Carpe Diem Education's blog

Carpe Diem Alumni,
Do you want to attend graduate school? Are you interested in public service? If you're a college junior, you are eligible for the Truman Scholarship. Check it out here: http://truman.gov

Happy Monday Carpe Diem friends and fans!
We hope everyone had a successful and fun Halloween weekend. Did anyone do any volunteering this weekend for Halloween? We'd love to hear your stories.

ICDF's 2010 Fundraiser for Portland Youth!

http://ping.fm/8nJoE

Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know what a wonderful 3-months Lexi had with Carpe Diem. Clearly you have put together some talented staff and a fabulous program.
Please feel free to use me as a recommend to any parents whose kids are considering your program. Between my 2 girls I have experienced (as a parent) 4 different semester programs, and this was hands down the best.
I would also add this thought, which is probably something you are already aware of - it was a little surprising to me most people (who do not know Lexi that well) who heard about what she was doing automatically assumed that she was not "a strong student" or there were some kind of issues she was dealing with. They didn't say it in those words, but that is what came across. I usually pointed out that Lexi was in fact not just an honor student, but a girl who truly loved learning. She chose to take a year off in part because her older sister had done the same, but also because she was so tired of studying, and wanted not just to see, but to immerse herself in the culture of another corner of the world.

Maybe it is just in this area of the country/world, but I am sorry that people assume that taking a year off is for kids who are struggling - instead of seeing it as this amazing, refreshing, opportunity to learn not just about the greater world, but also about oneself. And, the deep truth of the matter is - every young person is struggling in some sense, it is part of the growing-up process.

I have "cut and pasted" Lexis' last blog entry below - from a personal blog that she sent to family and friends - I think you might appreciate her end-of-trip experience.

blessings,
Karen
www.carpediemeducation.org/centralam.php

Hey There!

I know it has been a while since my last update but I just thought a final group email before my return would be nice. I am currently in Cusco and soaking up as much of this magical city as I can. It is really incredible and there is so much history and culture everywhere I turn! The past couple of weeks have been filled with adventure and exploration over many different cities in Peru. Around three and a half weeks ago we started our ¨free travel¨ which is a part in the trip where the students plan out where we go, what we do, and all the information in between. It was a lot of work but in the end we had a fabulous two weeks traveling all over Peru including a variety of activities and places to see.

First, we left Arequipa where we had been for the previous two weeks in home stays and attending Spanish school daily. We went straight on an overnight bus ride to Pisco and spent two days at the beach and exploring islands with various animals, even penguins! The next two days we went to Ica just a few hours away and learned how to sand board. It was so great! The city is basically surrounded by incredible sand dunes and besides the fact that it is absolutely gorgeous, sand boarding proved to be a new adventurous activity for us to try- definitely makes me curious about potential snowboarding this winter! After Ica we went to Puno which is famous for Lago (lake) Titicaca and the floating islands. I encourage anyone to look up pictures and the history of this fascinating place. We did an overnight with families on one of the islands and learned more about their lifestyle having grown up in what seems like such a different environment. The week after Lago Titicaca we spent in Cusco exploring local markets, horseback riding to some of the ancient ruins, and even a day of intense mountain biking. Talk about new experiences!

With such a busy two weeks it was a great time in the trip for our Yoga retreat. Last night we came back from four days in the outskirts of the Sacred Valley of Cusco where we had been practicing yoga twice a day and learning about a variety of topics throughout the retreat such as Reiki and the different chakras. The location couldn't have been better and now after having recharged a little we are off to Machu Picchu tomorrow! Tomorrow we start our 4 day trek to Machu Picchu on the Salkantay trail. Although I am really excited for the following week it is still crazy to think the end to this specific trip is coming so soon. I am already anxious to plan more summer trips and future travels throughout college! Hope you enjoyed this update, sorry it got a little lengthy there is just so much to write about... Once again thank you to everybody who helped be get to where I am today, I can´t help but look around so often and smile at all the surrounding beauty and just send out a quick telepathic thank you so I hope you have all been getting it!

Hope your enjoying the last week of April! CARPE DIEM!

Jordan

PS: If you want to take a look at our group blog:
http://ping.fm/8de9g

And heres the trivia of the week from our Central America group...
Parque Maderas is a really cool project that Tyler has been working on for eight years. He originally came down to central america to start a bar with his friends, but he ended up in Nicaragua starting an incredible business. His vision is to have a hostel and restaurant for business purposes but he also has a huge garden for medicinal plants and is building and art stuido where he wants local artists to be able so stay and study. There will also be a small clinic with information about natural healing where locals can come learn and even take many of the plants home to their families. To check out more, you can go to his website http://ping.fm/r0d45
http://ping.fm/Ln0uJ

Join us on April 24th at Sunset Lanes for our fundraising bowling event!

http://ping.fm/a6qrm

Come join us at the Spring Futures Fair, tomorrow, April 2nd at the PCC Cascade Campus. www.carpediemeducation.org

Carpe Diem Education's newest programs for adults: Heuristic Adventures - to Botswana and Peru
http://eepurl.com/lu_r

Education is not the filling of a pail,
but the lighting of a fire.
Wiliam Butler Yeats
www.carpediemeducation.org