APRIL 1, 2019 | SHANTI OVERSEAS EDUCATORS | INDIA- SHANTI

Namaste!

We have just wrapped up our time in Rishikesh with a peaceful six day yoga retreat at the Phool Chatti Ashram which is located on the breathtaking banks of the Ganga river. Our week at the ashram was packed full of yoga asanas, nature walks, meditation, chanting, and delicious vegetarian meals. After we got used to the 5:30 am wake up time, the long days left us feeling refreshed and quite tranquil. Since we just passed the halfway mark on our time here in India, these six days were crucial to get the group fired up for the remainder of the trip. We also enjoyed a Holi celebration-an Indian holiday welcoming the arrival of spring with lots of colors.

MARCH 28, 2019 | SALAAM OVERSEAS EDUCATORS | SPAIN & MOROCCO - SALAAM

Picture this ten Americans arrive in small Moroccan village: As they settle in Geoff, Eliana, Clemente, and Brandis begin a game of gin. Kayla becomes best friends with the little kids. Vanesia finds a way to get more apricot jam at tea time. Tori takes in mountain views while savoring a Coke Zero. Kate becomes friends with local women and begins baking bread and Sheldon as always finds a way to be the most relaxed human being alive. But I am getting ahead of myself.

MARCH 27, 2019 | SABAI OVERSEAS EDUCATORS | SOUTHEAST ASIA- SABAI

Hello everyone! This past week we all went on a 4 day 3 night trek through the jungle outside Chiang Mai. We started off at a orchid farm/ butterfly garden, and then went to cool off at a waterfall. Afterwards we began our trek to the first Karen village where we stayed the night. Day two was a long day of trekking. We finished off the day swimming a little bit in the river when we arrived at the village. On the third day we trekked a little in the morning and then after lunch everyone got to feed and bathe elephants!

MARCH 21, 2019 | SABAI OVERSEAS EDUCATORS | SOUTHEAST ASIA- SABAI

Hey everyone! We’ve been working with the Mirror Foundation for the past five days to build a school for stateless children. It was hard manual work, our bodies hurt and our hands were full of blisters, but it was worth it. We made a lot of progress and had so much fun.

MARCH 18, 2019 | SHANTI OVERSEAS EDUCATORS | INDIA- SHANTI

Our first day in Agra, we got to visit one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal! Behind this beautiful building made out of white marble and gem stones comes a very beautiful love story that everyone should know. Our wonderful guide Arif Ji believes that this love story is actually obsession and recommends that we should all return home and love better. This place is known as the Temple of Love. Though the love story is not the only cool thing about this place. The Taj Mahal has many optical illusions. Yes, I said optical illusions, it is one of the many reasons why this building is so famous.

We are just finishing up our short but jam packed pit stop in Marrakech, which was filled with lots of good food, laughs and, of course, dancing. Our fearless captain for the week, Tori made sure that our days were chock-full of activities and had something for everyone.

Day one started with a stroll off the beaten path to one of Morocco’s oldest and best synagogues. Once there, our resident experts (Geoff and me) made sure to answer any questions to the best of our abilities and, of course, in a New York accent.

Up next we headed to a museum of historical photography tucked deep inside of the Medina. The winding alleyways of one of Morocco’s largest markets led to a lot of directional confusion. Not to fear, Kate was there! She gave us an impromptu map reading class, which we all greatly appreciated and helped Brandis get us to our destination. For dinner some of us decided to continue on our quest to find the best street tagine. Luckily for us Clemente (who, we already established, is confused to be a native Moroccan by locals) was able to weave through the shouting stall owners and find us the best spot to eat.

Hey y’all! It’s Eva, coming to you from Chiang Rai, Thailand. We spent the last 10 days at a Permaculture farm, learning about sustainability and the many different uses of bamboo. Personally, I learned a lot more than that. Seeing how our lovely host, Sandot and his family, lives their life was a one of a kind experience. I learned about myself and how to do the work that needs to be done, while taking things day by day, enjoying the small things and the special moments. It was stressful at first; we were in a very new environment. We slept in bug nets in the open outdoors, and our toilet was a hole in the floor. By the end we all learned Sandots way to “Very enjoy life”.