Greetings from Kolkata!
Hello outside world! It is Paulo Alfaro writing on behalf of the Shanti group here in India. The last week has been a whole new experience out of this world. India’s diversification never ceases to amaze me. Every single place we go is a completely different, wonderful, jaw-dropping experience. It is truly magical. And everyday I am grateful to have chosen such a beautiful place to spend… Read More
This week for our journey, we came to a quaint little city called Puyo and just on the outskirts of it is a little place called Paseo de los Monos. Paseo de los monos is a refugee camp for rescued animals (mainly monkeys) but there are other animals such as tortoises, parrots, pecardis (hogs with a white collar around their neck), a margay, a kinkachu, coati (supposely a mix between… Read More
¡HOLA!
I am writing this in a small internet cafe in Guatemala City.
Cars zoom by, honking their horns at any pedestrians who dare assume they have the right of way. We are immersed in the sights and sounds of a bustling city.
It is strange to remember, then, that just yesterday we were in The Mystical Yoga farm, one of the most tranquil places that I have ever visited.… Read More
My past month in Morocco has been a blast to say the least. Instead of giving a summary of the past four and a half weeks, I have chosen to share the events of this past Friday night.
My homestay brother Taha and I entered his cousin’s house, dressed head to toe in traditional Moroccan regalia, and greeted by the traditional “Salaam Alaikum” which was followed by a handful of… Read More
Solscape- a hostel or a way of life? As we pulled up to Solscape on the evening of the 3rd, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Our sleeping accommodations were a mix of upcycled train cars and eco-tipis in the woods. Yoga classes are offered overlooking the ocean and all the food in the cafe is grown on site. Our first morning we met with Phil, the creator and… Read More
Greetings from Chiang Rai! We bid our farewells to the Dhamma Center last Friday. The day before we left the monastery, we took a vow of silence for the better half of the day. The purpose of this was to reflect on what Laurie and the monks had taught us during our stay at the center. Most of us took the day to journal, read, meditate, and explore the grounds.… Read More
It’s been a very eventful week here in Thailand. We celebrated our time with our host families at a farewell party at the ecolodge on Friday night where we ate, danced, performed our Thai speeches and rousing renditions of “Wagon Wheel” and “The Elephant Song.” We also lit floating lanterns, “loy gratong,” to bring good luck to our group and our host families. We said a tearful goodbye to our… Read More
From Varanassi, greetings!
THis past week we’ve been in Agra, Varanassi, and the long railway in between. Our one full day in Agra was spent celebrating my birthday at the Taj Mahal (this is James, not Georgia). Other than the mahal, Agra was smelly and crowded. We went to a semi-abandoned mall with a haunted house which gave Caroline nightmares. We drank tea at an enlightening cafe run by victims… Read More
After hiking the Tongariro crossing, we ventured to the Blue Mountain Adventure Centre (BMAC) where a concoction of adventure and self-discovery awaited. The first couple of days were centered around team building activities, and learning about each other’s strengths and weaknesses within the group. Once our team was functioning like a well-oiled machine, we pushed our limits on a ropes course in the sky and deep in caves below the… Read More
Our days in Kolkata have been pretty full. Most of us have started our service work at the mother Theresa houses and have had mixed reactions and experiences with it but are still enjoying our time with the organization. Yesterday we got back from our trip to the beautiful Sundarban river delta and mangrove forest that is home to crocodiles, Bengal tigers, spotted deer, wild boar and various types of… Read More
Pictures from:
Making empanadas at the Mountain School, visiting Maya Ruins Tak’ab’aj, trekking, sunrise, and the group enjoying time together.… Read More
¡¡¡¡¡¡¡HOLA!!!!!!!
This is Elizabeth, writing from an internet cafe in Xela. We just got back from our super intense two day trek to the Fuentes Georginas hot springs. Before that we were at the Mountain School for an amazing week of Spanish study. We all lived together and had hella adventures. We each had a host family to eat meals with and most of them were related. The food was… Read More
Photos from soccer games, students at the market in Xela, with Spanish teachers, taking salsa classes, and loading up gear on the bus. More updates about the group’s time at the Mountain School and trekking coming soon!… Read More
“Be the change you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi
I’m sure you recognize that quote, it’s been used an infinite amount of times for an infinite number of different campaigns. Well, I like it a lot because while choosing a place to spend three months of volunteer work, there’s a question between the lines that asks you “What aspect of the world would you like to… Read More
Sawadeeka from Ko Tao, Thailand, my friends. It is pretty crazy it has already been a month at New Heaven Dive school. Time is flying, yikes, now three months sounds too short. Diving with New Heaven is very rewarding because not only do we get to dive everyday but the work we are doing sets it apart from simply “fun dives” (they are even more fun).
I am apart of… Read More
