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
One month has passed since arriving here in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. I have been learning the ways of the African Elephant Research Unit here at the Knysna Elephant Park. It is absolutely beautiful here! As part of the research team, my job is mostly to monitor all the elephant's behaviours and interactions. Here, there are 18 captive elephants that are split into three herds. The main herd has 7… Read More
It's a relief to be back out in the world after getting a taste of it last fall. This time around I traveled to an island in Thailand called Koh Tao to work as an intern in a marine conservation program. All the magic is based out of a small, beachside dive shop called New Heaven Dive School. The journey to get here… The journey was long yet very interesting. The… Read More
I have been in Sri Lanka for a month now and it has been nothing short of an adventure. When I told people where I was going to be spending the next three months, most of the responses I got went something like this, "Isn't that in Africa?" or, "You know that elephants are really big, right?" I politely responded with a bit of a geography lesson and a… Read More
So it seems I am back abroad, in the heart of Southern India. I am volunteering in Prema Vasam, a home for children both disabled and not. After my twenty hours of plane rides and a scary taxi ride to my hotel (it was nighttime), I finally got to bed. When I got into my room I immediately began sobbing and wondering what was the quickest way to go home.… Read More
Greetings fellow latitudes students and other readers! I am Maddy Karsten from Michigan, and I was a part of the Nkula East Africa fall semester! After much deliberation, I decided to go to Cusco, Peru for my FVP and live and work at the Healing House- a holistic living community that offers yoga and meditation classes all day long. I have been here just over two weeks. To be honest,… Read More
Greetings to my family, friends, fellow gap year goers, and future latitudes students who are stalking blogs to decide where they will eventually end up… To be completely transparent, I have been in Cusco, Peru for five and a half weeks, and I am just now starting to truly enjoy my time here. It is an absolutely beautiful city with a tremendous amount of history and has loads to offer,… Read More
In a few short days I will have officially been in Ollantaytambo for two months. The time has flown by, yet I feel like I’ve done too much to have only been here for that long. Here in the Sacred Valley of Peru, Ollanta is a small pass through town for the millions of tourists that go to Macchu Picchu each year. It is an interesting mixture of rural and… Read More
