Written by Peyton Molacek, 2022-23 Latitudes Student My first 6 weeks in Koh Tao, Thailand have been full of many, many, many unexpected adventures. I came into this experience thinking I was going to dive everyday and maybe input some data. I never imagined experiencing everything I have so far.
Last week, the other interns and I spent over 6 hours snorkeling in an attempt to find a reported injured… Read More
Written by Gavin Parker, 2022-23 Latitudes Student Kia Ora! My time in New Zealand has been very much an eye opener in many aspects, either that be culturally, environmentally, and learning more about myself as well. While working with Whenua Iti Outdoors, they have helped me see these learning opportunities and have allowed me to see the beauties of this country, taking me on many of their programs and seeing… Read More
Written by Gabriel Cohen, 2022-23 Latitudes Student I didn’t know what to expect when I landed in Buenos Aires on January 26th – it was not only my first time in the city, but also my first time in South America. It was a great first impression; I was greeted with stunning weather, green trees and parks, many football shirts and delicious food. The first few days here I walked… Read More
Written By Gracie, Latitudes Year ’22 Peru I started my semester on February 21 in Cusco Peru, at Pachananda retreat
center. I started my first few days acclimatizing to over 11,000 feet. I am from New York, so the first culture shock was most definitely the difficulties breathing. For my first week I drank chlorophyll in my water to help oxygenate myself and increase my red blood cell count. Such… Read More
Written By Flannery, Latitudes Year ’22 Peru I started my time in Lobitos with three goals:
1. Become conversational in Spanish
2. Learn to surf a short board
3. Make one good friend
Not only were all three of those accomplished with surprising success, but the community of Lobitos (or as I like to call it, Loveitos) revealed to me hundreds of unexpected gifts.
Working with Waves for Development has… Read More
Written By Kaeley, Latitudes Year ’22 Dominican Republic Hello all! The last 2 months I’ve spent in the Dominican Republic have been a blast. Can’t wait to share with you! I am staying in the quaint ocean town of Bayahibe, and through Carpe Diem have been diving with Coral Point Dive Shop. On a typical day I go on 2-3 dives starting early in the morning, then go home to… Read More
Written By Mackenzie, Latitudes Year ’22 South Africa So what have you been doing in South Africa? This is a loaded question that I have been asked more and more recently, so here is a blog to depict what my last 2 months at Dreamcatcher have consisted of. So what is Dreamcatcher? A better question is what isn’t Dreamcatcher. Their mission is “…to actively pursue mutually beneficial, responsible tourism, knowledge… Read More
Written By Gus, Latitudes Year ’22 Thailand Hello, My name is Gus. I have been living in Thailand for just over two months as an intern at CORE sea. We work Wednesday through Sunday, so we have Monday and Tuesday as our weekend. A normal work day starts with a group meeting at 9 a.m. in the classroom. Stefan and Vicky (our bosses) brief us on where we are diving… Read More
Written By Michaela, Latitudes Year ’22 Ecuador Bienvenidos!
Un día en la vida a Rio Muchacho
For the last 8 weeks, I have been volunteering at Rio Muchacho- an organic farm and ecolodge located in a small valley north of Canoa, on the west coast of Ecuador. It’s pretty difficult to express how special this place is, if you’ve never had the pleasure to visit. It’s a daily occurrence for… Read More
Written By Maya, Latitudes Year ’22 Spain For the past 2 months I have been able to experience the wonderful lifestyle of living on the beautiful Island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. For my Latitudes semester, I chose to do an internship with Biosean, where they focus on whale watching and marine science.
Almost everyday interns were out on the boat helping collect data and guide whale watching… Read More
Written By Ava, Latitudes Year ’22 Nepal After a long and tiring 48 hour travel expedition, I finally was able to step out of the airport and into the busy and highly energetic city of Kathmandu, Nepal. I was swiftly greeted by Sarala, one of Trek to Teach’s organizers and members. From this moment on, my time in Nepal has been filled with some of the most amazing, exciting, fulfilling,… Read More
Written By Emma, Latitudes Year ’22 Thailand Hey! My name is Emma Neuman, and I have been living in an ecovillage in Udon Thani, Thailand, for about a month and a half now, and it has arguably been one of, if not the, most incredible and purposeful experiences in my 18 years of life. I was initially very nervous at the prospect of traveling to a country as well as… Read More
Written By Eli, Latitudes Year ’22 Spain Hola de La Costa Del Sol in beautiful Southern Spain! Soy Eli and I am excited to share with you what life is like in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. I have been living in the wonderful, historic city of Málaga, which is located in the Andalusia region of Spain. Over the last six weeks, I have been studying… Read More
Written By Calvin, Latitudes Year ’22 Thailand Hi! My name is Calvin Koscinski and I’ve been living in Thailand for just over a month. When I first landed in Thailand I was extremely sleep deprived despite spending the last 20 hours sitting on a plane or sitting in an airport. Note to Self: Don’t try to catch up on a whole season of multiple shows when you could be sleeping.… Read More
Written By Veronica, Latitudes Year ’21 Ecuador I am currently living and volunteering on The Rio Muchacho Farm near Canoa, Ecuador. The organic farm and eco-lodge was founded in 1992 and is dedicated to practicing and teaching about sustainable agriculture and tourism. As a volunteer, I help carry out the agricultural work alongside the locals employed by the farm. I work in the morning from 8:30 until 12:00 and again… Read More
Written By, Doug Zaideman Taking a Latitudes Year with Carpe Diem allows you to build upon experiences you had during your group semester, carrying those skills and lessons learned over to an independent gap semester spent volunteering for an international organization, a Focused Volunteer Placement (FVP). In addition to where Carpe travels during group semesters, our Latitudes Year programs partners with organizations in over 20 countries worldwide.
Finding A… Read More
Written By Maya, Latitudes ’20 Spain My time in Spain was spent either at my language school, cooking school or tasting the numerous delicious foods around my city -Bilbao. Spanish cuisine is Morrocan cuisine with a touch of France and a splash of the big bad ocean. Spanish food can’t truly be understood without understanding the history of Spain. So much of the influence in their dishes comes from the… Read More
Written By Tor, Latitudes Year ’20 South Africa“In South Africa, Poverty Alleviation Programs Show r-Eel Results” Everybody in this area knows and loves Anthea Rossouw, the woman who runs Dreamcatcher. She’s been at it for a long time, I gather, possibly since the days of apartheid. She gave up her status as a prominent community member in the white seaside town of Stilbaai (where her late husband was the… Read More
Written By Hayden, Latitudes ’20 Guatemala To say the least it has been an incredibly eventful two months.
56 days, 25 cold showers, 432 tortillas (probably), 84 tire bricks, and one global pandemic later, I have returned home. While watching the world attempt to cope with a disaster of epic proportions, it can be hard to think of all the things that are going right. But luckily I have a… Read More
Written By Sophie, Latitudes ’20 New Zealand Taking a Gap Year was one of the best decisions I have ever made, I learned so much about myself that I would never have learned if it wasn’t for Carpe Diem. During my group semester I was able to learn communication skills and I pushed my limits and grew so much as an individual and created long-lasting bonds with the members of… Read More
