Written by OEs Aisha & Malcolm
After a looong travel day from our various homes to JFK to Rome to our home for the first week of the program, Centro Panta Rei, we enjoyed our first delicious Italian dinner and collapsed in bed for a good night’s sleep. The next few days we split between our Carpe Diem orientation activities, aimed at bonding our group, establishing expectations, and laying the… Read More
Written By OEs Abby & Mara
Woweeee! What an incredible welcome to Guatemala it has been! We dove straight into getting to know each other, the program, and the incredible country that will be our home for the next 8 weeks!
Our orientation activities have allowed the group to reflect on their intentions for being here, their comfort zones, stereotypes and assumptions about different cultures, best practices for health and… Read More
Buongiorno and Kalimera from the Terra Fall 2025 OEs, Aisha and Malcolm!
We are passionate travelers, inspired educators and global citizens, excited to embark upon this adventure together with all of you!
Here are a few pro tips before we embark:
Pack layers, and consider comfort!
Keep an open mind, be ready to try new foods!
Learn how to say please, thank you and I’m sorry in the local language.… Read More
Written by Julia Kate Thompson, 2024-25 Latitudes StudentDiving Into Conservation on Koh Tao
This semester abroad, I’ve been interning with a dive shop on the island of Koh Tao, working on their Reef Conservation Team. I’ve been a part of several projects such as environmental monitoring, shark snorkels, measuring key species, water testing, turtle rescues, artificial reef building, and client work.
My first month of the three was… Read More
Written by Summer Sorensen, 2024-25 Latitudes StudentDiving into a New World: My Internship in Tenerife
There’s so much I could say about my experience so far! I was nervous about traveling to an unknown place on my own for the first time—especially to islands I hadn’t even heard of four months ago.
At the start of my FVP, I worked with See You Diving, got my open-water… Read More
Written by Ava Mendler, 2024-25 Latitudes StudentLiving and Volunteering in Saint-Louis
I can’t help but think back to my first day here—stepping out of the DSS airport after 20 minutes of sleep, carrying an (expensively) overweight suitcase, a backpack, and my guitar. I spotted a man holding a sign: “AVA MENDLER – Maison de la Gare,” hopped in the car, and began a four-hour journey to Saint-Louis, my… Read More
Written by Nina Rafaela Shear Quitiguiña, 2024-25 Latitudes Student
Hello, my name is Nina I’ve been volunteering at a project called IMAP (Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute) in Guatemala for more than a month, and I’ve loved it.
One of my first impressions of Guatemala was how kind and welcoming people are. I arrived in Guatemala City on February 11th. From there, our trip to San Lucas Tolimán was about three… Read More
Written by Alexandra “Ally” R. Olejniczak, 2024-25 Latitudes Student
Before coming to Melkhoutfontein, I experienced a three-day orientation in Johannesburg where I visited multiple historical sites like Soweto, Nelson Mandela’s house, Prison Four, and Maropeng. I also visited the Apartheid Museum.
When I first got off the plane at George Airport, I was taken to the beach in Stillbaai where we sat at a restaurant, and I shared a sandwich… Read More
Written by Nora Thomas, 2024-25 Latitudes Student
So far this semester, I’ve spent my time traveling about the whole of Namibia!! I started my time by flying into Windhoek to be transferred to the main volunteer site at Na/ankuse. I spent two weeks are the main camp and got to participate in Anti Poaching Unit sleep out, carnivore feeding, and baboon walks. During my time here, I was able to… Read More
Written by Malcolm Reid, 2024-25 Latitudes Student
From beachside strolls to working hands-on with wildlife, my semester in Australia has been full of new experiences, challenges, and personal growth. Here’s a look at what this journey has meant to me so far.
Challenges Along the Journey
Adjusting to life in a new country comes with its fair share of challenges. For me, one of the trickiest parts was figuring out… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Overseas Educators, Maggie and ChelseaLovely students, what a wild and wonderful 70-day journey we’ve been on. You all have absolutely rocked it every second, and we cannot express how proud and honored we are to have spent the most precious resource we have together: our time.
From meeting you at JFK, we traveled from Panta Rei where we bee-kept, bonded for the first… Read More
Written by Central America Overseas Educators, JB and AndyWhat’s New?
And just like that, three months of adventure, growth, and connection have come to an end. It’s hard to believe how quickly time has flown since our journey began. As we wrapped up our Central American program, our final days were filled with moments that felt both bittersweet and deeply meaningful. From sunset swims to heartfelt conversations, we… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Students, Izzy, Peter and Malcolm
What’s New in Our Journey?
After an amazing week of student-directed travel on Aegina, the group took a train two hours outside of Athens to Akrata. The week was spent at Re-Green, a permaculture community dedicated to the regeneration of Earth. Each day, the group participated in learning activities like garden bed prepping, composting, herbal talks, mushroom talks, and much… Read More
Written by India & Nepal Overseas Educators, Tara and Anand
Eight Wild Women and Anand! This wild journey went through Nepal and India encountering all that it had to offer. We began as a group of 9 individuals but slowly made our way to forming a group of people who were ready to take on this world. We walked, ran, and traveled by jeeps, buses, trains, and planes to… Read More
Written by South Pacific Overseas Educators, Mary and SushiOur beloved belayers, queens of the Daintree, goddesses of Aotearoa, BBs. Our dearest SOPAC ’24,
Wow, what an incredible, magical journey we have embarked on together through the South Pacific. We are so proud of each and every one of you for the leadership, the growth, the openness, the bravery, and the Aroha you’ve embodied every leg of the way.… Read More
Written by South Pacific Students, Julia T. (JT) and Gabe G.
What’s New in Our Journey?
So many things happened this week, as Whenua Iti was packed with incredible experiences. We got to sea kayak in a fierce rainstorm and treacherous waters, participated in a high ropes course, walked 12 miles in Able Tasman National Park, spent time caving with our guides caked in the mud from mud fights,… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Students, Kyle Chang and Arianna Wilson
What’s New in Our Journey?
We have arrived on student-directed travel week! Since our last blog, we met as a group and decided on a location to travel to. Keeping the budget and all members of the group’s interests in mind, we settled on Aegina. Aegina had something for everyone- archaeological sites, hiking, beaches, scuba diving, and a small… Read More
Written by India & Nepal Students, Sarah Ross and Ioan Asher
What’s New in Our Journey?
Hi everyone!!! Sarah and Iona here, reporting live from a café in Kochi. It’s been a heck of a week here on this side of the globe!
After departing from the Sivananda Ashram, we hopped on a bus and drove to Munar, the land of mountains and tea fields. The next morning, while… Read More
Written by Central America Students, Bridger and RonanWhat’s New?
Since the last blog post in Xela, our group has been in Tzununa, Guatemala staying in a sustainably built hotel called the “Bambu House.”
This week’s focus has been centered around permaculture, man’s relationship with nature, and engineering. We’ve also been getting to know each other better because we are not using our phones and we’re sharing living spaces. Our… Read More
Written by Italy & Greece Student, Ally Hudsyn
What’s New in Our Journey?
Traveling to the city of Athens was an exciting adventure after exploring the peaceful towns in Crete. From the acropolis to hay markets there was plenty to explore. Walking on ancient ruins everywhere we went is an experience we will never forget.
Top Three Highlights of the Week
I think the most amazing thing we did this… Read More
