Written by Italy & Greece Overseas Educator, Ariana
The Italy and Greece program is off to a great start! We landed in Rome and after a day of planes, trains, and automobiles we made it to Sora. Since arriving we’ve explored the countryside, done yoga, made pasta and gnocchi, and started our orientation activities. Our host Antonello has been amazing and the crew of volunteers here has warmly welcomed us… Read More
They’ve arrived! The Spring 2023 Hawai’i students have arrived on location and are enjoying some time resting and eating a group meal before orientation formally begins. Excited for the journey ahead!… Read More
They’ve arrived! Our Central America students and leaders have arrived and are settling in. After a long journey, they’re enjoying a meal together and gearing up for orientation with leaders Matt and Abby.
… Read More
The Southeast Asia semester students (our friends at Carpe Mundi) have arrived safely! Although tired from their long journey, they’re excited to get started exploring with their two expert leaders, Soumya and Carol. So thrilled to see this group smiling and ready for adventure!… Read More
Italy and Greece students have arrived in Rome and are making their way to their first accommodation – a farm stay where they’ll participate in orientation with their expert leaders, Mara and Ariana. So excited to see what’s in store for this group of adventurers!… Read More
Central America Semester: “Gettin’ Giddy for Guate!”
Greetings from Portland! Abby and Matt here, your Central America OE’s reporting from a cute corner cafe in Portland! We are wrapping up our preparations for an awesome upcoming 10 weeks! Today we participated in a Carpe Diem scavenger hunt around Portland, and in the process have continued learning about and getting to know one another – for example, Abby learned that Matt… Read More
Written by Megan
That’s all, folks! The Terra group has been back home for almost 2 weeks, adjusting back to the normal pace of daily life. Did we really just do all that we did? Whatever motivated each student to step on that plane on September 15th and fly to a foreign country with complete strangers, we applaud them! It takes courage to do what others aren’t doing- to walk… Read More
CODA
E Hō Mai ka ‘ike mai luna mai ē
O nā mea huna no’eau O nā mele ē
E hō mai E hō mai E hō mai ē
The E hō mai is a chant to grant us knowledge from above. Hawaii has given us more than we could ever hope to return. The islands have taught us patience, empathy, history, restoration, gratitude, and of course the game of… Read More
Written By OEs Mara & Matt
And with our journals full of discoveries, our hearts full of memories, and our clothing full of new smells, we’ve found our ways back home. It’s amazing how quickly time has passed! It feels like we were just meeting each other in the Sonesta hotel and carrying a massive pizza box through security.
Rides in the back of pick-up trucks and volcanic eruptions set… Read More
Written By Bella
After our time at Re-green, we spent this final week directing ourselves around the Peloponnese region of Greece. Our first stop was Olympia, where we leaned about the ancient ruins, artifacts, the Olympics, and the Temple of Zeus followed by a race on the ancient track. We also had the opportunity to check out an amazing honey farm where we learned the process of bee boxes and… Read More
Written by Soumya
Sou so dai, Sabai fam. It’s your fearless knee-slapping leader, and I’m posted up in a back-alley noodle & dumpling shop in Phnom Penh as I write this, surrounded by bamboo walls, whirring fans, and the sound of motorbikes racing by. As I reflect on the last few months, you eleven intrepid, transformed young travelers who departed this morning in a flurry of hugs and oversized bags… Read More
Written By Ryan and Lauren
Our last goodbyes have been said. The murmurs of our laughs and celebrations and banter have faded into the surroundings. And the world has continued to turn even as most of us flew half a world away to return to the strange world of familiar things. The story of our journey together has ended. As we re-enter spaces of individual living and storytelling, we’ll each… Read More
Written By Abby
Wow. It seems like just yesterday we were all watching the volcano, Fuego, erupt during dinner at the famous EarthLodge above Antigua, Guatemala. Now we are counting the hours we have left here in Costa Rica, making the most of every moment. After our time at Villas Mastatal was up, we braved the stormy ocean by boat to make our way to Drake Bay. We waded off… Read More
Written By Ben
Throughout the last 2 1/2 months I was thinking of the perfect way to conclude this blog post. Our group has been through the highs of going caving and exploring the Great Barrier Reef, and the lows of sorting trash in the pouring rain and everything in between. Instead of describing the last week of student directed travel, I decided to bring our adventure to a close… Read More
Written By Baylor and Jensen
The week of the 6th we left the comfort of the Hart farm and headed for the South Island. The ferry ride was 4h and it mostly consisted of sleeping, eating and playing cards. The landscape around was beautiful and nothing we had ever seen before. After getting off the ferry we meet one of our guides, And The week of the 6th we left… Read More
Written By Kate and Danica
Coming from Siem Reap, we went into PTD with little to no expectations. Though we arrived with low spirits, this week became one of our best. When we arrived we were greeted by Rith (the director of PTD) and a great home-cooked meal. That day we all settled in and rested to prepare for the next day. Every morning at 7 am we all slowly… Read More
Written by Ava and Sam with the group
SDT. Or as it was accidentally referred to a couple of times, STD. SDT, or student-directed travel, is a time when the group is completely in charge of planning the week. We were given only a budget and a flight that we had to catch, and the rest was on us to plan. We had spent time at the Chiang Dao Youth… Read More
Written By Leora
This week ended on an unfortunate note, due to mostly all of us falling ill. Though, when I could still hang in there, I learned a lot in our initial couple days of arriving in The Kingdom of Cambodia. Particularly, I learned that most of the people I have come across in Cambodia are very kind. On the first day of our travels, we planned to visit… Read More
Written By Adi
11/7
Aloha! Our week started off at the Ulu co – op where we met Anissa, she started off by giving us a tour of the 4 acre farm where they have trees such as Ulu (Breadfruit), Papaya, Lilikoi (Passionfruit) , and many many ti leaves. We harvested some Ulu and Papaya and got to work cleaning up tarps, digging in the very rocky ground that 2,500… Read More
