Hello Friends and Family,

As you may know I have been working for Carpe Diem Education which is a Gap year program for teens. We are just finishing up our first of three months in Central America. Our first month consisted of an orientation in Antigua, home stays in the Mayan village of Pasac, language school in Xela, and a meditative retreat in San Marcos which is on Lake Atitlan.

We will be leaving Guatemala heading to Nicaragua this weekend with many more adventures to come.

On a hill above Xela with the whole crew

Chocolate making class

Swimming hole in a mountain river

Waterfall hike

Ping pong at the language school, turns out there are a couple of serious competitors on the trip

Riding in the back of a pick-up to some hot springs on a volcano.

This is the picture on my cell phone reminding me of who is waiting for me. Of course it is hard to be away but Cassie is doing well teaching at the International school. We have been talking on skype at least once per week. She has been filling up her weekends with trips around Oregon and will be heading to Michigan to see her parents next month.

A guy on the trip named Shane has quite a bit of experience with gymnastics. We have been working on a few tricks. We even performed at a community gathering in Pasac.

I am having a great time refining my leadership skills and learning a lot about everyone on this trip. I truly believe in the value of cross cultural exchange and the importance of global awareness and these aspects are at the heart of Carpe Diem´s mission. I plan to spend the winter finishing my practicum (for grad school) at Carpe Diem´s headquarters in Portland and then reassess what my future involvement may look like. 

I´m sending all of you my love. 

Thanks for reading,

Brent