Off to Nicaragua!

The QUETZAL students have all arrived safely to LAX and are together as a group for the first time! They are checked in for their flight to Nicaragua and are getting ready to head through security. They are already enjoying getting to know one another and are looking forward to the journey ahead. We wish them safe and easy travels tonight and will post another blog here once we receive… Read More

Saludos de Portland!!

Hola Team Quetzal Students, Families and Friends!! It has been wonderful getting to chat with all of you over the past few weeks, our excitement for the upcoming semester is through the roof! From our brief conversations, it seems we have a really strong group, with all of you ready to bring your own passions and strengths to our new community. We are in the midst of staff training in… Read More

Diving and closing the trip in Roatan

We were welcomed by clear blue water and beautiful beaches here in Roatan earlier this week. Everyone had a blast breathing underwater in the form of either snorkeling or scuba diving, and most of the group got to finish the week with a certification and some fun dives. The mood has been bittersweet as we have been preparing for our separation from each other and our return to the “real… Read More

Student Directed Travel (Antigua) and El Paredon

We said goodbye to our new friends at the Mystical Yoga Farm climbed onto a small boat and begun our Student Directed Travel time in Guatemala. Getting across Lake Atitlan was and adventure through some huge waves and, to say the least, our butts are pretty sore from boat ride. Student Directed Travel took us to Antigua, a beautiful colonial town. A few of the fun activities we took part… Read More

Difficult Hike Followed by Blissful Yoga

Last weekend, we exchanged the normal contents of our packs for tents, sleeping bags, and lots of food before embarking on a strenuous (to say the least) 2 day trek through the highlands of Guatemala. On the first day, we were greeted with rain, fog, and even a downpour of hail. We didn’t let the chilly first night ruin our attitudes though, and we enjoyed a fun second day of… Read More

Mountain School and Xela

Since we last touched base in Guatemala City, the Quetzal group has traveled to two more Spanish schools and we’re currently stationed in the beautiful (and rather chilly) city of Xela. Before arriving here we studied in a sister school located in a charming city in the mountains where we shared meals with host families and got a closer look into rural Guatemalan livelihoods. There we had many opportunities to… Read More

Eco-Lodge and City Adventures

After an exciting week full of turtles and sleep deprivation, we packed our bags and caught a bus back to San Jose for the night. We stayed at Mi Tierra, a local hostel, and because of the size of our group (a whopping 14 people) we had the whole place to ourselves! The next morning we swapped tires for wings and flew to Guatemala City, Guatemala. The view from the… Read More

Costa Rica and Turtles!

Hola! Following Ezra´s last post of our time in San Juan Del Sur, we took a bus from San Juan to Rivas, then waited a while for another bus, which then took us across the border (long process of getting on and off the bus about three times) and into Costa Rica. Once across the border, we bussed for the next 4 or so hours and arrived in San Jose.… Read More

San Juan del Sur

Arrival at San Juan Del Sur! We´ve finally reached out first student directed travel destination. Everyone´s expectations were totally blown out of the water as soon as we stepped into the hostel. The hostel we are staying at, Casa De Oro, is a comfortable change from Bona Fide. Instead of sleeping with mosquitos and tarantulas and whatever other bugs decide to get friendly at night, we actually have air conditioning… Read More

First Week on Finca Bona Fide

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

Ometepe Rising

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

Another week down in the books for the QUETZAL crew!

This week we took on the challenge of diving head first into our first homestay experience in Matagalpa, Nicaragua and successfully completed a week of Spanish classes at Colibri Escuela de Español. Spanish, sleep, and eat isn´t all we did though, we were priviledged to participate in various activities that gave us the full cultural experience of this incredible town. We had a full week of challenging, fun, and new… Read More