Written By Kaeley & Sophie
¡Buenas tardes from Pachaj! It has been a busy, yet absolutely wonderful, week. During our time in Pachaj, we had the privilege of experiencing Guatemala’s lifestyle through living with host families. We also had the privilege to serve this culture and these people by helping to protect their forests. To finish up the week, we had the incredible opportunity of exploring more developed versions of… Read More
Written by Ty & Katie
Aloha from Ty and Katie,
We started off our week by working with Kia’i, continuing our work on the stream pulling weeds. Nicco helped organize us when we pulled large weeds using a rope. Ben then heroically worked during lunch to machete the remaining weeds in the stream. That afternoon we hung out at camp and Gus and Cooper built a huge fire.
On Wednesday,… Read More
Written By Ava & Ana
Hola a todos!
Our new adventures in Xela started with new student leaders, Ava and Ana! After our bittersweet adios with the Long Way Home family, our group unpacked our bags and settled into our new cozy hostel located in downtown Xela. As we began to explore our new home we were quick to discover Xelapan, a marvelous bakery filled with dozens of delicious pastries… Read More
Written By Emma and Sebastian
On Friday, half of the Terra group took a 3 hour trek down from Paladini to the train station while the others enjoyed a nauseating bus ride scaling the side of the mountain! After what some would call an eventful start to our journey, we refueled with Caprese sandwiches on the hot train platform. All was well though, and we made it to our hostel… Read More
Written By Clemmie & David
Kalimera from this week’s group leaders, Clemmie and David! As we type this, we are on the train back from Re-Green and off to Athens, practically holding in our tears. Out the window, we can see mountains on one side and a glistening ocean on the other, with islands in the distance. This week has presented a threshold of emotions including: joy, serenity, and gratitude.… Read More
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
