One last G’day from Down Under! We arise to our final Fanztastic (albeit eerily quiet) day here in Cairns, Australia with the bittersweet feelings of another transformational semester closing. Laughter is shared between Meg and Greg while sipping flat whites alongside the salty sea, largely resulting from tales of Eytan filling in awkward silences with strange verbal segues (what a thrill), Courtney loudly declaring her boredom with Buddhism in her… Read More
Hello Parents and followers of Carpe Diem FANZ Walkabout blog, We just received word from Megan and Greg that the students have passed through security and are readying for their journey back home.
This marks the end of this program, but not the end to the growth, friendships, and knowledge gained during these past 3 months. We (including Greg and Megan) wish the best for all participants and hope that… Read More
Carpe Diem Walkabout here reporting for our last blog post ever!
It’s Monday and we are getting ready to leave tomorrow morning at 4 am to catch our first flight home- AH!
But before we get sentimental, let’s tell you about the past week:
Wednesday we flew from Brisbane to Cairns (apparently pronounced “Cannes” by the way) and had a free day to explore the city and the beautiful waterfront.… Read More
We spent a couple days on the Sunshine Coast in Noosa, doing some well earned relaxing after the Outback. We enjoyed the beach, shopping, and a national park. On our hike to the beach, we were lucky enough to pass a pod of dolphins and a sea turtle.
Our next stop was Brisbane (or Brissy if you’re an Aussie). We spent that afternoon at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where everyone… Read More
Chapter 1 ~ Breakfast for Dinner
Our last day in New Zealand came quicker than I expected. Before dinner we walked up to the summit of Mount Eden and had our last New Zealand group meeting beside a crater, overlooking the Auckland city skyline. We watched the sunset and saw the transition of lights as they became brighter in the city. When we got back to the hostel we cooked… Read More
New Zealand has been amazing! We finished up our student led travel week was spent in a town called Rotorua. While there, we were lucky enough to see the legendary Kiwi birds! They are very funny looking but also strangely cute! They are pretty interesting animals- they’re nocturnal so when you see them you have to look at them in the dark! We even got to see a baby kiwi… Read More
Eytan reporting and Liz editing!
Hello to all the followers of the Walkabout Group! It has been an action packed couple of weeks to say the least.
As we sorrowfully said bye and did the hongi (a traditional greeting) with our lovely Maori hosts, we quickly found ourselves in the hands of our doe-eyed new host Dan. He would serve as our guide for the next week at New Zealand’s… Read More
Hello Followers of the Walkabout Group blog. I just spoke with Greg and Megan and the group will be posting a new blog today. They did send me a few pictures to help tide yall over until that happens.
Enjoy a few pictures from the last 10 days.
Sincerely,
Adam … Read More
“Kia ora” is the Maori greeting, like hello, directly translating to “be well and healthy.” Our week with the Maori has flown by. Our days have been jam packed, getting up early and working hard all morning, and finishing the day off seeing some of the beautiful sites New Zealand has to offer.
We arrived at the Marae (the communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes) on… Read More
Hey to whomever may be following this awesome trip!
Arriving in New Zealand was a breath of fresh air. Perfect weather conditions being not too hot and not too cold right after stepping out of the airport. While Fiji was amazing, it was time to start our next chapter of our trip. We stayed at a hostel in Auckland that was right in the center of town, right next to… Read More
What a long week this has been and I’m a little overwhelmed to be blogging but here I go!
So much has been happening. This past week we spent at our beloved village, Vatusekiyasawa with our lovely host families and the entire village. We’ve been learning, living and working with the community in a way that most people don’t get to experience in Fiji. Vatuse (for short) had become our… Read More
Fiji has been really; really fun and I think I speak for the rest of us when I say this trip will be an unforgettable experience. Recently the group and I have been staying in a Fijian village to build concrete pathways. Constructing these pathways is really hard work especially when all of the labor has to be done by hand. The process begins with mixing together gravel and dry… Read More
Courtney and Danielle here. We arrived in Fiji last night. We were greeted by frogs, lizards, and bugs. Today, we were stunned when we got to see Fiji in the light. The landscapes are breathtaking and the locals are super friendly as they smile and say bula (which means hello) as we pass them in the streets of Sigatoka. Later today, we will be completing a scavenger hunt in the… Read More
We have finally arrived at our first destination! Fiji, specifically Tumbakula where we are writing this. A bit warmer than home…
Almost every local has been saying “Bula” which means hello making it a very warm and friendly environment.
The amazing thing was the view once we arrived and got off of the plane. A rainbow! hovering over a few amazing palm trees in this tropical paradise.
Something funny and… Read More
Bula from Fiji!!
We survived the long plane ride(s) here, and now we’re in a crazy hot and humid place.
Today we woke up with a view of the ocean and had our first circle as a group by the beach. What a gorgeous place! We are getting to know the country and culture by exploring the city of Sigatoka with our new friends and a scavenger hunt.
We can’t… Read More
Me and Jeff are having a great time so far. We are really excited for the scavenger hunt going on this afternoon and its looking like this will be a great experience.… Read More
Greetings families and friends of the Carpe Diem FANZ Walkabout crew,
I just got word that the whole group has arrived and are settled into their orientation site! They are sleeping since they all just traveled for over 30 hrs to Fiji via Australia. The next blog post will be from the group in the next couple days, stay tuned for news from them in the coming days.
All the… Read More
Hello Family and Friends of FANZ Walkabout group,
Greg and Megan are about to depart the U.S. with their wonderful 9 students. They are all “thumbs up” already about the upcoming adventure. Energy was high and they are all excited to arrive in Fiji soon. Go Team Walkabout!
Sincerely,
Carpe HQ
A picture of the group will be added tomorrow morning!… Read More
Bula bula, FANZ-bound Carpe students!We are thrilled, nay ecstatic, nay TICKLED PINK that we are your trusty leaders for the next 3 months. We have been working oh-so-hard in Stumptown for the last few weeks preppin’ our great adventure (i.e. hitting the tanning salon, getting pedicures, sippin’ on Venti Caramel Macchiatos, and watching obscene amounts of this season of the Bachelor!).NOT!All kidding aside (besides the whole latte … Read More
Hello Parents and followers of Carpe Diem Walkabout FANZ blog,
We just received word from Robbie and Katelyn that the students have departed Cairns, Australia for their long journey back home. This marks the end of this program, but not the end to the growth, friendships, and knowledge gained during these past 3 months. We (including the leaders) wish the best for all participants and hope that everyone will continue… Read More
