Hola. My llamas name is maria. Soooooooo we may or may not have been slacking hardcore in the blogging aspect of this trip. Two weeks ago we chilled in Matagalpa and stayed with host families while also going to Spanish school. Pretty good gallo pinto if I do say so myself. We spent the week looking at tall buildings and learning about the canal that will be going through Lake… Read More
Last week, the Maya group headed to the rural Pueblo of Pasac, Guatamala. We entered their village and after a week of hard work, made a lasting impact on their lives.
Our first task was to flatten the dirt in an area designated for a building project. For over TWO hours, we labored in the hot Guatamalan sun flattening the earth with makeshift tools of treetrunks attached to sticks. I… Read More
We stayed on a beautiful farm on Lake Atitlan. This lake is northern of Guatemalan, in the highlands of the Sierra Madre de mountain range. Everyone here is very nice and friendly. Every morning we practice meditation at 6 a.m, and yoga sessions at 6:30 a.m. On this yoga farm they grow their own food and herbs. Every meal is vegan and gluten free, we also had fresh pineapples, strawberries,… Read More
HEY all! Sorry this might be a little late it´s been very busy for us all.
Kesia of the Carpe Diem group wishing everyone´s friends and families and loved ones nothing but the best.
Things have been crazy, wonderful and beautiful!
It all started with some heavy duty spanish classes back in the amazing and busy city of Xela. Our spanish classes were 5 hours each with private tutors- so… Read More
The group huddled around an altar at Abaj Ta'Kalik, a Mayan ruin from the Olmeca era (around 900-300 BCE). Lilly's birthday celebration Hammock time! Teaching the local kiddos how to slack line … Read More
After spending a week at the Escuela de la Montaña with minimal Internet access, we are back in Xela in homestays. It's nice to be back in a familiar city, but I personally miss how incredibly green everything was. At the Escuela, we slept at the school and had our meals with host families. That week was one for bonding–sometimes I thought we bonded too much. At least we haven't… Read More
The hostel (Hostal Nim Sut) is AWESOME! So far we´ve been exploring the street food scene, and we´re lovin´it – tacos, pupusas, avocados, and mangos galore! So far the group dynamic is excellent, and we´re gelling like….jello? Our leaders, however…are super weird and nerdy. It is quite a bit colder than we expected here in the Guatemalan highlands, so we´ve been sharing one bed to conserve heat (kidding, obviously). We´re… Read More
Hello family and frinds of the MAYA group, I just heard from group leaders Ben and Jess, and they let me know that the group landed safely in Guatemala earlier this morning. The flight went smoothly and they are currently en route to their accommodation in Quetzaltenango, where they will settle in for the next few days of orientation. Check the blog again in the next few days, as they will start posting updates here… Read More
Good evening family and friends, The MAYA 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 MAYA! -Heather Vaught, Program Director And the first group pictures! Here they are, making silly faces at LAX. Everyone arrvied… Read More
Dearest teammates and parents of teammates: We are sitting here in our leadership abode in Portland… talking about you, thinking about you, planning our semester with you in mind! We can't wait to meet you! Today we explored Portland, and we encountered a great many things, which we'd like to share with you. Some were unexpected, some could have been predicted, and some were downright silly. As we both rode… Read More
Hello everybody, Elle here!
After a wonderful week in Costa Rica at the turtle reserve, we made our way to San Jose, Costa Rica. There we spent our last night in Costa Rica at a lively little hostel. We wandered around in search of burgers; eventually some of us gave up and ventured into the bustling and loud central park (completely packed even on a tuesday). We eventually found… Read More
There is nothing big about the Roatan airport… save for the 12 gringos standing in a circle and saying their final goodbyes; staring at each other, trying hard not to cry, crying, laughing, hugging, letting go, hugging again. It feels as if there are so many things left to say, so many things left to do here. How can this possibly be the end? Were we not just in Xela?… Read More
For everyone wondering, scuba diving was fantastic. I just wanted to share a little bit for everyone wondering how our week went, becuase this week has really ment alot to me.
Our first few minutes underwater was an experience I’ll never forget. breathing underwater is a sensation that is foreign to many of us, and you cant help but feel like your defying some kind of rule of nature. Its… Read More
Hey everyone! Maddie here at West Bay Bed and Breakfast in Roatan, Honduras. Its been a long, sleepy, eventful week! We were all a little sad to leave our new home in Leon, where we had many many wonderful meals. A lot of us fell in love with that little city. Leaving day was fun, taking a taxi from the hostel at six thirty am to go to the bus… Read More
If people do not already know I left 2 days ago for reasons do to my health. I just wanted to post one blog because I never got the chance to post in Bonafide.
Two and a half months ago I signed up for a gap year program that was headed to Central America. I had no clue who I was going to meet, what my experience would be, and… Read More
Food is never far from the forefront of our groups’ mind. Our wonderful preoccupation with our meals didn’t skip a beat during student directed travel. We started our week off in the sleepy fishing village of Las Peñitas, a lazy beach town perfect for relaxing, swimming, and eating. So we relaxed, swam, and ate. If you had walked into the common area at Hostal Barca de Oro you would’ve found… Read More
Hey all! Our group has been all about that swell and barrels as we are digging the surfers vibe in Playa Gigante. Project WOO (Waves of Optimism) has shown us what community projects can do in bringing people together. This was especially true today as we held a community surf day for the kids and their families. It was super fun, just seeing kids enjoying the beach and learning to… Read More
here are some long awaited photos of the amazing Maya group!
Shoutout to Jeb becuase guess what, he already knows all those things.
love, Diandra … Read More
Hola Long Lost Friends and Family!
On behalf of the entire group, we are sorry we never remember to blog, and we will try harder, but no promises.
The farm flew by! When we first got there, we were convinced we woudn’t last thirteen nights without a bathroom, walls, or anything more than a mosquito net to keep the gazillions of bugs out. Inevitably, we quickly became tatted with bug… Read More
