Meraki Photo Blog
Photo Blog By Liam & Mackenzie… Read More
Blog
A Poem of Memories
Poem by Overseas Educator Rachel Lightner
68 days later, we have arrived.
It has been quite the wild ride.
Remember the awkward small talk in the airport, trying to figure out who was a Carpe Diem kid? The ones with the massive backpacks, lost look, that one has my bid.
The quiet car ride back to Olowalu and a sleepless night,
4am wake up call from roosters and cat fights.… Read More
Crete, Episode I: The Phantom Minos
Written By Sebastian
Waking up early and being on time for transition days has not been our group’s strong suit and our transport day to Crete was no different. We rushed to the subway station near our Athens hostel 15 minutes late and crammed into the train just as it pulled out. We took a very small plane to Crete and met our local contact Xeno. We spent the afternoon… Read More
Buongiorno from Matera!
Written By David & Kai
Buongiorno from Matera! This is David and Kai, this week’s leaders. On Wednesday, we finished up our stint in Abruzzo with a 7-hour hike that brought us up to 2,000 meters above sea level. At first, our views were obscured by omnipresent mist and fog; however, upon reaching the summit, we were awed by the majestic mountain view that appeared as the wind serendipitously cleared… Read More
The Tales Of Carpe Aloha
Written By Amanda & Calvin
Gather ‘round, gather your young and old and prepare your ears to listen to Carpe Aloha’s spinsters of tales, Amanda and Calvin!
Not too long ago, on Wednesday the 10th of November, the children trekked through highways and side roads to the magical lands of Auntie He (”hay”). There, they crouched low to the fragrant soil and ridded the ground of its petulant invaders. That… Read More
I like Turtles
Written By Ian & Eli
Hola from Camaronal National Wildlife refuge! Ian and Eli reporting from the scenic Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
We wrapped up our second week in Turrialba after 4 more Spanish classes. The group got their chef on as we had another cooking competition. On Sunday we planned meals and traded leftover foods between groups before going to the supermarket to get fresh ingredients. Ana and… Read More
Trekking Photo Blog!
Wednesday: Orti Dipinti and Treedom Visit
Thursday: Vineyard Tour and Exploring Florence
Friday: Our Last Day at Orti Dipinti and Uffizi Gallery
Saturday: Traveling to Abruzzo
MONDAY: Day Hike
Tuesday: Transfer from Pescasseroli to Civitella Alfedena and Visit to the Wolf Museum
“Why are they playing on that? This is for children” – Andrea
Wednesday: Day Hike to Viewpoint of Civitella Alfedena… Read More
Xela!
Written By Jill & Maya
Hi everyone! As the cobble stone streets woke us up from our car ride naps, we entered the City of Quetzaltenango, otherwise known as Xela. We then settled into our hostel and took our first shot at wandering the slightly confusing city. We quickly found delicious hot chocolate, a Central Park, and the sweet smells drifting from Panaderias.
The next morning, we walked to the… Read More
Athens!
Written by Maya S.
When I first heard that the ferry from Italy to Greece was supposed to take 17 hours, I thought I was being pranked. But as it turns out, I was not. Now I’m not gonna lie, I was asleep for roughly 14 of those 17 hours, but I’m sure everyone had a great time. And the long boat turned out to be worth it because we… Read More
Thai Food and Chill
Written By Katharine & Gus
Wassup from Katharine, and Gus.
Thursday morning was very relaxed. Katharine, Katie, Belle, and Cooper went with Rachel to fill up our water jugs while the rest of the group hung out at the campsite. On the water trip, they also stopped at the grocery store and made sure to get Vanessa her yerbs. In the afternoon, we headed down to the park and balled… Read More
Final Week at Long Way Home!
Written By Rosa & Maddi
Hola! Rosa and Maddi here.
We kicked off our second week at Long Way Home in festive style with spooky Halloween Murder Mystery Party. Each member of the group impersonated and dressed up as another member of the group as we played out a script written by Ryan, with Ethan’s character (actually Ryan) and Spencer’s character (actually Rosa) getting murdered! Many suspected Rachael (actually Maddi)… Read More
Arrival to Costa Rica!
Written By Ana & Flannery
Hello Everyone! Ana and Flannery here to share some stories. This week started off with an early rise and dark car ride to Guatemala City. With our last street lit hours in Guatemala we celebrated Halloween by switching clothing with a partner. This consisted of colorful pants, iconic sweaters, many laughs and countless double takes.
Eventually arriving in Turrialba Costa Rica we started to explore… Read More
Matera – and Ciao Italy!
Written by Mallory & Anna
Terra group made their grand debut in Matera under cover of darkness. We first met our Matera liaisons Andrea and Birgit at 9 at night in a murky bus stop somewhere in Matera. They shepherded us to the farm, or Masseria, that would become our humble abode for the next seven days. We all piled into Andrea’s van that would also become our home away… Read More
Meraki Group Vlog
Vlog by Clemmie & Alex… Read More
You Can’t Fight These Big Waves
Written By Ava & Alesh
Hola chicas! It’s your student leaders, Ava and Alesh updating you about our epic student directed travel week! Leaving the beautiful town of Tzununa at Lago Atitlan, our adventure began with a 4 hour bus ride to the riverside docks of the Acome river. As we stepped out the bus onto the banks of the mangrove forest lined river, we were instantly hit by a… Read More
Team Aloha On the Big Island
Written By Vanessa & Belle
Aloha from Vanessa and Belle
Last time we blogged we had just finished out a day of tree planting the local farmstay. For our final day on Maui, we worked on Uncles George’s farm. We had the opportunity to work with some animals, including horses, goats, sheep, cows, chickens, and pigs. Belle even got the chance to tangle a small pig that had escaped its… Read More
First Week at Long Way Home!
Written by Emma & Spencer
Hi guys! Emma and Spencer here. We have now successfully finished our first week at Long Way Home in what is known as the “Florence of Guatemala,” the vibrant town of Comalapa. Our first night in Comalapa we settled into the innovative and beautiful Long Way Home Lodge, only a stones throw away from the Heroes School which is the main focus of the Long… Read More
Ballin At The Bambu Feat. Lake Atitlan
Written By Maya & Ian
Hola from Lake Atitlan! Students leaders of the week here: Maya and Ian here for your weekly update of our exciting adventures. This week’s adventure began early at 4am with a trek up to a lookout spot over the beautiful Lake Atitlan to watch the sunrise. Students fell in love with the sight of the lake and were eager to trek down making our descent… Read More
Mondeggi Bene Commune
Written by Aidan & Mackenzie
Greetings from Italy! When you left us, we were traveling to Mondeggi from our week in Bologna: this week, as you may expect, we are in Mondeggi. From the first, we were welcomed into the communal farm with open arms, surprisingly good English, and lots of cats. The next few days consisted mainly of getting to know the flow of Mondeggi. On Wednesday, we spent… Read More
Growing Pono
Written By Vanessa & Belle
Greetings from Vanessa and Belle
When we arrived at our new placement (a local organic farm), Katie gasped at the site of a refrigerator. Evan, our host, graciously prepared a covered kitchen and living area. We spent our first day getting aquatinted with the land through a short tour and setup of our camp site in the fruit forest. In the afternoon, we had the… Read More