By Ashton Saltz
Bula! Elliot and Ashton here to tell all of you about our Fijian adventures and homestay experiences. It has been a hot, humid, and hectic past couple weeks full of both good and bad. Some of the people in the group hadn’t experienced a third world country before this, and it became overwhelming at times for most.
On October 25, we all woke up at 3am to… Read More
By Jenny Olea
Hey everyone! It’s Jenny here, writing all the way from Australia. I would like to share my experience during the last couple of days in the village of Nakuku. On November 3rd, we went to visit the school Vuni Salusalu, where we got to meet a bunch of wonderful kids! Personally, I loved doing this because I really enjoy interacting with kids, getting to know them, and… Read More
By Harrison Wohlfarth
So this week was pretty dope. We started off with a bus ride from the O.G. city of Delhi to the humble mountains of Darhamsal after being delayed several hours (shout out to Indian transportation services). Despite having to wait several hours for the bus and meanwhile chilling on the streets of India, we eventually got to where we needed to go, though, which is all that… Read More
By Daisy O.
Our time in Fiji from start to finish had to be two of the most amazing weeks of my life. From the moment that I stepped into Nakuku, my village now, I was in love. Everyone was tired and sick after being on the ferry for twelve hours, then bumping through back roads. No one felt good but as soon as we stepped into the hall we… Read More
By Chandler
On my way to Fiji, I didn’t really know what to expect. I hoped the people I would come across would be nice, and welcoming, and helpful. I hoped that my upcoming time in the village would be an amazing experience. I hoped all these things, but I really didn’t have any expectations.
Little did I know, what was to come were life-changing moments and memories. In New … Read More
By Siena and LD
Bonjour and hello!
When we stepped off the plane in Kigali, we quickly learned that in addition to Kenrwandan, two of the other national languages in Rwanda are English and French! We noticed many other differences between Tanzania and Rwanda on our drive from the airport to the Discover Rwanda Youth Hostel which we would be staying in for the next four nights. We were impressed… Read More
By Deborah and Siena
Hello!
After a short, two-hour bus ride, we made it to the Rwanda/Uganda border. For many of us, it was the first time going through immigration outside of an airport. We spent the past few days at S.N.E.C. (Special Needs Education Center)! Our projects were to re-paint the inside of their dining hall and to do art/games with the students in the classroom.
Aside from our… Read More
By Jake Anquillare and Anna Parker
¡Hola! Es Jake y Anna aqui estamos veniendo de Xela, Guatemala ahora. Pero antes de nuestro viaje nosotros tuvemos un noche al hostel de Costa Rica. For all you amateurs out there we will break it down for you.
Early Thursday morning we caught a ferry from the Nicoyan peninsula to Puntarenas and began yet another travel day. When we got off the ferry… Read More
By Adele
Early Monday morning we left on our journey to Mufindi, the town where the children’s village is. It was a long day of traveling on public buses and a very crowded Dala Dala.
The next three days we dove into homestays in the village of Mufindi. During our respective homestays, we were able to practice our Swahili as well as teach our families some more English. Most of… Read More
By Overseas Educator Kate AbrahamHand-catching fish to eat/transfer them to a new pond at the Arajuno Lodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The fish were strong and slippery!… Read More
By Jake and Nico
Ciao and Hola from Jake and Nico to all Hongi 2017 fans. We are here to recount this past week’s adventures and experiences. Unfortunately, Jake and I were both out of commission with illness, which meant that a therapeutic Harry Potter movie marathon was called for.
We arrived at the Mangarara Farm after spending the night in Napier and were blown away by the beauty of… Read More
By Emily Chambers
The time we spent at Plum Village was my personal favorite so far. I feel like I learned so much from our sisters and brothers that I know I will be able to hold with me as I make my own path and venture my way through life.
To be more specific, we were taught the five mindfulness trainings. The first is the Reverence of Life. To… Read More
By Anna, Bradley, Doug, and AnyaAnya babysitting on a bus.Bradley in his happy place.Cate and Jimmy birdwatching.Cocos!Costa Rica cooking class.Costa Rican sunset.Quetzal dance class!Dylan and Jillian.Ellie, Maggie, and Cate.Cate, Maggie, Anna, Anya, Ellie, Katie, and Jimmy enjoying la playa.Gallina wranglin’.Jake and Cate.Jimmy getting in on the fun.Juan milking a cow!Cate and PJ.Katie and Anna … Read More
By Bradley Sabbar and Jimmy Toole
After five days at Cirenas, we said goodbye to our gracious hosts and embarked on a two-hour trek up the beach to arrive at our next homestays. The route was treacherous, with many obstacles such as rivers and jagged rocks. Alas, we finally arrived at the homestay pick-up point. The group then split up into four separate homestays.
All of the boys (minus Jake)… Read More
By Claire
Helloooooo from Claire! It’s week 6 and Team Inti is alive and well!
We began this week with a simply-worded, yet fundamental question to ponder: “Why are some places in the world poor and others rich?”
After arriving in the tiny community of Pucara Monday afternoon, we were met by Peter, an expat originally from Vermont, who has built a farm and integrated himself here in this community… Read More
By Garrett Walker
Hello parents and potential fans reading our Carpe Diem Shanti blog. My name is Garrett and I want to do the blog a little differently this week. Instead of the usual linear summary of our past week, I want to give you a summary, but through short little bursts of reflections I’ve had. Hopefully, Avy is a fan of this (Hi Avy!) and it gets posted and… Read More
By Daisy Shepherd
Namaste!
To begin with a disclaimer: we spent much of this week at Phool Chatti Ashram in silence, so you’ll have to forgive the heavy use of the first person.
Let’s just get the most important fact of the week out of the way by noting that the food here is AMAZING. It’s thali plates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with something new every day. If anyone… Read More
By Overseas Educator Peter BenassiAt the Root Institute in Bodhgaya.Registering to work at the Mother Theresa Home in Kolkata.Picking ginger at Dev Bala Farm in Gharoh.Relaxing at the Root Institute in Bodhgaya.Selfies with Harrison in Kolkata.A baby goat in Jhadol, Rajisthan!… Read More
By Finn Witt
Hi everyone!
Our past week began with a grueling 10-hour bus ride through the foothills of southwest Tanzania. While the scenery and wildlife sightings were spectacular, the cramped conditions and rarely-paved roads made for a less-than-pleasurable day. Arriving in Njombe late that night, we were treated to some well-deserved pizza, the best since leaving in September!
The following day, we left for Ohana Amani, a holistic organic… Read More
