The group arrived safe and sound in Arusha, Tanzania and has been thriving during orientation. So far we’ve learned a few Swahili words, seen a giant Red-Crowned Crane walking around the hostel yard, explored Masaai markets, and learned to navigate Dala Dala’s and the streets of Arusha.
Apologies for the delay in the blog post and for any lack of e-mails from students: unfortunately the internet cafes all seem to… Read More
I just got a phone call from Avy and Nico and it’s true … certifiably and exuberantly, the group is united – every last one of them – at the Amsterdam airport for their last leg to Tanzania! According to Avy, “everyone was just waiting exactly where they were supposed to be, and … well, we have a great group :-)” Unfortunately, since they’re in Amsterdam, a photo is more… Read More
Salama!
Here in Portland the Carpe Diem headquarters are bursting with energy as everyone prepares for their upcoming trips. We couldn’t be more excited to be heading to East Africa with all of you! Hopefully you’ve had a chance to go over the itinerary and share it with your families; if not, pull out a map, check out the route, and get ready for adventure with new friends!
Throughout our… Read More
Our trip to Africa was filled with all kinds of adventures and countless stories. It was filled with challenges and accomplishments, not to mention lots of laughs. Allison and I truly appreciate this past three months and know that the lessons we have learned have only just begun to surface. We will miss our Africa crew and wish you all the very best in your future endeavors.
May your journeys… Read More
We have spent our last week in Africa in paradise, or otherwise called Zanzibar. We strolled through the streets which smelled of different spices like clove and cinnamon, indulged in the delicious Swahili dishes, and achieved our open water SCUBA certification. We had four days filled with classes. The first day we sat in a class room where we watched PADI informational videos, so we would know what to do… Read More
Almost everyday for the last week we have spent traveling. We made our way back through Uganda and a have returned to Tanzania by land, water, and air. From our week of pure traveling we have plenty of funny stories to share with you when we return home.
After Sipi Falls we made our way down to Kampala where we spent the night. The following morning we hoped on a… Read More
As many of you know, our heroes began their journy in Tanzania as nine
companions. Since then we have traveled many miles, lost a comrade and
experienced many strange and alien things. Now they have returned to
Tanzania, the birthplace of this adventure, ready to take the country
by storm. RECENTLY… Boom! Boom! Boom! The bass in JJ’s car vibrated within our chests. JJ,a happy Ugandan Jew, bobbed his head… Read More
We went to Beads for Life and received a warm welcome. We then had a meeting and learned about the organization and how it was run. After we were shown how the beads were made and the process that they undergo. The organizations purpose is to give an opportunity to the poorest women in Uganda and help them start a bead business in order to support their children. Dinner was… Read More
After free travel came to an end, we arrived at Youth Encouragement Services (YES). It was a quiet and beautiful hostel with purple morning glories growing abundantly along the fence. We were all more than happy to find that showers, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen were in good condition and easily available. We were even spoiled with access to a volley ball net and a ping pong table, where some very… Read More
SIDE NOTE: We have just posted pictures to our earlier blog posts, so scroll down and check out what we have been up to! We are now half way through and started off our free travel Uganda going on a canoe trek for 2 days in Lake Bunyoni. We set off mid morning and canoed over to one of the many islands in the lake to begin our trek. A… Read More
Hello Again! We just finished up our second week working with Edirisa in another village. Our group, (Adam, Bridget, Jill, & Saxon) stayed at the Teach Inn where we worked around the school on local projects. Jill & Bridget assisted in classrooms like mathematics, geometry, and general sciences. Adam and Saxon finished hoeing a garden that will soon be planted with vegetables to feed the volunteers, and together we all finished a compost bin that… Read More
Team Gorilla went on a lovely bumpy ride to Lake Bunyoni. We got settled in and as a group sat down and planned what we would be doing during our stay. Sarah and Emily taught math, body parts, and songs in the nursery. Lilianna taught an art class, and Adam taught an amazing environmental studies class. We had plans to teach a swimming class, however, during our stay it rained… Read More
Heyo from the other half of the group. We spent the week on the beautiful Lake Bunyoni, where we dug a garden, dug out a space for a compost bin, and assisted in after school activities. Jill and Adam ran a P.E. course, Bridget oversaw an art class, Saxon did dance and became godfather to a chicken.
In our free time we swam, went canoeing, took a hike, and watched… Read More
We have now left Rwanda and have started our adventure in Uganda. Before we left though we were able to visit the Kigali Memorial Center where we learned about the genocide that occurred in Rwanda. The tour began by going through multiple gardens which very artistically helped convey the different emotions, actions and people affected by the genocide. Once we finished our time pondering through the gardens we entered the… Read More
Jambo from the beautiful Kigali, Rwanda. We arrived here Saturday evening after a much longer than anticipated plane ride from the Kilimanjaro International airport. We spent the previous week at the United African Alliance community center. Upon arriving we were greeted warmly by Pete (The Panther) O’Neil, and his twenty-one adopted children. We then settled into our comfortable sleeping quarters. It is safe to say that everyone was enthused to… Read More
Mambo from the United African Alliance Community Center! We arrived here yesterday afternoon fresh (although somewhat smelly) off our three day Safari to the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Lake Manyara National Park. We witnessed the laziness of lions, the zen of elephants, the staggering numbers of the zebra and wildebeest herds, as well as many of other creatures of the Serengeti such as: a leopard, a cheetah, a family of… Read More
Yesterday we went on an eventful scavenger throughout Arusha! We did awesome and hit almost all the goals, speaking in our newly learned Swahili along the way. We have been spending time doing orientation and learning about each other. The hostel is beautiful here and has modern amenities that we have been gratefully taking advantage of 🙂 Bridget, Saxon, Lil, Emily… Read More
From Adam, Jill & Sarah!!!
We are in the middle of our scavenger hunt in Arusha right now. We made it here alive! Yay! We just begun learning Kiswahli today and are eager to speak it. We love and miss everybody! We will blog more when we actually figure out how to use it properly. Wish us luck- We are trying to win this scavenger hunt!!… Read More
We’ve just received word that the group was picked up without a hitch and are now settled into the hostel they’ll call home for a few days’ worth of orientation, cultural briefings, language basics, and general group bonding as they begin their thorough journey of East Africa.
When they awake, you’ll begin hearing from them themselves–so stay tuned! From here on out, this is Team Africa’s blog!
-HQ out.… Read More
It’s official. Team Africa is complete, all are accounted for in Amsterdam and they are embarking on an adventure of a lifetime as a complete unit. Next stop? TANZANIA. The next blog you read should be from the group themselves. So come back to this site often and follow the adventures from the eyes and ears of Carpe Diem Africa Spring 2011!
Signing out for now…
Carpe Diem Headquarters… Read More
