PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
Click here to jump down to the most recent post!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Hello dear GLA families,
Today is our first day in the Program and we want to tell you that we had a beautiful welcome from our Spanish language fans with whom we will share the next 20 days. The 13 participants of our Program have arrived! We are very excited to meet these great young people.
Since early in the morning our team was waiting for them at the airport with healthy snacks and games. Those who arrived early had the opportunity to get to know the facilities of our beautiful hotel in the mountains of Barva in Heredia. Others arrived tired and went straight to sleep.
These first days will be about adapting to a different environment and significantly reducing the use of the cell phone and internet. Some students may feel challenged by these types of proposals. We will do our best so that everyone can get through the challenges and enjoy this transformative experience to the fullest
We send our warmest regards, follow our blog to hear about our adventures in Costa Rica!
With great enthusiasm, we send you our best regards,
Laura Ramallo (International Director)
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
Hola todos!!
This blog is coming from John and Lila- we were elected leaders of the day for outstanding participation, positivity, and resilience!!
Today was orientation day, how most days like these begin, we were introduced to the staff and received a home base tour. Then, we learned about the GLA Code of Conduct and watched a presentation of Costa Rica by our local Director, Fernando.
We had our swim tests and health checks and also agreed on our community rules.
We listened to an overview of our trip and what is to come. As a group we chose our community agreements. As a team we came up with ideas on norms we would like to follow. The group had very similar ideals and came to a consensus.
(Love you mom -Lila)
(Things in Costa Rica are very new to me, family, but I am doing well-John. H)
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
Hola todos, somos Grace y Jack we are the leaders of the day!
Today we went to see 5 stunning waterfalls surrounded by breathtaking nature. We could hear the water slam against the ground and the birds chirping in the green trees. But before that we got to see the cutest animals at a local zoo, with my personal favorite a Jaguar sunbathing! We also got to eat spectacular food ranging from empanadas to arroz con leche. One of my favorite parts of the day was visiting a local shop where us leaders got to shop local cuisine. Tomorrow we will embark an adventure of painting an elementary school.
We’re so excited!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
Hola! Somos Gabriel y Julius!
Today we had a very exciting day! We ate a delicious breakfast at 7, consisting of pancakes, fruits, and juice. At 7:45 we started our journey towards our first Costa Rican community service, where we would paint a local school. We learned a lot about why the school needs help, what kind of help it needs, and how to paint and provide it to the school.
We split up into 3 groups: kiosk painting, tire chair painting, and gym wall painting. Gabriel was in the tire painting group and Julius was in the wall painting group. We worked in these groups throughout the day and had a lot of fun bonding with our groupmates and helping the community. After, we went to our first Spanish class, where we had a level test and then started learning. Both of us learned a lot today and we hope to have even more fun helping the community and exploring Costa Rica tomorrow!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Hey Blog Fam!! We are Ali and Eddy, the leaders of the day
We started the day with service again this morning which was super fun. We continued to paint different parts of the school. During our break we were able to play a game of soccer with a few of the local kids, It was fun getting to know them and playing a short game after our work.
Later in the day we went to our spanish classes and we went on a tour of the town, Heredia, learning about the history of Costa Rica and visiting the local shops and market. At the market we did a small scavenger hunt, where we had a list of items we had to find and buy with the money we were given. This gave us the chance to practice our spanish with more of the locals. We also got the chance to try some local foods from the market which were super good. We all enjoyed going out into town and seeing more of the culture and lifestyle of Costa Rica. Later at night after dinner, we set goals for our group and what we all hope to acheive from our time here together.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
Hola todos!
This is Brennan and Felix.
Today was a very special day because it was one of our friend John’s cumpleaños! He turned 17! We sang to him during breakfast and gave him a special birthday card. Then our team left for comuntity service after breakfast and made great progress on the school gym and outdoor space. We were joined by some local kids who helped paint the school and during break and then we all participated in a riveting match of futball. After service, we went to the movie theater to watch Inside Out 2 (Intensamente 2) which was all in Spanish! After the movie, we celebrated John’s birthday and we had a special dance lesson/session from our local director Fernando.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 4
Feliz jueves todos!
Today we had a delicious breakfast and fresh juice, like any other day!
Then we went to service and furthered our progress with finishing off the walls, the patio, and the playground for the kids. We also had an intense match with the local teens. We won 6-2!
Then we headed to Tico Lingo and returned to see our guest Speaker José who is GLA’s National Director and Field Coordinator! He spoke about the history, culture, economy, and political state of Costa Rica! We then finished off the day with some tres leches, pool and watched the Argentina v. Ecuador game!
Nos vemos mañana,
Your leaders of the day, Arielle and Brennan
BLOG POST FOR JULY 5
Hola familias this is Teddy and Noa speaking, the current leaders of the day. To start things off, today we indulged in another delicious Costa Rican breakfast, before we set off for today’s adventures. After arriving at the school we successfully continued our community service. This varied from painting walls to the playground. After lots of hard work we returned to base, and indulged in yet another amazing meal; before setting off for Spanish practice at Tico Lingo. Finally we practiced our leadership skills in our mentor group followed by an honesty circle, to end the day with some positivity.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
What up familia!
Today we had an excursion day and visited volcan Poas! It was very foggy so we couldn’t actually see it, but still so so beautiful and a great hike! After the volcano we drove to the Doka coffee farm for lunch and a tour. Lunch was delicious! Our tour was very rainy but still we all learned so much! We enjoyed a taste of all the different coffee roasts. And bought tons of gifts! (get hype). We explored the botanical gardens, then headed back to home base for dinner! After dinner we played a heated game of trivia and fun was had by all. Fire day!!
(Love you mom -Ali and Lila)
BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
Hola, from Grace and Jack!
Today we got the opprotunity to embark in a mystical adventure through the tropical rainforest. We also got to zipline, which I, Jack felt a bit scared to go on. We started out our day with a delisouse omelette, and toast breakfast. Us leaders also got the opprotunity to see a snake and frog exhibition. In the afternoon we got to go through a debate exercise about the pineapple industry where each groups of three had to say their argument, and others would respond to it.
¡Adios, Amigos!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
Hola! Somos Gabriel y Arielle.
Today we had a very fun day and we even learned to cook! We started off our day by having an amazing breakfast made of fruits, beans with rice, eggs, and fried plantains. At 8:00 we started our service, but we finished painting the walls and the tire chairs yesterday, so today we continued scraping off old and rusty yellow paint off of handrails in preparation for a new yellow coat. We also played soccer with the locals during our breaks. Gabriel was goalie (who saved many shots) and Arielle was a striker, and we also had a lot of fun practicing our spanish with them. After lunch we went to our spanish class, except today we had cooking class as well!
We spent 1.5 hours learning spanish, and then spent 1.5 hours cooking patacones (fried plantains), making pico de gallo, and then combining everything we made into a super delicious meal. We then had dinner and talked about the impact of our service projects in our mentor groups, and going into depth on many related topics. We are both excited for the big hike tomorrow, and hope to get a good nights sleep! Thank you!
Photos: Cooking class and night view at our Home Base restaurant.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 11
Hey blog fam!!! We’re Eddy and Felix, the leaders of the day! Sorry we didn’t have a blog yesterday, we were too busy exploring Volcán Barva and sharing stories by the fire! Today we had another great breakfast and headed to the school for service at around 8:00 am. We made a lot of progress in our service before heading back and eating lunch. We then got ready for Spanish class, and the advanced class got to practice conversational Spanish with each other and the teacher. We got to dinner a bit late, and most of us ordered dessert after dinner. By dark, most of us were just chilling in the restaurant’s billiard room, watching TV and playing Pool. Overall, today was nice and we’re looking forward to finishing the painting part of the service tomorrow!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 12
Hola! Somos Ali, John, Gabriel, y Eddie. Today we had breakfast at 7 and finished our final day of painting the school. We continued with a classic day of Tico Lingo for Spanish class. It was a tiring day but we all managed to get through it with smiles on our faces! We got to dinner a bit late, because we were so busy with a surprise shopping trip at the local farmers market in Heredia (Campo Ferial La Perla, Heredia). Each one of us tried a new food we have never had before! We then returned to home base and had some tres leches for dessert and did a leadership activity reflecting about our Leadership styles and how to use them here and back at home.
Bye for now! The next blog update will be coming to you from MANUEL ANTONIO BEACH!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
Hola todos! From the last time you heard from us, we said we were going to the beach. Right as we arrived to the hotel we changed and headed directly to the beach, played with the waves and watched the sunset. Then the next morning, we woke up and headed straight to the Marina to embark on our Catamaran trip. We were astonished to see that the boat consisted of a slide, two trampolines, a few platforms to jump off of, and a rope climbing wall. The staff was pleased to greet us with platers of fruit and beverages of our choice. As a group we headed to the roof of the boat where we took in the beautiful sun. Amazingly, we saw dolphins from a distance, who swam along with the boat! This was a magical experience. We got so close to them that they were swimming side by side with us and under our boat. It was a beautiful moment in our lives. We then anchored the boat and enjoyed the water sports. Afterwards we did front and back flips off the boat! Some of us went snorkeling and saw some cool fish too! After the boat trip we went to a local market next to a beach to finish off our day. We ended our day with a colorful sunset!
Then, today we woke up with bright eyes and bushy tails in order to make it in time to see all the wildlife at Manual Antonio National park! In order to see all the wildlife we could, such as snakes, monkeys, butterflies… etc… we had to arrive right as the park opened at 7am, there we met our local guide. We were so tired! But right as we saw our first monkey in the entrance we immediately felt wide awake. At the end of the hike, we went to the national park beach and spent the rest of the early morning and midday there. It was beautiful, blue water and sky with bright green trees. After this, we had to head back to our hotel to lunch and pack up to get ready to head back to home base. Currently writing from the bus trip, we are sad to leave the beach but excited to get back in gear for a nre phase in our community service teaching english and our Spanish classes at Tico Lingo!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 17
Heyyy familia!!
It’s Ali and Lila…Again! our 21 day program is coming to an end. Today was our second to last day of service. Each of us created a story to tell to the kids at the school we have been volunteering at. We played games and talked with all of them. The kids loved all the work we have been doing! Because of the school photo policy we could not take pictures of the students, but we will keep the memory of this day in our hearts. Today was our last full day of tico lingo classes. Then we enjoyed a delicious fried chicken dinner. To end our night we had our last mentor groups and a pledge that we will take back with us and work on throughout the coming months after the program. We are sad to have to say goodbye, but we look forward to seeing you all soon! (love you dad- Ali and Lila)
BLOG POST FOR JULY 18
Buenas!! Today was the last and final day of our GLA Spanish Service Adventure. WE MADE IIT!! Wow, we have come so far since our first blog post, and we are so glad you all have been able to read along on our journey.
On our last day, we spent another day with some local students of the school where we had done our service project. On this day, we were with some of the younger students. We played some English language games with them where some of the students learned how to count in English! This was definitely one of our favorite days on the program.
Then we headed down to Heredia for our last class at Tico Lingo. We also had a small graduation ceremony. We cannot believe we took 30 hours of Spanish! To celebrate, we had a salsa lesson and danced together, it was super fun! For our last activity, we had an appreciation circle, special dessert, and wrote special notes of appreciation for every one in the group. Gracias por todo!
