As I write this, I am sitting on my terrace enjoying the humming of birds and the thick jungle that surrounds the property. Can life get much better?! I have now been living here for a little bit more than a month, and can honestly say it’s been one of the most (if not THE) most profound, beautiful and transformative experiences of my life. It seems with every day that… Read More
As the week later became sunny, the snow ceased to fall and the weekend approached for much needed to rest from taking in the rapid immersion of the Italian culture, language, new duties at my placement, finishing a number of bicycle tour projects, the jet lag and making myself at home. I looked forward to getting some extra sleep.
Or so I thought. (Little did I know I was going… Read More
Update from Brooklynn Conner Bend, Oregon!
Hello all from hot, humid, green, and gorgeous Sri Lanka. I am one month in to my three month stay at Millennium Elephant Foundation, in Kegalle Sri Lanka. After a few days of adjusting to a 13 1/2 hour time difference my time here has really flown by. I am one of about 15 other volunteers, one being a fellow Carpe student Kaila… Read More
We arrived in Kolkata one week ago today. I was surprised to see that the city did not live up to the terrifying descriptions that Indians in Varanasi had supplied: “Don’t drink the water or eat ANY of the food outside of the most pristine restaurants. That stuff will make even us sick.” More told stories that made my fears grow wilder. In reality the city is very modern and… Read More
Hello from New Zealand! We just got back from hiking up a very large mountain which happened to be next to where they filmed Mt. Doom from The Lord of the Rings. Everyone did great and we completed the entire hike in less than six hours and ahead of schedule. It’s amazingly beautiful here, there is so much to see and do. It’s sad that we have to leave… Read More
Hola, Buenos Tardes from Guayabillas, Ibarra, Ecuador!!!
Just a quick update from Regina Huston, from Indianapolis, IN!
Guayabillas is a resue center for many wild animals. They take in animals that have been kept in horrible conditions, injured, or simply need a new and better home. Without government funding, they function soley off of donations from multiple people and organizations, which also includes volunteer donations. Volunteers stay either with a… Read More
Life has become a smorgasbord of inconsistencies of late. I get up early and talk to my homestay family, meet up with the other volunteers, and take a rickety bus through the south side of Quito to one of twelve markets where we work with the organization UBECI – United to Benefit Ecuadorian Children.
The markets are loud and hot and it’s not surprising to see dead animals, live… Read More
Fuentes Georginas, a natural hot spring spa about 45 minutes outside of Xela Larry, Katie S, Katie B, and Jonathan relaxing in one of Fuentes “cooler pools” Jonathan and Katie P taking in the view at Fuentes Georginas… What an artsy pic (photo creds to Katie S) A painfully bad attempt at salsa by our group… Gringos got no rhythm Russell, Becca G, and the 3 Katie’s soaking in some… Read More
I can´t speak for everyone, but I was definitely sad to say goodbye to Xela. The city was a wonderful place where all of us learned so much about Spanish, the culture, and how to dance salsa! It was an amazing experience. Our next experience was also amazing, but in a very different way.
We began our overland trek to Lake Atitlan on Saturday morning, with a nice and early… Read More
Six days ago, We arrived in Auckland, NZ. We then spent two days in Auckland exploring the city and stocking up on everything from toiletries to snacks for our week of wwoofing (willing workers on organic farms). Auckland was absolutely incredible. It was a city nearly as big as philadelphia but with a completely different feel. People were quite friendly and there were beautiful views everywhere you looked. But what… Read More
A friendly round of tug-of-war Cecelia practicing a vital “Inca Warrior” skill – that of catching a chicken The group after the minga in Pucara.… Read More
Hi everyone! The group had a very busy and fun week in the Intag region. We started off getting oriented to small town life in Morachos, where we had some group bonding time by dancing… Here, we also saw (and heard) all sorts of fun animals… We went on hike to visit the beautiful lake Cotocatchi.(Yes, again, it was fun). This time we all went on a boat ride, where… Read More
Varanasi was a magical city, unlike anything we expected or were prepared for. But somehow in the overflow of sights, experiences, and chaos, what each person needed to find there was reflected back to them.
All of us had great teachers for our internships, whether we were studying beneti (fire dancing), Indian music, Indian cooking, ayurveda, Bollywood dance, or yoga. It’s amazing what you can learn in a week practicing… Read More
hello from the congested Quito! i think we are all happy to b e out of the campo and back in the city after a long week of hard work. we spent the last few days in a rural community called Pucara. we all stayed with local families and as a result, were completely immursed in the culture. it was awesome to see how happy these people are with their… Read More
Friends and Family. We have just arrived in Nadi after a day of traveling here from Nananu village. It has not even been a day yet and I miss it already. We were lucky to be able to stay another day due to rain holding us back from crossing the river. Earlier this week we were very fortunate in being able to attend a weeding in the village, it was… Read More
Bulaaa!
Today the walkabout group made it safely to Auckland, New Zealand. We are here for one more day, then head to the organic farm with Tom and Pj for one week.
We all had a fantastic time in Fiji, and miss it very much. Our time in Nadala was incredible and will always be cherished. Our community service project turned out great! We constructed a cement path leading from… Read More
I am writing from gorgeous, beautiful, sunny, amazing Monteverde. When I arrived from San Jose it was the most beautiful drive up the mountain to Monteverde. Let me start at the beginning, when I flew into San Jose I was fairly jet-lagged from flying in from Germany and hadn’t made any arrangements for transportation up the mountain to Monteverde or a place to stay in San Jose. Needless to say… Read More
I’m not extremely religious or spiritual, but I do believe in being blessed. I believe that I, and everyone on this adventure with me, is blessed. I feel lucky to have been welcomed into the lives of the other people on this program- people who I would have never otherwise met. I cannot speak for the others, but I feel blessed to have been given this opportunity by my parents-… Read More
Upon landing in the Bologna International Airport, I was greeted by my advisor, Monica, for my placement at Experience Plus! Cycling, in Forli’. The sun had just set and I felt as though I was walking right into the unknown wonders of Italy. Peculiar alleys, farms and towns zoomed past me while on the auto strada (highway). In the long stretch from Bologna to Forli’, I finally arrived.
Even then,… Read More
I sit in the weathered rocking chair resting on the front porch of my Mellow Yellow Nicaraguan abode, gleaming at the brightly colored flowers and trees that reside in the garden. My attempts of wrapping my head around the fact that it has already been a month here runs parallel with my attempts at wrapping tamales. A place that was once new and foreign so quickly transformed into my home… Read More
