My Life With Manatees

Written By Reid, Latitudes ’19 Belize My time at Wildtracks Belize has been amazing. It has been everything I thought it was. I wake up every morning at 6 AM, change into my wet clothes, and prepare to feed our seven manatees. I begin with making the formula they drink every day, which is pretty much a banana smoothie. Then we have the frames we put sea grass in that… Read More

Pura Vida Mae!

Written By Lexie, Latitudes ’19 Costa Rica Greetings from the Rich Coast! These past 3 months I’ve had the privilege of being a wildlife sanctuary intern at Kids Saving the Rainforest! Kids Saving the Rainforest is an organization founded in 1999 to plant trees in depleted areas of the country, and to rescue, rehabilitate and, when possible, release the animals who live in the rainforest. My day to day life… Read More

The Galapagos Islands

Written By Patrick, Latitudes ’19 Galapagos I spent 8 weeks on a sustainable organic farm in the Galapagos called Huerta Luna or The Bamboo House as the locals would say. The whole land is about the size of a football field and is located on the island of Santa Cruz. This includes a small farm surrounded by a natural forest, as well as the house I lived in and my… Read More

GOD (why am I here)

Written By Veda, Latitudes ’19 Peru Peru called me, thatā€™s why Iā€™m here. Peru called you, thereā€™s a reason youā€™re here. Thatā€™s what I reminded myself through the hardest moments of my placement at the Eco Yoga Ashram in the sacred valley. And the hard times were some of the most difficult Iā€™ve ever had to go through. But itā€™s true, and so incredibly hard to denyā€”Peru wanted me here… Read More

Mi Vida en Costa Rica

Written By Isabel, Latitudes ’19 Costa Rica Hola Chicitos! Hace 2 meses que estoy aquĆ­ en Costa Ricaā€¦ Que loco! Time flies, let me tell you. I am located on a peninsula on the Pacific cost of the small, but beautiful country of Costa Rica. Approximately 5 hours from San Jose. Secluded from normal civilization, I am at an organization called CIRENAS. A 3 hour walk to Santa Teresa, a… Read More

Teaching Monks in Cambodia

Written By Kaylee, Latitudes ’19 Cambodia Throughout my effervescent bunch of weeks living in Kep, Cambodia, I have truly learned more about myself in these last three months than I have in my whole 19 years of living. My volunteer opportunities consist of me teaching English, spending time with a local family, and introducing/teaching some fun artsy craft workshops into the Vagabond Temple community. I feel honored to be able… Read More

Marine Conservation, Koh Phangan

Written By Owen, Latitudes ’19 Thailand A typical day here on Koh Phangan starts with a scramble for a cup of coffee when I wake up at 8:50 for a 9ish morning dive briefing. The briefing usually lasts 20-25 minutes, and from there we head to the backyard to set up our gear for the dive, and finish any small group/buddy team preparations for the dive, things like setting up… Read More

FVP In South Africa

Written By Charlotte, Latitudes ’19 South Africa People can tell you over and over that working with animals is more grueling than glamorous but you’ll never really understand until you try it yourself. The past 2 months have been filled with adventures, beautiful beaches, friendship, sweat, tears, and most importantly: monkey poo. I’m so happy that I’ve chosen to volunteer for C.R.O.W. here in South Africa. The days are long… Read More

Life in Peru

Written By Emily, Latitudes ’19 Peru How do I sum up my time in Peru so far? I would use the words: challenging, friendly, beautiful, exciting, adventurous, hard, relaxed, and unexpected. I have been volunteering with Amamaki, a non-profit based in Ollantaytambo, Peru for about two months now. Their purpose is to help empower indigenous Andean women and lift them out of poverty by helping them gain financial independence using… Read More

Animal Conservation In Belize

Written By Asia, Latitudes ’19 Belize Since Iā€™ve arrived at Wildtracks in Sarteneja, Belize my life has changed so much from my usual everyday. I used to refute change, thinking my routine and things around me needed to be a constant, but as my journey continues, I have learned that change can lead to possibilities I never knew I had. Iā€™ve learned to go after what I want despite any… Read More

Experiencing South Africa

Written By Latrell, Latitudes ’19 South Africa For the past month and a half Josh and I have been immersed into the South African culture. Our Journey began in Johannesburg by exploring many of the museums and learning about the rich history of this storied country. We visited Constitution Hill, where Nelson Mandela and many of the main people who tore down the apartheid system were arrested. If I had… Read More

My Life in Peru

Written By Leighton, Latitudes ’19 Peru Hello parents, fellow students, prospective students, and whoever else may have stumbled upon this blog! For the past five weeks, I have been living in the small tourist town of Ollantaytambo, Peru. Iā€™m working for an NGO in town that partners with women in local indigenous villages to empower them and connect them to the world market. On a typical work day, I walk… Read More

Latitudes In Northern Thailand

Written By Duncan, Latitudes ’19 Thailand Adjustment is an understatement when it comes to my life here. Coming from the city of Charlotte, NC and diving right into farming in rural Thailand, I had to deal with the culture-shock and the solitude, all while maintaining a strong work ethic. Iā€™m not gonna lie, it took some time for me to get settled, but once I finally found my place here… Read More

Marine Conservation Koh Tao

Written By Katie, Latitudes ’19 Thailand When I first arrived on Koh Tao I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. The water was a beautiful light blue, I couldnā€™t believe I would be spending the next 3 months here. For the first week I got my diving courses done, going to a max of 30 meters and looking at the giant old war ship they have, and even getting to… Read More

Life in Guatemala, Working For La Choza Chula

Written By Jacob, Latitudes ’19 Guatemala Hola and buenos dias amigos! Jacob here checking in from El Paredon, Escuintla, Guatemala. For my latitudes semester Iā€™m working with an amazing NGO (an org that doesn’t make any money itself but reinvests all its profits into the community) called La Choza Chula or ā€œThe cool hut.ā€ In the past 5 years the organization has built a library, computer lab, organic garden, and… Read More

Life On Koh Tao In Thailand

Written By Sailor, Latitudes ā€™19 Thailand A life on Koh Tao, where do I start. Well to start off my journey I will take you to week one, arriving on the small little island of Koh Tao the name meaning ‘Turtle Island’, and living up to its name this island seemed magical from my very first steps on it. The very first week Katie, Rachel and I settled into the… Read More

Latitudes Spring 19 is under way!

Greetings Latitudes families and friends, We have had an exciting couple of weeks with our 2019 Carpe Diem Latitudes cohort! Last week, all 27 students came out to Camp Angelos in the Portland, OR area to participate in a 3 day orientation. It served as a refresher for a lot of the topics our students covered during their group semesters in the fall, while also going over situations and scenarios… Read More

Learning Much More Than I Taught

By Hadley Olivia, Latitudes ’18 Uganda When I found out that I would be spending three months in southern Uganda teaching at a special needs school, I was equal parts excited and terrified. I had the opportunity to visit my placement during my East Africa group semester, so I had a vague idea of what I was getting myself intoā€¦ but in the end, I truly had no idea what… Read More