Greetings, Family and Friends of the Carpe Diem Fall 2019 Walkabout group:
We are happy to inform you that the Walkabout group is united and already beginning to get to know one another at the SFO international airport. The group will be meeting one student in New Zealand!
They have quite a journey ahead of them, with an overnight flight to Auckland, New Zealand, however, they seem to be a… Read More
Hello!
Natalie and Dan here reporting from Portland, Oregon! We just wanted to introduce ourselves and touch base before meeting you all very soon!
We have been hard at work preparing for our upcoming time together this semester! From taking specific training courses, to working with the office crew, to meeting all of the other Overseas Educators, we have fully enjoyed the last week here in Portland. Specifically, we have… Read More
Farewell Walkabout!
Today is the long whispered about December 6th, 2018. A few hours ago we all sat together in the sunny Christchurch Botanical Gardens, making jokes about all the unique people and places we encountered these past few months and shouting out all that we are grateful for one final time. Then we asked a stranger to take a sweet photo of us together in a giant tree, headed… Read More
Friends & Family!!
The trip may be coming to an end, but the adventures are definitely not winding down quite yet. Before coming Whenua Iti Outdoors, we spent a day wandering around the cute city of Nelson, full of shops, good restaurants, and lively atmosphere. Typing from personal experience, it’s a great place to shop for things you definitely don’t have any room for.
Our first day at Whenua Iti,… Read More
Kia Ora everyone!
This week us Walkabout students were in full control. It was student directed travel! With the budget that we were given, we were able to pick the places we went, the activities we did, the food we ate, and the hostels we stayed in. We started off the week by taking a ferry from the North Island to Picton on the South Island. From there, we hopped… Read More
Its crazy to think that after this week we only have two more weeks left. I can’t thank Carpe Diem enough for giving me such a great opportunity with the best people I could have asked for. This past week we were working on a sustainable farm with the Hart family who have been on this farm for 22 years. Greg and Rachel, the owners, have three kids and I… Read More
By Diana Ascarrunz Hello everyone, this week on the program we explored Maori culture. We were welcomed by Tiaki our Maori guide for the week. For the first three nights, we stayed at the community center near Rob and Rangimaries home. On the first full day, we took a walk around their beautiful property and reflected on the things we wanted to let go of in life. The next day… Read More
By David Chase Dear family and friends of the 2018-Carpe-Diem-South-Pacific-Walkabout-group,
As you may or may not know this program assigns a role to every member each week; group leader, chef, logistics, etc. During this particular week, I have been tasked with updating the group’s blog with the goings on of the past few days. My specific title (as stated in our official Carpe Diem packet) is “Bilbo Bloggins,” and just… Read More
By Duncan Nofsinger This past week, we got to spend our time at homestays in the Fijian village of Nakuku, and it’s safe to say that it was everyone’s favorite part of the trip so far. During a few hours of each day, we got to build a footpath through the village. We worked hard on it, and it paid off just in time for rainy season.
For the rest… Read More
By Elsa Simonton Hello Everyone,
This week Walkabout spent a week at Sheoak Nature Reserve. Throughout the week, we helped out around the grounds. Some examples are building a trail to the swimming lagoon, making a small dam to store water in the rainy season, and digging holes for posts for new buildings. The group also learned new information during presentation and workshops. Marcus and Claire, the owners of Sheoak,… Read More
Jacob Monkarsh What’s good peoples?! We’re out here at the Prema Shanti yoga and meditation retreat having a really good time. For the past five mornings, we have been waking up at 7am for 30 minutes of meditation before breakfast. We then have free time until 11am, when we participate in Seva (selfless-service for the retreat center) followed by enjoying some deliciously cooked lunches.
We then head out for a… Read More
Taking a break from orientation and taking in some views from the Blue Mountains.Walking the dingos at the Dingo Den!More views on our hike to a waterfall in the Blue Mountains, Katoomba, New South Wales.Bondi Beach, Sydney.Kathleen and Diana taking in the ocean views.… Read More
By Kobbe Hey family and friends!
After two amazing days in Sydney, the time had finally come for our six-day adventure in the Australian Outback. We arrived in Uluru after a three hour flight and met our GUYde who is a really cool guy named…Guy. He immediately took us into the wilderness and showed us around. Collecting firewood, singing songs around the bonfire, hiking under the Australian sun, stargazing, driving,… Read More
By Kathleen Hi everyone!
Our week started out on our last day at our hostel in Katoomba. Our time in Katoomba was spent doing orientation activities while also going on hikes and exploring our surroundings. After Katoomba, we went a few towns over to Penrith to settle in before starting our volunteer work at a dingo sanctuary the next day. We showed up to the dingo sanctuary the very next… Read More
By Jacob We are having the best time here in the amazing mountain town of Katoomba. We went and explored the Blue Mountains yesterday and they were so incredibly beautiful and awe-inspiring. I’m having a ton of fun getting to know the group and our awesome leaders, Peter and Anya. I only have 10 minutes at this local library computer so gotta go for now but more to come later.… Read More
By Diana Carpe Diem’s South Pacific program is becoming a trip I will never forget. During the few days we have been in Australia there have been so many highlights. Our Overseas Educators have been extremely helpful and supportive. They have encouraged us to step out of our comfort zone and try new things. Just yesterday we went on hike and decided to keep going despite the fact that we… Read More
By Shelby, Emma, and Kobbe Hi family and friends!
After two long days of travel, we’ve made it to Katoomba, Australia. So far, Katoomba has looked very similar to the U.S. We’re staying at the YHA Katoomba Hostel which is much nicer than we expected. We’re trying not to get used to the luxury of the hostel because we don’t know what our other living situations will be like. Yesterday,… Read More
