When someone says “Class-four Hurricane” what do you usually think? Perhaps it’s pictures of the damage done by Hurricane Sandy several years ago that comes to mind. You may think of the satellite image of the spiraling blob of red that has showed up on the news a bit too often for comfort last week.
Yet while both of these examples could be used to describe the most recent storm… Read More
Namaste beautiful friends and family!!
Catherine here from Bodhgaya to update you on our latest week!! Boy, have we had an amazing time here at the Root Institute. I know I can speak for everyone when I say we don’t want to leave!! From the moment we arrived here, we could feel how special it was. Monks and Nuns smiling at you, the cutest goats running around seemingly overwhelmed by… Read More
Blog by Kippie. Photos from the Overseas Educators
The past few days since leaving Udaipur have been filled with unpacking bags and repacking them, trains and rickshaws, and ever new and exciting India. We arrived in Agra mid-day Wednesday, and spent the afternoon recovering from the hours on the train, as well as wandering around one of Agra’s largest bazaars. At this point in our trip, we’ve been to more… Read More
Hola! The past week has been incredible, from the Mystical Yoga Farm to the city of Antigua. Lake Atitlan was absolutely beautiful. Every morning at 6 we woke up to the amazing view of three giant volcanoes towering over the bright blue waters of Atitlan. We then made our way to our meditation and yoga class. It was a great way to start the day! We think that the best… Read More
On October 9th the first week of Student Directed Travel begins. Every student was either booking, researching or supporting those who were working hard. We spent a lot of energy in the short amount of time given to us to plan. Very early, on the morning of October 9th, we will depart from the beloved Riverside Community and drive to Nelson where we will catch a Maxi Cab to Picton.… Read More
This week the group was at Riverside Community helping and learning an amazing amount about the environment and living within a community. The start of the week was very stressful as we were planning a week in advance for our first Student Directed Travel. We spent a day and a half getting the main frame of the week in place. Our captain for the week split us up into groups… Read More
After 2 bus rides, a taxi ride, a ferry, and a van ride, the group successfully left Matagulpa, and arrived at the Bona Fide permaculture farm on the island of Omatepe, located in Lake Nicaragua. We’ve spent the past week getting up bright and early, and tasking ourselves with a variety of jobs such as hauling firewood and rice husks, weeding the gardens, and trailblazing with machetes. We’ve adjusted to… Read More
We arrived here on Sunday evening after a long travel day. We were dropped off by the Arajuno Bridge and then took a motorized canoe (which was pretty awesome) to our destination. My first thought when we pulled to the Arajuno Jungle Lodge, was that it was much more modern than I expected. The facility is very nice, which is a relief because we are working quite hard and it… Read More
Upon arriving at Blue Mountain Adventure Center the group was challenged with team building activities that forced us to grow both independently and together. Our leaders for the week Paddy and Sally outfitted us in the best gear for our high mountain tramp through Mordor. We set out for five days and four nights in the wilderness with a backdrop of sweeping views of the snowcapped Mount Doom (for those… Read More
Blog from Emily S. Photos from Savannah and the Overseas Educators
Namaste from Bodhgaya!
Emilia here, writing from the Root Institute! We arrived here yesterday healthy and excited to be studying Buddhism! It’s a different change of pace compared to Varanasi, a city full of bustling cows, water buffalo, rickshaws and people. We stayed in Banaras (the local term for the city) for almost one week, learned some “survival Hindi”… Read More
Dear parents, families, and friends of the Cuba group,
Good news! I spoke with Michelle and Kevin this morning and they let me know that all is well. The hurricane passed far enough east of them that they only experienced rain. No high winds, heavy storms, flooding, or damage that they can tell so far in the city. They said if they hadn’t known it was a hurricane, they would… Read More
After we left the Kokiri Center, which is a communal living space for the Maori people, on the 23rd, we went to a small farm run by a couple named Rick and Liz. One of our group leaders, Lolly, had stayed with Rick and Liz before this trip so it was amazing to see them reunited. At the farm, we learned about permaculture and how they farm according to the… Read More
After an epic (and highly successful!) travel day we arrived on the island of Ometepe, which will be our home for the next two weeks. Sunday morning started early when we met at the bus terminal in Matagalpa and, under the direction of our student travel leader, we purchased tickets to Managua and piled onto the bus, while our packs were secured to the roof of the repurposed yellow school… Read More
Omchapeur from the Karen tribe and us at Chiang Mai! After a beautiful and touching homestay experience, the Fall Seasia group embarked on our first trek and what was to be a truly authentic three days in Thailand. After the ride back to Chiang Mai we decompressed at our new hostel Mojito Garden, which included a complimentary hammock, a Koi pond (where I had my camera lifted off of me… Read More
Sawatdee Kha!,
The last part of the homestays went by relatively quickly. On September 27th, we had the opportunity to teach English at a girls school in Mae Rim! We planned out games and some basic lessons to teach, regarding body parts, places, and numbers. The girls were all high school age, and very polite; an intereting contrast to a typical American high school environment. We broke into four groups… Read More
Hongi group’s second full week was filled with lots adventure (and quite a bit of rain). We started off the week at Whenua Iti headquarters, where we were briefed on the week ahead of us, by our two leaders, Rob and Joe. Our original plan was to hike the full Abel Tasman trail over six days, but a forecast full of rain caused us to change our plans to accommodate… Read More
Blog from Elana O. Photos from the Overseas Educators
Last week the Shiva group packed their bags and said their goodbyes to the host families in Jaipur. We headed to the train station and, after many ukelele songs and the death of one flip flop, boarded the train to Udaipur- the Venice of India.
The first day in the lake-filled city included a lovely breakfast and walking tour of the… Read More
