Blog

Our Final Stop at Re-Green in Akrata – Summing Up a Semester of Growth, Gratitude, and Unforgettable Memories

Written by Izzy, Peter, and Malcolm, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Italy Greece permaculture semester, Terra 24 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… Read More

Shanti ’24: A Final Ode to Our Wild Women and the Journey of a Lifetime

  Written by Tara and Anand, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year India Nepal semester closing out their journey together 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… Read More

SoPac ’24: A Final Farewell to Our Beloved Whānau

  Written by Mary and Sushi, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year Australia New Zealand South Pacific semester 2024 Our 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… Read More

Breaking Boundaries: A Week of Growth and Challenges at Whenua Iti

  Written by JT and Gabe, students on the Carpe Diem gap year New Zealand adventure South Pacific semester at Whenua Iti 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… Read More

From Athens to Aegina: Intention, Adventure, and Connection in Student-Directed Travel

Written by Kyle Chang and Arianna Wilson, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Italy Greece semester during student directed travel week in Aegina 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… Read More

Tea Trails and Trekking Tales: Our Intentional Adventures in Munnar and the Western Ghats

  Written by Sarah Ross and Iona Asher, students on the Carpe Diem gap year India Munar trek through tea plantations before homestays in Kochi 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… Read More

Living Sustainably in Tzununa: Lessons in Permaculture, Unity, and Thriving as a Community

Written by Bridger and Ronan, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala semester What’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… Read More

A Week in Athens: Ruins, Rides, and Unforgettable Highlights

Written by Ally Hudsyn, a student on the Carpe Diem gap year Italy Greece Athens semester exploring ancient ruins and city life in Greece 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… Read More

Fields to Cityscapes: Our Dynamic Week at Hart Family Farm and Wellington

  Written by Julia M and Clivia, students on the Carpe Diem gap year New Zealand farm volunteer program near Napier and Wellington What’s New in Our Journey? This past week, we volunteered at the Hart Family Farm, a livestock farm near Napier. We learned about sustainable agriculture practices and humane livestock farming from Greg and Rachel, who have owned the farm for almost thirty years! Along with Greg and… Read More

Language and Laughter in San Juan: Homestays, Horseback Riding, and Spanish Conversations

Written by Maia and Ripley, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala homestay semester in Xela What’s New? This past week, we had the pleasure of continuing to explore Xela, but through a different lens—homestays! We were paired off with another person in the group and got to build one-on-one relationships while also building community and connection with the host families. Seeing Guatemalan life through the perspective of a… Read More

From Jaipur to Delhi: A Journey Through India’s Heartlands and Beyond

  Written by Ava Mendler and Nora Thomas, students on the Carpe Diem gap year India Golden Triangle semester visiting Jaipur, Agra, and Delhi What’s New in Our Journey? Jaipur: The First Golden Triangle City Jaipur was truly a shock to my (Ava) system, both mentally and physically. Immediately when I got into the Rickshaw after our long train journey from Udaipur, I was totally overwhelmed by the commotion, sounds,… Read More

Unforgettable Week in New Zealand: Waterfalls, Halloween Festivities, and a Farm Stay Adventure!

  Written by Ash and Grace, students on the Carpe Diem gap year New Zealand Maori culture program in Raglan, Waitomo, and Lake Taupo What’s New in Our Journey? Hello there from your LOW’s, Ash and Grace! We are sad to say we have left Raglan but are happy to report the many fun activities that have taken place since the last blog. Starting off, we took a trip to… Read More

From Ancient Streets to Adriatic Waves: Our Unforgettable Week in Matera

Written by Peter, Izzy, and Ester, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Italy Matera semester exploring ancient cities and Italian culture What’s New in Our Journey? This week, the group was in Matera working with local contacts from Link and B-Link. We started our week in Matera, doing a scavenger hunt to learn about the ancient city, Sassi, and what makes Matera the European Capital of Culture. The next… Read More

From Shikshantar to Jaipur: A Journey of Culture, Challenges, and Unexpected Encounters in India

  Written by Mae Reinke and Stephanie Jones, students on the Carpe Diem gap year India Udaipur unschooling program before exploring Jaipur What’s New in Our Journey? We arrived at the Shikshantar campus after a long travel day from Kathmandu to Udaipur. The campus was full of eco-built structures, colorful murals, and a junglesque ecosystem. After crashing hard, we had an incredibly warm welcome the next morning by our leaders… Read More

Discovering New Zealand: Embracing Māori Culture and Unexpected Adventures

Written by Ash and Clivia, students on the Carpe Diem gap year New Zealand Maori culture program in Raglan and Wellington What’s New in Our Journey? After a few wonderful weeks in Australia, we continued our journey by hopping on a plane to New Zealand! We flew from Cairns to Auckland, and then from Auckland to Wellington. We crashed in Wellington for the night, after wandering aimlessly through the streets… Read More

Roaming Through Rome: Sights, Scavenger Hunts, and Sistine Moments

Written by Pepper Travers and Aidan Stier, students on the Carpe Diem Italy & Greece gap year semester What’s New in Our Journey? Since we last wrote a blog post, we’ve been to Rome! We visited all the major sights: the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. Our hotel was a monastery very close to the Vatican, so just a short walk brought us to St.… Read More

Homestays, Hot Springs, and Heartfelt Connections: Our Immersive Week in Xela, Guatemala

  Written by Laurie and Ray, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala homestay program in Xela What’s New? This past week, we had the pleasure of continuing to explore Xela, but through a different lens—homestays! We were paired off with another person in the group and got to build one-on-one relationships while also building community and connection with the host families. Seeing Guatemalan life through the perspective of… Read More

From City Streets to Campfire Beats: Our Transformative Week in Paladini, Italy

Written by Hudsyn Toppenberg, a student on the Carpe Diem gap year Italy campsite experience at Paladini in the Garfagnana region What’s New in Our Journey? The past week has been full of incredible experiences in unlikely places. The group traveled by train to a quaint campsite called Paladini, nestled beautifully in the region of Garfagnana. It was quite an adjustment for the group to go from a big and… Read More

Trekking New Heights: Peaks, Festivals, and Celebrations in Nepal

  Written by Sarah Ross and Iona Asher, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Nepal trek Himalayas program before celebrating Dashain in Kathmandu What’s New in Our Journey? Hi everyone!!! Sarah and Iona here, reporting live from a café in Udaipur, India (we’re always on the hunt for a sweet treat). Last week, after saying goodbye to our friends from Conscious Impact, we departed on a three-hour jeep ride… Read More

Embracing New Rhythms: Education and Adventure in Xela

Written by Summer and Nico, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Central America program in Xela, Guatemala What’s New? Hello families! Sorry for the late blog post, the last 3 weeks have been packed with many adventures and laughs! We’re now writing from Lake Atitlan where we’ve been relaxing at the bamboo house and learning about Permaculture! We started off our first week in Xela at a local hostel… Read More