Ohana Amani Holistic Retreat

MARCH 8, 2017 | EAST AFRICA | KIFARU

Over that last week we had the pleasure of being allowed into the Ohana Amani experience. The Ohana Amani Holistic Living Center is lead by sisters Chevy and Curry Anton, Curry’s partner Luca, who pursuse the holistic living style by not only having a permaculture-style farm, they also have a tree farm, and well-treated livestock.

Hitting the ground running the first day (as all days start) we began with our morning movement. The majority of the time this mainly consists of yoga and other spiritual movements led by Curry. While most struggled with the flexibility and concentration aspects at first, all took it head on from the very first downward dog. Then we were handed the task of bringing trees up for their firewood. While that may sound like a non-beneficial activity it would have been almost impossible to hear a single complaint or frown from any of the Carpe Diem students, as we quickly found the more energy being brought into any of these tasks only made them easier. After lunch the Carpe group circled up and we spent most of the time speaking about our beliefs and outlooks on the world and group as a whole. While many truly did enjoy taking this time, others were not as enthused about speaking about these topics for as long as we did.

On day two we were split up into groups, one was the cooking group with Chevy. This group got up early but was rewarded with this early wake by the shining smile of Chevy. In the cooking group we learned to cut, stir (correctly), picking the foods from the garden, and the overall information about the ingredients that are going into the foods we will make. The second group was the overall camp restoration. This group’s tasks consist of having to tend the fires, sweep most of the public areas, and move the furniture for what is needed for the next task. The last was the dish washing group, which does not need much explanation.

On different days we had different tasks, none of which were enough to shake the unrelenting energy of this Carpe group. We learned a lot about permaculture and sustainable living. We also learned a lot about ourselves and others and the group while eating fresh foods cooked by our peers. There is not a single person in the group that walked away from this week without learning something about both ourselves and the ones around us. Overall this was a very positive experience and would highly recommend for future Carpe groups.

Learning about Buddhism in Bodghaya

MARCH 16, 2017 | INDIA - SHANTI

After leaving Varanasi, the group arrived in Bodhgaya. We’ve spent the last six days studying Buddhism and meditation while staying at the Root Institute for Wisdom Culture. Here the group would start the days with meditation and dharma talks. During our meditation we would meditate on love and compassion. Some would consist of us meditating on our love for our mothers and how we wouldn’t be alive without them. The whole group really started missing our homes after these meditations. Don’t worry the group is always thinking about everyone at home. Our dharma talks were an introduction to Buddhism. We discussed the 3 Jewels, 4 noble truths, the story of the Buddha, and the compassion and love we should have for all sentient beings.

During the group’s afternoons we would take field trips. One day we spent  our time volunteering at the Tara Children’s Project. TCP is an orphanage for children affected by HIV in the state of Bihar. There are children of all ages there. We spent our day with them celebrating Holi. It was so much fun throwing colors around. Most of the group ended up just turning completely pink because the kids would throw buckets of pink water at us. But the kids were equally as pink too with some other colors thrown in. At TCP there is also the Maitreya school which is a free school that the group got to tour before we turned pink where the children of TCP attend.

On our last day in Bodhgaya, the group took a pilgrimage to the Mahabodhi Stupa. This is where the Bodhi tree is where the Buddha sat under and obtained enlightenment. Here the group also sat and meditated for a short while and spoke about the history of the Mahabodhi Stupa. At night the group returned and had another meditation and walked around for awhile. It almost didn’t look real walking around at night, it seemed to look like it was out of a movie.

The group really enjoyed our time here in Bodhgaya learning new things about Buddhism and trying meditation. We loved exploring the temples and seeing the Bodhi tree and having a quiet place to sit without having to hear a horn every five seconds. Heading to Calcutta next!

Home Stays in Guatemala

MARCH 3, 2017 | CENTRAL AMERICA - MAYA

We arrived in Xela after a 5 hour bus ride from Guatemala City on Friday. A couple hours into the trip we stopped for some food but other than that it was a looong bus ride. This is our first week with home-stays and we've been using what we learned from G22 and to be environmentally responsible. This whole week went by like a blur, we've been taking 5 hour long Spanish classes everyday at PLQ. A few of us went on some activities in the morning like medicinal baths in the city of Almolonga and to visit a skeleton that represents the patron saint of death, Saint Pascualito. Tomorrow, we´re hopefully going to have a family dinner (this is going to be our 3rd attempt) and this weekend were off to the Mountain School, the sister school of the school we´re at right now!

Thai Time

MARCH 3, 2017 | SOUTHEAST ASIA - SABAI

More than two weeks have gone by since the South East Asia cohort has begun our travels and the group has created a strong bond with each other as well our two important leaders. Also, many of us received Thai names. We have already stayed one and half weeks in a village (Bung Tung Ha) near Chiang Mai, all each of us staying at our own homestay family. Throughout the time in our homestays we had Thai classes, learning Thai everyday, four hours a day. As all of us remembering our very first day with our homestay families, only knowing “hello” and “thank you”, stuttering our words in Thai, looking into our Thai Learning packets every time we started a dialogue with our families, or when we spoke to native citizen. Also, our homestay mothers, basically stuffing our bellies with food, morning, afternoon and night time. It was very rare to be hungry.

Also we learned about Buddhism, the important of its impact in Thailand society. After learning about Buddhism, later that night we had the honor to practice meditation on a temple with the citizens and monks. It was a quiet meditation of 1 hour and half sitting in the ground. It was the most unique experience, all of us struggling to sit down, finding a position our body felt comfortable, our body cramping up as time went, but knowing that this same practice has been practiced by many that have come before us.

The homestay families are very humbling, very curious about us, our families, our backgrounds. As much as we the students are learning from them, in someway they are learning from us, many want to know bits of English. An example, my homestay mother, being 69 years old, after all she has seen throughout her life, she was curious to know how to say some fruits in English, and because I know Spanish I taught her some spanish. This is the importance about cultural exchange, there is always something to learn no matter what moment in life you are in.

At the end of the of the home-stays we had a Thai ceremony, where everyone was involved. We ate a lot of Thai food, said thank you to our homestay families with a speech, sang a famous Thai song “Chang Chang Chang” (Elephant song), and did a religious ceremony, so we can be protected throughout our rest of our journey. Now we will conduct a three day trek in the deep hot jungle of Thailand.

Growth and Reflection in Ecuador

MARCH 5, 2017 | SOUTH AMERICA - INTI

Here we are: the end of Week Two. When I look back on the trip thus far, I see limitless memories made through experiences we have lived, and when I look forward to our time ahead, I see unlimited potential for more life from which to learn. Each person in this group is an incredibly unique individual with different goals, passions, and stories to tell, but I can try to speak for us all when I say we are here for the experience. The unfamiliar, unknown, unpredictable experiences we encounter each week, each day, each moment.

Here we are: La Finca Mono Verde, Tabuga, Ecuador. A family-run, agroforestry permaculture farm serving as yet another rich catalyst for experience. Yet it is not necessarily where we are, or specifically what we are doing that brings about growth and learning. It is more about the how and the why. How we choose to work hard and still have fun when the work is constructing walls made of mud, or shoveling components of fresh fertilizer. Why we choose to ask the extra question, or (try to) use our Spanish so we can glimpse a little further into the lives of our temporary neighbors.

Here we go: leaving behind a place and its people, reflecting on how we have let this community affect us, and the marks we may have left behind. We get to see the natural landscape of the Ecuadorian coast- every tree and vine a beautiful masterpiece, every small leaf or mushroom a work of art. We have witnessed the labor and processes that go into crops such as coffee and cacao from the earth to our table. Friendships amongst us take on new dimensions through open conversations, nightly trips to bathe in the river, mealtime discussions, hammock hangout sessions, working together, and constantly marveling at what we get to do and see.

Here we go: on to Week Three. We are excited for homestays in Baños, and though we cannot know what will happen, we can continue to decide how and why we are here- this will determine the depth of our experiences.

Watching the sunrise over Jaipur...

FEBRUARY 28, 2017 | INDIA - SHANTI

Greetings from India! After almost two weeks here, I think it’s really starting to sink in that we are here. Although our days are jam packed and feel long, these first two weeks have flown by. Our seven days in Jaipur seemed especially quick. We were all a little apprehensive about staying with host families, but everyone was warmly welcomed and we have been enjoying getting to know our families a little bit. We have had several interesting field trips, including to the Amber Fort, the Barefoot College, a handmade paper factory, a pottery studio, a block printing studio, and an art museum. We have also been taking some basic Hindi and yoga classes and had some interesting lectures on Indian history and government.

After how overwhelming Delhi was it has been nice to be in Jaipur and get a feel for a different Indian city. Everyone seems to be gaining more confidence navigating another country overall.

The best part is just experiencing genuinely magical little moments that will eventually piece together our whole trip. Like watching the sun rising over the pink city of Jaipur from our rikshaws on the way to class. Or sitting in our host family’s garden hearing Bollywood music drifting past from a nearby wedding. Or on the walk home from class being invited into the neighbors yard for chai served in china teacups and broken Hindi/English conversation. I think it’s these small things that we will remember and leave a lasting impact on us. And Jaipur is just the beginning. I am very excited to continue this adventure with our great group of people.

Swahili in East Africa

FEBRUARY 27, 2017 | EAST AFRICA - KIFARU

The East Africa Group started their Swahili classes Wednesday morning at the Lutheran Seminary School. The Lutheran school is a boarding school with students from Kindergarten to graduation. All of the students wear blue and white uniforms.

When we arrived, we were taken to a small classroom. A student assistant, Eliamini, introduced us to our teacher, Mama Josephine. We began by learning a few greetings in Swahili. We started out easy, but we quickly became overwhelmed as we started on verbs.

Our brains got breaks from Swahili during our morning tea time. After sipping our tea and enjoying a few treats, we headed back to class. We studied noun classes for an hour and then headed out to our 2 1/2 hour lunch break. During our lunch break we eat together, play cards, journal, play basketball, listen to music, or gather together as a group.

Every day after lunch we have Swahili conversation lessons. We were divided into small groups to practice what we learned. We laughed with, and at each other, when we mispronounced Swahili. After school was over, we headed out to our last tea break.

Before sundown, we all head back to our home stays. The first day was uncomfortable for most of us. There were lots of bugs and bucket showers. Most people didn’t get much sleep due to the early singing roosters, cars, the crying pigs, or the energetic monkeys. The world here awakens around 5 AM, so most times an alarm clock is not necessary.

We are in the process of adjusting to and understanding the Tanzanian culture. A lot of things are new to us: Bucket showers, eating with our hands, petting and milking cows, and socializing (at least for me). We’ve been spending most of our time in Swahili class or playing card games. When we are not together as a group, we are with our homestay families, either being spoiled or feeling uncomfortable.

Today is the last Swahili class. It’s been a day full of review and blank faces. We started our class by singing “mahuri ni pazuri”. A teacher, named Happiness, led our small chorus. Her voice echoed around the room and gave us a sense of peace.

Sunday morning we will be going on a hike. Our group is very excited to explore nature in Morogoro. We are definitely hoping to take great pictures to share with our families back home.

Updates from South America!

FEBRUARY 26, 2017 | SOUTH AMERICA - INTI

After lots of travel to get to Quito, the South American INTI group spent three days in a quaint hostel getting to know each other and doing lots of orientation activities. After orientation we came and to Las Delicias farm where we have spent the week. Chari and Juan Carlos’s family have been incredibly kind and welcoming. This was our first week of Spanish classes, so every morning we went to our various classes and learned quite a bit. In the afternoons we did tons of fun activities. We worked on the plantation helping to collect, clean and package plantains which was very hard work. We all got to witness Owen and Nicole killing a chicken for lunch. We got to make chocolate from fresh cacao beans which was delicious. Between all of that we came to have a lot of appreciation for the food we eat. Many of us enjoyed swimming in the little lake on the farm, it was very refreshing in the hot afternoons. After a busy week we finished with a relaxing day at the beach. This week we bonded a lot as a group and made many friends on the farm as well. It was a week of Spanish learning, hard work, adventures and lots of laughs, mixed with lots of sweat and mosquito bites. We won’t have internet next week as well because we are going to another farm so stay posted for our next adventure!

Hola From Guatemala

FEBRUARY 23, 2017 | CENTRAL AMERICA - MAYA

Its been great first week so far. We started out with meeting each other at the LAX airport. The vibe and connection within the group was amaze balllsssss! After that we were off to the beautiful country of Guatemalaaaa. We all landed safely. We started the week off with orientation at Earth Lodge. which was beyond beautiful. the view was amazing. you could see all the volcanoes and look down the city. Our first day was exhausting since we landed in Guatemala around 7 am and didn't have much rest on the plane. But our second day was so nice. we got to know each other and played some games and went over the rules and expectations. on our third day we went to Antigua, Guatemala and it’s like someone took Europe and randomly dropped it in central america. Its to die for! we did a scavenger hunt around town and got some really good banana bread. the town is so colorful and the people are so nice! After Antigua, we traveled to G22 in Guatemala city where we learned about urban sustainability. We learned about how the earth is our home and we should recycle and treat our earth as home. We also went to museums and learned about the Mayan cultures andddd we saw a cotton tree! how cool is that! We had amazing authentic foods and a bunch of avocados. We’re staying in Guatemala city for almost a week and are heading off to Xela tomorrow for a week where we will stay with our FIRST home-stay family! Guatemala is for sure treating us right so far!

First Impressions in Tanzania

FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | EAST AFRICA - KIFARU

Here is a collection of some of our first impressions in Tanzania: 

Tanzania is a beautiful country, and the mountains we are near are amazing. It is pretty hot, but not unbearable. The thing that has struck me the most is the infrastructure here. It is much better than I was expecting. The power lines here are all organized, especially when compared to the Philippines. The people here are also much friendlier than New Yorkers, maybe its the sun!

Our first impressions of Tanzania were definitely a culture shock. We encountered an eclectic and vibrant city in Dar es Salaam and a friendly and diverse people in its midst. On the way to Morogoro we had a 5 hour lesson in Tanzanian hip hop. Upon arriving at the foothills of the Uluru mountains we found a quaint hostel called Mama Pierina’s. It is lovely. We like the monkeys and the chipsy maiaii at mchana!

The first thing that I noticed when walking in the streets here at Morogoro is that people are extremely friendly and kind. Everyone will say hi and help you with your Swahili. At the places we have stayed the locals are caring and ever willing to help us find the places we would need to visit or eat. Aside from being nice and friendly people are everywhere. They are walking by the street, on the street, and zooming by (crazily if I might add) on motor bikes and in cars.

And yes as you would expect what people have and their show of wealth is startlingly different, this is all the more reason that their kindness and care is astounding. We have driven by rubble of peoples homes who were simply kicked out in order to build a road. What you have can simply be gone the next day, so I guess it makes since that kindness and care is more important than wealth.

This place is beautiful. The trees, the flowers, the clouds, and the smiling faces. I am yet to get used to all the heat and all the eyes that follow the group of “mzungu” or white people. I fear that I may come to love this place and its people more than I can presently imagine.