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Wednesday July 18, 2018

We are writing to you from our lovely home base in Santa Teresa as we sit down for our first dinner together. All of our students are here safe and sound and we are all very excited to begin our Initiative for Children program! Everyone arrived safely in San Jose and everyone was back at first base earlier than ever! Several students got to experience lunch in a Costa Rican mall while waiting for the rest of their peers to arrive.

As we headed to our secluded home-away-from-home, we admired the Costa Rican countryside (or slept) on our three-hour bus ride. We arrived home, unpacked and got to know our new roommates. We are ready for a good nights sleep listening to the sound of jungle rain and frogs. Were excited to get started with orientation tomorrow before getting into service and cultural activities starting the day after. Be on the lookout for more updates on our adventures coming soon!

Friday July 20, 2018

Hey guys!

Welcome to our blog! Day 3 was filled with lots of laughs and learning from both the GLA students and the children. We started the day out with a quick breakfast and then headed off to three different schools. Once we arrived we were greeted with huge smiles and lots of hugs. While in the classroom, we incorporated learning English into the fun activities. As some students played with the children, others got to work in the beautiful gardens. One group even got to play with a parrot! After hugging goodbye, we got on the bus and headed back for lunch. After lunch the afternoon was filled with bracelet making fun! We also discovered our true colors in mentor groups. Soon after, we had an intensive but interesting debate about children’s rights. Finishing the night off the chefs cooked us a traditional Costa Rican meal.

xoxo,

Francesca, Daley, Stella

Saturday July 21, 2018

Today was the fourth day of our Costa Rica Adventure. We started off our morning by eating a late breakfast which then transitioned to boarding the bus to the pineapple farm. There we saw first-hand the background of farming and finding a perfect pineapple. We were able to pick and taste our own pineapples! After that we enjoyed some delicious piña coladas and pineapple jam. All of us students then took our first visit to the local supermarket to stock up on snacks and necessities for future trips. Once we returned we enjoyed a game of mafia and a few hours of free time. We then enjoyed a bonding leadership activity which improved our friendships with one another and finished our day with a nice meal and a cake to celebrate Rosie’s birthday.

Your leaders of the day,

Brandon, Grace, and Viviana

Sunday July 22, 2018

Today we went on a tropical river safari. We saw many animals including howler monkeys, sloths, iguanas, crocodiles, and many more! Many groups got into a water war. After the tour we made chocolate drinks with fresh cocoa beans. We also ate handmade tortillas with “queso blanco” and plantains. When we got back to home base we enjoyed a lively game of charades. We also learned about coffee culture in Costa Rica from Alfredo. Before dinner, we had a lesson in Español to enhance our knowledge. Some of us learned pronunciation and others practiced conversations.

Pura Vida,
Maggie & Lucy 🙂

Monday July 23, 2018

Hey guys! Today was an action-packed day filled with rewarding service and a trip to the luxurious hot springs.

At school, we weeded and planted a garden. We taught some kids the alphabet, days of the week, and helped them with the upcoming spelling bee. With the remaining time we played soccer, hot potato, and picked beans in the garden.

At the hot springs, we relaxed in the warm water. After floating around various pools, we bought ice cream and chips at a snack shack.

Lots of love
Maggie, Elizabeth, Lucy, & Daley 🙂

Tuesday July 24, 2018

Today we woke up and had the usual breakfast of pancakes and pineapples. We had a little time to get ready for our day of service. Our day at the schools consisted of learning about the national holiday occurring tomorrow, the annexation of Costa Rica. (Consequently, the students have the day off tomorrow.) They showed us a presentation of traditional Costa Rican dances in costume along with homemade food. We also had time to work in the gardens and start growing some more vegetables.

Around noon, we came back to Home Base for a scenic hike around Alfredo’s property. We saw cows and walked around his lake, or Lago Santa Teresa. Since it was on the hot side today, we had time to swim in the lake. Then, we met with our mentor groups to check in with how the GLA program is going so far. In addition, we had a leadership activity that taught us the importance of accepting other cultures. Afterwards, we ate an All-American dinner of hamburgers and coke and had time to ourselves.

Written by,
Julia M., Eunice, and Christina

Wednesday July 25, 2018

Hi everyone! Today was yet another jam-packed day filled with community work, lots of rain, and ice cream! We started the day off with pancakes and headed out to work at the schools. The students at the schools didn’t attend because of the national holiday, but we took this time to tend to the garden and clean the sidewalks! One group’s work was spotted by a local farmer who gave us four pineapples, free of charge! After hours of working, we ate a delicious lunch and topped it off with fun group activities. Later, we loaded into buses and rode to a cafe which included souvenirs, ice cream, and WIFI! After making lots of phone calls and checking on social media, we returned to home base. We had dinner and concluded the night with a traditional (student-made) Brazilian dessert.

Lots of Love,

Stella and Parker

 

Thursday July 26, 2018

Today concludes our ninth day of our GLA trip. We headed out after eating breakfast to continue working on our service projects at the local schools. Students worked on picking weeds, harvesting beans and mess from the school gardens. While another group worked on continuing a mural and teaching English to the Spanish speaking children. Today was our fifth day working with the schools and it has allowed our GLA and local students to connect more personally on a broader spectrum. After lunch we headed down to a dairy farm to experience first hand on how locals integrate their culture into work. It was definitely an eye-opening experience. Everyone took something away from the dairy farm and was able to see how locals work together to provide locally and internationally. We headed back to home base and concluded the day with a leadership activity and finished with a bonfire. Until tomorrow!

Jimena, Julia, Alex

Friday July 27, 2018

Today is day 10 of the GLA trip. We had a fun filled day, starting with an early morning at the schools. There we worked on projects around the school, gardening and helping the students with various subjects. Afterwards, we came back to home base and took part in cooking and dancing classes. We learned how to cook empanadas and vegan burgers and the dancing class taught us how to bachata dance and the Costa Rican swing criollo. To end the day we watched Freaky Friday outside while enjoying a delicious desert cooked by our GLA cooking staff.

xoxo,
Grace and Megan

Saturday July 28, 2018

Hi everyone! This morning we woke up bright and early to a rainy sky and breakfast at 7AM. At 9 o´clock we boarded the buses for a two hour bus ride to a small river boat ride close to the boarder of Nicaragua. On the boat ride we saw lots of animals including monkeys, iguanas, and sloths. On the bus ride back, lots of us napped and listened to Latino music. When we arrived back at home base, we had our lunch for the day. We got a really great lunch of steak, corn, rice and beans. During free time today, we had the option of going to the lake, hanging around home base, or getting ice cream down the road. After ice cream we were able to play soccer games with the local kids who attend a school next to the field. After free time (and getting creamed at soccer by the locals) we had mentor groups, and did some group activities. Finally we ended the day with dinner and cake for Julia´s birthday (Happy Birthday Julia!!!).

Xoxo,

Tiffany, Eunice and Sophie!!!!!!!

Sunday July 29, 2018

Hey everyone,
Today is Sunday, July 29, and it was a very fun packed day. We woke up at 6 AM and ate breakfast and then loaded into the buses at 6:45. We split into two groups; one group went horse back riding and the other zip lining. We enjoyed 15 zip lines and a beautiful trail ride up the volcano on the horses. We also went to a souvenir shop in the town of la Fortuna. We headed back to the home base around 6 where we enjoyed a traditional Costa Rican stew. We ended off the day with a big thunder and lightening storm. We are all excited for our last day of service tomorrow!

-Adios!

Rachel, Eva, and Morgan

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Monday July 2, 2018

We are happy to write you from our lovely home base in Santa Teresa as we eat our first breakfast of rice and beans and pineapple. All of our students are here safe and sound and we are all very excited to begin our Initiative for Children program! Everyone arrived safely in San Jose and several flights were even early! Several students got to experience lunch in a Costa Rican mall while waiting for the rest of their 30 new best friends to arrive.

We admired the Costa Rican countryside (or slept) on our three-hour bus ride to our secluded home-away-from-home. Last night we got some rest after a long day of traveling and today we are ready to go with orientation before getting into service and cultural activities starting tomorrow. Be on the lookout for more updates on our adventures coming soon!

Wednesday July 4, 2018

On day three of our adventure, Gabriella’s group headed off to their school Escuela Santa Teresa Sur for a morning of service. During this am we started by turning up the soil in the garden to make sure the kids had a proper place to grow their food and herbs for lunches. Next, we continued the mural that the previous group had started and also got to leave our handprint as a flower petal on the wall. Once lunch time came around, we had a lot of free time to swim, read, kayak and make memories with our new friends. Furthermore, our mentors put together a leadership exercise which consisted of a debate in different groups. In my opinion, it was extremely interesting to hear everyone’s point of view on the subject we were working on. To sum up, the day was very educational and eye opening and we are all looking forward to the next 10 days!
-Thia Courchesne

Today students learned the reality of how these children learn and the environment they live in. Students worked together to create a better campus for the children. They pulled weeds, broke the group up, and power washed fences. Innovative ideas were spread all throughout the students’ thoughts on how to improve the school for the children. They ended the day with laughter and fun.
-Bianca

Our first day of service in my group was spontaneous- we did a few different projects. Similar to winter break at my school, the schools here have a two week break for a national holiday which began this Monday. Therefore, the school my group was assigned to help is locked during the break. We began our service picking up trash across the street from a town ( they do not pay for the trash truck to come for their trash, so they just toss it in a pile across the street). The local director at home base kindly paid for the bags of trash we collected to be properly taken away. After that we were driving around in hopes to find either something we could help clean or a group of kids that we could play soccer with. We eventually found a group of five boys playing on a field and joined them in a pickup game. Then our group joined another service group at their assigned school to help pull weeds and power wash a fence for the small, local school.

-Trent

Thursday July 5, 2018

Today we went into our service group schools and were preparing the garden for the new mulch, pulling weeds and yuca and breaking up the ground. We also power washed the fence to prepare for painting it and continued pairing the mural of a tree with the children and volunteers’ handprints.

Afterwards we played soccer and kickball with the kids from the village and we learned about the history of Alfred-s coffee business and tried to types of coffee. Later, we played group games and relaxed by the lake. Overall we all felt today was very rewarding, had fun, and can’t wait for future service and the excursions to come. (We also went to a supermarket and most people got snacks they had never tried before).

– Eliza, Kennedy, and Brooke

Monday July 9, 2018

Today was our first day of camp for the families and kids from the area. We were split up into groups and each group has a designated day to lead and organize the camp. Today, Sophia’s service group put together three hours of activities such as a scavenger hunt, soccer, and face paint.

Alfredo, and the local staff, even put together a lunch for all 40 of the kids that attended the camp. In the afternoon, we went to the iguana ice cream parlor and a nearby supermarket to stock stock up on snacks and necessities. It was a great day filled with lots of smiles, Pura Vida!

 

Tuesday July 10, 2018

Hello parents!

This is Anika, Katelyn, and Kennedy. After breakfast consisting of yummy pancakes, we were off on another adventure! To start the day off, we went on a hike in a national park near the ciudad Quesada. Despite the rainy weather, each of us enjoyed and made the best out of the hike to a beautiful lookout spot. Here are pictures from the hike below! Once we finished, we went to the city for lunch at a local café and ate a typical Costa Rican lunch. Later we were given the optional to go into a store and get ice cream! We enjoyed our ice cream in the central plaza nearby and returned to our home base. There, we had free time and some people swam in the lake.

After free time, we went into our mentor groups and shared an object meaningful relating to ourselves. In this activity we were able to learn more about our peers and connect to each other in a deeper sense. Alfredo made us a delicious dinner, and after we had a bonfire where we roasted marshmallows and bonded with one another. Saving the best for last, we also became really good friends with a puppy one of our mentors rescued. We decided to name him Piño since he was found next to the Piña fields. He is now a part of the GLA family! Tomorrow we are going to the Hot Springs and be ready to see a lot of smiling faces.

Wednesday July 11, 2018

Today we hosted our second day of camp for the kids and families in the community. Although it rained most of the time, we still had a soccer game, water games, an obstacle course, and plenty of crafts to keep everyone busy. We had another great turnout with over 30 plus kids. In the afternoon, we relaxed at the hot springs, where we swam and went on the slides. After the busy day, we returned to home base where we relaxed for a little bit before eating a traditional Costa Rican soup. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Pura Vida!

Jacy, Jordana, Alyssa

Thursday July 12, 2018

We started the day off with pancakes, rice and beans, eggs, and fresh pineapple and watermelon. Everything was delicious and scrumptious. We were very excited, yet anxious for the last day of the children’s camp. We had planned some soccer games, relay races, and painting. The kids had an amazing time and so did we. To finish off the first part of the day, we ate hot dogs with french fries and fruit cups.

In the afternoon, we had a dance class and a cooking class. An excellent latin dancer taught us ¨bachata¨ and ¨salsa¨, which we practiced in pairs and danced vividly to the music. In the cooking class, we made tasty empanadas and vigorones (a vegan twist on a classic Costa Rican dish). After a tiring day, we had a bit of free time in which we learned ASL from Sophie and Katelyn and at night we indulged in some delicious ice cream and peaches. Now, Sam and I sit here at the table with Gabriella poking me in the back talking about our great day. There’s only two more days left, see you soon Mom and Dad.

-Andrea and Sam

Friday July 13, 2018

Hi, this is the GLA Initiative for Children Blog! I hope you all are excited to hear about the penultimate (it means 2nd to last) full day in this program! Today was a great day for the chickens because we visited them. Anyway, back to the beginning. Today it started out raining (and it rain pretty much the whole day. We had our last day of servicio (service). Students pulled there last pieces of weeds out of the fields. They also finished painting the mural at the children’s school. Cows were seen (both meat and milk). Some students decided to try to milk the cows to experience a different type of life style. Chicos and chicas also bonded for the last time over card games and a privilege walk. We ended the day with dinner and laughter.

-written by Allison, Winda Winda, Hansen <3, and the coolest cat around: BIANCA!!!

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Saturday June 16, 2018 

We are happy to write you from our lovely home base in Santa Teresa as we enjoy the soft sounds of the birds and watch the swaying shadows of the palm trees. All of our students are here safe and sound and we are all very excited to begin our first session of the 14-day Initiative for Children program! Everyone arrived safely and almost exactly to plan in San Jose. Several students got to experience a Costa Rican mall while waiting for the rest of their 30 new best friends to arrive. We admired the Costa Rican countryside (or slept) on our three-hour bus ride to our secluded home-away-from-home. We ate our first meal together at the Crazy Iguana pizzeria and came back to home base to rest after a long day of traveling. Tomorrow we will hit the ground running with orientation before getting into service and cultural activities starting Monday. Be on the lookout for more updates on our adventures coming soon!

Monday June 18, 2018

Student bloggers: Bailey, Jackson, Anna:

This is Bailey! Today we went to Santa Teresa de Sur to help the students prepare for their art show this upcoming Friday. We cleaned up the yard, power washed the concrete, played with the kids, and cleaned some classrooms. The kids were so sweet and talkative and kept wanting to play games with us, including soccer and some new games they taught us how to play. They even performed a dance and sang several songs for us! Everyone had fun and an amazing time, not only did the school benefit from our works but we learned a lot too! Even though they don’t speak English and we barely speak spanish, we could uniquely communicate with them through body and facial language.

This is Jackson. One of our expert photographers.“Pura Vida!!!!” The most memorable part of our day was going to Bellavista School. Seeing the kids’ contagious smiles would never NOT bring a smile to your face. Although there was a communication barrier, we had fun trying to speak to our best of abilities. Overall, the experience of these little children is absolutely magnificent. I am very happy that I came to Costa Rica with GLA.

My name is Anna Vaine, and I was in Sofia’s group. We went to the smallest school, with a grand total of twelve students! Today, we went to the school and got a tour, even though there weren’t any students. We started talking about the kinds of things we wanted to do, and as we were discussing, three boys showed up! It was really great because they were willing to spend all their time with us. We played hanky panky, and they showed us around the town. We saw the pineapple fields, the church, and we went to a “lake” that was actually a little pond that the kids love to swim in. We also learned where all the “brujas” live and all the spells that they will put on you. After we got the tour, we went back to home base and made a tentative schedule for what we want to do the rest of the time that we will be there. I feel really prepared, and very excited for our time here.

Tuesday June 19, 2018

This is Anna again. Today was another great day. We woke up to a lot of rain, and while it was beautiful, it forced us to cancel our hike for today. For my group, it was the first time that we met all of the kids and their teacher. Everyone was so nice and accepting. It was really wonderful. We started by introducing our selves and playing a few games to break the ice. Then our group of people split up. Half of us worked on organizing the shed, while the other half taught the kids English. I was really impressed with how engaged all the kids were with the lesson, especially the younger ones. Some even took it upon themselves to write notes!

We got back and had another amazing lunch. We were supposed to take a hike, but like I said, the rain was too intense. So, we hung out for a little while, before the owner of the house we are staying in, Alfredo, gave us a talk about Costa Rican coffee. He talked to us a little bit about the history of coffee in Costa Rica, and then had us compare two brands of coffee. One was a brand you can find in stores, while the other one was his family’s brand. His coffee was by far the best. After that, we did a leadership activity where we broke into groups, and each group represented a culture with their own greeting. We then greeted each other, and then discussed how different greetings came across to other people, and what assumptions we made about those groups. It was really enlightening when it was connected back to the real world and how we make assumptions about people and try to change those people.

After that we had some down time, where a group of us played a couple rounds of mafia. Then, we played something called Telephone Charades, which was the most fun I have had in a long time. Overall, today was an amazing day, and I am very excited for tomorrow.

Hi Im Hailey, today we spent the majority of the time interacting with the children since the rain prevented us from doing most of the outdoor jobs, like painting and raking. We got to the meet the English teacher, Susan, and were given the opportunity to help teach the first graders greetings in English, like hello and what is your name. A few of us also got to one-on-one help the older students practice for their spelling bee on Friday, which was a great way for both us and the students to learn more about the languages that each of us speak. Other volunteers who were not with the kids worked on power washing the rest of the sidewalks and concrete walls. For the majority time left at the school today we played games with the kids, such as duck duck goose with a number twist, musical chairs, and soccer to further help engage some of the kids in the English language while still further building friendly relationships between us and the students.

This is Emily! Today was yet another amazing day. We went to our school and got to play games with the children such as hot potato and an awesome game of soccer (US vs. Costa Rica). Although the kids had to leave in the middle, the soccer game ended with a great score of 3-3. Some of us got to help in the garden, rake, and teach the kindergarteners ‘head, shoulders, knees, and toes’ in English. Today we got a lot of rain and had to cancel our hike. Although a bit inconvenient, it gave us the opportunity to play a few games of mafia and charades telephone. Alfredo taught us all about the history of coffee and his family’s coffee business. Afterwards he offered us his coffee to taste that is 100% made from coffee beans grown in Costa Rica. We have all been enjoying the delicious meals at home base. Some of which included: rice and beans, steak, potatoes, and plantain! All of us kids are excited to see what the rest of our time here holds for us!

Wednesday June 20, 2018

Here are a few updates about the day from students: Heath Reynolds, Caryus Pak, and Amber

Estoy aprendiendo español! Translated into English means “I am learning Spanish!” My experience here at GLA So far has truly been adventurous and humbling. Being blessed with the opportunity to work with the youth of Costa Rica has truly been amazing! Not only do I feel that I have made a difference in their lives, but they’ve made a difference in mine.

-Heath Reynolds

Today we worked at Santa Teresa Norte School, where we alternated with teaching the children and organizing a shed full of supplies for the school. In the classroom, we helped teach the children the numbers and colors, and with the older kids we introduced them to the alphabet. The kids quickly picked up the lesson and were eager to utilize their newfound words. In the shed, we helped clean out the termite and spider infested cardboard, and organized the supplies into categories such as paint, classroom materials, and gardening tools. At the end of the day, as we’re leaving the school, we were saying our goodbyes only to receive “hellos” back from the kids. So we have some work to do but progress is progress, and its rewarding to see the children so eager to use what we taught them. Later in the afternoon, we drove a short distance to a nearby hiking adventure. Despite the bad humidity and heat, we ventured on, eventually gathering around the base of a huge tree, maneuvering through itchy weeds in search of monkeys we supposedly heard, and skipping rocks on the San Carlos River. On the way home, we were given a nice treat at a nearby convenience store where we got ice cream and soda. Overall the day was splendid and rewarding, and I felt accomplished with the work I did today.

-Caryus Pak

Today in Gabby’s group we did a lot of manual labor. Our group took advantage of the beautiful day we had and prepared for the art show on Friday at our school. We had three stations at the school in order to utilize our time efficiently. We had a group working on moving poles out of the way for a more safe environment. The second group was moving rocks to prevent mud from forming and creating a mess. The third group was painting the court where the art show is going to be held. We worked very hard today, so hard that the director of our school told us how impressed she was, and how she would like it if we participated in the art show. After our hard day at service we came home to a delicious lunch prepared by our family at the base. Next we took a short hike to a really big tree then a longer hike to a really cool river. After skipping rocks at the river Alfredo (our celebrity host) treated everyone to ice cream and a soda. Later we had some down time where we could either swim in the lake our play a game of pool. Then we broke up into mentor groups and made a deeper more personal connection with each member creating a stronger bond of trust and confidence within each other. Overall today was one of the most challenging days where almost everyone overcame their own inner struggle. Pura vida!

-Amber

Thursday June 21, 2018

Here are a few updates about the day from students: Robin, Isis, and Jennifer

Hi, I’m Robin. Today was a day of having fun with the kindergarteners at the school and dogs! The kids in my group today learned the long heads, shoulders, knees, and toes, and later me and several others did some manual labor in the yard. After lunch we had the chance to wash and play with some beautiful dogs, my favorite of which being a fluffy black one named Sacha. The afternoon was extremely hot but very satisfying as more or less each person had their own cat or dog to care for; however, sooner or later, we had to leave our fluffy friends and go back to the home base. The bus ride was bumpy as ever, but I was riding with Jackson who had been bitten by a bullet ant! The rest of the day was spent in the tower with some friends and calm music over the beautiful lake.

Hi this is Isis and today was a good day. All of us doing service were super excited to prepare for the art show tomorrow, as we learned new dances, practiced, sung, and set up for it. As we got back to home base we had time to share our enjoyment of the morning with one another and prepare to go to a dog rescue league. Though I couldn’t go to the dog rescue because I’m allergic, everyone else had the opportunity to bathe a few, swim with some and run around with them all, it seemed a great time in the sun. From what I heard, everyone was all smiles as they spent time with the dogs, it was almost like they were in dog heaven! As for me, I took a long nap and when my roommates got back they all had to shower and be careful as they entered the room with me. My room and the bus had to be disinfected! The afternoon continued to be great as we continued to get to know one another and practice our cheer dance that we will preform tomorrow at the school’s art show.

Hey, I’m Jennifer. After finishing a very delicious breakfast, my service group walked over to our school. Despite there being no school today, a few kids showed up to see us! They’re awesome. Today we decided it would be best to tackle the “book graveyard” as we call it. We made a lot of progress and I think the teacher will be proud 🙂 We also played futbol with the kids and everyone was fried from the sun. We literally looked like overheated potatoes by the end of it haha. Then our group came back and took a dip into the lake, a refreshing end to a hot and productive work day. As the sun was setting and everything was a shade of golden, everyone headed to our leadership activity of the day, an activity on what it means to be “triggered” (something that makes you feel insulted). We wrote on post-it-notes about our reaction and emotions to six scenarios that are triggering and then posted them on the wall, high up meaning you were very triggered and low on the wall meaning not bothered. Then we sat on the grass and had a deep discussion on the results. I found everyone’s comments very enlightening and I’m proud of us all for being open-minded and capitalizing on the importance of being respectful of different opinions and rather than being angered by differing opinions, learning and growing from them. Also, we had burritos for dinner, they were great. (mayo and hot sauce is a pretty bomb combo).

 

Friday June 22, 2018

Here are a few updates about the day from students Gracie and Blair, and Staff Mentors Carlos, Gabriella, Sophia, and Rosie

Hey it’s Gracie Platt and wow we are already halfway through the program! Today I got to be a photographer and I’m glad that I could do it. So today we woke up and had breakfast and then went to our schools for service. When we got to the school, we played soccer with the kids and then we helped teach some of the kids english. We also played simon says and it was very fun! Then some of the kids started drawing on the white board and they were drawing pictures and then writing the spanish word and we wrote the english word for them. We also worked in the garden and pulled weeds and it was very hot. Then we came back to home base and ate lunch and then left again and went to an ice cream place called Iguanas. The ice cream was very good and some of us also got some souvenirs. Then we left and went to a farmers market place and everyone just bought a ton of junk food like cookies, chips, and more! Then we headed back to the home base and we just chilled for a bit and then got with our mentor groups and did some activities and they were super fun. Then we ate dinner and now we are heading to bed but today was a good day!! Pura Vida!!

Hi, this is Blair! Today at Sant Teresa Sur, the students and staff put on an Art Show to show off their talents. Everyone participated and all the teachers wore matching costumes. Besides signing and dancing, students showed their artwork which was centered around themes of sustainable development on Earth. It was super cute to take pictures with the students and to spend time with them. Everyone who attended was having the time of their life and cheering for all the participants. All GLA students danced in a choreographed dance and also in the Macarena. It was super fun to dance in front of the crowd and be silly and sing along. Afterwards, we came back to the home base for lunch. Later on, the group went out for ice cream to try and connect to wifi and also to the supermarket to buy snacks and restock on supplies. I really enjoyed doing activities with my mentor group before dinner. The chickpea soup we had for dinner was delicious! Hasta luego.

Hi Friends and Family! Wow we cannot believe this program is already halfway done. We are so proud of all of our students, we can see a huge transformation in all of them; some big and some truly eye opening. Its such a privilege and an honor for us to have you trust us with you kids and send them on this amazing journey. This week has been pretty eventful but now that its the weekend we have even more adventure planned for your kiddos! A lot of this is new for us too, so its really special to be able to share this for the first time with you children and reflect all together as a group. We can see ever lasting friendships forming, relationships growing, and hearts and minds transforming into future leaders. We hope that you are proud of your sons and/or daughters as much as we are. We cannot wait to see what this next week has in store for us! Sending much Tico Love, Mentors Carlos, Gabriella, Sophia, and Rosie

Saturday June 23, 2018

Hola! Today, we took an hour long journey to a trail up in the mountains of Costa Rica! The trail took four hours to compete though thick mud and rocks, but the destination was all worth it! What we came across was a beautiful green lake. It was the perfect spot for pictures, and a great place to take a rest before the journey back. After returning to the buses, we took a quick detour to Ciudad Quesada and had lunch at a café. Afterwards we shopped at a local store and hung out in the city’s plaza until the rain kicked us out. Then we returned to home base and participated in some leadership activities. Overall the day was very tiring, yet it was worth the effort, and we had a great time!

-by Heath Reynolds, Arianna Schott, and Caryus Pak

Sunday June 24, 2018

Hey guys! It’s Hailey, Bailey, and Robin. Today we had the opportunity to go horseback riding and zip-lining through the rainforest near the volcano in La Fortuna. The view was beautiful and we saw some sloths and monkeys during these excursions. It’s really cool for us to see more of the volcano and rainforests in this beautiful country. We also got to go into the La Fortuna town where we went into an artisan shop to buy some souvenirs. Finally, we ended the night with a bonfire and pizza from our favorite restaurant, the Crazy Iguana.

Monday June 25, 2018

Here are some recaps of the day from students: Jennifer, Blair, Raina and Bailey!

hey guys, my name is jennifer. today at sophia’s service site we power washed the chairs and picked up trash around the school field. picking up trash was very tiring but it felt good seeing a clean lawn afterwards. also, you don’t even know how fun power washing is. it’s like you’re blasting a zombie haha. then we drove to the hot springs. that was by far one of my favorite experiences of the whole trip. it was so refreshing just chillaxing in the warm water, staring out at the sunlight speckled trees. we were totally immersed in nature and it was much needed after a long day of working outside under the hot sun. we even saw a toucan!

Hi everyone, it’s Blair! Today was our first day back at service since our weekend excursions. My service group went to our school and worked on tearing down the existing greenhouse in order to expand it and pull weeds. There were no teachers or students at Santa Teresa Sur today because of a teacher strike, but we were still able to make a lot of progress and plan out what needs to get done by the end of the week. After lunch, our whole group went swimming in naturally heated hot springs to enjoy the warm water and relax. I thought the hot springs were great because they were very clean and soothing to itchy bug bites. For the rest of the week we will continue to go to our schools and get done as much as we can before our time in beautiful Costa Rica is up. ¡Adios!

Hi guys! It’s Raina and Bailey. Today, we worked on the greenhouse at our service site, Santa Teresa Sur. We weeded, pulled out tree stumps, big rocks and poles, picked up trash, and loosened the soil. The kids were not at school today because their teachers were on strike, but we still managed to get work done at the school. After service, we went to a hot springs water park where we spent 3 hours relaxing by the pools. It was refreshing following our active weekend and morning. We plan on starting the mural tomorrow at our school.

Tuesday June 26, 2018

This is Dean. Today was another great and impactful day of this program. After breakfast, we went to our school. Outside, we worked on power washing the fence. Hopefully the next group will be able to finish power washing and painting it. Inside the school, we played games like uno and one where we said a word in english and the kids had to find the Spanish word on the whiteboard before the others. We also went swimming in the lake and looked at the cows and pigs. It was crazy to see how many animals were packed in such a small space. They had nowhere to run when they were afraid of us. It made me think for the first time that vegetarianism is a good idea. Back at camp, we learned about each other in an activity where we had to find something that made us different from everybody or the same as everybody. It was much easier to find similarities. In mentor groups we thought about what we did well today and what others did well. Overall, today was a great day and we had a lot to think about.

Today was a great day 🙂 This morning the group at the small school finished up our English review and started power washing the fence it’s sad to think that tomorrow’s our last service day but I’m glad we’re making a lasting impact. This afternoon our AMAZING host Alfredo gave us a “cow tour” we got to learn about them, watch them get milked, and pet them. Fun fact: Cows love to lick people. Alfredo made the whole learning experience great. We also got some time in the lake. It was a blast!! Can’t believe we only have a few days here 🙂 -Alexus

Hey it’s Isis here! Today was a fun day as we were able to distribute friendship bracelets we made to all pf the children at the school. The children were gleaming with excitement as we gave them the bracelets and absolutely loved them. It felt good to see the smiles on all their faces. At the school, we also played a game of BINGO as a way of teaching words in English. The game was full of laughter and the children, my peers and I really enjoyed it. As we came home, we got to have time in the lake house to bond with one another and just talk. Later on we played a really fun game as a whole, which motivated us to learn more about one another and realize how many similarities we have with one another. With tomorrow being our last day at our schools and the program coming to an end, I think it’s evident how much we’ll miss one another and how memorable the bonds we created are.

Thursday June 29, 2018

Hey guys it’s Raina, Tori, Allyson, and Arianna,

Wednesday was our last day at the service sites. In the Santa Teresa del Sur school, the group painted a mural of a big tree with hand prints as the leaves. In the Santa Teresa del Norte school the group had a game day where they enjoyed their last day the kids while playing soccer. In the Bella Vista school we taught English and played games like tag, soccer, and musical chairs. Saying goodbye was hard. The kids gave us notes, posters, and lots of hugs. Later in the day, we split up into two groups: one attended a cooking class and the other attended a dance class. For the cooking class we learned how to make a delicious vegan stir fry. In the dance class we learned how to dance bachata. After dinner, we had a movie night outside where we watched the Parent Trap. It was a lot of fun and great bonding experience.

Thursday we woke up early to drive out to the Santa Teresa river for a boat safari. On the safari we saw crocodiles, monkeys, iguanas, and otters. We had a great time seeing all these animals and splashing and racing each other down the river. Once we got out of the boats, we were fed hot tortillas with plantains and cheese. We also got to grind cocoa beans to make our own hot chocolate. Then we headed back to home base and had lots of lake time where we took turns jumping from the lake house. After dinner we all got dressed for our goodbye party. We danced and sang to our favorite songs and enjoyed our last night together. It was a memorable way end such a impactful trip.

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Monday July 30, 2018

Hey families!

Today was a tiring day for the group with all of the traveling, but we’re glad that everyone made it here safely. When the first few students in the group got in, we went to get some lemonade and chips and guacamole here in Alajuela. We wandered around town for a bit until the next group arrived from the airport. We quickly introduced ourselves to each other and headed out to lunch at Taco a Taco where we got some casados, a typical Costa Rican meal. We explored Alajuela a bit more and saw the park in the center of town. We came back for orientation and played a name game to get to know each other a little better. We had some down time and then left for dinner at a pizza place down the street. After dinner, we played two truths and a lie and decided on who would be in the different leadership groups that we’ll be rotating around throughout the program. We’re really excited about the upcoming week and leaving for Bahía Ballena tomorrow. From here on the journalist squad will be taking over blogs.

¡Pura vida!

Patrick and Jen

Tuesday July 31, 2018

We started our day off with a bus ride to Uvita where we learned a lot about nature. During the ride we stopped on a bridge to see crocodiles. We got some coconuts there to share amongst the group. Then we had some Costa Rican food for lunch at Bodhi. Today we learned how to break open coconuts. We learned how to take the meat of the coconut and extract the milk from it. First you bite off a piece of the meat and chew it but don’t swallow it and spit it out in your hand and then you squeeze it into your other hand. Then we went on a walk around the community. We saw sloths, toucans and Jesus Christ lizards, a species of lizard that runs on water. We also learned a lot about the culture of the town. We were surprised by how well everyone knew each other in the town. We ended off the day with an informative surf intro. We learned all about the history of surfing and what it’s all about so we are ready to jump in the water bright and early tomorrow.

Goodnight,
From Lex, Owen, and Manny

Wednesday August 1, 2018

The day started bright and early at 6 am in order to get to the beach by 8. We spent the whole morning surfing. We learned how to turn while on our stomachs and eventually stand up. We got to relax after in the pool and get ready for lunch.

After lunch we got into our first service activity. We went to Forjando Alas which is an after school program for kids. We helped clean out the back area to make room for the kids to play. Everyone got their hands dirty when cleaning out the tires and wood. We got into a close encounter with a few rain frogs after lifting up one of the tires, but luckily we had a frog expert there to reassure us that it was safe.

After dinner we had a very interesting group activity where we all shared our life stories. It was really eye opening for everyone to learn where we all came from and how interesting everyone’s lives are.

Sleeping with the frogs!

Owen, Manny, and Lex

Thursday August 2, 2018

Dear darlings,

We started our day working in the near by soccer field picking up trash, painting trashcans, and fences. After we were done with our hard work we began a fun game of soccer with kids in town. Quickly all of us were on the side lines as the young kids took over the game. We headed back to home base where we enjoyed our down many napped or enjoyed the pool. We then enjoyed yet another amazing meal that included some surprise smoothies. By then it started to cool down from the extreme Heat it even started to rain.

We excitedly headed out for our second serf lesson! By the end of the session we were all standing and even turning! Hopefully we will be on green waves soon!

Our evening was spent debating the fifa World Cup in Brazil we all had lots of fun and learned lots of different perspectives.

Excited for another great day of surf and service

Mom I promise I’m brushing my teeth and at least thinking about flossing actually that a lie.

-Love Ashley Emma and Luke and everyone else here in Costa Rica

Friday August 3, 2018

Dear Poo bears,

We don’t miss you at all!!! Just kidding we miss you so much but mostly our beds and sleeping in!! We woke up at the righteous hour of 6am yet again. We were assigned our word assassin names and words (a game to try to get our person to say a special word.) We started surfing at 8. We learned to turtle roll and plank to avoid waves. We were all exhausted by lunch. We then headed off for service. We organized books, we painted a wall, and took down old garden houses all while some of us were inside and painted rocks with kids. One student made a cute chicken named chicken joe. After that we experienced a wonderful yoga practice. We then ate dinner and finished our day with skits.

We are tired, we miss you, good night,

Luke, Emma, and Ashley

Saturday August 4, 2018

Dear somebody I used to know,

Yesterday we were all so tired from rafting we didn’t have the energy to write about our exciting day! We went white water rafting. It was a very exciting trip. We started with a 2 hour car ride up to the beginning of our river adventure once we arrived we were all eager to get in the water but first we went over the rules and guidelines for a safe rafting trip. We all had a wonderful time rafting and all of us were drenched in water some of us even got thrown in. Half way through we were surprised by a delicious snack of fruit, chips and dip. We then continued our adventure down the river and cinched with a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant. We then drove back to bodhi where we had a lot of free time before we ate dinner and watched different short filmes about water and surfing. Yesterday we learned a lot about team work and taking commands well. Over all yesterday was a very exciting day.

With love,

Emma, Oliver, and Bayley

Sunday August 5, 2018

Today was a beach filled day. We started our morning like always with a delicious breakfast before heading out to surf. Today we spent a lot of time in the water paddling out and trying to catch green waves. By the end everyone was exhausted so we ended 30 minutes early and spent that time playing on the beach. We then went back for yet another great lunch. Before going back to the beach where we met local kids to participate in a beach clean up we learned the the guidelines to cleaning up micro plastics and how to find them even if you can’t see them at first they are still everywhere and can even end up in us when we eat sea food. After cleaning we split up and helped local kids learn to surf along with playing beach soccer. We were all impressed with just how good the kids were at soccer. We rapped up our great day with some very peaceful and relaxing yoga. It felt so nice on our tired souls.

Love you lots
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox oxo your sweet darlings.

Monday August 6, 2018

Dear blueberry muffins,

We started yesterday with a wonderful 6 mike hike. We spotted monkeys, spiders, sloths oh my! At the top of the hill we looked out at the whales tale and even saw whales. We headed back down drenched in sweat and exhausted luckily we were surprised with ice cream! We then headed back to bodhi and ate lunch before going back to service. We had to plan everything we did with the kids so we decided to do a fun ice breaker then baked cookies and played soccer and tag with the kiddos. I think this service was the most rewarding for all of us. We ended with a gratitude circle that touched all of our hearts. We ended the day by going out to dinner we went around and shared moments where other people in the group impacted our life it was really emotional but also very fun. We then did a activity to find our values and then wrote down complements for everyone. Over all it was a great day. Today we had our last surf lesson it was lots of fun everyone caught some great waves and had a blast. We said goodbye to the beach and our amazing surf instructors. We are sitting at lunch getting ready to leave. We are all so sad to see each other go but excited to go home to see all of you.

Love you bunches,

Emma and Oliver

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Tuesday July 17, 2018

Hey families!

Everyone got in safely today throughout the morning and afternoon. The first group that landed went on a walk around town and got some delicious smoothies. We hung out in the park and got to see some different types of stores here in Alajuela. When the next group arrived, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant called Taco a Taco. We had casados which are a typical Costa Rican dish that includes rice, beans, salad, corn tortillas, and meat or vegetables.

After lunch we played a name game and then had an orientation to the trip. We then had some time to settle in and get know each other a bit. Before dinner we did a bit more exploring around Alajuela and then ended up at a pizza restaurant. We had vegetarian, cheese, and pepperoni pizza. It was an extra special day today because it was Max’s 17th birthday! We sang happy birthday to him as a piece of cake with a candle was brought out. After dinner we had an activity where we shared our fears, hopes, and dreams.

We are very excited to head out early tomorrow morning for Bahía Ballena. Our leaders of the day will be Gisselle and Joe and they will be writing the blog post for tomorrow.

We’re excited to start this adventure with this group and hope they come back transformed!

Patrick and Jen – Program Staff

Wednesday July 18, 2018

Hola Parents, guardians,and friends

Quote of the Day:

“If it excites you and scares you at the same time you should probably do it”

We started off our day at 6:30am. We gave the students some time to prepare for breakfast which started at 7:00am. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, toast, yogurt, and marmalade. Shortly after we boarded the bus to get to where we are staying now which is Bodhi Surf and Yoga which is Bahia Ballena, Uvita. On our way we made stops to a crocodile bridge, the town of Jaco where we had a very beautiful view of the beach; we also stopped to see sloths! We arrived to Bodhi at 1:00pm and we unloaded and had lunch. For lunch spaghetti, rice, beans, and chicken.

After lunch we went on a community walk to see what the daily life was for a local. We were introduced to different types of plants, went into the beach, and at the end of the walk we stopped at a tour guide’s home and had a coconut. Dinner was at 6:00pm and we had what is known as “casados” which means married. It is called “casados” because it is what the wife would typically serve the husband. Casados consisted of black beans, rice, fajita chicken, spaghetti, palmitos (hearts of palm trees) and salad. After dinner we played an ice breaker game called “string story.” Each student will pull the string out of the bag and wrap it around the finger while telling a story, once the string is completely wrapped the story must be up. Lastly we finished the day with a surfing intro with our surf instructor Gibran. We have enjoyed Day 2 so much and are super excited for what is to come.

¡Pura Vida Mae!

-Gisselle Rodriguez and Joe Keller

Thursday July 19, 2018

Today we all woke up to a breakfast of fresh fruits, oatmeal, eggs, and toast. After breakfast we hiked down to the national park and got our first lesson on surfing. We all instantly fell in love. Not a single person left the ocean without catching a wave. We fell in love with surfing at the first paddle. Riding a wave is unexplainable serenity. We walked back, sunburned and sea salted to a lunch of soup, ham and cheese sandwiches, and a yummy punch. We saw monkeys, parrots, a macaw, and some massive centipedes.

We then took a quick Costa Rican bus ride to an after school program for the youth. There, we drew whales and played with the children, learning more about them in Spanish and in English. At the end of meeting with the children, we engaged in a circle of recognition, thanking people for bringing light into our lives in ways they may have overlooked. This day has posed us with many challenges, yet we learned a lot about our GLA peers and ourselves. Today has introduced a new outlook on life for many of us on the trip, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next.

Brushing our teeth nightly!

-Dallas and Mallory

Friday July 20, 2018

Today, as leaders, we woke everyone up by hitting a metal cup with a metal spoon, bright and early at 6 am. At 630 we had breakfast in alegria. Afterward we had service at the park.

At service we picked up organic and inorganic trash. We helped paint benchs, tables, and moved tables to better places. After service we played a game of soccer with Kelvin, a local and ex-professional soccer player. Ben liked the service but didn’t like soccer. Maddy liked and soccer, even though it was very hot. We liked how everyone was helping and invoked at service in helping the community.

When we got back to Bodhi we ate lunch and had a discussion about how sports affect us both positively and negatively. Then we swam in the pool. After resting we went back to the beach to surf and learn how to turn on our boards. Even though the water was choppy we all had fun surfing in the rain.

At night we ate dinner and began our World Cup activity where everyone split into groups who had different view points on FIFA World Cup. Although some people do don’t take it as seriously as others, other did a good job staying in character. We discussed the negative effects FiFA could have on the country that most of us were unaware of. At the end of the night we were all exhausted after a full day of activity’s.

Ben said he learned that being a leader took a lot energy, “right after the activity I went straight to bed and passed out”.

As a group we learned a lot things such as how to turn on the surfboards, that FIFA isn’t as much as a benefit as it seems to be. People lose there homes and property due to the space needed for stadiums.

Meeting Kelvin was very inspiring because even though he was a professional soccer player he was very humble when he met us and he talked to us about how the locals very much apréciate us helping out the community.We learned that to lead a group you have to be assertive but also patient so we can all work together.

Trying new things everyday,

Ben and Maddy

Saturday July 21, 2018

Hello!

Getting everyone up this morning was a struggle. But the breakfast we had this morning made it worth waking up so early. We had french toast and maple syrup, fresh fruits, eggs, and oatmeal. After we had breakfast we got right into our busy day. We walked to the beach at 7:30 and began our lesson with Gibron. Today we learned how to paddle out and get over different types of waves. We learned that if you can see over a wave, then you should go into plank position and allow the wave to pass under you.

To get over a big wave you have to do a turtle roll (which is sooo hard). It started to rain so the scenery was so green and pretty. We walked back to home base and had lunch. We ate quesadillas and veggies plus some chips and salsa. After we ate lunch we made the executive decision that everyone needed a nice nap. Some people took a walk to a little corner store and others stayed behind to rejuvenate after the extreme days we have been having. We had service on the yoga platform. We watched a TED talk and explained our feelings towards it and why we felt that way.

It was really interesting to see people’s opinions and how they changed because of the video. We also planned out our service for tomorrow and that was definitely a hardship. Eventually we agreed on a plan and we now have a wicked fun day planned for the children of Forjando Alas. After that we did yoga which was a must need stress reliever. For dinner we had lasagna, salad, and garlic bread. Our nightly activity was a very fun game called mango and everyone was so into it. Today we learned a lot about each other and how we can help out as much as we can towards one another.

I was surprised by how energized people were towards the games we played and i’m proud of all the hard work we have done so far while being in Costa Rica. The big inspiration guy of the day was Tupac because of the quote he said “The most expensive thing in the world is trust. It can take years to earn and just a matter of seconds to lose.” Today I learned that I am a pretty good blogger if I do say so myself.

See you in the next episode of GLA,

Krissy and Trent

Sunday July 22, 2018

We woke up at 6 to eat breakfast and get ready for rafting. we left at 7:30 and hit a few bumpy roads on the way. we got to the river and we’re all eager to get in and start rafting. all of us had a lot of fun and some of us even fell in. we had an amazing snack and used leaves as plates. after we got out of the river we went to lunch and had really yummy food. then we came back and had a movie night. we watched surfs up and almost all of us fell asleep. we were surprised how quickly people fell asleep during the movie. we are proud of everyone’s determination to get back in the raft when they fell out. we were impressed by the chefs at where we went for lunch. we learned that it’s hard to get everyone’s attention without sounding mean.

From,

Liza and Mia

Monday July 23, 2018

Today we learned about the different types of breaks in waves and where the safe zone is.

The most surprising thing that happened today was getting burgers and fries for dinner.

Most proud of the service we provided for the kids.

The most inspirational person today was the yoga teacher.

Today I learned that I like yoga and how it makes you think about the world around you.

From the bottoms of our hearts,
Max, Jack, and Kyle