and soon arrived to the site of my volunteer placement: Yogendra EcoAshram. Yogendra is a yoga studio with extensive living accommodations for… Read More

Mufindi!

carpediem Latitudes Year
Habari, I can’t believe it’s been a month since I stepped off the plane into Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. It felt so much different than four months prior when I landed in Delhi, but the anxiety and nerves were still present. After a fairly quick line, I had my second visa stuck into my passport, which would allow me 90 days of tourism in Tanzania. After spending the night in… Read More

Life at the Farm

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Just finished up with a hard, but satisfying week on the farm. Shout out to the Hart family for their beautiful place and warm hospitality. Most of our days were spent in the woods, chopping up bush and creating paths for the Harts and whomever else. We’re proud of what we accomplished this past week, which includes a long and beautiful mountain bike trail that we made from scratch. In… Read More

Buenos Aires

carpediem Latitudes Year
Hi friends. So while most everyone is out in what seems like the middle of nowhere, I am over here chilling and living the city life in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am constantly surrounded by beautiful architecture, so many people who are constantly stopping to window shop, and the sound of cars rushing down the streets. Let’s just say that the city life has been a major transition from the… Read More

Orientation Week

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Hello everybody 🙂 It has been an awesome past week since arriving. Safe to say no one has been disappointed with New Zealand. And wow, what a squad that has been assembled for this journey. It’s hard to believe that this is actually happening. Everything has been going great so far and there is so much more to come. On our first day in New Zealand, we were let loose… Read More