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 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 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

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

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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

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By Rachel Valencia Hi everyone! Rachel here, reporting from Cairns, Australia. After spending six incredible days in the Red Center, we traveled to tropical Queensland. The transition from a dry desert to the humid tropics was quite shocking, but we quickly acclimated to the warm breezes, clear waters, and the loud sounds of parrots and bats. Our hostel was located in downtown Cairns, near the lagoon, Night Market, and dive… Read More

Getting ready to herd sheep on the Hart Family Farm. I am Wes, and I’m in the midst of an epic journey. Rachel taking time to reflect at Hart Family Farm. Morning chores. Spa day at the mud pools. … Read More

Our man Nazil! Village Life. Preparing coconuts. Fiji Time…taking a nap at sleeping giant. Village volunteering in Vuandomo Village.… Read More

By Wes BULA!!!! (Hello in Fijian) After leaving New Zealand we have made our way out of Aukland and into Nadi, Fiji. We posted up at a very nice hostel there and met some pretty cool people. One of them was Nazil, our taxi driver, photographer, all-time best friend and “FBI” agent. He took us to a gorgeous mud pool where almost everyone pushed their limits with their comfort zone… Read More

By Greg Hart, our contact abroad The hillside where we planted the trees for Carpe Diem last year. Most have survived the summer and are set for good growth over the coming wetter season. Spending a couple of hours pruning trees in a block that every Carpe group of students we have hosted (this is the 8th) has spent time working on.… Read More

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