Follow the Journey

  It’s a cold, sunny day here at the Carpe Diem headquarters in Portland, but we’re putting our hats and scarves in storage, busting out the sunblock and sandals, and brushing up on our Swahili.  We fly out in a couple of days, and can’t wait until our whole group is united in Dar Es Salaam, so that we can start the adventure.  For all of the family and friends… Read More

I do hope this works… I miss all of these people and places very very much. Sorry they’re in no particular order and the captions don’t seem to work… Love, Ellie… Read More

So… keyboards in Africa are a little sketch and often spacebars don’t work well. I’m actually not that thankful for meat at all. Definitely meant “me at.” And on the Thanksgiving post I am fully aware that the first and last sentences are almost the same… Writing one blog post in two different countries doesn’t work very well.… Read More

Even though we’re entering the end of our journey I still feel it necessary to update you on what we did these past few weeks. (written on Thanksgiving) Thankful for: -family for supporting meat all stages in my life -this Carpe Diem group–couldn’t have picked a group more strange or more amazing -our leaders for helping us through the process and becoming fantastic role models and even better friends -new… Read More

Hamjambo! As we close the chapter on our journey together through East Africa, we want to take a moment to thank all the friends and family back home for your continual love and support.  The past few months have been full of challenges and life lessons, fun and adventure, and less-than-reliable internet.  We as leaders are truly grateful to have been able to bear witness to this journey — we’ve… Read More

After rafting we hopped right back into our service work, which was, as always, filled with amazing people and loads of inspiration. The first morning we got to tour the Soft Power headquarters which included a library, a clinic, a theater, one of the only biogas projects in the area and many other art projects that tie in with the typical Ugandan school curriculum. The added creativity is always great… Read More

Here we were, staring at the beautiful stretch of river commonly known as the Nile. Personally, if you told me a few years ago that I would see the Nile river, I would’ve questioned you. We arrived hungry at the site where we would start the course. To our pleasant surprise, there was an array of snacks for our eating pleasure. With full tummies, we met our guides and took… Read More

Crazy, wild, hectic, busy, AHHHH! We have just landed in Kampala after an eight hour bus ride. As the bus was rolling into the city we all knew this huge town was going to be a wild adventure. Outside of town is where we have been resting at the one and only backpackers hostel. At the hostel we have been munching on grilled cheese sandwiches and more importantly, enjoying the… Read More

After approximately ten days volunteering in Kabale we took some time for R&R around Lake Bunyonyi. The drive there was an adventure consisting of steep bumpy roads on the side of a cliff. 🙂 It was totally worth it. We stayed at The Heart which is where Edirisa was founded. It was easy to see how someone could stay on this lake and be inspired to start such an organization.… Read More

This is really just something I’ve been thinking about as we continue our journey around East Africa. Everywhere we’ve been we’ve met people from all different places with totally different stories. They all have something in common, though. 1. They ended up in East Africa. 2. They all think positively. I first came across this fact while talking with the Pete and Mama C. On separate occasions they each told… Read More

After a short ride to cross the border, we got to Kabale, Uganda. We made our way to the Edirisa hostel to get our bearings of the town. “The Nest” aka the lounge was our hot spot. Finding the best carrot cake in town at the Royal Cafe, we chowed down and then split into two groups for the remainder of the week. We bought all our food at the… Read More

So many lessons have been learned on this trip so far. There have been the basic travel lessons we can take with us through the rest of our traveling lives: be flexible, try not to act like a tourist, avoid bus stations at night, bargain, etc. But there have also been the deeper lessons that remind us of the significance of all life and the importance of “walking the circle”… Read More

*After the UAACC and before the stay with Jenny and Geoff.. After a much needed retreat, we said goodbye to Mze Pete and Mama C. At 5:15am we departed the compound to go to the bus stop. We caught the Dar Express, which was luxurious in terms of Tanzanian transportation. After a few pit stops and ten hours later, we arrived in Dar es Salaam. To put it mildly, the… Read More

As our bus neared our final destination, we were struck with awe by the sight of hills of luscious green tea leaves and blossoming trees.. all topped off by the sun shining down on the whole of the highlands! We were greeted by our translators Yusto, Leod, and Teetus and our wonderful hosts Jenny and Geoff. After a scenic walk downhill, we arrived at the children’s village, which would soon… Read More

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The last few days have mainly been R&R time outside of Arusha on the Usa River. We have been staying with Mze Pete and Mama Charlotte Oneal, both former members of the black panther party. They have taken us into their UAACC (United American Alliance Community Center) that they established in the 90’s to better the community through education. While here,  we were able to watch movies, participate in Yoga,… Read More

Mambo! After our stay at the Maasai village we headed off for a three day safari. We began at Lake Manyara Park for our first taste of African wildlife. Here we saw zebras, elephants and giraffes. The next day after a treacherous three hour drive we reached the Serengeti. In the morning we saw the first human footprints at the Serengeti museum. In the afternoon, during the safari, we saw… Read More

We have been in the bush lately and apologize  for no updates! We’ll fill you in on our first of many adventures! We all arrived safely with the plane landing in the parking lot of the Kilimanjaro Airport. We were greeted by the spotty electricity of Africa. Our first four days were spent at a local hostel, La Oasis. Having little experience in the town of Arusha, our leaders set… Read More