Blog

Group is U.S. bound!

Hello Parents and followers of Carpe Diem KIFARU East Africa blog, We just received word from Grant and Gwen that the students have departed Tanzania for their long journey back home. This marks the end of this program, but not the end to the growth, friendships, and knowledge gained during these past 3 months. We (including Grant and Gwen) wish the best for all participants and hope that everyone will… Read More

Try the Train Chai ~ FREE TRAVEL!

Guys… we made it. And we’re going out with a bang a camel safari, an Indian wedding and the Taj Mahal in 7 days? With three trains, two buses and innumerable auto-rickshaws, it’s possible. We spent the first days of our free travel continuing our stay in Mcleod Ganj. On December 2nd we left our Tibetan homestay families with an exchange of white scarves and satisfied our sweet… teeth with… Read More

Home

***This post is a few hours late…my sincerest apologies! It’s been a splendidly crazy last day!*** 28 hours, 1,680 minutes, 1 sunset, 2 flights, 6 meals, and 10 goodbyes left. 83 days, 2 major holidays, the transition from summer to fall, fall to winter, the tail end of 2013, and one full semester all passed, gone, flashed away.  Where in the world did the time go? ‘Tis our last full… Read More

Mo, Mo’ Momos?

Our time in McLeod has been a whirlwind taste of independence and Tibetan culture! We decided to individually do activities specific to our interests and all of us participated in volunteering and an internship. Activities included a cooking internship (mo’ momos please), mala making/dream catchers, and flute lessons. All of us taught English to Tibetans (many of them monks) and found that looking at your own language from a new… Read More

Gratitude from Scott

I would like to begin by saying that this semester has been the best three months of my life. Though it had its ups and downs, it was worth every second. South East Asia and my group, have become like a new home and family respectively. I would like to thank my family for supporting me in choosing to participate in this gap year. Another big thank you goes out… Read More

Gratitude from Bo

First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents and family for supporting me not only in my decision to partake in this gap year travel adventure, but for supporting me in all my choices in life. Also for supporting me financially too. You guys rock. Greg and Brooke, you guys made this trip what it was with your consistent positiveness and your unfaltering leadership. Both of you have… Read More

Gratitude from Seth

I want to thank my loving parents because I would not be the same person I am today without their support. A big thank you to Brooke and Greg for making this trip the best trip I have ever had. They both inspire me, especially to travel the world and I will never forget either of them. Thank you to Carpe Diem headquarters for confiding in me no matter how… Read More

Gratitude from Katie

Mum and Dad: You guys are the best. Thank you for your never faltering love and interest in what I’m doing. And thank you for the travel bug! I would not be here without you. I am so grateful you allowed me to participate in this program. I cannot wait to see you soon Headquarters: You have planned quite the itinerary! From the home-stays in Thailand to touring wats in… Read More

Gratitude from Collin

This trip has been the greatest experience of my life. My fellow group members have not only become friends, but family as well. This trip has shown me how big the world is and how fun it is to explore it. I want to thank my mom for her support in encouraging and supporting me to go on this journey. Without her this wouldn’t have been possible. I also want… Read More

Gratitude from Jake

First I’d like to send the biggest shoutout to my wonderful parents, Frank and Suzanne. Of course if it wasnt for you I wouldn’t be here right now. Thank you for being the best parents in the world and supporting me. Brooke and Greg, our amazing OE’s, made this trip what it was- they took us to the river and inspired each one of us to drink from it, metaphorically.… Read More

Gratitude from Blake

Hello to everyone back home, We’re wrapping up our time here and starting to prepare for the long trip back home. I feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful experience with an amazing group of people. None of this could have happened without the support of so many people back in the states. My friends and family have been such an inspiration for me to join Carpe, and… Read More
The past week has been incredible and the cherry on top of our already delicious travel adventures. The week began with the closing two days of free travel. We used the penultimate day of free travel to embark on a day trek into the Phu Quoc National Park. From there we traveled to one of Forbes Top 10 Most Beautiful Beaches located on a remote part of the island. Though… Read More

swag.

G’day all! It’s Amy here checking in from Cairns (that’s pronounced “Cans”, for all those unaware) as we’re starting to wrap up our long and wonderful journey with Carpe Diem. This past week has been a whirlwind of activity. As Shelby stated in her blog, we spent the majority of the past week doing an outback tour with Wayoutback Tours.  The week involved a lot of getting up early, hiking,… Read More

trekking and wrecking

Whats good family and friends, This past week or so we have been hiking along the Inka Trail. We passed through snow topped mountains, incredible waterfalls and then descented into the subtropical rainforest where we saw a coffee demonstration and saw all the flora and fauna of the region. We summited a mountain and saw Macchu Picchu face to face and tomorrow we are climbing up there to learn about… Read More

Dar Es Salaam Student Directed Travel!

Hey there guys! So during student directed travel we went to the Udzungwa Mountains, after our time in Mang’ula we got up at 4:20 am on the 27th, walked over to the bus station by 5:00 am and boarded our crazy train to Morogoro. We finally starting leaving around 6:30 or so and then no less than 10 minutes into our trip there was a problem. A truck somehow managed… Read More

Home is Where the Swag is

G’day mates! We just spent one of our final weeks down under camping in the outback and exploring Australia at its finest. Our days were spent battling flies in the hot sun and our nights were spent sleeping under the stars in the fresh outback air. We all slept in what’s called a swag: a “waterproof” sleeping bag/mattress combo; essential for every authentic outback experience. Our perpetually energetic guide, Tam,… Read More

Prema

Hello all you beautiful readers out there! Last week was yet another wonderful Carpe Diem adventure, this time we hopped into our rental van with Robbie and Katelyn at the wheel and set our sights on the Daintree Rainforest for a week full of yoga, meditation, vegetarian food and the occasional tarot card reading. A typical day at Prema Shanti looked something like this, We would wake up and go… Read More