Our group has a certain Achilles Heel for food, especially sweets, so I thought it was time to do an in-depth blog about the amazing foods we have been eating on this trip. First off, let's give a basic overview of our eatin habits so far. Our meals have mostly consisted of rice, fried eggs, avocados, some type of soup as an appetizer, lots of plantains cooked every-which way, lentils… Read More
Well… It has been exactly one month since I arrived in New Zealand. I really have been dreading this day, not because I’m home sick or anything, but because I am lazy and really don’t like writing blogs. So here it goes, I am not expecting a Pulitzer Prize for what I’m about to write, and neither should you I arrived in Auckland lacking money, a phone, or… Read More
What does it mean to be alive? All around this vast earth, every human and every culture asks this question. The diversity of languages, religions, traditions, stories, and artwork is an attempt at an answer. Whether traveling across the world or exploring our own backyards, tapping in to the collective wisdom is a vital part of our own journey. Wade Davis defines the ethnosphere as “the sum total… Read More
After 5 days spent discovering the busy cities of Ayutthaya and Bangkok, we get a chance to slow down at the Thai Plum Village, a mindfulness retreat center that was established by Thich Nhat Hanh. Each morning starts at 3:52 am. Monk time is 8 minutes early. We usually start with some sort of seated meditation or chanting, followed by a walking meditation. After that we have a small break… Read More
Our week in Pucara came and went. We arrived there on Friday and left early Thursday morning. Within that time, we did tons of hiking, a lot of learning and tons of community work. When we arrived, the town of Pucara had a big welcome for us, where we played games, listened to music and performances and bonded quickly. We each stayed with a homestay family alone, which was a first, but which… 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
I espère you daaaaaaance (with Rwandans)!By Madeline and Jamie KIGALI. NYABAGOGO STATION. 3:17 PM. We emerge into a sea of persistent and perspiring taxi drivers. As our butts are slowly recovering from the drive and our stomachs are crying for the pizza party to come later in the day, we skillfully navigate our way to our hostel. We were greeted by paved roads, traffic lights, and newly developed buildings… Read More
Bula friends and family, This past week has been our free travel! As a group we found a great local hostel in Coral Coast right on the beach. The hospitality and smiles of the Fijian people has welcomed us into their lives. The hostel offered many activities to choose when and what we wanted to do. We took advantage of the day trip to islands where we got to… Read More
Daydreaming about adventure? Restless with wanderlust? Wonder what it would be like to sail around the world or curious about indigenous peoples of the Amazon?
Us too. Here at Carpe Diem we’re always looking for ways to fuel that desire to explore.
That’s why we’d love to introduce you to these TED talks. Fair warning: you might need to clear out your schedule for the rest of the day because… Read More
I really hadnt thought to much about what adventures were coming my way, the people I was going to meet, or things I was going to see. I was pretty open to whatever Peru had to offer and eager to get down there and start my journey. My backpack is only about half full as I really dont need much, knowing that the majority of my time will be… Read More
One month has passed since arriving here in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. I have been learning the ways of the African Elephant Research Unit here at the Knysna Elephant Park. It is absolutely beautiful here! As part of the research team, my job is mostly to monitor all the elephant's behaviours and interactions. Here, there are 18 captive elephants that are split into three herds. The main herd has 7… Read More
It's a relief to be back out in the world after getting a taste of it last fall. This time around I traveled to an island in Thailand called Koh Tao to work as an intern in a marine conservation program. All the magic is based out of a small, beachside dive shop called New Heaven Dive School. The journey to get here… The journey was long yet very interesting. The… Read More
Bula! We safely arrived in Fiji after two very long days and two flights. We were warmly welcomed by a Fijian music trio in the airport before Fijian customs welcomed us a little more harshly (11 of us were detained). Thankfully we all made it out safely and are now chilling at a small villa and waiting out super cyclone pam. What a welcome! We all had an excellent time… Read More
Greetings family and friends, After many great experiences in New Zealand it was time to embark on a new journey; Fiji. After a short and much anticipated 3 hour flight, we arrived in Fiji! We started our time at the Bamboo Beach hostel outside of Nadi. Highlighted by kava ceremonies and picking out sulus in the city of Nadi, many group members got a taste of Fijian traditions. After a… 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
Hinduism, and so India, had begun to make sense to our group thanks to plentiful immersion and instruction. We had started to understand this colorful country and its colorful religion as we left Varanasi for Bodhgaya. But since the nature of seeing the world is surprise after surprise, we were thrown for a loop as we arrived in this new city of Buddhism, where the Buddha is said to have… Read More
Dear families out there, In case you haven't heard, we're in Kolkata this week! Each day, we've been getting up at 6 am and splitting up to go spend the mornings doing service at our chosen Mother Theresa home– some of us are working with physically or developmentally disabled kids, some of us are working with older mentally disabled women, and some of us (including me!) are working in the… Read More
This week has been our student directed travel. We started in Tena and stayed for two extra days to go see the Jumandi Caves. We had a great time there in the dark. After that day in Tena we bought our tickets to Otalavo. After a long bus ride it was really relieving to get to a nice hostal, but figuring out who was going to stay in wich room… Read More
I have been in Sri Lanka for a month now and it has been nothing short of an adventure. When I told people where I was going to be spending the next three months, most of the responses I got went something like this, "Isn't that in Africa?" or, "You know that elephants are really big, right?" I politely responded with a bit of a geography lesson and a… Read More
"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning." ~Gloria Steinem The Vision I work amongst dreamers. We believe in possibilities, in saying yes, and in all of the infinite potential of this world and of each other. We believe in the extraordinary, and we believe in the power of "what if…" We value growth and transformation, and … Read More
