Written by Jess Solit and Cleo Miller, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala Tzununa farm program learning permaculture at Granja Tz’ikin
What’s new?
⦿ Our group headed over to Tzununa to learn about permaculture from Neil and Jeremy at the Granja Tz’ikin – The Farm.
⦿ Swam and walked around San Marcos, learned about the 12 values of permaculture, harvested veggies, and turned over garden beds.
⦿ We… Read More
Written by William McCall Symms, a 2023-24 Latitudes Year Sri Lanka student, this reflection covers elephant field research, human-wildlife conflict work, and life in rural Sri Lanka.
This semester has been an immensely enriching learning experience for me. Following a consistent schedule has been both demanding and enjoyable. Every day involves going out to collect data and conduct field research, not only on elephants but also on other species negatively… Read More
Written by Andres Huenneke, a 2023-24 Latitudes Year Namibia conservation student, this reflection covers animal rehabilitation, desert wildlife tracking, and community life at Naankuse.
Over this semester I have been in Namibia in Southern Africa working with animal conservation for an organization called Naankuse. I have transitioned between some different projects around the country. Every project deals with a different aspect of animal conservation and rehabilitation. I have been to… Read More
Written by Anantya Mazi, a 2023-24 Latitudes Year Ecuador volunteer, this reflection covers community life, conservation work, and weekend adventures at La Hesperia forest reserve.Settling In and Finding Community
La Hesperia is a forest reserve that rests above the small rural town of La Esperie. At the reserve, I was able to settle in quickly, especially with the help of the other volunteers working here, whom I now consider… Read More
Written by Ryan Chun and Julia Rivard, gap year Italy Florence students on the Carpe Diem Italy and Greece semester, this update covers their first days in Firenze and the start of the Via Francigena trek.
We went to Florence (Firenze) and made ourselves at home for a few days! We climbed the Duomo Bell Tower, explored the Palazzo Vecchio, and did a scavenger hunt of different city attractions, among… Read More
Latitudes Year wildlife conservation student Stella Kuramoto shares six weeks of animal care, reptile work, and independent living abroad.Experiencing Independence and Wildlife Conservation
This semester I experienced true independence and one of the most beautiful places in the whole world with one of my best friends whom I’ve met through Carpe. I’m six weeks in volunteering at the wildlife habitat and life could not be cooler. I spend my… Read More
Written by Shloimy Goldberger, a Carpe Diem gap year Hungary zoo volunteering Latitudes student working at Repzootic near PecsMy Experience at Repzootic
I have spent this semester working at Repzootic, a small zoo in a town of about 300 in the rural southwest of Hungary, about an hour-long bus ride from the historical city of Pécs. I have spent much of my time in this town, as although there… Read More
Written by Henry Probolus and Arianna Cochrane, this Guatemala Spanish school homestay update wraps up their final week in Xela with PLQ graduation, salsa dancing, and host family life.
This was our last week in Xela! At the start of the week, we left our hostel and moved in with our host families! It has been such an amazing time experiencing the culture and tasting the amazing food inside our… Read More
Written by Ariana Agrios, Overseas Educator on the gap year Italy Umbria semester, this update covers the Terra group’s first week at Panta Rei sustainable community before heading to Florence.
The Terra group is off and running!
We landed in Rome on Wednesday and made our way to Passignano Sul Trasimeno where we’re staying at Panta Rei, a sustainable living community in the hills of Umbria. This week we’ve enjoyed… Read More
Written by Danny Evans and Cleo Miller, this Guatemala Spanish immersion Xela update covers their first week of one-on-one PLQ classes, hot springs, and local adventures in Quetzaltenango.
This week we’re located in Xela! We are starting one-on-one Spanish classes with the beautiful teachers at PLQ. We attended the many events put on by PLQ including a student soccer game and a trip to the hot springs. We stayed in… Read More
Written by Bitsy Bond-Perez, a student from Carpe Mundi gap year India Protovillage program in Andhra Pradesh
February 29th: From February 25th to March 3rd we are staying in Protovillage! “A prototype of a resilient rural community.” And by rural they mean that, in the state of Andhra Pradesh we are 25 minutes away from the closest village. We are surrounded by all types of trees and plants in mostly… Read More
Written by Kailash Biswa and Lucas Barrera, Carpe Mundi India program students, this reflection captures their journey through Andhra Pradesh, from ancient temples to the busy streets of Bangalore.
Since we came, we’ve been to a lot of places, seeing new things. Temples, shrines, new land…We visited the moon, the sun, and the earth. While we were flying across Russia, 18 hours, 13,000 Kilometers away…
We’ve been very busy, going… Read More
Written by Kyla Wendel, a Carpe Diem gap year Australia wildlife habitat Latitudes student volunteering in Port DouglasExperiencing the Beauty of Port Douglas
Having been in Queensland my last semester, I thought I was prepared for the sheer beauty that is Port Douglas but I was mistaken. Already a month into my stay and I’m still in awe of my surroundings. The beautiful beaches and the tropical trees that… Read More
Written by Kora Battleson, a 2023-24 Latitudes Year Ecuador student, this reflection covers monkey monitoring, water quality research, English teaching, and community life along the coast of Camarones.Experience in Camarones, Ecuador:
My experience this semester in a small town called Camarones (shrimp) along the coast of Ecuador has been incredible. One thing I love about the work I do is every day is different with some sort of surprise.… Read More
Written by Ari Cochrane and Jess Solit, this Guatemala sustainable living Comalapa update covers a week of hands-on building, Mayan ruins, and community connection with Long Way Home.
Greetings from our team’s latest adventure! We ventured to Comalapa to collaborate with Long Way Home (LWH), an organization dedicated to sustainable living and community development. Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve been up to:
Learned about sustainable living practices
Worked on… Read More
Written by Ariana and Megan, Italy Greece gap year educators leading the Terra semester, this intro shares fun facts, travel stories, and what students can look forward to on their European adventure.Buongiorno from the Terra Overseas Educators!
Ariana and Megan have enjoyed connecting with each of you over this past week in preparation for our European adventure, and we hope you’re as excited as we are that we’ll soon… Read More
Written by Jasmin and Malcolm, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala scavenger hunt orientation in Antigua before Long Way HomeHola a nuestras familias y amigos!
We’ve had a great few days in Antigua, one of the larger cities here in Guatemala. Our groups flew into Guatemala City and we made our way to Hostel Hopa, our home for the next few days. Our group was finally… Read More
Written by Soumya and Andrew, India Nepal gap year educators preparing for their upcoming semester, this intro covers fun facts, packing tips, and what students can expect on the journey ahead.Greetings earthlings!
Here we are in rainy Portland, just returned from a rambunctious scavenger hunt through the hallowed halls of Forest Park. Along the way, we got to know each other as co-leaders, enjoyed a delicious meal of red… Read More
Written by Jasmin and Malcolm, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year Central America semester sharing packing tips before departureHola chiques!
We hope everyone is getting as excited for the semester as we are! We’re here in Portland, Oregon at Carpe Diem Headquarters reviewing our program itinerary, policies, curriculum, and more to fully prepare for our time together. This being the first time we’ll lead a trip together,… Read More
Written by Malcolm and Jane, Overseas Educators on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala Costa Rica journey through Lake Atitlan and Drake Bay
Happy end of program to our wonderful students, and to all of their parents and family and friends waiting to greet them at home! This semester simultaneously feels like it flew by, and it feels like we’ve been together and known each other for so much longer… Read More
