Greetings Everyone from Drew here at the office,

The sun is streaming in through the windows of our office in North
Portland, and like all good Portlanders we are alive with the
possibilities this bout of sunshine brings with it.  From the simple
joy of not having to adorn our waterproof combat gear for the bike
ride to work or to a coffee shop to the tulips and  roses that are
beginning to pop up all over town, we can feel the effects of the
sunshine all around us.

Things are winding down for all of our groups in the field.  We just
got confirmation from our two leaders in India that after a tearful
goodbye at the airport, half of the group departed for the long flight
back to the States while a few of the students along with one other
leader will be continuing the Journey individually in Nepal and
India.  They are the first group to officially end there semester
abroad, very bittersweet indeed.  The rest of the groups are enjoying
there last few days together before what is sure to be more tearful
goodbyes to both friends and cultures.

While our groups in Australia, Africa, and Central America are
celebrating the end of their semesters below the surface exploring the
ocean and earning their Open Water Scuba Diving Certification, the
group in South America went quite the opposite way (literally!) and
just returned last night to Cusco from an amazing 5 day trek to Machu
Picchu which sits over 7,000' above the surface!

We are looking forward to the happy and safe return of all of our
students and leaders and can't wait to hear the stories, see the
photos, and share in the laughs as we welcome our overseas family back
home.

As the students post their final blogs for the semester, be sure to
tune into our blog here at the office to stay in touch and up to date
on the many things that are happening over the summer.  Many of you
may have just received our Spring Newsletter in your emails, another
great way to stay in touch.  For those of you who did not, you can see
the newsletter here:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs074/1104906843471/archive/1105079185138.html

Wishing all of you a wonderful day and for all the parents of our
students out there, a wonderful reunion with your sons and daughters.

Warm (and sunny) Regards,

Drew Edwards and all of the Carpe Diem Staff

New Zealand Earthquake

Greetings from Carpe Diem Headquarters,

As the group is continuing their journey in Fiji and remain out of communication with email and internet, we wanted to post a word or two to address any concerns about the most recent earthquake in New Zealand.

As many of you may already know, Christchurch, NZ (the northern part of the South Island) was devastated with another earthquake on Monday. This is the second earthquake in the last 6 months to cause damage to the area. The magnitude of this earthquake was much more severe and far reaching in terms of effects, damages and lives lost.

In past semesters, Christchurch has been a part of our itinerary. But, serendipitously, this is our second semester of not entering Christchurch as we have some fantastic opportunities that keep us on the North Island. The group will spend their "free travel" week on the South Island, but, please feel at ease that the earthquake will not cause us to change any of our itinerary at this point, nor will they be in the area that has been the epicenter of these quakes.

Please send positive thoughts and prayers to all of the residents of New Zealand as they mourn the losses from this tragedy and as they try to rebuild their lives. We have many friends and contacts in the area and await anxiously to hear from them. We know any thoughts of peace and comfort will help!

Amy Berg and all of the Carpe Diem Staff