Written by Lily and Anantya, students on the Carpe Diem gap year Guatemala Dia de los Santos celebration program in San Juan
We continued our second week in San Juan, a small town on Lake Atitlán. We continued our Spanish classes at Eco Spanish school, and also enjoyed several new events and cultural activities. We ended the month of October with a very personal archaeology tour. On the tour, we… Read More
Written by Stella K. and Asa P., this New Zealand Maori culture Raglan update covers waterfall hikes in Tongariro National Park, marae visits, traditional instrument making, and a Halloween celebration before student directed travel.
Post Hart Farm, we got back on the road and headed to Tangariro National Park for a waterfall hike, mini golf, and a wide view of Mount Doom. Next up: Raglan! We found our way to… Read More
Written by Kate T. and Lillian A., this Italy Greece semester Matera update covers recycled book fridges, an Italian family Sunday lunch, a Halloween party, and the group’s transition to Greece.
Since the last update, the Terra group has completed our time in Matera and travelled to Greece! In a farm outside of Matera we were tasked with designing and painting recycled fridges to turn them into “book fridges”… Read More
Written by Matilda and Leila, this Guatemala Spanish school San Juan update covers one on one classes at the Eco School, art projects, a coffee tour, and community life in San Juan La Laguna.
This week we pushed off the shores of San Marcos and landed ourselves on the opposite side of the lake in a small welcoming town with the name of San Juan.
Here, we began our Spanish… Read More
Written by Rob and Josie, this Italy Via Francigena Panta Rei update traces their cobbled steps through medieval history before settling into the Umbrian eco-community for ravioli, Italian lessons, and a Halloween movie night.
Roads knotted and paths forked, the rebellious stature of hundred-year-old cypress trees, and the subtle sound of bushes on our path whispering out the name of the wind. This is the picture we would like… Read More
Written by Zane and Justin, this gap year Rome Vatican update covers a walking tour of ancient architecture, a visit to the Sistine Chapel, and the best gelato spots in the city before heading to Matera.
We arrived in Rome after a four-hour FlixBus ride from Siena and split off into two groups after sending our bags to the monastery we’re staying at by taxi. One group walked an… Read More
Written by Marielle M. and Katie M., this Italy Via Francigena Paladini update covers a week of sustainable farm camping, chestnut harvesting, and trekking the ancient Canterbury to Rome pilgrimage route through Tuscany.
After our time in Florence, our group travelled to Paladini to spend the week camping. This provided us the opportunity to spend time in nature within a community that focuses on living sustainably and is open to… Read More
Written by Andy and Kyla, this New Zealand farm volunteer update covers a week of cattle herding, forest maintenance, flamethrower weeding, and group dinners at the Hart family farm.
We arrived at the Hart family farm in New Zealand. This is where we met Greg and Rachel, the amazing hosts that run the cattle farm we worked on. Every morning, part of the group would go with Greg and do… Read More
Written by Ashlyn and Jonah, this Lake Atitlan permaculture program update covers a week of organic farming, forest hikes, waterfall swimming, and bamboo house living on the shores of Lake Atitlan.
We made it out of Xela! This week, we got to spend at Lake Atitlan learning about permaculture, hiking through the forest and farming.
OLake Atitlan Permaculture Program: Top 3 Highlights:
🥗 Great fresh food straight from the farm!… Read More
Written by Josie G. and Nolan S., this Daintree rainforest conservation volunteer update covers their final days at ClimateForce, a Mossman Gorge excursion, and arrival at the Hart Family Farm in New Zealand.
We continued our journey at ClimateForce, immersing ourselves in the magic that is the Daintree rainforest. We’ve been mixing our time with physical work for ClimateForce (weeding, fence making, beach cleanups and tending to their tree nursery),… Read More
Written by Lillybeth and Amery, this Italy Via Francigena trek update covers a week of walking through Tuscan hills, wine tasting, bread making with Luca, foraging with Claudia, and finishing in Siena.
Since the last blog post we have done and seen a LOT. It was the week of our trek so we started in Gambassi Terme where we met Luca, who showed us around his family’s bakery and taught… Read More
Written by Conrad I. and Mason E., this Italy Greece Florence Uffizi update covers a week of Renaissance art, a sustainable community garden, and authentic Italian food before heading to a chestnut farm in the mountains.
This week, we left Greece and travelled to Florence, Italy. We did a walking tour of the city, seeing the statue of David and other famous monuments across the city. We also visited the… Read More
Written by Sophie and Anna, this Guatemala homestay Spanish school update covers their second week at PLQ in Xela, living with local families and graduating with a Spanish speech, poem, or song.
This week we got to stay with local families in home stays, while still going to school at PLQ (Proyecto Lingüístico Quetzalteco)! We moved into our new homes on Sunday, and have been living with them for the… Read More
Written by Macey T. and Grace N., this Italy gap year farm Garfagnana update covers a week of chestnut harvesting, community cooking, waterfall swims, and fireside music at Paladini farm in the mountains.
For the last week, we’ve been at a farm called Paladini in the mountains of Garfagnana. It’s a beautiful place and it was so nice to get back to nature after a busy week in Florence. There… Read More
Written by Treavor O. and Tasha B., this Great Barrier Reef scuba diving update covers three days of open water certification before joining ClimateForce to restore the Daintree rainforest.
With our instructors, Martin and Chad, we were able to get certified in scuba diving. We spent one day learning in a pool and two days scuba diving in the magical great barrier reef. After our tiring, but rewarding, three days,… Read More
Written by Malee G. and Josie B., this gap year Greece sustainable living update covers mud-building at CobGreece, a sunset at Meteora’s cliffside monasteries, and a stop at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi before heading to Florence.
We ended our stay in Athens and drove up to a sustainable living community near Larissa called CobGreece. During our stay, we learned about mud-building, foraging, and the process of pickling (so… Read More
Written by Shloimy G. and Leila B., this Guatemala Spanish immersion Xela update covers five hours of daily PLQ classes, karaoke in Quetzaltenango, and witnessing historic democracy protests up close.
Since our last update, we’ve traversed the Guatemalan Highlands, and have made it to Xela/Quetzaltenango (in separate transports of course due to our unfortunate little itty bitty Covid outbreak).
We’re staying in a hostel right near Parque Central, both the… Read More
Written by Sydney and Liam, this gap year Italy Florence update covers a week of urban garden volunteering, a guided city tour, and iconic art encounters at the Uffizi and Accademia.
We’ve been in Florence this week. Traveling into the city was a nice change of pace after being at Panta Rei for a week and a half. We volunteered twice an urban garden called Orti di Pinti. There we… Read More
Written by Talia M. and RJ L., this South Pacific Daintree rainforest update covers a week of wildlife encounters, conservation lessons, and off-grid living at Sheoak Ridge.
We spent last week at the lovely Sheoak Ridge in the Daintree rainforest. Hosted by Claire and Marcus, two passionate and accomplished conversationalists. We had some amazing wilderness experiences including cuddles with wallabies and educational nature walks.
What have been the three highlights… Read More
Written by Charlotte B. and Iris J., this gap year Greece Athens update follows the group from Crete to the city, covering Greek language lessons, pottery classes, and Minoan palace ruins.
After spending a week on the island of Crete, we said goodbye to our wonderful hosts and locals we met along the way. On Wednesday, our group landed in Athens, Greece, and had a chance to explore our city.… Read More
