Blog
On Going Home…
“The sea that calls all things unto her calls me, and I must embark.
For, to stay, though the hours burn in the night, is to freeze and crystallize and be bound in a mould.
Fain would I take with me all that is here. But how a shall I?
A voice can not carry the tongue and the lips that gave it wings. Alone must it seek the ether.… Read More
Stonetown or Bust!
By Kayleigh Lillethun
NKULA FANS!!
We’ve made it to Zanzibar! We’ve been here for about two weeks now and I think that we still love it just as much as we did when we first arrived. We started our Zanzibari adventure with our cultural immersion/homestay in Stonetown!
Stonetown is full of tourists from all over the world (including us). It has a very different vibe than anywhere else that we… Read More
Final Blog!
By Wes
In both sad and happy news, it’s Wes here to bring you the final blog of our Hongi Spring 2018 trip to the South Pacific. We have been traveling for three months, have endured ant armies in sleeping bags, multiple staph infections, people going into silence for two days, 10 billion flies on our mouths, ramen and hot dogs for 12 straight days, multiple unexpected hikes, ear infections,… Read More
Namaste! From the Yoga Retreat
Namaste from the yoga retreat and our second-to-last week here on this incredible journey.
This week we journeyed back towards Ollantaytambo and deep into the Sacred Valley, where we pulled up to our gorgeous yoga spot and our home for the next five days. After getting off the bus and organizing into rooms, we had a vegetarian lunch and were given our schedule for the week. Next, we gathered outside… Read More
Sawadi-Susa-Chao!
Our last day of Student-Directed Travel (or Somewhat Determined Travel…) has finally come to a close, resolving in time for ceremony, reflection, and a really freaking good dinner!
Our group-led travel has been a bit unpredictable, but we managed to get through with wonderful strokes of luck and spur-of-the-moment planning. Picking up where we left off at last post, our trip to Marble Mountain was a success with beautiful climbs… Read More
Pura Patrolling
By Siobhan Herr
We arrived at Playa Nombre de Jesus excited and antsy after our long travel day. With the ocean in mind, we quickly put on our bathing suits to swim in the turquoise water. Hanna, Maddie, Annie, and Paige found and explored a cave, while myself, Kaitlin, Juliette, and Talia worked on evening out some farmer’s tan lines. Each night we assisted the Kuemar staff in patrolling two… Read More
SDT (Somewhat Determined Travel)
By Jeremy Bass
I believe I can speak for everyone when I say that traveling is an activity that can bring about the best and worst of surprises. From our departure in February, we have experienced unexpected acts of generosity, crazy early bus arrivals, surprisingly friendly chickens and cows, crazy late and unresponsive buses, spectacularly hidden food stands, mass food sickness out of nowhere, and, among tons of other occurrences,… Read More
Patacancha and Student-Directed Travel
By Lauren
This week we started in the small town of Patacancha located outside of Ollantaytambo. There we learned more about the organization Awamaki, which is a nonprofit that helps women in the area sell their textile work to a larger market. We got to work with the women and see the work that goes into making these crafts; starting from the dyeing of the wool to the finished product.… Read More
Learning Much More Than I Taught
By Hadley Olivia, Latitudes ’18 Uganda
When I found out that I would be spending three months in southern Uganda teaching at a special needs school, I was equal parts excited and terrified. I had the opportunity to visit my placement during my East Africa group semester, so I had a vague idea of what I was getting myself into… but in the end, I truly had no idea what… Read More
How to Walk a Jaguar
By Finn, Latitudes ’18 Bolivia
I’ve spent the past three months in the middle of the Amazon working with—and walking—Bolivia’s rescued wildlife and jungle cats. Only seven hours from the closest big city, Parque Ambue Ari is found in the depths of the wild. Given its remoteness, the park comes with all the fine amenities you’d expect: little to no electricity or cell service, the coldest showers you’ll ever take,… Read More
Casa de Tortugas
On Friday, we were given the opportunity to harvest, process, cook and eat farm fresh fruits — the most memorable of which was the jackfruit. After our field team harvested the fruit (which really consisted of catching a 20-pound spike ball that one of the farm workers, Levis, climbed a tree to drop on us), Siobhan spearheaded the processing, which consisted of tearing open the jackfruit and collecting the seeds… Read More
On to Machu Picchu
This week we are located in a small town tucked in the Andes called Patacancha. It has around 400 residents and the main source of income is selling textiles made of Alpaca and sheep wool. However, this is a story for somebody else to tell. My job is to inform you of what we did last week in a town that I still cannot pronounce.
We enjoyed our last week… Read More
Reporting from Cairns, Australia
By Rachel Valencia
Hi everyone! Rachel here, reporting from Cairns, Australia. After spending six incredible days in the Red Center, we traveled to tropical Queensland. The transition from a dry desert to the humid tropics was quite shocking, but we quickly acclimated to the warm breezes, clear waters, and the loud sounds of parrots and bats. Our hostel was located in downtown Cairns, near the lagoon, Night Market, and dive… Read More
Lions, Mambas, and Illness, Oh My!
By Mary Dudley Berry
Hello to all of our fans out there!
As our time at Ohana Amani came to an end, the group experienced a few changes in our dynamic. We sadly said goodbye to one of our members, and happily welcomed a new temporary member. Jenny, the Executive Director of Carpe Diem, joined our group to experience the day-to-day adventures and challenges of a group semester. It seems… Read More
Attack of the Flies
By Jamie Vischer
Hey Moms and Dads,
We just arrived in Cairn after a sweaty and bug-infested safari through the northern territory. We started off with a long bumpy car ride to the campsite that we made home for the next two days. We slept under the stars as a group in “swags,” which are basically canvas pods with your head exposed. Disregarding some encounters with ants at night, sleeping… Read More
Bona Fide-Bound!
By Chloe Steffes
Hola todos!
In the final weeks of our Nicaraguan journey, the Carpe group has really been both absorbing and adapting to nature all around us. We have even taken it so far as to live a more “rustic” lifestyle as we approach the end of our trip.
Our week began with a well thought out hike planned by Annie on Mombacho. After bussing up the majority of… Read More
A Cultural Exchange with Tan Tao University!
Coming from our relaxing week at the yoga retreat. We headed to Ha Tien to spend a week with students from Tan Tao University in their first cultural exchange. The week was spent in homestays with the locals of Ha Tien as well with the students. We were welcomed into Ha Tien by the local government with open arms. We volunteered by cleaning up the streets of Ha Tien, taught… Read More