Arrived
After some fog-induced circling, our crew has landed and is on the way to Hotel Toucan for a meal followed by a well-earned evening of rest. Hope all journal readers have a restful evening as well. Until tomorrow . . .
Blog
The struggle of waking up from a long day at the airport.
We saw our favorite parts of Panama; old city versus new city was the theme of the tour from our great guide, Carlos. It was interesting to see how we toured the new city in a van and the old one on foot. Kind of ironic. By van and foot, Carlos taught and explain to…
Panama II Has Arrived
The Panama II crew has arrived at their hostel in Panama City. They are going to eat some dinner and then head to bed before exploring Panama City in the morning. After that, they will be catching a flight to Bocas for their introduction to Give and Surf.
Final Thoughts from Kathmandu
The smiles on the kids faces as we danced will never leave my brain, the kids were all amazing to talk to. -Charlotte (Kanxi) Learning the dances with the girls and just all the happy energy I felt while dancing (the peanut butter was wicked good) – Erin (Ritu) Every time I’d pass Chhyamba on…
Leaving Nepal Behind
After two whole weeks of learning, growing, and helping, it’s time to wave goodbye to Nepal. We have learned so much here, from the tenants of ethical leadership, to how to do traditional Nepali dances. While here, I have formed many strong friendships with other ethical leaders which I believe will endure long past the…
Update From Peru (7/5)
From the satellite phone, our Peru crew reports, “All good after 15k trek. Settled into Cancha Cancha. At llama breeders house. Amazing hike!” Once the full group is back together on Friday, we hope to post more reflections and photos. Again, due to the remote nature of the program, we are limited to short updates…
Trekking in the Himalayas
The following poem is a collection of small writing pieces created along our 3 day trek through the Himalayas. The orange clay like earth beneath my feet feels nice. It’s as if the soil moves according to you, its confidence determined by the rain. My skin is cool and damp, easily noticed as it sticks…
3 Lessons to be Kept in Mind
1. Even the tallest mountain in the world looks small from afar. This statement offers a lesson in perspective, a careful element to be considered when regarding the beliefs and practices of yourself and others, as well as re-evaluating the likes of both (particularly the former). 2. Attitude is everything. Although external factors can certainly influence your…
Our Last 24 Hours with IPI
Our last days with the KACH kids and Tiriji team were overflowing with joy, laughter and love. Beyond continuing to build together shoulder-to-shoulder, we played games, snapped silly selfies, swam in the local community center, and finally bonfired together on our last evening. After some heartfelt expressions of gratitude and the impact we’ve had on…
Catching sights of the Himalayas
Today was our second day trekking in Nepal. It was the hardest day because of all the uphills but also the most rewarding. As all of us pushed ourselves on and on as the trail winded through the trees, you could still hear the heavy breathing amongst us. The Everest view point was the only thing…
Update From Kenya
This week, our Kenya crew spent time working on a new building project led by IPI’s staff. From hauling cement and bricks to (partially) completing a second floor, our kids have loved every minute spent next to the KACH kids in fellowship and service. Lots of memories (and choreographed dances) have been made, and this…
Meditating on Change
Today was our last day at Arhaus Children’s Home. When we came downstairs to leave all the kids were waiting to say goodbye and give us hugs. It was a bitter sweet goodbye, I was excited to start our trek & begin a new journey but I didn’t want to leave my new friends. In…
Final Day in NOLA
We have had quite the two days. On Friday morning, we took a much needed rest from our four days of hard work. Elizabeth made pancakes and we stayed inside to shelter from the rain. We had a morning discussion on some of our hardships throughout the week, as well as played some intense games…
The Final Day at Arhaus
This was our last day at the Arhaus Children’s Home. I suppose all things must come to an end. We’re all sad to have to go, but excited to see where the rest of this trip takes us. I think that we all have a lot of reflecting to do about our time here. I…
Update From Cuncani
The Peru crew sent a message last night via the satellite phone saying, “Final night Cuncani. Huge success with school kids. Ready to start trek tomorrow. Enjoyed a cool dip in the river.” This morning the group is off on a 6-mile trek to the Quishuarani High-Andean Community where they will spend the next three…
Live in the present moment
Today started out as a bit of a disappointment when we learned that the Corcovado National Park had been closed and that we would not be able to go on our tour due to some weather that would be hitting Northern Costa Rica in the afternoon. We were informed by our instructors that we had…
Leaving Rancho Quemado
The day started out on a sad note. We were leaving Rancho Quemado and had to say goodbye to Alice, Glenda, Hope, and more of the amazing people who had taken care of us over the past week or so. I didn’t realize how much we had bonded until it was time to say goodbye….
Final Day of Painting
We began the day at 6:30am and headed down for breakfast at 7am. We enjoyed pineapple and mango, as well as cheese omelets for breakfast. After breakfast, we headed to the playground to complete our paintings in the outdoor classroom. Although we all got a bit messy, all of the designs ended so beautifully and…
Trekking to School in Solukhumbu
Namaste from Salleri at the Arhaus Children’s Home! As our group stood upon a viewpoint of Everest after a peaceful uphill hike yesterday morning, we practiced mindfulness, a concept that much of our journey has been focused around. In front of the snow-capped peaks, we did yoga and captured photos before the fog rolled in….
Chicken Coop
Monsoon season cries Through a curtain gauze of fog Wire breath displays Curdles window sills, feathering Caress cracking fingers Cooling impressions Moon song crying and leather Strokes for deeper love
Travel Journal Rap
A travel update rapped by Elliot, Esteban, and Mr. Z
Arrived to Cuncani
Our Peru crew sent a short message via satellite phone that they have reached Cuncani, the first stop on their trek. They will spend the next 2 days there working alongside the Llama Pack Project in environmental conservation-oriented activities with children. As communication is limited from the satellite phone, there will only be occasional updates…
Shoulder to Shoulder with Common Ground Relief
This morning we woke up ridiculously early to plant in the marsh.😩 We made our way over to the house next door, which is the Common Ground Relief headquarters. We made breakfast, which was cereal and toast.😋 We were out of milk so some of us decided to eat their cereal with hot coffee.☕️🚗 Suffice to…
Learning through Connecting
During all my conversations with the local Kenyans in Meru, I’ve been asked various eye-opening questions about where I am from in America. Their confusion on topics normal to me, such as citizens’ carrying guns, teaches me more than even their answers to my own questions. First and foremost, I’ve learned the importance of peace,…
Creating A Meal
Day 9 Today we started the day early in the morning at 5:45 for our first agenda item for the day, the cow farm tour. There we got to see how to and got a chance at milking cows, afterwards we went to try some milk, sour cream, and cheese that was constructed from the…
Gold
Day 8 We started the day off with a breakfast of bread, fresh fruit, and huevos rancheros. After finishing breakfast we finished up painting the starting layer of white paint on the library. It was pretty satisfying to finally finish the painting after the many hours that we spent on it. After we finished painting,…
Passion Begets Passion
Travel Journal June 28th We were all together in that freezing cold room for a lesson about the Andean forests. Not much of the information was surprising — I know about glaciers melting and conservation hot spots, but what I did learn about how passionate Alejandra and the Llama Pack Project are about helping. I…
Sharing Responsibility as a Team
Today was a continued day of work, but we finally began to see the fruits of our labor. After two days of hauling sand up to fix the roof, we’ve seen the pile gradually shrink until finally, there was only one pile left. One Small Pile And it was done, we had carried out a…
It’s Possible
Wanted to be sure the scene of students washing and hanging to dry clothes was on record!