6explorers.com

(Alex) For as long as I can remember I have been in love with polar bears. My best guess for a reason why: since I was a baby my favorite stuffed animal has been a white bear. When we were younger, we visited zoos around the Boston area and my favorite exhibit was always the […]

(Dana) Admittedly, we all have a natural fascination with spotting predators – lions, leopards, wild dogs.  But elephants are the animals the 6 of us have grown to love during our time in Africa. We relish the times when they have come near to observe them up-close. Most Americans have seen an elephant in a […]

(Fausto) Ethiopia? Why do you want to go there? People are starving and dying! This is the general impression of the general public about this very populated country in the Horn of Africa. And yet, when you start researching deeper, a different story will unfold. Ethiopia has some of the most fertile volcanic and alluvial […]

(Emma) Over the course of one year, a young Mursi girls’ bottom lip will transition from normal shape to a large flap of skin dangling six inches off her chin. The process to create this large hole is gradual; she will begin with a small hole and stretch it to fit larger and larger discs. […]

(Greg) The Southern Omo Valley in Ethiopia – just north of Kenya and just east of Sudan – is a tough place to get to. That is exactly why we are here. It is so remote that its indigenous cultures have been largely unspoiled by modern civilization. Until recently. With the exception of a few […]

We made a video of the kids’ feelings about the year before the trip; what they looked forward to, were afraid of and what they most anticipated. That video is in the Preparation section of this site. Now, as we wrestle with re-entry and the rhythm of everyday life, we will try to capture some […]

(Dana) In recounting this year to friends and family back home, I have found myself reflecting on the more personal lessons I have learned. Some are obvious, but I wanted to get them onto the site in part to share them with others and in part to hold myself accountable to them as we return […]

(Dana) As we started planning this adventure, we talked about experiencing places that are changing far too fast, whether physically or culturally. As we wrap up this trip, I am so proud of what we have accomplished. The six of us have truly experienced other worlds beyond our home — physical worlds of landscape and […]

(Alex) After sort of falling off of the school-everyday-train at the beginning of the trip due to more exciting activities, we had to pick up the pace in the second half. I guess school was not the most exciting thing to do when we had the option of playing lacrosse with new friends while trekking […]

(Dana) During our adventure-filled time in New Zealand, I have been reflecting on our time in Papua New Guinea, which was like traveling back in time. The entire Highlands of the country – home to a million people – was only discovered by the Australians in the 1930s…less than 80 years ago! The vast majority […]