By Mariella Hi family and friends! We have finished our time in Australia and have been in Fiji for the past week enjoying the sun, water and local hospitality of the islands. Commencing this part of the trip was a bittersweet moment because we had to part ways with one of our beloved members, Justin (aka J-Wade), in Sydney. We have missed his presence from the humorous comments he makes… Read More
By Justin Wade Hello, again viewers!
Yesterday after a long train ride, we made it to Newcastle. We are staying in a really really nice dorm with a TV, beach, and a bunch of other stuff to keep us entertained. It isn’t just fun and games, though, as for this week we have to help out with a conservation group by doing some manual labor. Today we ended up planting… Read More
By Peter Kelsh Good morning, afternoon, or evening, readers. After a couple of fun days in the Hamptons-esque town of Noosa, Australia, we boarded a train for Chenrezig, a Buddhist monastery in the hills of Eudlo.
Chenrezig had beautiful prayer flags draping the mountain and a large Stupa that had to be circumambulated clockwise. However, it was much easier for some of the group members to enjoy the scenery than… Read More
By Coop Sanchez Hello blog viewers! (Hi, Mom.)
What a week we have had! It started with an incredible few days in the outback hiking around Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata-Tjuta while sleeping on the ground under the stars every night. Our guide Joe and the Aboriginal contact Lou taught us so much about their incredible culture and we got to touch 7,000-15,000 year old hand prints in a cave… Read More
By Sarah Roman First blog of the trip is up and boy, do we have stuff to tell you guys! For all of the parents frantically checking this site to see if there are any updates on their child’s location, hello. We are all alive. There are a few bumps and bruises from rope swings, capture the flag games, accidentally lighting on fire, and I will spare you the rest.… Read More
By Josh and Mack Greetings from Port Douglas!
Wow… its been an adventure getting here, from the 13-hour flight, to the two-hour curvy road van ride, we are happy to finally have settled at our first destination. We are just about finished with orientation, and about to begin helping Marcus and Claire with their property maintenance. Looking forward to seeing more wallabies at Sheoak ridge, as well as embark on… Read More
By Latrell and Sarah Hello, this is Latrell and Sarah reporting live from Port Douglas. It has been an interesting couple of days. The first two consisted of plenty of travel. We have all learned each others names because we were all forced to sit next to each other on a plane for 18 hours followed by an awesomely auxed van ride. Shout out my man Josh. We are now… Read More
By Eric and Peter After an extensive 24 hours of flying and driving, we arrived at SheOak Ridge, which also happens to be a wallaby sanctuary run by Clare and Marcus. While there, we camped out in their backyard in tents, had some pretty freaky night time pee runs in the bush, and went for a day hike in the rainforest. This morning, however, we took a break from the… Read More
By Justin Wade Hi everyone!
Yesterday was our first day in Australia. We are staying with our lovely hosts Claire and Marcus, who are very generous and kind and allowing us to stay with them for the next week. In return, we are going to help them with a few projects at SheOak Ridge over the next few days. The rainforest here is very beautiful and we are seeing many… Read More
By Cooper, Mariella, and Levy We made it through the 24-hour traveling expedition and finally made it to SheOak Ridge. Marcus and Claire are the most welcoming hosts providing great camping equipment and delicious cuisine. For our orientation, we got to play some fun games such as kicking the shuttlecock and sitting around the campfire as a way of bonding with a group of people we will be spending a… Read More
Dear Friends and Family of the Hongi Crew:
We happily report that we’ve received word from the Hongi group. They have landed safely in Cairns, and are loading up the van to make the trip to She Oak Ridge. We’ll get a picture posted once they all settle in!
All the best!… Read More
By Program Director James Simmons The Hongi group is finally together—and the stoke is high! Ringing in the beginning of Fall semester with a “grrrrr”!… Read More
By Overseas Educators Sarah and Matt Hongi Crew!
Our adventure through the South Pacific is almost upon us! Thoughts of this and you and all the beautiful people and places we will soon be exploring have gotten us practically dizzy with excitement. From exploring our dreams under the stars in the Outback, to working side by side with our Fijian homestay families, to planting our feet in the wilds of… Read More
By Wes In both sad and happy news, it’s Wes here to bring you the final blog of our Hongi Spring 2018 trip to the South Pacific. We have been traveling for three months, have endured ant armies in sleeping bags, multiple staph infections, people going into silence for two days, 10 billion flies on our mouths, ramen and hot dogs for 12 straight days, multiple unexpected hikes, ear infections,… Read More
