Written by Central America Students, Sophie & Anna This week we got to stay with local families in home stays, while still going to school at PLQ (Proyecto Lingüístico Quetzalteco)! We moved into our new homes on Sunday, and have been living with them for the past week! We’ve been able to enjoy tasty meals, practicing our Spanish with our families and exploring the city of Xela (Quetzaltenago) even more!… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Students, Macey T. & Grace N. For the last week, we’ve been at a farm called Paladini in the mountains of Garfagnana. It’s a beautiful place and it was so nice to get back to nature after a busy week in Florence. There were other volunteers there from programs like Workaway, as well as the owner Colm and his family. There were different chores we… Read More
Written by South Pacific Students, Treavor O. & Tasha B. With our instructors, Martin and Chad, we were able to get certified in scuba diving. We spent one day learning in a pool and two days scuba diving in the magical great barrier reef. After our tiring, but rewarding, three days, we come up to the Daintree. We met the CEO of ClimateForce, Barney and his team. We planted trees,… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Students, Malee G. & Josie B. We ended our stay in Athens and drove up to a sustainable living community near Larissa called CobGreece. During our stay, we learned about mud-building, foraging, and the process of pickling (so we left Cob with a doghouse that we helped to mud-build and pickled zucchinis!). Sleeping in tents, relying on solar power, and using compostable toilets were new… Read More
Written by Central America Students, Shloimy G. & Leila B. Since our last update, we’ve traversed the Guatemalan Highlands, and have made it to Xela/Quetzaltenango (in separate transports of course due to our unfortunate little itty bitty Covid outbreak).
We’re staying in a hostel right near Parque Central, both the center of town and the center of the recent protests. We learned about the reasons behind these demonstrations during our… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Students, Sydney & Liam We’ve been in Florence this week. Traveling into the city was a nice change of pace after being at Panta Rei for a week and a half. We volunteered twice an urban garden called Orti di Pinti. There we met Giacomo, who told us about the ways that urban gardens are trying to innovate the methods of growing plants in a… Read More
Written by South Pacific Students, Talia M. and RJ L. We spent last week at the lovely Sheoak Ridge in the Daintree rainforest. Hosted by Claire and Marcus, two passionate and accomplished conversationalists. We had some amazing wilderness experiences including cuddles with wallabies and educational nature walks.
What have been the three highlights of the week?
🐱 Getting to have unique and immersive wildlife interactions were definitely some highlights, from… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Students, Charlotte B. & Iris J. After spending a week on the island of Crete, we said goodbye to our wonderful hosts and locals we met along the way. On Wednesday, our group landed in Athens, Greece, and had a chance to explore our city.
Over this past week we have had many great opportunities, learning the basics of the Greek language, including a traditional… Read More
Written by Central America Students, Nate K. and Kora B. Hey everyone, this is Nate and Kora talking and we can’t wait to share our recap from this past week!
Upon our arrival in Comalapa on the 24th, we started our adventures with a welcoming introduction from our amazing host, Omar. Having given us a tour of the unique sustainable practices used throughout the community, we gained a greater appreciation… Read More
Written by South Pacific Overseas Educator, Forrest On September 20th, thirteen strangers got on a plane with the intent of making their way to Cairns, Australia. After a 15 hour flight the group decided they liked Sydney so much that they’d stay there a little while. We spent two days in Sydney napping away jetlag, exploring Bondi Beach, playing games, and posing in front of the Sydney Opera House. We… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Overseas Educator, Ariana This week has been all about getting to know Greece and each other! In addition to Greek lessons, we’ve also learned about Ancient Greek philosophy and the Parthenon, and even mastered a few traditional Greek dances. Food continues to be plentiful here in the village and nightly appreciations and thoughtful go around questions over a hot cup of tea have become a… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Overseas Educators, Megan & Mary Ciao! The Terra 23 group has been whisked away to the Italian countryside at the beautiful property of Panta Rei in Umbria. We’ve been knee-deep in orientation activities- fun games, learning about tools to build a healthy community, getting to know each other, and immersing ourselves in Italian language and culture. We have been spending time with Tom and Mauro… Read More
Written by Central America Overseas Educators, Jane & Malcolm Hola desde Guatemala!
We have had a fun whirlwind of a few days since arriving in Guatemala City early the morning of the 22nd.
We drove from the airport in Guatemala City to Earthlodge, an eco hotel and wellness center just outside of Antigua. We were immediately struck by the stunning vista of the valley below and the volcanoes dominating the… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Overseas Educator, Ariana Carpe Diem Meraki group has landed in Greece! Two flights, a car ride, and many snacks later we’ve finally arrived in Crete. We’re staying in the beautiful mountain village of Agios Ioannis, getting to know each other, and eating tons of delicious home cooked Greek cuisine. This week is all about group culture, orientation, and seaside swims. We started Greek lessons with… Read More
Written by Kate Willoughby, 2022-23 Latitudes Student This semester I volunteered and worked at Kids Saving the Rainforest for 3 months in Costa Rica. Here, I worked in the animal sanctuary with their lovely animals and people that work here. I got the privilege to learn so much about wildlife and all of the animals in Costa Rica. I stayed on the property of Kids Saving the Rainforest in their… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Overseas Educators, Mariana (Mara + Ariana) What a semester! 10 weeks, 2 countries, 13 locations, 7 local partner organizations, 4 puppies, and countless gelatos and cats later – we’ve finally reached the end.
Though the blog is traditionally written for your friends and family following your journey at home, as the journey has come to an end, it feels most appropriate to now write it… Read More
Written by Hawaii Semester Overseas Educator, Fiona What did you ask of the island?
You asked to explore, both “the outdoors” and within.
You asked not just to see the world, but to be folded up with the mountains and oceans and sun and waves.
You asked for a different form of education.
You asked for a break, a pause, a reset.
You asked to receive, attain, be shown something,… Read More
Written by Leora Wasserman, 2022-23 Latitudes Student My experience this semester in South Africa gave me the opportunity to gain knowledge, go on adventures, experience challenge, and create connections and memories to last a lifetime!
I began my journey in Johannesburg, with Tefo and Lucas, who were fantastic guides! Over the next couple days, I would learn about the history of South Africa and the apartheid history, by firstly visiting… Read More
Written by Hawaii Semester Students, Kayla, Emma, Nick, and Jaidan In the past two weeks we got to enjoy our last few moments as a group.
We have gotten the chance to work with a local native Hawaiian named Alohi. She talked about her Kalo restoration efforts. Emma and Kayla lead in the group in mini Olympic games which lasted 2 days. We also go to go to Hawai’i Volcano… Read More
Written by Central America Overseas Educator, Abby Our semester has officially come to a close! You all are either back home or continuing your travels in Costa Rica. We said goodbye on Wednesday morning with tears in our eyes. Matt and I tried to set you free at the security gates but you clearly didn’t want to leave us. We have turned into family these past 10 weeks. We had… Read More
