TIME CAPSULE LETTER
Written by Greta, Nilsa, Warren, Diego, & Katherine
¡Hola Amigos!
It is a little crazy to think about how much time has passed since our adventure in the Dominican Republic ended, it feels like just yesterday we were there together! We hope you are all thriving in school and having a great year so far and we hope this letter brings back a few great memories for you!
The time that we spent working with the communities in the Dominican Republic truly made an impact here, you planted a seed. The hard work that you put in to help each project improve and get better made a difference, whether you were working on the water bottle insulation for the bathroom or mixing cement to complete the walls of the houses and bathrooms, each project has grown because of your help. During the medical brigades you all used your different skills and strengths to assist the doctor and learn a lot about the medical field. The team from 7 Elements and all of the community leaders are very grateful for the service you provided and your great attitude while being there. More importantly, we hope that the knowledge that you gained from these projects and these communities will serve you and the communities that you will be apart of for the rest of your lives. Have you shared what you learned from this experience with your own community? If you have, we’d love to hear about it!
Do you remember the One Meaningful Goal (OMG) that you set for yourself? We want to remind you to work towards that goal throughout the year and share what you learned from our time in the Dominican Republic with others to BE THE CHANGE! Continuing working hard towards these goals – you will achieve great things! We believe in YOU! Don’t forget about the letter to yourself that you wrote!
We can’t forget about all of the fun that we had together too! There wasn’t a day that passed where we didn’t laugh a lot or find something interesting to talk about! You guys were a super tightly woven group and we were impressed by how you bonded together so well. Whether we were having pool time, singing on Jaime’s bus, or having our funny olympics you guys always made everything more fun and entertaining! We hope you continue to bring your positive attitudes and sense of adventure everywhere you go! Just to remind you of the good old days we compiled our top 10 Moments of the trip for you!
Top 10 Moments from the Trip
1. The first perfect sunset that we got to see from our beach!
2. Jumping into the beautiful Dudu Lagoon!
3. Visiting Playa Preciosa and riding all of the waves!
4. The first medical brigade when we got to understand and learn more about health care in the Dominican Republic.
5. Playing volleyball games with the locals!
6. Going to visit the Damajagua 27 waterfalls and going down the incredible natural slides! Also watching each other jump in was hilarious!
7. Visiting Puerto Plata and sightseeing in the colorful city! Shopping for souvenirs too!
8. Trying the tasty chocolate at the Chojoba chocolate shop and meeting the wonderful women who run the business!
9. The boat ride and snorkeling adventure where we saw all of the stunning coral reefs and cute fish!
10. Our final appreciation circle and mentor group reflection where we remembered all of the awesome moments we shared together!
This experience together was incredibly fulfilling because we worked hard, learned a lot, and had a blast at the same time! Thank you for bringing your unique personalities and leadership abilities to the trip and making it so special for all of us! We miss you and wish you the best of luck in all of your future adventures!
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
Here are a few things you can expect:
- We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
Cell Phone Policy: The GLA cell phone policy is currently in place this summer to help foster meaningful connections between students. This means your student’s phone will be collected every day and returned to them after activities are completed to have with them through the night. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location and time zones. During designated ‘tech time’, your student may use their phones as they wish. Please note that your student may not always choose to use this time to get a hold of their parents. If you are not hearing directly from your student each day, you can assume that no news is good news! We strongly recommend you follow the blog to follow your students’ experience without talking to them every day. If you are a parent and would like to get in touch with your student directly, you can call us at +1-619-758-3031 and we can set up a formal time for you to connect with your student.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
Written by mentor Greta Shanley
Hola from the Dominican Republic! We have all made it safely to our home base and are excited to use this blog to share our adventures over the next two weeks with you!
After arriving from the airports we quickly jumped into the pool to do our swim tests and to cool down from the heat! We had a delicious Dominican dinner and got to see the incredible sunset from the beach next to our lodge! The sky had so many beautiful colors!
After a few icebreakers and name games (there’s 30 students so these are necessary!) we felt tired enough to head to bed! We are excited to see what tomorrow has in store! Stay tuned…and enjoy the pics! 😊
BLOG POST FOR JULY 10
On our first full day in the Dominican Republic we started by having a delicious breakfast before jumping into our GLA orientation. The students learned about the program and the DR and how we will be helping the communities around our home base. We did some more icebreakers and started to really get to know each other!
After lunch we headed to our first service afternoon in an area called Caño Dulce only 10 minutes away from where we are staying. During the afternoon we worked on building a bathroom and insulating it with plastic water bottles. Our jobs were to cut and stack the water bottles, place them in the bathroom and hammer them down with chicken wire to keep them in place. It was a great first afternoon of service!
When we got back to the home base we cooled down with some time at the pool and free time. We had our first global health learning activity in the evening and had a nice walk to the beach and enjoyed ice cream to cool down! We are all excited about the first full day of service that we will have tomorrow!
-GLA Staff
BLOG POST FOR JULY 11
Written by Oliver, Riley, and Elsa
Today was an adventurous day for the GLA crew. We started the day with a delicious traditional Dominican breakfast consisting of eggs, bread, and ripe fruit.
Departing home base slightly late, we arrived at La Boca, a neighborhood next to a beautiful beach. Our mentors divided the group in two, and we began the construction of two bathrooms. This was especially important in this area as community members do not have access to sanitary washrooms, spreading sickness and dumping human waste close to people. The arduous project began by carrying heavy bags of concrete and buckets of sand to each location, and many of the students learned how to mix concrete for the first time.
We had local support, which gave us insight into what life is like living in extreme poverty and without access to services that we would consider normal. Our efforts to improve the sanitary conditions of this neighborhood shed light on the plight that millions of people endure daily. After several hours of work, Chef Dorris and her crew cooked us wonderful tacos.
After a quick lunch, we returned to the field and braved the sweltering heat for the afternoon until we packed up and headed to a local supermarket resembling a Safeways. Students enjoyed eating local versions of their favorite snacks and conversing with locals on numerous topics.
We ended the day by swimming in GLA’s beautiful teal pool and had another fantastic Dominican dinner, Sancocho. The group accomplished a lot today, and we are ready to head into a rural hospital to experience a different aspect of healthcare. We will take vitals and medical history and shadow Dr. Caho. The group is a little tired from our long day in the field, but we are energized by the wonderful opportunities ahead.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 12
Written by Sara, Victoria, and Anders
We started the day by eating a healthy breakfast of eggs and French toast. The weather was a lot cooler, and we were feeling satisfied. We then took a short one-hour bus ride to the medical brigade; we were responsible for registration, vitals, patient history, shadowing the doctor, and pharmacy. We had a lot of fun practicing our Spanish and learning about healthcare. We had a delectable lunch of rice, beans, and fish before returning home base.
Back at the home base, we reflected on our day with our mentor groups with a rose, bud, and thorn activity. This helped us to grow closer as a community through strengths and weaknesses. We then had two hours of free time to relax by the pool or take a scenic stroll down our local beach. We had a very appreciative chow circle, which was followed by dinner. For dinner, we had spaghetti, chicken, potatoes, and salad.
And then, we closed off the day with an exhilarating activity where we debated the pros and cons of a local issue from different perspectives. We closed the day with some community free time and headed to bed. Overall, it was an inspiring and rewarding day. We learned many new things and gained a multitude of new experiences.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 13
Written by Isla, Leonel, Allison
Our first relaxed day started with a later start at 7:30. We had a healthy and filling breakfast of toast, eggs, ham, cheese, cereal, and plenty of fresh fruit. After changing into our bathing suits and grabbing our bags, we headed for the Dudu Lagoon over a 1-hour bus ride, entertained with lots of music and karaoke. We jumped off a small (and safe) cliff at the lagoon into the clear, blue water and swam around with our friends during a cloudy and refreshing day. After quickly exploring the small cave and the other lagoon, we approached a great buffet a few minutes down the road and enjoyed a lunch of flavourful chicken, vegetables, and more.
The bus then took us on another long ride to a beach named La Playa Preciosa. Vendors with bracelets, necklaces, and wooden sculptures were positioned along the coast while we swam and dove over the salty waves. We ended with lots of tanning in the sand and fresh pina coladas in cut-up pineapples (they were virgin, by the way). The way home had many people napping in their seats and leaning on each other to get a few extra hours in. We took a lot of showers and read on the grass before dinner. Finally, after dinner, we had a quick beach walk before an educational lecture on malnutrition by our doctor, Caho, to prepare us for our next medical brigade. We’re all looking forward to our next adventures tomorrow and ready to bed.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 14
Written by Nav & Naomi
We started our day getting up slightly early because we were going to the most beautiful mountaintop where we would learn how chocolate is made. The ride over was a great experience with everyone listening to music together, and the experience at the factory was no less captivating. We learned the stories of the people making chocolate day to day, one of those being Altagracia. Her family has been making chocolate for generations, but unfortunately they are unable to make profit. It is saddening to see such hard work being put into a craft without financial fruition. We all bought some chocolate to commemorate the experience and have a keepsake for the future. The bus ride home had a slightly somber twinge to it, nonetheless being fun as we listened to our tunes. Upon returning to home base, we had a hearty lunch, and set out on another journey to service at a bee farm. Bees are slightly dangerous creatures, but we were not dealing with them directly. Our job was to build and paint bee boxes and help Johnny with his business. It was grueling work, but we all collectively had a lot of fun doing it. The highlight of service was when we had an opportunity to try live honeycomb, not without crossing a perilous wire bridge to get there. It is safe to say that it was well worth the trouble as the honey was incredible. Returning to home base was a relief, but the memories made on service will always stay within our minds. At night we had a seminar in our mentor groups in which we talked about our values. Closing off the day, we were all content with our experience, with great memories to attest to that.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
Written by Andrea, Andreas & El
We woke up early this morning in order to make it out to our medical brigade in the community of La Grua. We had a nice breakfast consisting of eggs, fruit, fried cheese, coco puffs, pork, bread, and lemonade. After a two hour bus ride of singing and sleeping, we made it and began setting up the clinic. We practiced our spanish skills with the locals and learned some creole during patient registration and medical history. Doctor Caho translated for students shadowing him so we can all understand what he was doing. We all made some new friends playing with the local kids from patty cake to soccer and it was a really eye opening experience to see how they were living. Some took patients blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature, and other vitals. To wrap up the patients visit, we gave them their prescribed medicine by Doctor Caho.
Halfway through the medical brigade, we paused for a quick lunch of fruit, beef, rice, and vegetables.
After the brigade, we went on a walk around the community, learning about how people there live. We also learned about the history of the relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, including the tumultuous We had a great time getting to know the kids there! Those of us that spoke Spanish helped organize little games, and they even came with us on our walk and have goodbye hugs.
After touring the community, we took a 30 minute drive to the our second supermarket trip. There, we bought all kinds of food and necessities for the remaining week. Additionally as a sort of reward, we got to stop at the nearby Cv McDonald’s for a while, which we all appreciated. After our food was bought, we got back onto the bus to complete our trip back to home base. Upon our arrival, we had some free time followed by our daily chow circle, which was then followed by dinner which consisted of pulled pork, hamburger buns, and fruit. At 7:00, we headed out to the beach for our group activities, where we split into two groups and played different running games and enjoyed the water and scenery. Tired and sandy, we returned to home base to wash up and go to bed at 10:00.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 16
Written by Matthew, Alexa & Ocean
The group, once again, experiences another adventure day, and this time we went to
Damajagua Waterfalls, several waterfalls formed in the river Bajabonico!
After a challenging hike, the group was rewarded with a chilly plunge into the natural springs. Ranging from 5 feet to 17 feet, the group found themselves taking different paths down the river. These paths included slides, ladders, jumps, and beautiful, scenic views.
On the way back from damajagua, the group enjoyed lunch at a cafe near the river. Finally arriving back at home base, they had a relaxing evening with a trip to the beach and briefing on human security, and its impact on the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
– Matthew, Alexa & Ocean.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 17
We started our morning with a delicious French toast, eggs, and sausage breakfast. We then headed straight to service at La Boca, where we continued our construction by cementing the bathroom and the house. We persevered through the rain (which was refreshing for most of us!) and the heat and then headed to lunch at the worksite. We continued our work until 3 o’clock and headed back to home base.
Once we arrived back at home base, we enjoyed our free time. Some of us enjoyed the refreshing pool, while others relaxed and read on the grass. We rejoined as a group at 5:45 for chow circle, where we showed appreciation to others in our group for the hard work we have all put in these past few days.
After that, we got into mentor groups for a self-reflection activity. We were asked to bring in one item that holds significance to ourselves. Each item had a story (necklaces, books, clothing, etc.). Some stories were sad, and some were hopeful. Then, we observed several words that could be used to describe us. We picked three words that resonated most with us and wrote them down. No one else can see them. Others wrote down two words they thought would describe us. Finally, we shared the adjectives others used to describe us, and overall, the activity allowed us to learn more about ourselves. This is something very beneficial about this program.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 18
Written by Aubrey and Gabby
Today we woke up bright and early for breakfast at 7. We ate cereal, eggs, and pancakes with a side of hot chocolate. Then we packed our bags and changed into service clothes. We walked for 1 and a half miles to get to the bathroom that we needed to cement. Everyone worked hard together to mix the cement and work on the bathroom walls made of plastic bottles. In just two hours we finished the bathroom and were able to return to the lodge early.
After we came back some of us washed up while others went to the pool to swim. We then got together to eat a yummy lunch provided by the staff. We all met up after to play funny Olympic in our mentor groups. We competed in silly games such as a push up, joke, and dance contest. The winning group was Diego’s group ( congrats!). As a reward for our finally service day we got some ice cream which was really delicious.
We had the opportunity to come together and engage with some locals in a volleyball tournament and other activities. We enjoyed connecting with them through the love of sports. We went through many rain showers throughout the day but finished the day off with our usual Chow Circle time when we returned to the Home Base. We recognized many people that had amazing achievements during today. We then ate dinner and finished our night off with a group movie night. We saw Tallegeda Night. We enjoyed all of the activities and opportunities we had to have new memories with each other today and are excited for tomorrows
BLOG POST FOR JULY 19
By Braelyn & Daniel
Whats up GLA squad!! Reporting live from the DR to enlighten you all on the amazing day we had in Puerto Plata.
First, we started off our *hump-day* right with some Black Eyed Peas and got everyone excited for the day ahead. We had a banging breakfast consisting of eggs, toast, oatmeal, fruit, and lemonade. After our tummies were full and we were ready to go, we made our way over to the bus for a long 2 hour bus ride full of singing and sleeping to Puerto Plata.
Once we got there we went straight up to the top of Mount Isabel de Torres on a super sick cable car ride. Once we got to the top we were greeted by a gorgeous view. We took some fire flicks and enjoyed the nice cool breeze from 2,600 ft in the air. We immediately made our way to a local food truck and absolutely mucked (grubbed) on some empanadas and tested our bargaining skills with the locals.
Once we made it back to sea level we began our exploration of the beautiful colonial portion of the city. We went to various shops and an amber museum before indulging in over priced coffee. Some members even had the opportunity to hold and take pictures with an exotic monkey. Once we returned back to Home Base we grubbed once again on some delicious pasta, salad, and arepitas de yuca. After we were full once again we reviewed our trip coming to a close (😭) with our mentor groups.
Following that we ended the night with a banging talent show with winners: Braelyn, Ocean, and Laura with their outstanding dance and vocal performance. We then scurried to our beds for a good night’s slumber for our medical brigade the following morning.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 20
Written by Samson, Emily & Eva
We started off the day bright and early with breakfast of eggs, ham, oatmeal, and fruit at 7am. At 8:00 we headed off to our last medical brigade of the trip, in Caño Dulce. We had a great time at the medical brigade, we saw 30 patients and played with lots of local kids!! We had lunch at the brigade before headed back to the lodge and enjoying a bit of free time before headed down the street to another volleyball tournament with some locals!
As this was our second round of volleyball with the locals, the games were even more intense. Mixed teams of talented Dominicans and enthusiastic GLA students faced off and had a great time playing and socializing. Students that didn’t play in the games chatted with local kids and played frisbee and basketball. We were also blessed with an ice cream vendor that showed up to boost our energy!
After the game, some of the locals invited us to have dinner with them! after a short walk, we enjoyed chicken Asopao and pineapple. After we finished eating we played a game with some kids from the neighborhood, where we flipped a bottle. If we landed the bottle we got to eat cheetos until someone else landed! We got ice cream on the way home, before headed to bed for the night!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 21
Written by Cam, Jaime & Laura
Hey guys! Today was bittersweet because it was our last day and adventure as a group. We started the day with our second-to-last breakfast of our usual eggs, toast, oatmeal, and delicious fresh fruit. Next, we did a group activity where we shared our appreciation for each other by anonymously sharing how we’ve affected each other. Even though it was still early morning, the first goodbye tears were shed. We then hopped on the bus for a one-hour drive to Sosua Beach and enjoyed a bus ride singing along with Daniel’s speaker. At Sosua Beach, it was time for the real adventure. We geared up, got onto a fishing boat, and took a 5-minute boat ride to the first snorkel site. We saw incredible sandstone cliffs butting up against luxury resorts on the way. It was a stark contrast to what we had experienced previously. Aside from several minor fish bites, our entire group had a fantastic time observing the tropical fish and vibrant coral.
After returning to shore, we tasted home with a delicious pizza lunch on the beach. Many members of our group enjoyed practicing negotiation skills with locals; Oliver negotiated 85% off a painting. Good work! Back at the lodge, we shared our Chow Circle, where we recognized each other for friendship one last time. As leaders of the day, we gave our final quote, “When life gives you lemons, though some may be sour, remember, this is not goodbye, but simply a see you later.”
Then, our excellent kitchen staff prepared us one last fantastic dinner of chicken alfredo, potatoes, fried plantains, and pasta salad, and we headed to the beach for a final bonfire. We hung out one last time as one big family, making smores, eating ice cream, and getting our last hugs and pictures in. The bonds we’ve made and shared memories have been life-changing, and our GLA family is one we will never forget. Shake N’ Bake for life!
