I have to say, I have had quite the time over the last two and a half months down here. Here’s a quick little recap of the first month.
I arrived tired but optimistic to the CondorTrekkers office in Sucre after 29 hours of travel. I had a couple bumps in the road getting there (a confused taxi driver, a lost wallet scare) but arrived in one piece. I was… Read More
Arriving late in Kathmandu I finally met the man called Govinda. Since that day he has taken care of me and acted as an older brother, as we have taken on the task of getting his dream eco farm up and running. The farm itself is perched towards the top of a hill overlooking the valley below and the spectacular Himalayas, with Begnas Lake almost close enough to touch. Now… Read More
I’ve spent the last month and a half volunteering at the Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia (COSA), located in the province of Mae Rim, just outside the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand. COSA is an amazing organization dedicated to the prevention of human trafficking in the northern regions of the country. I’m living at the Baan Yuu Suk Shelter, which houses twenty sexually exploited, abused, or at-risk girls. As a… Read More
Kaila here, writing from Millennium Elephant Foundation on the beautiful, tropical island of Sri Lanka! It took a few days but I did adapt to the thick humid heat, and have since enjoyed every second of my time here! I have been here for just over a month now, with another Carpe Diem student, Brooklynn. As Brooklynn’s blog covered most of the basics, with us there are usually 15 other… Read More
As my trip is tipping toward the half way mark, Im amazed by how quickly time has passed. In the last month and a half I have met people and have had experiences that will have a lasting effect on my life. Im continually attempting to make sense of the passed events I have witnessed while volunteering with Maison de la Gare. Ive come to the realization that it… Read More
As I write this, I am sitting on my terrace enjoying the humming of birds and the thick jungle that surrounds the property. Can life get much better?! I have now been living here for a little bit more than a month, and can honestly say it’s been one of the most (if not THE) most profound, beautiful and transformative experiences of my life. It seems with every day that… Read More
As the week later became sunny, the snow ceased to fall and the weekend approached for much needed to rest from taking in the rapid immersion of the Italian culture, language, new duties at my placement, finishing a number of bicycle tour projects, the jet lag and making myself at home. I looked forward to getting some extra sleep.
Or so I thought. (Little did I know I was going… Read More
Update from Brooklynn Conner Bend, Oregon!
Hello all from hot, humid, green, and gorgeous Sri Lanka. I am one month in to my three month stay at Millennium Elephant Foundation, in Kegalle Sri Lanka. After a few days of adjusting to a 13 1/2 hour time difference my time here has really flown by. I am one of about 15 other volunteers, one being a fellow Carpe student Kaila… Read More
Hola, Buenos Tardes from Guayabillas, Ibarra, Ecuador!!!
Just a quick update from Regina Huston, from Indianapolis, IN!
Guayabillas is a resue center for many wild animals. They take in animals that have been kept in horrible conditions, injured, or simply need a new and better home. Without government funding, they function soley off of donations from multiple people and organizations, which also includes volunteer donations. Volunteers stay either with a… Read More
Life has become a smorgasbord of inconsistencies of late. I get up early and talk to my homestay family, meet up with the other volunteers, and take a rickety bus through the south side of Quito to one of twelve markets where we work with the organization UBECI – United to Benefit Ecuadorian Children.
The markets are loud and hot and it’s not surprising to see dead animals, live… Read More
I am writing from gorgeous, beautiful, sunny, amazing Monteverde. When I arrived from San Jose it was the most beautiful drive up the mountain to Monteverde. Let me start at the beginning, when I flew into San Jose I was fairly jet-lagged from flying in from Germany and hadn’t made any arrangements for transportation up the mountain to Monteverde or a place to stay in San Jose. Needless to say… Read More
Upon landing in the Bologna International Airport, I was greeted by my advisor, Monica, for my placement at Experience Plus! Cycling, in Forli’. The sun had just set and I felt as though I was walking right into the unknown wonders of Italy. Peculiar alleys, farms and towns zoomed past me while on the auto strada (highway). In the long stretch from Bologna to Forli’, I finally arrived.
Even then,… Read More
I sit in the weathered rocking chair resting on the front porch of my Mellow Yellow Nicaraguan abode, gleaming at the brightly colored flowers and trees that reside in the garden. My attempts of wrapping my head around the fact that it has already been a month here runs parallel with my attempts at wrapping tamales. A place that was once new and foreign so quickly transformed into my home… Read More
Lily here- writing from sunny beautiful Troncones Mexico. Troncones is a small beach town in the state of Guerrero Mexico situated on the Pacific Coast. I am living in an apartment and working with the community in anything I can get involved in. My contact here in Troncones in Present Moment Retreat- a yoga and meditation retreat center.
My learning here started immediately in the schooling of Mexican Time; a… Read More
Bonjour! I’m currently living in Saint Louis; a small town located in northern Senegal. I have been here for two weeks and already feel at home. I have fallen in love with my host family. I’m living with my mom, dad, brother and sister (who are both in there upper 20’s), two young cousins, and housekeeper. As I first arrived it was difficult to determine who was actually a part… Read More
Kendall made this little video and it has already received more than 2500 views and a tv station wrote wanting to show the video and donate money to the project. Here is the video:
Living Positive Kenya Harlem Shake… Read More
So I’ve been here for a little over two weeks and wow, talk about a culture shock. It’s hard to see, but feels amazing to be able to help out here. I live 4 hours out of Accra, the capital of Ghana, in a village called Atorkor. Don’t bother looking it up on Google Maps because it isn’t there. My little village sits on the coast and I can literally… Read More
Hey everyone! I am currently in Ngong, Kenya. Ngong is a small working class community, 30 minutes outside of the capital, Nairobi. It’s still hard to believe that I am actually in Africa. Six months ago, I made the extremely tough decision to take a gap year. Like all Carpe Diem students I had mixed emotions. I was super excited, nervous, and had no idea what to really expect. I… Read More
It is now February 11th and I arrived at the Rio Muchacho Organic Farm on the coast of Ecuador one month ago. I have learned a ton, experienced things I never could have imagined, met incredible people, got soaked through torrential downpours of rain and sweated through the powerful heat of the sun so close to the equator.
Each morning I wake up at 615 AM and help with the… Read More
