The Daintree Forest

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
The past week has been full of exotic jungle and inspiration. We also bid farewell to Junior, as he had to jet off to meet the Pope in Rome. Despite our dwindling numbers-there are now only two students- we were kept in good spirits by the incredible people we encountered. Our week in the Daintree began with meeting John Rumney, a major contributing force in protecting the Great Barrier Reef,… Read More

SCUBA in the Great Barrier Reef

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef: it’s on everyone’s bucket list, and something we were lucky enough to do this week. Five days ago we met our scuba instructor, Louis, at Cairns Dive Center., and began our training. We spent two days alternating from the pool and the classroom, learning cool hand signals and blowing bubbles. We tested our skills in the shallow and deep end of the pool… Read More

In the Life of Carpe Diem

carpediem Latitudes Year
“IN THE LIFE OF CARPE DIEM” (UGANDA BLOG #10, WEEK 12) Six months later and the mind is still eager to discover and learn more… If you want to live a short life, live quickly. But, if you want to live a long life, live slowly.” —Señor Rony de Guatemala “Timshel— thou mayest.” —John Steinbeck “It’s all about perspective, and it is only you that has the power to either… Read More

Red Rocks Towering

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
Red rocks towered over our heads as we swam through a canyon in the center of the desert. It was our fourth day in the outback, and our guide, Mark, had taken us to a special spot that few tourists had visited called Redbank Gorge. We made our way through rocks tinged with purples and oranges, only seeing the sky through the cracks between the two sides. On the first… Read More

Bird Loving in South Africa

carpediem Latitudes Year
During the process of completing my FVP, I think I have become the ultimate mother figure. Well…A mother figure to about fifteen to twenty (depending on the day), screaming, filthy birds. I spend most of my work days in a very small, hot room, and watch my children, catering to their every need and desire. Every one hour, I sit on my tiny stool, and force dog food, or fruit… Read More

Latitudes Year: Reflections

carpediem Latitudes Year
This has been the fastest year of my life. I honestly can’t believe it’s coming to an end after I’ve been thinking about this year since my junior year of high school. I’m not ready for it to be over in some senses (traveling, adventure, different culture, my carpe friends and community) but in some ways I feel more prepared than ever to take on college and go forward in… Read More

Fiji transitioning to Australia

carpediem South Pacific- WALKABOUT
To quote one Charles Dickens, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Our time in Fiji was a roller coaster from start to finish. Some of our favorite moments in Fiji were the first few days at Bamboo Backpackers, enjoying our opening kava circles, late night pool swims, and lazy afternoon hammock naps. We visited one of the most pristine beaches I have ever witnessed… Read More

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