Hola, MAYA students! This is Jessica and Brent, checking in from Portland, Oregon, home of Voodoo Donuts, Powell’s Books, beautiful rose gardens, and of course, Carpe Diem Education.
We found all of this out today on one of the mot epic Scavenger Hunts we have ever been on. Not only did we bike 15 miles through and across most of Portland’s 12 bridges across the Willamette River, but we visited dozens of Portland’s iconic sights, stores, and statues all while enjoying the sunshine and quirkiness of this beautiful city in September. Although the Scavenger Hunt wasn’t technically a competition between different Carpe Diem leader teams, we are pretty sure we won. In any case, we certainly had a fantastic time getting to know each other more and planning our time together with you all!
Brent found out that Jessica likes to eat – a lot – and will randomly scream “burrito” if and when she just NEEDS to eat one. Luckily for her, her contagious smile inspired a local food stand operator to give her and her co a free Ice Cream cone in the middle of the hot afternoon.
Jessica found out that although Brent is a local, he had never ever seen “The Swifts” – one of the most amazing natural phenomena that occurs in Portland ever day during the month of September. Thousands of birds converge to dance and sing outside of a local elementary school before all diving simultaneously into the schools chimney. It’s was spectacular and awe-inspiring for us both.
In addition to the fun and silliness that we had today on our Scavenger Hunt adventure, we thoroughly enjoyed preparing for and focusing on creating a fantastic group experience for each of the CAM Maya students this semester. We are thrilled to have talked to so many of you and hear you are passionate about immersing yourself in the culture and learning about the people, families, and communities we will interact with; we feel the same way.
We are also excited about the challenges we will all face together, whether Spanish classes, navigating chicken buses, or hiking in some strenuous terrain. We are thrilled to have such an incredible group to grow with through this unique traveling experience.
If you haven’t heard from us yet – feel free to reach out via our email or through a phone call! We cannot wait to meet you guys in person and start this journey together.
Pura Vida y mucho amor,
Jessica and Brent
