What an incredible week we have had! Our exciting Sunday, Feb. 22nd was spent rafting through rapids on the white nile! We also got to swim in the vast calm areas of the river. Our lunch spot had such a majestic view. Our group and our guides were definitely elated to have such a great river trip. Monday morning, a few of us took a thrilling swing into the bay… Read More
“I believe everyone should have a broad picture of how the universe operates and our place in it. It is a basic human desire. And it also puts our worries in perspective.” -Stephen Hawking
For many years we have proudly hosted student blogs on our website, giving our students a platform to process and share their share their travel experiences with their friends and family back home. Since our first … Read More
Hello all, Through Carpe Diem is the first time I have been out of the United States, and it has substantially been the fastest I have seen my life go by. In a good way… I now reside in Merida, Mexico, the capital of Yucatan, which is a beautiful Peninsula filled with much history and rich culture. If many of you don't know where Merida is, Google it.. Or it's… Read More
Howdy Y'all,
Hope everyone is doing great back in the States. Here in New Zealand we have been working hard on the Hart Family Farm. So far we have learned all about sustainable farming and how to appreciate where our food comes from. All of the meals that the students have prepared have featured food that came directly from the farm, even the meat! One night we had the opportunity… Read More
Hola from the sweet city of Cusco! I can't believe that I've already been at the Healing House, a holistic living center, for almost one month. Time really does fly. 5 months ago I was at orientation feeling jittery with anticipation for my group semester and contemplating various options for my FVP. Now, my group semester is over (still kind of in denial) and I'm almost one month into my… Read More
One is a picture from the Equator where the group was sprayed by foam as part of the Carnival celebrations a few weeks ago. Other pictures are of the group and their Spanish teachers, students and the kids they taught English to, and a picture of the group performing songs for our Spanish teachers.
… Read More
What's up friends and family?! It's so crazy how I've already been here in South Africa for a month. Time has gone by unbelievably fast. This is probably due to how busy I've been down here! I jumped right into work right as I arrived here at C.R.O.W. (Center for Rehabilitation Of Wildlife). I met up with Gus Swanson, the other Carpe student here and we have become good friends:D… Read More
Pun Pun Farm: a center for self reliance, my destination for the Latitudes semester of the journey and my current home. Life here is better than I could have imagined and is everything and more that I have been searching for. To my humble understanding and from my developing place in the community, Pun Pun is a place to grow and learn together through experiences that come from an organic,… Read More
Though I can´t speak for everyone, I think I can safely say that the group´s experience in Baños has been a potent combination of exhaustion, exploration, and chocolate.
Exhaustion because of our daily four hours of Spanish class, one on one with an instructor at Raices, Lorena´s spanish school. For those of you who don´t know, Lorena is our Ecuador contact/instructor/cook/homestay mom/all around superhero. As someone who came into this… Read More
Namaste Nepal! I will have successfully completed my third week in Kathmandu as of tomorrow. I have to admit, this isn't quiet what I expected but I can't be more pleased with my placement here with ELI. I am currently living in a volunteer house with five other volunteers with two others just having left this morning.
The first couple of days all of us spent our time on tours… Read More
We are getting ready to say goodbye to the people who have kindly cared for us in the past 9 days. It seems as though we have been here for much more time. Personally, I have had a great time getting to meet my host family & learning from them. The first few days were somewhat of a struggle, but after a few Thai language classes, we have begun to… Read More
The group huddled around an altar at Abaj Ta'Kalik, a Mayan ruin from the Olmeca era (around 900-300 BCE).
Lilly's birthday celebration
Hammock time!
Teaching the local kiddos how to slack line … Read More
On Sunday, we arrived at the Blue Mountain Adventure Center; also known as BMAC. We took a day to settle in and hang out, but the next 5 days were fully packed with shenanigans. We started our first activities at 8:30 the following morning with group problem solving and teamwork games out on the lawn. That afternoon, we went caving about a 10 minute drive away.
We split into two… Read More
Kia Ora!
We made it from Christchurch to Rapaki, where we've been staying at the Marae! We started our very first day with the Profity ceremony, where we exchanged songs with the Maori people and had a delicious welcome meal. With no time to waste, we got straight to work! We started off working at a local stream conservation where we sickled and weeded out all the dead plants.… Read More
It's hard to believe its already been a month here at C.R.O.W. in Durban, South Africa. With days spent feeding, rescuing, and releasing animals the time has really flown by. A little background information on C.R.O.W. First, The Center for Rehabilitation of Wildlife's main function is to create an environment in which sick and injured animals can be rehabilitated to the point of release. With everything from warthogs to baboons… Read More
Today feels bittersweet, or as Winston (our German representative) says, "with one bright eye and one crying eye."
By the time of this posting, we will have said farewell to our host families and be well on our way for an equally novel experience in Agra.
But right now, I sit writing, enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze coming from the patio of my host family's living room.
Papa Gee… Read More
After spending a week at the Escuela de la Montaña with minimal Internet access, we are back in Xela in homestays. It's nice to be back in a familiar city, but I personally miss how incredibly green everything was. At the Escuela, we slept at the school and had our meals with host families. That week was one for bonding–sometimes I thought we bonded too much. At least we haven't… Read More
Where to begin? The group is in agreement that we have experienced more in these two weeks than seems possible. If this determines the rest of our weeks of adventure, we are in store for many life changing experiences and possibly the fullest three months any of us have ever lived.
In Quito we were able to ease into the new group dynamic staying in a comfortable hostel. A young… Read More
Hello family friends and fellow blog readers!
This is Monica blogging from a tiny internet cafe in Kampala. We've been in Uganda for about 2 weeks now and it has been the craziest and most eventful weeks of my life. I'm just sitting here now in awe of what I have just done. We started off our week in a rhino sanctuary where rhinos would hang out right outside our… Read More
