Written by Kyla Wendel, a Carpe Diem gap year Australia wildlife habitat Latitudes student volunteering in Port DouglasExperiencing the Beauty of Port Douglas
Having been in Queensland my last semester, I thought I was prepared for the sheer beauty that is Port Douglas but I was mistaken. Already a month into my stay and I’m still in awe of my surroundings. The beautiful beaches and the tropical trees that… Read More
Written by Kora Battleson, a 2023-24 Latitudes Year Ecuador student, this reflection covers monkey monitoring, water quality research, English teaching, and community life along the coast of Camarones.Experience in Camarones, Ecuador:
My experience this semester in a small town called Camarones (shrimp) along the coast of Ecuador has been incredible. One thing I love about the work I do is every day is different with some sort of surprise.… Read More
Written by Ari Cochrane and Jess Solit, this Guatemala sustainable living Comalapa update covers a week of hands-on building, Mayan ruins, and community connection with Long Way Home.
Greetings from our team’s latest adventure! We ventured to Comalapa to collaborate with Long Way Home (LWH), an organization dedicated to sustainable living and community development. Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve been up to:
Learned about sustainable living practices
Worked on… Read More
Written by Ariana and Megan, Italy Greece gap year educators leading the Terra semester, this intro shares fun facts, travel stories, and what students can look forward to on their European adventure.Buongiorno from the Terra Overseas Educators!
Ariana and Megan have enjoyed connecting with each of you over this past week in preparation for our European adventure, and we hope you’re as excited as we are that we’ll soon… Read More
Written by Jasmin and Malcolm, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala scavenger hunt orientation in Antigua before Long Way HomeHola a nuestras familias y amigos!
We’ve had a great few days in Antigua, one of the larger cities here in Guatemala. Our groups flew into Guatemala City and we made our way to Hostel Hopa, our home for the next few days. Our group was finally… Read More
Written by Soumya and Andrew, India Nepal gap year educators preparing for their upcoming semester, this intro covers fun facts, packing tips, and what students can expect on the journey ahead.Greetings earthlings!
Here we are in rainy Portland, just returned from a rambunctious scavenger hunt through the hallowed halls of Forest Park. Along the way, we got to know each other as co-leaders, enjoyed a delicious meal of red… Read More
Written by Jasmin and Malcolm, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year Central America semester sharing packing tips before departureHola chiques!
We hope everyone is getting as excited for the semester as we are! We’re here in Portland, Oregon at Carpe Diem Headquarters reviewing our program itinerary, policies, curriculum, and more to fully prepare for our time together. This being the first time we’ll lead a trip together,… Read More
Written by Malcolm and Jane, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala Costa Rica journey through Lake Atitlan and Drake Bay
Happy end of program to our wonderful students, and to all of their parents and family and friends waiting to greet them at home! This semester simultaneously feels like it flew by, and it feels like we’ve been together and known each other for so much longer… Read More
Written by Tara and Ariana, Overseas Educators wrapping up their Italy Greece semester closing week with pizza in Naples, a day trip to Capri, and a final ceremony in Rome.
We embarked on our student direct travel pizza mission in Napoli! Eating pizza, island hopping, and visiting mystical ruins. We maxed our selves out with pizza and pastries. Clocking 30,000 steps a day trying to soak in the most… Read More
Written by Sophie N., this Costa Rica scuba diving semester recap covers the group’s final week in Drake Bay, from open water certification to Friendsgiving and Corcovado wildlife.
This was our last full week as a group, we spent it in Drake Bay mostly scuba diving. We met great directors that guided us along the way and met our needs while diving. On Thursday, since we wouldn’t be spending Thanksgiving… Read More
Written by Soumya and Forrest, Overseas Educators, this gap year Australia New Zealand farewell closes out a 70-day SoPac semester full of unforgettable moments.
To my beloved superpoopers,
We came together like the Daintree River and parted ways many moons later like its many tributaries. Along the way, we lived and laughed through seventy beautiful, challenging, sweaty, hilarious, eye-opening, wild and wonderful days.
There are so many moments I look… Read More
Written by Meg and Mary, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year Italy Greece Terra semester closing at ReGreen in Akrata
And that’s a wrap! The Terra group has officially come to the end of its journey. This past week we stayed at Re-green, an amazing village nestled in the mountains of Akrata. The volunteers and village members that live there practice and promote permaculture principles, and were… Read More
Written by Lily and Matilda, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Costa Rica permaculture farm program at Mastatal Ranch
This last week we rode, climbed and scrambled up the steep Permacultures farm sides of Maztatal Ranch!
From herbal tours to chocolate adventures, night walks, and even cooking with our host family, it really feels like we did it all!
But that’s so broad, so what did we get yo… Read More
Written by Madeleine N. and Treavor O., this South Pacific gap year kayaking recap covers nine days of caving, hiking, and sea kayaking at Whenua Iti in New Zealand with leaders Joe and Michael.
Our group traveled to our last contact, Whenua Iti. We spent the next 9 days caving, hiking and sea kayaking. With our leaders Joe and Michael, we participated in many group bonding activities; we learned more… Read More
South Pacific student directed travel heads from Raglan to Wellington with caving, a trapeze jump, and a cultural museum stop before the South Island.
We drove from Raglan down to Wellington over a few days while doing a practice run of our student directed travel. We spent a day in a very culturally significant museum in Wellington before we departed towards the South Island.
What have been the three highlights… Read More
Written by Katie M. and Conrad I., this Italy Greece farm Matera update covers a week of olive harvesting, school visits, cave exploration, and a group Thanksgiving celebration with B-link volunteers.
Since the last blog we’ve moved away from the city of Rome and have been staying at a farm right outside of the city of Matera. For the past week we’ve been working with volunteers from the organization… Read More
Written by Macey T., this gap year Greece Aegina island update covers a week of sailing, swimming, pistachio tasting, and island life on the Carpe Diem Italy and Greece semester.
This past week our group got to spend time on the beautiful island of Aegina!🌴Our wonderful group leaders on Crete, Elizabeth and Liam, booked a picturesque 3 story house, right on the ocean. The weather was on our side… Read More
Written by Iris and Rob, this Italy Greece Panta Rei Rome update covers their final week at the sustainable community before exploring Vatican City and heading south to Matera.
Since last week, we have finished our stay in Panta Rei. Doing day trips into town and learning Italian by a very patient Chiara. We got to explore the surrounding area and learned about sustainable living, such as water conservation,… Read More
Written by Talia M. and Madeleine N., this South Pacific Maori culture immersion update covers their final week in Raglan with Tiaki, Madisyn, Rob, and Rangi Marie.
Over the past week we had our final stretch outside of Raglan with the Māori. We spent time with knowledgeable Māori community members, Tiaki and Madisyn. We also spent two days at the home Rob and Rangi Marie who combine many Native American… Read More
Written by Elizabeth R. and Liam S., this gap year Greece Crete update covers ten days on eastern Crete with Greek lessons, Minoan history tours, pottery classes, and daily beach swims before heading to Athens.
We arrived on Crete! Over the past ten days, we spent time in a small village on Eastern Crete! We started off the week with Greek language and culture lessons from our teacher Manolis.… Read More
