On June 21st we awaited eagerly for our students to arrive. Nearly two hours passed before we caught a glance of our first student wearing a royal blue shirt with the words “Be the Change.” Over the next two weeks they would discover what those words really meant. Students noted the humidity and warmth, meanwhile introducing themselves to each other, not know they would soon become deeply bonded by the power of service and adventure.

Our first contact with the St. Augustine students came the following Thursday. We described this interaction as magical. It was only a brief interaction but it provided our students with a taste of what was to come. Their initial reactions to the Belizean students filled us with hope and excitement for the upcoming service. Soccer games, swings, skipping and many hugs quickly set the tone for upcoming time with the Belize students.

Although the GLA students were eager to jump into service with the children, we were only able to spend a few moments with them before the weekend arrived. We made great use of time by first tackling a project on the playground of St. Augustine. We effectively turned a plain wooden playground from “drab to fab” as the students used their creative energy to repaint the playground in colors resembling that of a carnival. A few T-shirts were “ruined” but their wearers were thankful for the memories stored by their brush marks.

They following day we traveled to San Ignacio to tour a local market and hang out at the iguana sanctuary. Thunder storms and heavy rain didn’t dampen our spirits after hearty meal of stew chicken a local restaurant called “Benny’s.” We dominated the small diner atmosphere with our laughter. With full bellies, we headed out to the ancient Maya ruins of Cahal Pech. This place yielded an enriching experience with the ability to tour an excavated ancient ruin. We were able to walk the halls and visit the rooms of the Mayas as we learned about their traditions and practices. We finished the weekend with a visit the “Blue-hole” national park. Due to the recent rains and sediments in the water, the blue hole was murky brown. Regardless, the students jumped in, eager to cool off after a hike through a Maya cave.

Our week was saturated by service at St. Augustine and various cultural outings:

• Marie Sharps Hot Sauce Factory
• Lamanai Chocolate making demonstration
• Dangriga open mic-night
• Cooking class with Alecia
• Belize Zoo
• Snorkeling at Tobacco Caye

Service proved to be transformative as the GLA students took on roles as classroom leaders. Their first day with the Belizean students was undoubtedly difficult, as GLA students recognized the vast differences in structure, culture and behavior of the school. Doubt never surfaced in our students, instead they came together as a team and addressed those differences. They developed a plan for successful interactions with the Belizean students and implemented it the following service days with tact and tenacity. They fostered a culture of love and positivity as they encouraged Belizean youth to pursue their dreams with confidence.

We witnessed countless meaningful relationships develop between our leaders and the Belizean students. Our post service discussions were filled with comments of gratitude, appreciation, lessons learned, and awareness. As their relationships with the students flourished their friendships amongst one another grew intensely.

Emotions ran high as they found the humanity in one another and dove deep into lasting relationships. We feel incredibly privileged as mentors to have witnessed these changes on an individual level and as a group.

Best,
GLA Staff Team

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.

Wow! Can you believe it has already been months since we were all together in Bali?  It feels like yesterday that we eagerly awaited your arrivals at the airport, excited to see your jetlagged faces ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime!

In just two short weeks, each of you made such a direct impact on the village of Mas.  We have met with the village and banjar leaders and they feel so lucky to have had such dedicated, inspiring young people give their time to their elderly and youth.  Whether you know it or not, spending part of your summer in Bali has become a catalyst for so many of the villagers of Mas to have a better awareness of their health and ways to improve it.  You should be very proud!

We hope that you have had an amazing start to your new school year.  We have no doubt that you have stayed true to your commitments that you left with at the end of the program and that you continue to make a positive impact on the people and communities around you.  Keep traveling and keep taking risks; we know that each of you are going to make such a difference in the world!

After chatting with the team, we came up with some of the most memorable moments of the summer:

• All experiencing gla for the first time together 
• Serious indoor soccer tournament/World Cup 
• Dance circle around the fire at EBI 
• Chloe laughing and hysterically screaming during the “a cold wind blows game” 
• Singing September by earth wind and fire 
• Bright and early morning workouts 
• Jolie causing trouble 
• Overcoming the fear of teaching together 

Miss you all and stay in touch!

-Your GLA Bali Team

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.

Wow! Can you believe it has already been months since we were all together in Bali?  It feels like yesterday that we eagerly awaited your arrivals at the airport, excited to see your jetlagged faces ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime!

In just two short weeks, each of you made such a direct impact on the village of Mas.  We have met with the village and banjar leaders and they feel so lucky to have had such dedicated, inspiring young people give their time to their elderly and youth.  Whether you know it or not, spending part of your summer in Bali has become a catalyst for so many of the villagers of Mas to have a better awareness of their health and ways to improve it.  You should be very proud!

We hope that you have had an amazing start to your new school year.  We have no doubt that you have stayed true to your commitments that you left with at the end of the program and that you continue to make a positive impact on the people and communities around you.  Keep traveling and keep taking risks; we know that each of you are going to make such a difference in the world!

After chatting with the team, we came up with some of the most memorable moments of the summer:

• Ethan and his Benadryl incident then slipping on the bathroom floor…Ethan just being Ethan in general
• Robin Lim saying “I love you” instead of cheese for pictures
• Beni’s music in the vans
• Evening activities that turned into dance parties
• Drinking blue butterfly pea tea
• Sophia and Vicky singing karaoke to despairing, Elise being the first to sing and just karaoke in general
• Learning a good morning song in Bahasa
• The tremendous efforts of the winning team in the crossing the river challenge

Miss you all and stay in touch!

-Your GLA Bali Team

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.

Wow! Can you believe it has already been months since we were all together in Bali?  It feels like yesterday that we eagerly awaited your arrivals at the airport, excited to see your jetlagged faces ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime!

In just two short weeks, each of you made such a direct impact on the village of Mas.  We have met with the village and banjar leaders and they feel so lucky to have had such dedicated, inspiring young people give their time to their elderly and youth.  Whether you know it or not, spending part of your summer in Bali has become a catalyst for so many of the villagers of Mas to have a better awareness of their health and ways to improve it.  You should be very proud!

We hope that you have had an amazing start to your new school year.  We have no doubt that you have stayed true to your commitments that you left with at the end of the program and that you continue to make a positive impact on the people and communities around you.  Keep traveling and keep taking risks; we know that each of you are going to make such a difference in the world!

After chatting with the team, we came up with some of the most memorable moments of the summer:

• The evening we went to meet the Stikes students, our kids ended up drawing them into a big dance party and taught them how to dance to Cotton-Eyed Joe.
• Trying to open salak, the snakefruit in Kintamani
• Emily got the coolest picture of the whole trip when we went to Tirta Empul. She dipped her GoPro into the koi pond and got a fantastic closeup of a crazy fish face.
• At Good Karma, joining the locals for a pickup beach volleyball game.
• When we went to visit the elephant safari park, I could see student after student clicking in and starting to realize how sad it was for the elephants. When we decided unanimously to leave early and skip the gift shop, I was so, so proud of their empathy.
• The very first full day, Sydney and Caryna came downstairs before breakfast and met one of the women in the compound. They were invited into the family temple for prayers and blessings, and emerged to eat wearing the rice from the ritual.
• Falling in love with the puppy that came to live at the compound. They cycled through several different names for her, finally settling on “Roo” which was short for Krupuk, the shrimp chips that the ladies from Mama’s brought up every day at lunch. I believe the second session kids renamed her Lola.

Miss you all and stay in touch!

-Your GLA Bali Team

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.