Semuc and Beyond

Hi all! Well I´m sorry to be posting so late and so little but there´s just so much going on and so little time to write about it! A lot has happened in the past few weeks since we left Rocj Pomtila.Our first stop was the beautiful mirador at Semuc Champey where we climbed the breathtaking waterfalls and explored a network caves. We began our cave tour by wading into… Read More

Mangos, Bon Bon Bums, and Orange Coconuts

Hey everyone, Though long over due, here is my post for Rocj Pomtila: There are some benefits to having a 20 degree sleeping bag. The first of which is the rare instance when Guatemalan weather decides to be cool. There are a myriad of survival tips that solely rely on a sleeping bag. Be it braving the mountains of Lake Atitlan or hiding in Helena`s abnormally tall bag (I am… Read More

A tease

Saludos our loyal blog followers! Our group is alive and very well in San Andres after an adventurous 9 days living and touring stunning Alta Vera Paz. For nearly all of these 9 days we didn´t have access to electricity or even running water and, needless to say (but to likely more dismay of the group), internet. Unplugging and un-showering were well worth it though, as we shared daily baths… Read More

Relaxation on the Shores of Lake Atitlan!

Hi all! Well, here we are, almost done with a relaxing week in San Marcos, Guatemala. It is incredibly beautiful here! It really is like a relaxed, tropical paradise. It was so amazing to arrive here, especially after our crazy 3 day trek. All in all, our trek was a total of 48k, with some pretty ridiculous mountain climbing the whole way. We crossed rivers on tiny log bridges, walked… Read More

Sho Long Xela!

One week in Antigua, another week in Pasac, and now 2 in Xela! I can’t imagine living in a homestay for two weeks in a this big city.. especially after getting used to stone toilets and very, very ‘refreshing’ showers. I wonder what its going to be like?? I can’t wait to experience Chichi. I wonder if my family..WHOAAA there goes our two weeks in Xela! Yes, Xela came and… Read More

Thoughts on Xela

Hola Carpe lovers! After oh-so-stylishly ¨chacha-ing¨ off the stage and out of Pasac we arrived in Xela city, with the group anxiously waiting to meet each homestay family and our 1:1 Spanish teachers for the upcoming two weeks.I found myself in a state of culture shock moving from the small village of Pasac to a huge city with all the modern conveniences of America.The group is beginning to feel more… Read More

Adios Antigua!

p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Que Pasa Carpe fans?!?! Tonight is our last night at the Earth Lodge. Orientation was quite the experience, we all established a strong camaraderie within these first few days. From moving group discussions to rolling on the ground laughing playing pterodactyl, (which was mostly me, Jared) we have all gone from… Read More

Seguro, con vista

The ITZA group arrived sleepy, safe, and sound to Earthlodge today, a series of charming rustic a-frames perched on a side of mountain overlooking a valley of coffee plants, a distant Antigua, and two smoldering volcanoes.  We even jumped up from the dinner table to catch a few seconds of lava flow.  Guatemala, thanks for the great welcome.… Read More

Airport Meeting Update

ITZA group: Just a reminder that our original TACA flight was moved by the airline to 5:50am from the original 12:30am flight. We will be at the TACA ticket counter (SFO International terminal) from 9:00-9:45pm to meet any students who had direct connecting flights and no other San Francisco arrangements. For those who have accommodations in or near SF and can rest until the new flight time, be sure to… Read More

Treasure awaits

The Central America surface feature map has been released, our intrepid explorers. We now have the locations of Central American people who will reveal previously unearthed nuggets of inspiration, learning and growth. Just follow the X’s and your heart, if you dare…… Read More

Aqui vamos Spring 2011!!!

Saludos nuestro grupo querido de ITZA! With less than a week remaining before we depart for our semester throughout Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Roatan, we feel an overwhelming excitement to meet you and begin learning through experiencing. We were sitting on the steps of the front porch in Portland when we started laughing thinking of papusas, liquidos, chicken buses, beautifully awkward moments in language mistranslation, and the group waking… Read More

Free Travel!

Hi family and friends, Keely here from San Jose, Costa Rica. We just completed our week of free travel, which we spent in Puerto Viejo de Talamaca, a small beach town on the Caribbean coast.  We had a low key week in this relaxed town, using rented bikes as transportation. (A shout out to Mike, who was kind enough to tote me around on the back of his bike due… Read More

When I grow up I wanna be Kate Bosworth

When I was eight years old, I saw the movie Blue Crush. You know, that one where Kate Bosworth lives in Hawaii and surfs in competitions until she gets into an accident and becomes truamatized but eventually finds the inner strength to win Pike in Oahu? Yeah, well ever since I saw that movie, I´ve wanted to learn to surf. There´s just something inherently cooler about a girl who can… Read More

The Truth About Turtles

Hey everybody. Maya here, broadcasting live from the beautiful beachside town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, our chosen free-travel destination. Our week on la Playa Camronal was harder than most of us expected, with killer bugs and long, often fruitless nights of turtle work. A fair ammount of our time during the day was spent relaxing, and the rest performing various seemingly meaningless tasks– we picked up garbage on the… Read More
Greetings yet again from the city of Leon as we wind up week two in this beautiful ciudad de Nicaragaua. Youve already heard from Becca–alright from the open door to my right i just witnessed my first Nicaraguan ¨ding dong ditch¨. I hope everyone else can find this as ammusing as I am, proof that where ever you are life is more similiar then different (atleast in my opinion), and… Read More

Tienes Que Caminar

Sup guys, it´s Emily. Again. In light of us having about a month left in Central America, I thought I´d share an important lesson that I´ve learned the hard way: that no matter where you are, who you´re with, or what you´re doing, you have to walk.It seems simple, the act of walking. You put one foot in front of the other, you move yourself forward through space and time.… Read More