By Scott Penfield, Latitudes Brazil
Last week, I posted about a farm that we visited near Belisario, where we witnessed firsthand the destruction of the rainforest in the name of agriculture and mineral extraction. Today, we received a somewhat hopeful update from Robin. He was initially skeptical that a complaint to the police would yield any results, despite the fact that the cutting of the forest was objectively illegal. Earlier… Read More
By Dominique, Ashley, Jeremy, and Nitzny
The first week of Southeast Asia is so amazing. Something that I completely adore about the city is the architecture. The vibrant colors just show so much of the countries culture and how they live. Every building that I look at is different and are significant in their own way. The temples are on every corner and being able to see a new temple… Read More
Saludos de Quito! Today marks our final full day in the hostel, until we leave for the coast to stay at Las Delicias Banana Farm. Our journey began with landing in the magnificent city of Quito after several hours of traveling, and we were happy to finally be on the ground. After a quick nap we spent the rest of the day getting to know one another through various group… Read More
Walking through Xela, there are so many different and unique smells. From delicious street food to the dry herbs in the market. But not all of the smells here are ones to be sought out. Walking through the streets, the unfortunate odor of garbage and gasoline is extremely prevalent. Luckily enough the hostel we are staying in is usually filled with the aromas of cleaning fluids and basil. But, if… Read More
The sounds in Xela have been both familiar and foreign to us thus far! We have heard things like cars, food cooking at a street food stand, and people conversing with each other. We have heard some new things, like people speaking in Spanish with one another and new music. Some of our favorites have been children laughing, tacos simmering, music we have shared, and the voices of those in… Read More
We have seen so many amazing sights this week! When we were first flying in, those lucky enough to get window seats were treated to a bird’s eye view of Guatemala city. The sights continued as we piled into a minibus and began the long, winding trip up to Xela. We passed acres upon acres of farmland, most of which were barren for the winter. As the bus navigated perilously… Read More
On the first night we ate some delicious Thai salads with a wonderful peanut butter dressing. However, our favorite meal was today when we ate scrumptious tacos filled with chicken and peppers on tortillas with lentils and guacamole on the side. For a drink today we had some fresh papaya juice the after taste was a little odd. The best drink we had so far was this magnificent lime and… Read More
Greetings, Families and Friends of the Spring 2018 Nkula group:
The Nkula group had a night in Dubai, had a successful rendezvous with Tosca, and are now safe and sound in Entebbe, Uganda. They will now start Orientation, getting to know each other, setting intentions, and learning about safe and mindful travel.
Nkula: everyone at home wishes you the very best! We hope that your journey is amazing and full of… Read More
Week One:
We landed in Quito three days ago. Now, we started off pretty slow due to the intense travel. But the first day we were able to get to know each other decently well. After we checked into our hostel we got to go eat at the local market, where we tested our Spanish knowledge by ordering lunch. Day two was much more active; we started the day with… Read More
Greetings from Quito! We are currently on the first leg of our scavenger hunt and have just found an internet cafe! It took a bit of searching with our Spanish skills, but for the most part, we are getting where we need to be. We are all safe and are having a good time. The food so far has been AMAZING and the hospitality of the hostel is great, too.… Read More
By Alex M. & Audrey
This is Alex Maya, and Audrey coming to you from an internet cafe. Took about an hour and a half to find an internet cafe but we made it alive. On a scavenger hunt today, we were very lucky to see the sites including a couple of art museums some beautiful churches around the area as well as community centers Thinking a ton about our… Read More
Dear families and friends of the Southeast Asia group,
I’ve just heard from group leaders Cari and Jon – the group has arrived safely to Chiang Mai, Thailand! They are gathering their bags and getting ready to head to their hostel. All is well so far, they had a safe and easy flight, but they are looking forward to getting some rest and then diving into their orientation. Stay tuned… Read More
Greetings, Family and Friends of the Spring 2018 Hongi Crew:
The group has landed safely in Christchurch!
They are now exploring the city; setting intentions for the next 3 months; and creating a positive and intentional group dynamic during their Orientation in Christchurch. The adventure has begun!
Hongi: Everyone at home wishes you the most incredible of journeys, and look forward to hearing of your successes, challenges, and vast array… Read More
Greetings, Family and Friends of the Carpe Diem Spring 2018 Nkula group:
We are happy to inform you that the Nkula group (minus Tosca, who will meet the group in Dubai….we can't wait, Tosca!) is united and already beginning to get to know one another at the San Franciscio airport.
They have quite a journey ahead of them, with a 15 hour flight, an overnight in Dubai, and a morning… Read More
Dear families and friends of the Central America MAYA group,
I just heard from Hannah and Julian that the group has landed in Guatemala City. They had an easy flight, are gathering their bags, and getting ready to head to Quetzaltenango (AKA Xela) to settle in, get some rest, and start their orientation. Later this week, they’ll post some updates here about the start of their journey. We wish them… Read More
Dear families and friends of the Spring Southeast Asia group,
Everyone has arrived safely to LAX. They are happy to be together as a group for the first time, and looking forward to the semester ahead. We wish them safe and easy travels to Thailand! We’ll post another blog here once we’ve received word that they’ve arrived safely.
-Carpe Diem HQ… Read More
Dear families and friends of the Spring Central America MAYA group,
Everyone has arrived safely to LAX! They are together as a group for the first time and looking forward to the semester ahead They’ve checked in for their flight through security – we wish them safe and easy travels tonight. We’ll post a blog and group photo here tomorrow once we receive word that they’ve arrived safely in Guatemala.… Read More
Dear Families and Friends of the Spring 2018 Hongi Crew:
We are happy to report that the Hongi group is safe and sound in L.A., and will now begin the 3 month journey together. The group has only an hour before beginning the LONG flight over the Pacific Ocean, losing a day in the process, yet gaining ground on what will undoubtedly prove an enriching semester.
We will post another blog… Read More
