The bridge at Hokotika Gorge.The Walkabout Crew, plus hugs at Fox Glacier.Preparing the hangi with Henry.Pulling and planting flax.Waterfall road trip stop on the way from Wanaka to Queenstown, our final destination in Aotearoa.… Read More
By Maggie Seida Seeing my first glance of Koh Tao from the boat, I was already hooked—the little island is dotted with bungalows, dogs running on the beaches, and boat captains calling to each other from the bay.
To get from the main pier to the dive school is an overpriced, five-minute taxi ride (be prepared: that taxi means the back of a motorbike or the bed of a pickup).… Read More
By Iona Yates During this program, I have found myself writing down at least one fear I want to conquer weekly. Four weeks ago in Mae Rim, it was overcoming my fear of learning the Thai language. Last week in Pun Pun, my fear was overcoming feeding the cows and getting in the chicken coop. This week, though, my fear was getting dirty, which is a very hard fear when… Read More
By Sabrina Brewer In all honesty, I’ve been dreading having to write this blog post. No matter how many adjectives I use, I won’t be able to accurately describe what we’ve seen and experienced in the past few days of trekking. Imagine turning slowly in a circle, and in every part of the 360-degree spin, staring up at blue skies and mountains in every direction. Mountains covered in light shades… Read More
By Emmy Huefner ¡Adiós, Guatemala!
On Sunday, we flew from Guatemala City to Managua, Nicaragua, and we are now in the town of Matagalpa, where the electricity is spotty and where they don’t pronounce their “S’s” at the end of a word. In some ways, Nicaragua feels very similar to Guatemala: toilet paper still must go in the trash can, there’s no shortage of crazy drivers on motos, and natives… Read More
By Mali Hello friends and family!
After several days trekking through the beautiful and formidable mountains of Lake Bunyonyi, we have made the 180-degree transition to the city of Kigali, Rwanda’s capital.
Although we spent only a few days in Kigali, the city was characterized by its cleanliness, modernity, and (like everywhere in Rwanda) a significant amount of hills. Also notable were the myriad delectable foods and an interesting amalgamation… Read More
Getting strong in the airport on the way to Nicaragua!Beautiful coastal sunset.A few of our local guides on the mangroves tour.A local surfer catching a wave in el Paredon.Discussing issues regarding sustainable development.… Read More
By Alec Mabie This week was spent in one of the holiest cities in India, Varanasi!
When we first arrived in Varanasi our leaders gave us a tour of the city and we got to meet the teachers for the internships. We had so many options to choose from. I picked jewelry making, Ayurveda, and music. Other popular classes were fire dancing and stone carving. After meeting with our teachers… Read More
By Deborah and Brad Greetings!
We spent our last week camping at Ohana Amani, a holistic living education center outside of Njombe town, in Southwest Tanzania. At the center, we learned all about holistic styles of living, farm-to-table foods, how to maintain a garden, self-love, reflection, and other general life skills like cooking, yoga, and fire making! We worked with some locals to help clear a fire break for their… Read More
By Lauren Shelfo Hola from the AMAZON RAINFOREST! We arrived here at Arajuno Jungle Lodge on Sunday, October 8th after two bus rides and a five minute canoe ride down the Arajuno River to our home for the week. We were kindly greeted by the owner Tom Larson, and his wife, Charo, who provides delicious, natural, and healthy meals three times a day.
This week consisted of four hours of… Read More
By David Bleecker The group’s spirits are high as we leave the North Island (Te Ika a Maui) of New Zealand, en route to the South Island (Te Wai Pounamu) via the Interislander ferry. Our last week was mostly spent trekking, caving, biking, and camping through National Park, a large area of protected wilderness in the heart of the North Island. Our five-day excursion was led by Blue Mountain Adventure… Read More
By Charlie Koloms Namaste to friends and family back home.
This week for the Shiva group has been drastically different than our previous weeks in India. Instead of staying in a busy city like before, we have moved on campus to a school called SECMOL, just 30 minutes from the city of Leh in Ladakh. SECMOL is a school for 10th and 12th graders located at the foothills of the… Read More
By Ellie and PJPhotos courtest of Anna Parker Greetings.
This is your latest correspondence from ya girl Ellie and PJ, aka El Jefe.
Our week began this past Sunday with a summit up the nearby volcano Maderas. While it is the shorter volcano on Ometepe Island, the hike proved to be no easy feat. Katie and Anna were both not feeling too great health-wise, so, unfortunately, by the time… Read More
By Shai, Sophie, Nico, and Elliot Hi Hongi fans!! Shai, Sophie, Nico and Elliot here giving you the deets of our latest adventures in New Zealand. Our week started off spending two nights at Manu-Wairua Retreat, a Marae in Raglan. Here we endured an intensive healing process that utilized a sweat lodge. A sweat lodge is a small enclosed dome used in many indigenous purification ceremonies. Inside, there is someone… Read More
By Quincy Hirt Lexie Drew“Welcome to El Paredon” These four words, spoken in a kind British accent, greeted us as we stepped off the bus. It was immediately clear that this place was unlike our recent destinations as the salty, humid, and hot air washed over us. Alex (kind British voice) and Lexi (a volunteer at Surf Camp, our hostel) greeted us warmly as we settled into our palm… Read More
By Daisy Katelyn Osowski Last week we wrapped up our time with Tiaki at the marae in Whaingaroa and spent two nights with Rangimarie and Rob, a Maori/Native American couple that welcomed us into their home in Manu Wairua (means Bird Spirit). We got to participate in a Lakota sweat lodge ceremony and drum in a drum circle while singing traditional, and not so traditional, songs. Our time with Rangimarie, … Read More
By Ella Our last days in Uganda were spent on the gorgeous Lake Bunyoni. One dala dala ride from SNEC and we were at Edirisa (“The Window” in Rakiga, the language of southern Uganda), a hostel right on the lake. A set of stairs carved into the dirt, and marked “Staff Only,” led us down to the hostel, which featured tents for us to share (and to continue sharing for… Read More
Ella and Mali move into a traditional hut in Huye.Matt conducting a business meeting from his office.Rafting on the Nile River.Nile River madness!Enjoying the beauty of Rwanda.Medical bike for an ankle sprain. Don’t worry…she’ll be ok!… Read More
By James StewartThere is a certain sense of emotional and spiritual fulfillment that can only be obtained by walking barefoot along a rural, mud-covered road. It lies in the softness of the sand and muck beneath your feet. It dances in the chorus of birdsong that mingles with the singing of crickets and the constant tittering of chickens. To you, it is new, it is exciting, and you breathe… Read More
