Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things to know and expect:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
4. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
5. 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!

COMING SOON!

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things to know and expect:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
4. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
5. 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!

COMING SOON!

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things to know and expect:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
4. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
5. 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 15

Hello families!

Today was our arrival day. After long flights and a layover in Lima, the group made it to Cuzco. From there, we drove to our Home Base in Pisac. It took us just over one hour, but the scenic views of the Sacred Valley were definitely worth it .

Everyone settled into their rooms and ventured through the Home Base (Aroma de Cafe) for the next three weeks. For lunch we had our first taste of delicious Peruvian food. We warmed up with some fun games and icebreakers and went over our Orientation.

After dinner we played more games!

By the end, everyone was ready for some deserved rest, but also full of excitement for what tomorrow will bring. Until next time!

André, Ana, Meg & Urbano

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 16

Hello again GLA families!

Today was our first full day in Pisac! We started the day with a delicious breakfast buffet. Right after it was time for an important group activity: the Community Agreement! After some reflection everyone came up with something that will make this experience even better.

We then filled our water bottles, packed our daypacks with extra layers and set out to explore the beautiful town of Pisac. We learned about the history of this place and we spent some time exploring the market.

In the afternoon, we participated in a welcome ceremony called Pago a La Tierra. Surrounded by mountains covered with clouds, the atmosphere was just perfect. An Incan shaman orchestrated an offering ritual for Mother Earth as a way to ground us together in our new home and prepare us for the rest of the trip.

After our ceremony we had a group dinner, played more games and assigned our first student leaders of the day.

Congrats Sarah and Adriana! You will hear from them tomorrow!

André, Ana, Meg and Urbano

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 17

Third day at GLA and today our group went on a reality tour! Seeing Cuzco from a whole new perspective! We travelled all across the mountains to learn more about local hospitals, schools, and art. Through this experience we worked alongside the non-profit MED-LIFE to get to know more about Peruvian medical and educational disparities and differences. We can’t wait to make a difference at out first clinic day tomorrow!

Signing off—- Adriana and Sarah!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 18

Today the GLA Peru Foundations of Global Health Team completed their first clinical day at a Mobile Pop-Up Clinic in Ccatca through a partnership with Medlife. We worked closely with medical professionals in Triage, Education, Toothbrushing, Dental, Pharmacy, and Medical Evaluations (of which every student will continue to rotate through all of in the next week).

For our blog post, we decided to interview some students and mentors in order to appropriately understand and appreciate their experiences.

The interviewees were prompted with the following questions:

What did you do today?
What was your favorite part of the day?
How was today meaningful, and what impact will it have on you in the future?

Sarah: I worked in dentistry and toothbrushing. I loved being able to hang out with the locals, and the kids specifically because we had the best conversations. The most meaningful part of the day for me was learning just how important it is to have these pop up clinics to makes healthcare accessible to those who otherwise might not be able to access it.

Meg: I had a really good time watching every student here excel at the medical clinic, I’m really proud of how everyone faced these new challenges and stayed calm cool and collected. Everyone tried new things, which is the whole point.

Urbano: what I did today is I helped to set up the stations and the chairs and tables, we had to improvise to find more. I was focused on the toothbrush station, in some moments it was very calm, and other moments it became very hectic. By the end of the day we covered over 150 kids. For me, it was meaningful to see the very old ladies being in so much pain, but still putting on a smile. That will stick with me.

Sam: I did the toothbrushing station and the doctor station. I really enjoyed the toothbrushing station because it made me happy seeing all of those kids get healthier. My meaningful take away is that we have it really good, and that we should not take our privilege for granted.

Conrad: I learned dentistry from the dentist, and it was cool to see how we were able to help so many people in one day. It’s amazing how much you can help better the lives of so many people in just 8 hours through dentistry.

Mina: So today I worked at the triage station and the dental station and at the triage station I took blood pressure so I basically had to wrap the wrap around their arm to check their blood pressure with the machine, which was really cool because I got to see my own blood pressure, but I feel like my favorite part of Today was the dental station because I got to get like super hands-on and I got to see like the problems that people have with oral hygiene and I got to see people‘s teeth get pulled out so that was really really different from what I’m used to.

Thank you for reading!

Blog made by Evie and Matilda

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 19

Hi everyone!

Today the group had their second day of medical service with med life! Everyone is switching to different rotations and doing great taking on new roles. The group has been so hardworking and are doing great communicating with each other. Tomorrow we are going to Poc Poc to see a waterfall and go hiking! You’ll be updated tomorrow night on how it goes.

Sincerely,

Rowan and Briella

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21

Hello GLA families!

Today we started off our day with a filling breakfast. We made our way to huanca village for our 3rd day of clinics where we continued to rotate through the stations. Although we had less patients today we still impacted 24 lives. We also learned a lot with the doctors and nurses that are working with us.

After we returned we did a scavenger hunt around Pisac while learning a lot from the locals and asking them questions to complete the hunt. While in town we took a pit stop to get some yummy empanadas from the local empanaderia.

We ended the day with warm delicious soup, rice, and chicken. Tonight we will get a good nights rest for our last day of clinics tomorrow.

– Alyssa and Evie

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22

Hola,

Today was our 4th and final clinic day. Although many of us were tired, we were still able to provide help to another community in the Andes Mountains. The clinics were a very eye opening experience because we were exposed to the conditions seen in many communities.

Later in day, we received a presentation that informed us about the significance of different plants in Incan culture.

Adios,

Ximena and Xander

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

Hey everyone!

The past three days have been very eventful! We went to Cusco for two days and today we went white water rafting.

The first day we went to Cusco we started off by doing a cooking class and made lomo saltado, picarones, and passion fruit juice which we ate for lunch. Then we walked around a market and try some mystery cheese that half of the group bought and finished.To finish off the day we saw a parade and went to a nice dinner.

We woke up early on Tuesday morning to find ourselves in the exact spot that thousands of global travelers visit on June 24 each year in order to celebrate the second largest festival in South America. We joined the city of Cusco and Peru in their celebration of Inti Raymi, an ancient Incan festival held in Peru to honor the sun god Inti. The group was immersed in culture through vibrant parades, music, and reenactments of traditional rituals. Our local team member, Urbano, thoroughly explained the historical significance of each passing group and the symbolism in each artifact that they carried. For lunch we went to a buffet that included many Peruvian foods such as Cuyi (guinea pig), Ceviche, and Leche con Arroz. After an enriching morning, souvenir shopping was crucial before we took a 2 hour drive to Cusibata River Lodge for a fun 1.5 day getaway. Our evening was spent hanging out by the campfire, and cooking s’mores without crackers or chocolate.

Surrounded by beautiful mountains, a gushing river, and raging rapids, we were ready to seize Wednesday morning by driving 10 kilometers upstream. The group divided ourselves into 3 river rafts: The Lady Boat, La Fuerza Aquatica, and another one. The brave people in the front took on each set of rapids with ambition, while the people in the middle and the back enjoyed a little splash every once in a while.

The Lady Boat (Briella, Sarah, Alyssa, Adriana, Meg, Ana) beat La Fuerza Aquatica (Conrad, Sam, Rowan, Xavier, Matilda, Andre) in an epic sprint downstream. Some took a dip in the river at the end, before sprinting to the sauna to warm up. Lunch was delicious chicken for everyone except for Sarah, who’s a vegetarian and probably had delicious vegetables instead. Then, some took on the daunting challenge of traversing the river via zip line, and some did not. After a day exhausted by fun, we drove back to our home base in Pisac, where delicious ice cream awaited us. Following dinner at what now feels like home 11 days into the trip, we played a fun charade-like activity as a group.

Thank you for reading!

Briella and Matilda

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Today was our first day back in Pisac after our multi-day excursion to Cusco and the River Lodge. In the morning, we participated in a moderated debate on the topic of building a road parallel to the Lares Trek, an alternative route to the famous Machu Picchu Inca Trail. A council of judges (Conrad, Briella, Evie) concluded that the road should be built after compelling arguments were made by four groups from four perspectives. A group of spiritual indigenous people (Elizabeth, Xavier, Sarah), an environmental NGO (Sam and Mina), a group of local women weavers (Adriana, Matilda, Ximena), and a tourism company (Alyssa, Rowan). This activity taught us the complexities that the future of Peru faces, and the challenges in developing the rural communities that we visited last week.

In the afternoon we visited three follow up MedLife patients that live in various houses surrounding Pisac. We worked with a MedLife representative to give them groceries and hear their powerful stories. This perfectly set us up for the next few days, for when we will be building Greenhouses in rural Quechua communities. Later in the evening, we further explored Pisac and debriefed this memorable day in small mentor groups.

Thank you for reading!

-Matilda

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

This morning we started our helping homes project where we built our first greenhouse. We worked as a team to construct the outer shell and plowed rows into the soil to begin with the planting process. It felt very rewarding to do our part in helping the families that have limited access to fresh food year round.

In the afternoon, we visited an alternative school that specializes in preserving the Peruvian agricultural practices and culture. They have a seed bank that aims in educating the children on the importance of biodiversity in the Peruvian ecosystem. We were fortunate enough to learn about the different medicinal plants that focus on healing the body and mind.

Love,

Conrad and Mina

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

Hello everyone!

Today we went to work on more greenhouses! Everyone worked really hard to help out by helping with the plastic on the outside, helping get the soil ready for plants, and putting in the sprouts. After that we went back to home base and had another delicious lunch.

Back in Pisac, we bonded as a group by watching an episode of a TV series. Then, we all participated in a heartwarming leadership activity where we learned about the various types of leaders, and applied those qualities to each person in the group. Later on in the evening, we went to the main plaza and watched a parade with fun music and traditional dress. It’s hard to believe that in a week we’ll be home, and our time in Peru is soon over!

Thank you for reading !

Briella and Matilda

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29

It has officially been two weeks into our GLA trip and we can already see the difference we are making in the world. Today we had a day off from our service and learned more about the Peruvian culture through a pottery lesson and a dance class in the afternoon.

We practiced making pots and pendants and then learned a few Quechua words. Vicente taught us about some of the Incan instruments and their uses in ancient Andean culture. After a delicious lunch and a movie filled afternoon, we started our dance lesson where we learned about four different kinds of traditional Peruvian dances. Then we finished off the night with a talent show where everyone got to display their skills!

LOVE Alyssa and Sarah!!!!

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things to know and expect:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
4. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
5. 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!

COMING SOON!

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things to know and expect:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
4. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
5. 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 23

Dear families,

We’re so happy to share that almost all of our students have arrived safely in Cusco! After a long day of travel, all flights went smoothly, and everyone is healthy, in good spirits, and excited for the journey ahead.

Once we gathered as a group, we had a little time to start getting to know each other and explore some of the charm that Cusco has to offer.

This marks the beginning of what promises to be an unforgettable experience. We’re so proud of how everyone handled the day—with patience, positivity, and a strong sense of adventure. Tomorrow, we officially begin our program and can’t wait to dive into all that’s ahead.

Thank you for your trust and support—we’ll keep you updated along the way!

Warmly,

Isabella

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24

Hello everyone!

Today marked the start of our program, beginning with breakfast and followed by a series of orientation activities. We spent time getting to know each other better and exploring the core values of GLA, along with the code of conduct. Our discussions emphasized the importance of respect, integrity, and cooperation, especially when working with the local community. We reflected on the need to understand our own privileges and biased perspectives while learning from the people, culture, and systems here in Perú.

After lunch, we left for our walking tour of Cusco, led by Diego, who taught us about the Quechuan festival of Inti Raymi, a vibrant celebration that honors the sun through music, dance, and rituals. Along the way, we passed historical sites and monuments, including the twelve-angled stone, and had the opportunity to shop at a large local market.

Back at home base, we did our first leadership activity, which focused on self awareness and personal growth. We reflected on our strengths, weaknesses, and goals as a vital foundation for becoming strong leaders. By looking back on our past experiences and acknowledging our roots, we gained deeper insights into our identities and values.

We ended the day with dinner and shoutout circle, a time to highlight and celebrate each other’s contributions and moments of positivity from the day.

Warmly,
Chloe

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

Today was another adventurous day in Cusco Peru. Breakfast was at 7:15 in order to get ready for today’s activities. The main highlight of the day was the reality tour which was a six hour tour by van. This was led by Mateo one of our wonderful tour leaders apart of MED LIFE ( Medicine Education Development for Low Income Families Everywhere). The purpose of the reality tour was to grasp both major and minor issues in Cusco mainly in the rural areas. Mateo helped walk us through the why’s of every problem. For example the reason for lack of education was inqsufficient resources, inadequate training as teacher had to learn a plethora of Peruvian dialects to teach a wide variety of students, but most importantly the long distances and harsh conditions students face when traveling to school. We made four stops, one for development, one for education, and two for medical(the focus of this program).

After we headed to a place which translates to Moon Temple. Here we completed a small hike with two Shaman leading us to a small area which we preformed a hour long cultural ceremony. Following our ceremony we headed back to the hotel for a quick rest before a reflection of today’s reality tour. We were separated into small groups to describe living qualities and cultural qualities of Peruvian people in a drawing. We then discussed more in depth of what stood out during the tour, some commonly agreed upon descriptions were eye opening, and feeling fortunate with one’s current life. We then got an introduction from Heidy a leader at MED LIFE about what was expected during a clinic day. In summary, there are six stations in which students can volunteer. Dental, Educational, Triage, Pharmacy, Primary Health, and a second dental station specifically to help children above 3 years old apply fluoride and teach how to properly brush teeth. Finally we ate dinner at 6:45, did a shoutout circle and went to bed.

We are very excited for tomorrow,

We will let you know,
Aiden

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Good night GLA families!

Today we drove through the Andes Mountains to visit a beautiful, remote village.
We provided essential care—ranging from dental education to agricultural support—that is critical to the lives of the Peruvian people.

We found the community to be incredibly warm and welcoming. They share the same desire we do: to improve each other’s way of life. It’s not just them benefiting from us, we gain so much by learning from their perspective and culture. We truly learned a lot.

We visited a mountain community where healthcare is deeply needed but not readily available.
I realized that many basic hygiene practices we take for granted are things they may never be taught, which can have a lasting impact on their lives and futures.

The nurses and doctors had a lot to manage, but their primary focus was to offer kindness and care. They handled the situation with incredible grace and dedication.

It was amazing to step out of our comfort zones and grow as individuals.
We took on leadership roles, sometimes by necessity, and that experience helped us bond and rely on one another’s strengths. We learned from each other and worked as a team to be more effective.

When we returned to home base, we treated ourselves to some well-deserved snacks and reflected on our day. We also learned about setting realistic goals as a way to track our personal growth and improve our communication skills.

Tomorrow we are going to a new community, we are experiencing different roles and learning a lot of skills. We are really grateful to be here.

We will keep you posted!

With love,

Marin

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

Hello everyone!

Today was the second day of clinical practice. After an early breakfast at 6:30 we took a 1 and a half hour bus ride to Huandar village near Pisac. The clinic was set up in an elementary school with many different stations to work. In total there were 6 stations which were dentistry, general medicine, toothbrushing, pharmacy, triage, and education. We did 2 new stations that weren’t done the first day. We learned new medical topics and got to practice in a controlled environment. We had lunch in the bus and then helped to break down and clean up the clinic.

After the bus ride back we had a short break for rest and relaxation. We then had a guest speaker to talk about early medical practices in Peru. We learned about the medicinal benefits of many plants such as the coca plant, which is a natural anesthetic. We learned from the drawings of Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala which showed traditions from the past which had been preserved by his drawings. We then had another leadership activity about the people surrounding us. We were tasked with writing down the people closest to us and our favorite attributes about them. We also had to write 5 qualities about ourselves that we were most proud of. We learned about how we can become the people we want to be if we surround ourselves with people who have the qualities we want. We learned the importance of surrounding ourselves with the people who push us to be greater instead of pulling us down.

We are tired but very proud of what we are doing, tomorrow we are going rafting and ziplining and we are really excited!

We will keep you posted,
Alex

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

Today proved to be a well-deserved break from the service activities we’ve been involved with. Everyone had a blast during the white water rafting and zipline activities, activities which forced us to communicate and work together as a team. After breakfast, we headed into the bus, ready to take on the challenges of the day. Our adventure started with a ride to the white water rafting location, where our knowledgeable guides taught us everything from the meaning of different commands to the right way to get back onto the raft in case of a flip. We dove right in with enthusiasm, and were soon forced to navigate the unpredictable rapids that swept our rafts in all different directions. Making our way through the river proved to be more challenging than expected, but all the more fun. Our ride was filled with laughter and thrilled screams as we worked together to avoid rocks and make our way back to the location.

After we arrived, we enjoyed a delicious lunch of chicken, vegetables, and rice, before making our way to the zip line. Ziplining was a wild ride for everybody, as we were all tested in one way or another. We embraced the daunting activity with bravery and excitement, ending off our adventure on a successful note. We then headed back to the hotel, where we rested shortly before dinner. After dinner, we participated in a pulse check, where we anonymously gave feedback about the program. Finally, our day culminated with a shoutout circle, where we complimented each other about positive and memorable actions that occurred during the day. We can’t wait to embark on our last service clinic tomorrow!

Warmly,
Kailani

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29

Hello everyone!

Today marked our last day of clinical work. We finished up with our last two stations in the town of Huaro, a little more than an hour away from home base. By now, we were becoming confident in our skills and using our previous knowledge to work quickly and efficiently with patients and staff.

We had a quick lunch in the bus like usual and helped clean up while discussing some of our accomplishments. We helped around 250 patients over the course of three clinics, improved our Spanish, and learned valuable information about healthcare and disease prevention.

After a quick break, we met as a group to practice our debate skills, discussing the implementation of a road through a rural village on the way to Machu Pichu. We discussed topics such as culture, environment, and economy- and generally the pros and cons of tourism.

The night finished off with dinner and some team games, where we relaxed and winded down for the night. Tomorrow, we get so much needed sleep and prepare for another amazing day!

Warmly,
Paige