We are boarding our flight from Jakarta to LA with both excitement and a little sadness to leave this beautiful country and the people who have given us so many gifts over the past six weeks, especially the gifts of open-heartedness, family, growth,......Read More
Over the course of these last six weeks, we have had the opportunity to learn so much and grow in ways we never thought possible. During our last few days together in transference, we were able to rest and reflect on our experiences on the......Read More
Dear Families & Friends, It is hard to believe that almost six weeks have passed since your student embarked on this incredible adventure! It won’t be long until students will be boarding their planes back home. We are sure you are anxiously......Read More
The group is currently in Pulau Lekang (Lekang Island) located off the coastline just east of Makassar. The group has been completely unaffected by the recent earthquake in the Lombok/Bali region. In fact, they went for a snorkel today and......Read More
As a stateside observer of nearly six weeks of Yak posts, I look to next week with much anticipation for what the Indonesia travelers have experienced and can share with us upon their return. We know that muscles are stretched and strengthened with......Read More
Selamat malam! At the beginning of our Dragons trip, our instructors discussed the differences between comfort, stretch, and panic zones. Before we arrived in Tana Toraja, where our X Phase would take place, the I-team showed us a TedTalk on......Read More
You can become family faster than you think. This is Mamal, and although we have a hard time communicating, come from completely different backgrounds, and only have known each other for a week, we are brothers. You may be thinking that is a bit......Read More
Sampela is a village built and inhabited by the people entitled the Bajau and it is built on stilts atop the ocean almost a kilometer away from land. The Bajau’s way of life has adapted to become almost completely sustainable by the ocean. ......Read More
The group left Sampela in the pre-dawn hours today and through a series of boats, planes, and buses is in route to Toraja They landed in the city of Makassar a few hours ago and are on their final bus leg of the journey which will put them in......Read More
Salamat pagi! This morning we left the program house at 4:30 AM to watch the sunrise out on the ocean. We took a motor boat out to the open sea and watched the sky turn a variety of beautiful pastel colors: lavender, blue and pink. Coupled with the sunrise, we also witnessed a partial lunar eclipse. The moon phase was technically a full moon, but this morning it appeared as if it was a waxing crescent. After the moon disappeared because the sun rose, we all jumped into the ocean with our life vests. It was a memorable way to… Read More
We are approaching the end of our homestay time in Sampela. On Sunday, we’ll depart for Makassar and make our way onward to Toraja for our student led travel portion of the trip followed by our final transference days together. We hope you enjoy some of these photos from Sampela!
Hi everyone! As I write this post, I’m sitting on the board walk in Sampela looking out at the beautiful ocean with a spear gun in my lap. Over the past couple of days we have been able to experience what life is like living with the Bajau.......Read More
As a land person, I have easy accessibility to multiple different living accomodations. I wake up in my own bed, take a hot shower, and eat a bowl of cereal with milk. I travel down asphalt paved roads to visit friends, go to the grocery store, and......Read More
I can’t get over how heavy my backpack is. Filled with my six-week necessities, I practically topple over each time I throw it onto my back. What’s most astounding though, are its contents, so familiar to me but extremely mysterious to my......Read More
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