Hi friends. So while most everyone is out in what seems like the middle of nowhere, I am over here chilling and living the city life in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am constantly surrounded by beautiful architecture, so many people who are constantly stopping to window shop, and the sound of cars rushing down the streets. Let’s just say that the city life has been a major transition from the… Read More
When most people think of South Africa, a safari on the savannah may come to mind but people often don’t realize that there is another type of safari. Here in Gansbaai, South Africa, where I have now been for the last couple of weeks, there is a safari to be taken on the sea that is just as wondrous and breath taking as the one on land. As on the… Read More
Namaste and tashi delek, dear Carpe family!
I’ve been in northern India for over a month now, and words can’t describe how wonderful it is to be here. I was breath-taken upon my initial arrival and seeing my new home in the mountains for the first time, and I don’t think I’ve taken a full inhale yet – although, that could also potentially be attributed to the altitude here.
For… Read More
Sawadeeka!
The name of this post honestly describes the past month here at the Mirror Foundation, based outside of Chiang Rai, in Northern Thailand. During the work week, I typically don’t know what 99% of the food I eat is. The 1% is rice. White rice, fried rice, ginger rice… but on Friday’s we get pad thai and spring rolls!! All of us volunteers have learned pretty quickly never to… Read More
All of our Latitudes Students have gathered outside of Portland, Oregon in a beautiful retreat setting to kick off the Latitudes Year! So far we’ve had a lot of laughter, shared stories about why each of us was called to this journey, heard from our Executive Director Drew Edwards, explored the logistics of the Latitudes year, and begun to set intentions for the upcoming year. Although Orientation started less than… Read More
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
I spent the last three months living and volunteering in Guatemala; the country that has turned into one of my favorite places on this earth. Before that, I spent months researching volunteer programs, searching for the one that would be the best fit for me on… Read More
I arrived in Bolivia almost three months ago and the time has flown by as this coming week will be my last week at my NGO Proyecto Horizonte. Proyecto Horizonte is an organization outside Cochabamba in a very rural area called Ushpa-Ushpa, they have many different running projects from a health center to after school programs. Before I came to Bolivia I had no interest in volunteering with kids but… Read More
Greetings from the Great White Shark Capitol of the world. Gaansbaai, South Africa. Being about 3 feet away from these massive creatures it is so breathtaking when you see an 18 foot shark breach out of the water. It only takes two powerful strokes of their tails and they are at full speed.
On the boat one of my favorite things to do is make fish head necklaces for the… Read More
Abriendo Mentes could not be a more appropriate name for this organization. Translated as “opening minds”, perhaps the long-term goal of this non-profit is to engrain in these small communities that the world is full of exciting things which they have not even scratched the surface of. Our main work here at Casa Brasilito (a small, newer branch of Abriendo Mentes) is working with kids by providing them with after… Read More
Before I begin, I want to wish everyone in the 410, safety as the riots continue, as the National Guard is called into our city.
Buenos Aires, Argentina- The air is thick with pollution and the constant smell of barbeque. Tall buildings line the streets, buses and cars weave between each other on the over crowded roads. This is no sweaty, sticky, swampy jungle of the Amazon; rather this is… Read More
I’d been to project Bonafide before, back when I was traveling on my group semester. Taking the Ferry across Lake Nicaragua to the island of Ometepe for the first time I was struck with awe and a profound respect for mother nature. She outdid herself with this one.
They loom high into the sky, almost touching the heavens. Their peaks are often shrouded in clouds, as if they have a… Read More
After the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal this Saturday, here at Carpe Diem we are holding all of the people affected in our hearts and thoughts.
Our three Latitudes students are safe, uninjured, and we are in communication with each of them. We also have a semester group in Northern India who are unaffected by the earthquake.
Two of our students were volunteering in Kathmandu at the time of the earthquake.… Read More
See-ya everyone!
It's been a little over a month since I arrived here in Cristuru Secuiesc, Romania. The first few days were extremely tough to say the least. Until three days ago I was the only volunteer in my program, working for the Child Protection Services, so it felt pretty lonely at first. However, I was lucky enough to make new friends who are part of the European Volunteer Service.… Read More
From Dylan S.
So how can I explain the time I've spent in the amazon so far? Hot, sticky, sweaty, smelly, itchy, and wet… But despite everything I own growing a thick layer of mold, I've loved every second of it. I've been volunteering at Amazoonico, an animal rescue center near Tena, Ecuador. I wake up at 6:30 and work 5 days a week until anywhere from 5:00 to 10:30 pm. Mostly feeding… Read More
I have been at the Healing House now for over two months. I have been experiencing and learning so much here.
It was at first a difficult transition. I came to Cusco believing I would be working with kids and young mothers in programs offered at the house. When I arrived I learned that these programs no longer existed, and no one there knew anything about them. From there I… Read More
Hello from down under!
I've spent the last month living in Bunbury a small city located in Western, Australia. While I am down here I am volunteering at the Dolphin Discovery Centre, one of the best places in Australia to see wild dolphins. When I'm working I can find myself doing random odd jobs around the centre, educating people about the 150 plus dolphins that can be found in the bay… Read More
A big hello from Playa Gigante in Nicaragua! I am currently in my 5th week here working with Project Wave of Optimism and loving it and all the people I’ve had the chance to meet so far. It seems like just yesterday that I was here with my group semester (shout out to the Quetzal homies) and falling in love with it all so much that I had to return… Read More
At the beginning of my trip to Ecuador I thought I would be able to draw countless parallels between the experiences I had last semester in the South Pacific and the experiences I would have in South America. However, I was very wrong. I also thought that I was prepared completely for the adventure I was entering. And literally, I was. I had my backpack, steri pen, Spanish- English… Read More
Well… It has been exactly one month since I arrived in New Zealand. I really have been dreading this day, not because I’m home sick or anything, but because I am lazy and really don’t like writing blogs. So here it goes, I am not expecting a Pulitzer Prize for what I’m about to write, and neither should you
I arrived in Auckland lacking money, a phone, or… Read More
I really hadnt thought to much about what adventures were coming my way, the people I was going to meet, or things I was going to see. I was pretty open to whatever Peru had to offer and eager to get down there and start my journey. My backpack is only about half full as I really dont need much, knowing that the majority of my time will be… Read More
