Greetings from Arequipa!! After leaving Pucara, we spent a couple of days in Quito to prepare ourselves for Peru. Some of us ate some bad bus food and suffered the consquences, but it wasn't anything too serious. Our last night in Quito we all went out for a nice dinner with a beautiful view of Quito at night and had some great gringo food and pancakes and apple pie! The… Read More
Our group has a certain Achilles Heel for food, especially sweets, so I thought it was time to do an in-depth blog about the amazing foods we have been eating on this trip. First off, let's give a basic overview of our eatin habits so far. Our meals have mostly consisted of rice, fried eggs, avocados, some type of soup as an appetizer, lots of plantains cooked every-which way, lentils… Read More
Our week in Pucara came and went. We arrived there on Friday and left early Thursday morning. Within that time, we did tons of hiking, a lot of learning and tons of community work. When we arrived, the town of Pucara had a big welcome for us, where we played games, listened to music and performances and bonded quickly. We each stayed with a homestay family alone, which was a first, but which… Read More
This week has been our student directed travel. We started in Tena and stayed for two extra days to go see the Jumandi Caves. We had a great time there in the dark. After that day in Tena we bought our tickets to Otalavo. After a long bus ride it was really relieving to get to a nice hostal, but figuring out who was going to stay in wich room… Read More
We have just arrived in Tena after a short, but adventure-filled week in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
On Monday, we were welcomed by Eduardo (the owner of the land we stayed on), and Lorena and company (the family that had been traveling with us the previous two weeks) as we settled into our cabins and accustomed ourselves to the abnormally sized insects. We spent our day exploring the jungle with Eduardo… Read More
One is a picture from the Equator where the group was sprayed by foam as part of the Carnival celebrations a few weeks ago. Other pictures are of the group and their Spanish teachers, students and the kids they taught English to, and a picture of the group performing songs for our Spanish teachers. … Read More
Though I can´t speak for everyone, I think I can safely say that the group´s experience in Baños has been a potent combination of exhaustion, exploration, and chocolate.
Exhaustion because of our daily four hours of Spanish class, one on one with an instructor at Raices, Lorena´s spanish school. For those of you who don´t know, Lorena is our Ecuador contact/instructor/cook/homestay mom/all around superhero. As someone who came into this… Read More
Where to begin? The group is in agreement that we have experienced more in these two weeks than seems possible. If this determines the rest of our weeks of adventure, we are in store for many life changing experiences and possibly the fullest three months any of us have ever lived.
In Quito we were able to ease into the new group dynamic staying in a comfortable hostel. A young… Read More
I am currently in Baños. I just spent a whole week at the banana farm in Santo Domingo. That went by really fast. I was so happy there because I felt so free. I felt like I was at peace with nature and the animals around me. I was afraid to see really huge spiders at the banana farm before this trip. Only to find out I only saw one huge spider, which… Read More
We have been exploring Quito all day, and we like what we´ve been seeing so far! We trekked up the Basilica del Voto Nacional, which has over 200 steps to the top. From the top, we could see all of Quito and even el Panecillo! We had the chance to try an empanada at one of the cafes and the jury is still out. The weather is absolutely beautiful, and… Read More
Today me and Caroline got to explore the town on our own. We did a scavenger hunt. We went to a church, had lunch and will soon go chill at a park. Everything here is so different than back at home. I have noticed things such as what is served with just about every meal like, eggs, fruit, rice or tomatos. The food here is amazing. So much I wish… Read More
Hi everyone! Sunteaohna and I have been exploring Quito today on our scavenger hunt. Its a really amazing city and weve had a lot of fun navigating around. We checked out the Basilica, a really old and beautiful church overlooking most of the city and successfully used our Spanish skills to order food and buys some things in various stores. I wish I could post a photo, but I dont… Read More
Jake and I are currently exploring Quito with our scavenger list in hand! So far, our favorite thing we have seen has been the Basilica del Voto Nacional. It was so beautiful, both inside and out. We took a photo in front of it, which we sadly cannot upload because we don't have a cord 🙁 We are looking forward to stumbling our way through the rest of Quito and,… Read More
Hello family and frinds of the INTI group, I just heard from group leaders Gwen and Mac, and they let me know that the group landed safely in Quito earlier this afternoon. The flight went smoothly and they now settling in to their hostel for the next few days of orientation. Check the blog again in the next few days, as they will start posting updates here themselves. They will continue to post weekly throughout the semester, so… Read More
Good evening family and friends, The South America INTI 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. Buen viaje, INTI! It would appear from these awesome photos that they are very happy to meet one another, are going to… Read More
Welcome everyone to latest installment of the Carpe Diem South America semester! Excitement is growing as our departure day quickly approaches for the upcoming adventure. We are here in Portland at spring training, busy getting jacked and tan. Not really. After all, we are in Portland and it is overcast and rainy. Instead, we are embarking on our scavenger hunt throughout this wonderful city. In our typical penchant for goofiness… Read More
As I sit in an internet cafe near the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, I reflect on all I and the INTI group have experienced in these last three months.
In Quito, we spent time acclimating to the culture shock of being in Ecuador and South America. We played games and did activities to both learn about and strengthen the bond between one another. We left the city with a… Read More
