Good evening family and friends,
The Central America MAYA group has all arrived safely to LAX and they are about to proceed through security and begin their adventure together.
We wish them all the best as they traverse new internal and external landscapes over the next 3 months. Based on the fortuitous sign they found, we are feeling pretty good about this crew š
Buen viaje, MAYA!… Read More
Dear family and friends,
The South America semester is off to a smashing start. All eleven male students made it and the group is already joking, laughing, and practicing Spanish. Oversees Educators Topher and Lindsay are excited to finally have faces to this rambunctious group and they are all safely through security at LAX.
Stay tuned and we will post a second blog as soon as we hear that they… Read More
All of our Latitudes Students have gathered outside of Portland, Oregon in a beautiful retreat setting to kick off the Latitudes Year! So far we’ve had a lot of laughter, shared stories about why each of us was called to this journey, heard from our Executive Director Drew Edwards, explored the logistics of the Latitudes year, and begun to set intentions for the upcoming year. Although Orientation started less than… Read More
Greetings team Kifaru!
Simon and Alison here, enjoying our last few days in Portland before takeoff to East Africa! Weāve been soaking up the warmth up here in Oregon as we prepare ourselves for the radiant African sunshine. Seriously. Itās gonna be hot!
Yesterday we returned from a 4-day camping retreat with the entire Carpe Diem staff, including all the other amazing leaders who will be traveling with groups like… Read More
Habari Gani!?
Jonathan and Brooke here from Nkula 2015! The last week has seen all the Carpe Diem Overseas Educators gathered in Portland for the annual Fall Training. We have been busy preparing for the incredible semester ahead, and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our East Africa students!
We feel recharged after spending three nights camping at the serene Trillium Lake campground, at the base of Mt. Hood. While… Read More
Kia Ora, G’Day and Bula HONGI group!!
Avi and Lauren here! Welcome to our first blog post!! Wohoo!! We are hoping that everything is going well for you with packing, preparing, and feeling mentally and physically ready for your semester!!
We are here in Portland preparing for our amazing upcoming adventure with you all in just a few short days!! All of the folks at Carpe have been eagerly preparing… Read More
Lindsay and Topher here, the trusty leaders tasked with guiding you around Ecuador and Peru. For the first time ever in Carpe history, we have an all male group, which we’ve been excitedly preparing for by carrying around 11 construction paper males, and also (and more productively) by brainstorming topics and activities that we think you all will be stoked about. We can’t wait to replace your construction paper cut-outs… Read More
Dear Walkabout Students, Parents, and Public at Large,
Ryan and Cheridyn here reaching out to you from the infamous Carpe HQ in Portland, Oregon. We’ve begun the official countdown and are eagerly excited to be departing for New Zealand in a wee five days. We feel like two hobbits about to embark on an incredible adventure and can’t wait to meet you in person (our students) at the airport in… Read More
Hello wonderful Sabai family!
This is Alisha and Brett, we are your Overseas Educators for your semester in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The time is drawing near! Before we know it a plane will be taking us to the other side of the world (how crazy does that sound?). We have been working hard here in Portland, preparing for this massive adventure we are about to embark on. We frolicked… Read More
Hello Team Maya 2015! This is Kelsey and Angie checking in on this beautiful Friday afternoon. We are in the process of wrapping up our training here in Portland and preparing ourselves for the coming semester which promises to be legen… wait for it… dary. We wanted to take this time to begin one of the rituals that will be a part of our time together- writing the group blog.… Read More
Namaste to all of our Shanti adventurers!
We are here in Portland eagerly and enthusiastically preparing for our upcoming India semester together. We are so excited to meet you all in just five short days! Within the many activities we are planning for the trip, we have also been putting our heads together to come up with great Carpe Diem lessons, as well as hilarious jokes to enlighten you with.… Read More
Welcome to the Fall 2015 Shiva Blog. We look forward to sharing our thoughts, pictures and experiences with you as our India journey unfolds in the days to come. We have been busy planning our itinerary, connecting with our in country contacts and dreaming of the journey we are about to embark on. All of the overseas educators just returned from a training adventure. We camped by Trillium Lake near… Read More
By Sarah Pike Youāve probably dreamt of taking a gap year for many years and now that itās about to be your reality, itās important that you focus on getting the most out of the experience.
The first thought that might cross your mind is how awesome your Facebook page or Instagram account will be with all the updates and photos from your once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
But before you consider uploading… Read More
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Spring 2015 photo contest! Sharing photos can be an incredible way to tell stories and deepen your experience. We are in awe of the talent of our students and Overseas Educators and excited to share our top photos with you!
To see all of the photos from this past Spring semester, search for the hashtag #Cdephotos2015. …And now, read on… Read More
āThough we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.ā āRalph Waldo Emerson I spent the last three months living and volunteering in Guatemala; the country that has turned into one of my favorite places on this earth. Before that, I spent months researching volunteer programs, searching for the one that would be the best fit for me on… Read More
By Sarah Pike The more you’re looking forward to your long-awaited gap year experience, the less you want to wait, especially if you’re stuck in the middle of seemingly endless classes, dreaded exams, or just the drudgery of everyday work.
But if you can change your thinking and take a few steps in the right direction, you can make the time spent waiting more productive and enjoyable. Hereās how to… Read More
Storytelling Through Travel Photography
I felt like a caged zoo animal.
Traveling through India, I tried to blend into the environment by wearing traditional Indian clothing, a scarf to cover my curly hair, and a bindi between my eyebrows. I still stood out.
I was stared at, pointed at and my photo was taken by countless strangers. All this left me feeling exploited.
As a long-time photographer who has shot… Read More
Calling all alumni! Ready to make every day a #TBT? Post your favorite photos from your Carpe Diem Education semester, and enter to win $50 gift card(s) to your store of choice! ELIGIBILITY We love our alums! The 2015 Carpe Diem Education photo contest is open to ALL past Carpe Diem Education alumni. CONTEST ENTRY PERIOD The contest will run on a rolling basis from May 18 – June 19, totaling… Read More
I arrived in Bolivia almost three months ago and the time has flown by as this coming week will be my last week at my NGO Proyecto Horizonte. Proyecto Horizonte is an organization outside Cochabamba in a very rural area called Ushpa-Ushpa, they have many different running projects from a health center to after school programs. Before I came to Bolivia I had no interest in volunteering with kids but… Read More
As we've said throughout the semester… Life is like a carton of caramels, you just have to guess which ones you will find inside. We want to thank everyone for such an unforgettable journey through the mountains of New Zealand, across the beaches of Fiji, and from desert to rainforest in Australia. Thank you to all the people that opened up their homes to us, fed us, and… Read More
