Written by Abby and Mary, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year Central America semester closing out their journey across Guatemala and Costa Rica
To our special unit of girls, what a treasure it has been to share this time with you, traversing Central America together. As we sit here and reminisce about our semester, we are overcome with bittersweetness. Firstly, we are immensely proud of each and every… Read More
Written by Aisha and Malcolm, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year Italy Greece semester closing out their 10-week journey
Wow, what a trip! As we rest and recover from a busy whirlwind journey over the past 10 weeks, we are reflecting on the many highlight moments we experienced and beautiful relationships we built.
Beginning with our time at Centro Panta Rei above the picturesque Lago Trasimeno in Umbria,… Read More
Written by Hannah, a student on the Carpe Diem gap year Costa Rica rafting program closing out the final week in Quepos
Welcome back, friends and family!
It’s bittersweet to say… we’ve officially reached our final week abroad!
We’ve had incredible experiences not just this week, but throughout this entire journey. Last week we were in Mastatal, and this week kicked off with a relaxing day on Playa Dominical. After… Read More
Written by Sage and Madeline, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Greece ReGreen permaculture program completing their final week
We finished our week in Aegina and traveled back by ferry to Athens to start our last week of the program. We traveled to ReGreen and started off our week with a tour of the permaculture farm, hike up the mountain and daily drumming lessons with Nikos. We have eaten… Read More
Written by Jackie, a student on the Carpe Diem gap year Costa Rica Refugio program living at Villas Mastatal with the local family
Hello friends and family!
This week we touched down in San José, Costa Rica on a red eye flight from Guatemala City. After spending the night in San José, we loaded up our backpacks to head to Villas Mastatal, where we lived and worked on a family… Read More
Written by Reilly and Chloe, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Greece Aegina student directed travel week exploring Athens and the Mediterranean
Since our last blog we made it to our student directed portion of the trip. We decided to go to Aegina, Greece, which was about an hour and 15 minute ferry ride from Athens. We planned a few activities that consisted of Rail Biking our last day… Read More
Written by Lucina and Cece, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala Semuc Champey adventure before departing for Costa Rica
After a bit of a lengthy trek over to Laquin/Samuc Champey, we started the first day off strong by tubing the crystal clear waters of the land. Before we even got to the main activity we happened upon a rope swing chair where we leaped into the water. Needless… Read More
Written by Eva and Ella, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Greece Crete village program before exploring Athens and Aegina
Since arriving in Greece we spent a little over a week in a beautiful village in the mountains of Crete. During our time there we got to experience many different activities such as sunrise/sunset hikes, feeding goats with a shepherd, exploring ancient archaeological sites, doing greek lessons, swimming in… Read More
Written By Lauren
Two weeks in San Juan flew by all too fast. The city is absolutely stunning, right on Lake Atitlán, bursting with color, smiles, and culture. Between the murals and the markets, it felt like every corner had a story to tell. Getting to explore the city and interact with locals this week was such a meaningful way to connect with the culture and practice our Spanish.
This… Read More
Written by Reilly, a student on the Carpe Diem gap year Italy Naples Pompeii semester transitioning to Crete and the start of Greece
Our last days in Italy were slightly hectic but also meaningful and lots of fun. We arrived in Naples at night after a long bus ride, including an impromptu bus swap an hour in. Having skipped dinner, the group checked in to the hostel then walked to… Read More
Written by Tala and Chloe, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Italy Matera culture exchange program with B-Link near Altamura
Since our last blog, we left Rome and made our way to the south of Matera. We spent the last 5 days in a monastery near the town of Altamura with the company B-Link. We got to learn a lot about this region’s Italian culture. Especially because we were… Read More
Written by Cece and Hannah, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala San Juan La Laguna semester celebrating Dia de los Santos
Welcome back family and friends to the adventures of CARPE DIEM. This week we started our Spanish classes in San Juan La Laguna! Along with regular Spanish class for three hours per day, we also got the opportunity to take art classes! Some of us chose embroidery,… Read More
Written By Phineas and Sage
This week we were at Paldini! We picked chestnuts, learned how to build mud/clay houses, and went to a cool medieval town. We met super cool volunteers who were helping us do all the tasks.
What were three of the top highlights this week?:
The 3 top highlights are defiantly chestnut picking, having no phones, and being in nature. Chestnut picking was calming and super… Read More
Written by Jackie and Lauren, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala permaculture program at Lake Atitlan and Tzununa
We’ve officially been here for a month — CRAZY! We spent the past week in Tzununa, a tiny but beautiful town right on Lake Atitlan. We stayed at a guest house called Bambu, which honestly felt more like a resort. The food and amenities were next level, with a sauna… Read More
Written by Hannah and Lucina, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala Xela language school program traveling to Lake Atitlan
Hello friends and family! Here is a little update on what the group has been up to this past week!
To kick off this amazing week, we met our host families. We were divided into two groups. The first group included: Hannah, Lauren, and Lucina, who stayed with Araceli.… Read More
Gap year Italy Florence students explore the Uffizi, Michelangelo’s David, sunset views, and Medici history before heading to Paladini.
This week we traveled to Florence and spent our time at the Emerald Palace hostel in the center of Florence. On our first full day we got a tour from our trek guide, Lauren. She showed us around the local churches and taught us about the Medici family and the history… Read More
Written by Cece and Jackie, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala Spanish classes program at PLQ in Xela Quetzaltenango
This week was the first of 2 weeks in Xela, aka Quetzaltenango! Our first morning here was a Sunday. We spent most of it trying unsuccessfully to find an open lavanderia to wash our clothes that had been covered in mud from Comalapa. Turns out most of them are… Read More
Written by Eva and Ben, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Italy trek through Tuscany on the Via Francigena
Since leaving Centro Panta Rei, we have embarked on a four day trek on the Via Francigena through Tuscany! We got to stay in small towns and the city of Siena. During the trek we had amazing views and beautiful scenery. We got to make bread, see a medieval village,… Read More
Written by Lauren and Lucina, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala Comalapa program at Long Way Home sustainable school
This past week has been nothing short of transformative. As we arrived in Comalapa, we were greeted by the city’s beautiful mountains, art, and an array of friendly locals. “Long Way Home” , the NGO we worked with, housed us all in one room which made the week feel… Read More
Written by Aidan & Sage
We have come a long way in our stay at Centro Panta Rei. We have learned a plethora of sustainable practices that have greatly impacted our perspective on how we as humans use the natural world, as well as participated in culturally significant activities such as noodle making, dough making, and partaking in the entire process of making olive oil. As well as extending our… Read More
