By Overseas Educators Eric and Lolly Itās difficult to imagine that all our students we have shared rooms, car seats, and experiences with for the past three months are now spread all over the world from Boston to Portland, Tucson to Long Island, and Adelaide to Sydney. We have been reflecting over the past few days of how hard leaving each other was on that courtyard of the Village Glebe… Read More
Our latest weekly update covers three separate locations throughout Australia that we’ve visited. The period that this blog covers begins in Chenrezig, the Buddhist retreat that we spent 6 days visiting. Our second to last day was spent in complete silence, a practice that is very common amongst buddhist monks. starting in the morning just after breakfast, we were instructed to say nothing out loud, to others or to yourself,… Read More
By Greg Pipher and Wynn Simmons So we left Fiji and as we got onto the plane we came across something most of us have never seen before. They made us empty our water bottles and all the drinks we bought after going through security! Then we got on the plane and when it was time to get off we did and went off into Brisbane too our hostel at… Read More
Throughout this entire trip, we have met some incredible people – people that we will be lifelong friends with and stay in contact with forever, and people that have taught us so much about different cultures and ourselves. But in Fiji, we became family with an entire village. Back home, you can knock on your neighbor’s door and ask for sugar. Most likely, they would give it to you, and… Read More
When we were on our way to Fiji, I didn’t know exactly what our stay would be like. Really, the biggest thing I knew about Fiji was that they had tasty bottled water, which is like their standard bottled water here. I knew that it was tropical, and that it had sunny weather and rainforests, but that was about it. I wanted to know what Fiji was really about. What… Read More
I, along with many of my other peers, am now scuba certified! It was a four day process to get our certifications. One day was spent in the classroom watching videos and taking tests, the second in an enclosed pool to practice the skills that we were learning, and the third and fourth in the Great Barrier Reef! Beginning to learn and practice our skills in the pool was incredible.… Read More
We have spent our last few days at Sheoak Ridge. This is a beautiful reserve owned by a couple named Marcus and Claire. Both are biologists and spend their time working various jobs, gardening, rehabilitating wallabies, and taking care of their large property in the Daintree Rainforest. This Property has many kinds of ecosystems. It is a lot of work to keep this land in shape. So they put us to… Read More
Last week, we got to experience life from a Buddhist perspective. Our group stayed at Chenrezig Institute, a center for Buddhist learning. We were hosted by a wonderful nun who oozed kindness and happiness at all times. Her name that she was given when she got ordained was Venerable Tsultrim, which means ethical rule. She aspired to live up to her name – and from the little that we saw of… Read More
By Jenny Olea Hey everyone! It’s Jenny here, writing all the way from Australia. I would like to share my experience during the last couple of days in the village of Nakuku. On November 3rd, we went to visit the school Vuni Salusalu, where we got to meet a bunch of wonderful kids! Personally, I loved doing this because I really enjoy interacting with kids, getting to know them, and… Read More
By Daisy O. Our time in Fiji from start to finish had to be two of the most amazing weeks of my life. From the moment that I stepped into Nakuku, my village now, I was in love. Everyone was tired and sick after being on the ferry for twelve hours, then bumping through back roads. No one felt good but as soon as we stepped into the hall we… Read More
By Chandler On my way to Fiji, I didnāt really know what to expect. I hoped the people I would come across would be nice, and welcoming, and helpful. I hoped that my upcoming time in the village would be an amazing experience. I hoped all these things, but I really didnāt have any expectations. Little did I know, what was to come were life-changing moments and memories. In New … Read More
The bridge at Hokotika Gorge.The Walkabout Crew, plus hugs at Fox Glacier.Preparing the hangi with Henry.Pulling and planting flax.Waterfall road trip stop on the way from Wanaka to Queenstown, our final destination in Aotearoa.… Read More
By David Bleecker The groupās spirits are high as we leave the North Island (Te Ika a Maui) of New Zealand, en route to the South Island (Te Wai Pounamu) via the Interislander ferry. Our last week was mostly spent trekking, caving, biking, and camping through National Park, a large area of protected wilderness in the heart of the North Island. Our five-day excursion was led by Blue Mountain Adventure… Read More
By Daisy Katelyn Osowski Last week we wrapped up our time with Tiaki at the marae in Whaingaroa and spent two nights with Rangimarie and Rob, a Maori/Native American couple that welcomed us into their home in Manu Wairua (means Bird Spirit). We got to participate in a Lakota sweat lodge ceremony and drum in a drum circle while singing traditional, and not so traditional, songs. Our time with Rangimarie, … Read More
By Overseas Educators Lolly Beck-Pancer and Eric Strickler Arriving at the marae, Tiaki, our host and guide for the week, Tawhai, his three-year-old son, and Matewai, our warm language and song teacher, welcomed us to the grounds. In accordance with tradition, we had to wait at the ceremonial gate to be called into the marae by one of the elders.
During the week we frequently practiced te reo Maori, the… Read More
By Curtis and Jenny Friday the 15th was the start of our journey together as a Carpe Diem group. The first three days of orientation were spent getting to know everybody. We shared personal details about our lives to understand everybody’s motivation for coming on this trip. After agreeing on the rules we wanted to abide by and the skills that we all wanted to work on, we made a… Read More
Our students turned their good agreements into an amazing flag they all learned to machine sew and make, while Eric cooked a local fish stew. Each patch represents an agreement: neon represents radical honesty and the turtle symbolizes jumping outside of your comfort zone.… Read More
Dear Friends and Families The Walkabout crew is safe on the ground in New Zealand. They will move on to orientation over the next few days, exploring the lovely and relaxed surf town of Raglan. We are so excited for this crew, and hopeful that their travels will be filled with fun, adventure, laughter, and love. Walkabout Crew: The blog is now yours! Best Wishes, James… Read More
