Written By Ben & Nicco Apologies for the delay on the blog we have been very busy and without wifi for the last two weeks. When we left off we were close to finishing up with our local hosts and were starting to learn to surf! On the 28th of October we had a beautiful closing ceremony with Ekolu, Ua, Lizzie, Jackson, Makayla, Duane, Karin, and Joy the dog to… Read More
Written By Maddi & Ethan Hola from Maddi and Ethan! We’re writing to you from the oceanside of Golfito, excited to tell you all about our time with Javier and Raquel in Mastatal!
On Saturday we arrived at Villas Mastatal and moved into our rooms. The girls were in a dormitory overlooking the rainforest and the boys in a bedroom directly below. After we got settled and ate some lunch… Read More
Written By Alex & Aidan This week we continued working at Vasili’s wonderful farm, where we spent the next three days picking grapes and olives (used to make olive oil and wine), getting to know Vasili’s family in order to learn from their experience on the farm, and enjoying beautiful meals by Nikki, the wife of Vasili and co-manager of the farm. Clemmie even had her fortune told by Nikki… Read More
Written By Emma Arrivederci Bologna, buongiorno Paladini. The group woke up early Saturday morning to walk a mile with packs on to a bus to a train to another train to another bus to another 1 mile walk to arrive at a campground with a composting toilet situated halfway down a mountain. Here, we have been spending our days around a campfire sitting on old tires wrapped with rope and… Read More
Written By Mallory It was a busy week exploring Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romana region. Everyone really loved the city! Especially walking under the covered sidewalks, called arcades or portico, Bologna is famous for.
For the week in Bologna we took Italian lessons from local Bolognas, Andrea and Giulia. They taught us how to make a reservation, order meals, and also how to say girl boss.
With our local… Read More
Written By Rosa & Spencer Hola from Rosa and Spencer! As we spend our final hours at Spanish by the River, we write this in the hope that you’re excited to hear all about the second half of our time in Turrialba!
On Saturday, we woke up bright and early to catch a 6:30 am taxi to Volcan Turrialba. After an hour or so of twists and turns (and beautiful… Read More
Written By Alesh & Flannery ¡Buenas tardes desde Comalapa! Your student leaders Flannery and Alesh here! It has been another jam-packed week filled with many new and exciting activities. Alongside our daily commutes to the school for work and Spanish classes, we have begun to further explore the area and learn about Guatemalan culture and lifestyle.
We began the week by trekking into town to eat pupusas, churros, and other… Read More
We’ve traded the rainforest landscapes of Chilamate for some small-city life here in the heart of Costa Rica’s Central valley in the Cartago province south of San Jose. There’s lots to love about this region, with lush waterfalls, rivers, and wildlife (including our first sloth spotting!) — as well as the second largest volcano in the country that looms over the landscape. But it is the chance to dive into… Read More
Written By Chloe & Kai Hello from your group leaders for September 22nd through September 29th, Chloe and Kai!
We kicked off this week with an incredible day trip to Chryssi Island. After frantically rushing to catch our boat ride, we enjoyed a sun-soaked voyage over unimaginably blue water to the island. The whole group was wowed by the white sand beaches and crystal-clear water, and some of us snorkeled… Read More
Written By Maya & Eli ¡Hola desde Comalapa, Guatemala! Maya and Eli here. After an exciting four day orientation filled with volcano sightings and nightly lightning shows, the group said farewell to the beautiful town of Antigua. The farewell was followed by a scenic two hour drive through the Guatemalan countryside to get to our new destination, Long Way Home in the colorful city of Comalapa. We were met with… Read More
Written By Aleia & Loden Aloha from Aleia and Loden!
Following our week of orientation, we jumped into week two on Maui ready to work hard and play even harder. In connecting with our first local partner organization, we began with morning protocol, a practice which asks permission of a space to work and grow within it. Ua, our instructor, would blow his conch shell in four directions and… Read More
Written by Maya S This week we found our way to Venice. Before leaving, we learned a bit about climate change and how this has been affecting the city. This trip was entirely student planned, from the transportation to the activities. We took a ferry to Murano, spending some time walking around checking out the glassblowing before hopping on the ferry back to Venice proper. Breaking into groups for a… Read More
Written By Loden and Nicco Driving along the coastal Honoapiilani highway on our way to the campsite, we sat jetlagged and charged with anticipation around our makeshift lantern crafted from Nathan’s headlight and our value-size jug of dish soap. Our tents and makeshift kitchen cast shadows in the bright light of the moon. Over pizza we heard each other’s voices, which we were able to match to faces and names… Read More
Yasas from Crete!
After a long travel day, we arrived in the most idyllic village in the mountains of southern Crete. Once abandoned, a community of artists has restored and revitalized it. Our homes for these first two weeks are 200 year old mud houses, with plenty of charm and unbelievable views.
The whole group has quickly jumped into learning Greek phrases and trying the local cuisine. Our main contact… Read More
MAYA group reporting in from Antigua at the end of a busy program orientation! We’ve hit the ground running here in Guatemala. Our days have been full of group games, orientation sessions, and getting to know one another. Our base has been the Purpose Hostel, a beautiful little place with an awesome terrace where we have loved watching nearby Volcan Fuego erupting on a regular basis. It can be a… Read More
Written By Emma Emma here! We have safely landed and have been spending our first four days in Chilamate at the amazing Chilamate Ecolodge. On day one, we flew in to San José around 11am Mountain Time. We drove for one hour through the beautiful Costa Rican landscape, with cliffs of green, and lush mountains intertwined with clouds. We stopped at a remote local comedor where we started our journey… Read More
Written By Kendall Over the past 5 days this group has accomplished many exciting and new adventures. After arriving at the hostel we enjoyed our first Italian meal together with a family dinner. It was full of laughs and conversations and this group clicked right away!
On our first full day we were thankful to have Andrea to take us on a walking tour of the town and share some… Read More
Dear Carpe Diem Fall 21 Aloha friends and families:
The Aloha group arrived safely in Maui and spent their first night at Camp Olowalu. They will begin orientation this morning, getting to know one another, setting goals/intentions, and exploring the beauty of the island.
We wish them well in their upcoming journey and are excited for future updates/photos/blog posts!
All the best,
Carpe Diem HQ… Read More
The QUETZAL group has arrived safely in Costa Rica! They are on their way to Chilamate, where they’ll settle in to their hostel and start their orientation. They’ll post an update here on Monday to let us know how their first few days in Costa Rica went. Pura Vida QUETZAL!… Read More
The MAYA group has arrived safely in Guatemala! They are heading to Antigua to settle in to their hostel, to have some breakfast, and start their orientation. They’ll post an update here on Monday to let us know how their first few days went. Stay tuned!… Read More
