Hola!

Today has been a jam-packed day filled with great service projects, Latin dance lessons with Luigi, discussions about social media and technology, friendship bracelet making, and a big soccer game with the locals. We will let the pictures speak for themselves today.

More Pictures, More Memories

A crazy number of pictures from our Costa Rica program:

Making Memories

This morning each mentor group set off to different places for their 4th day of service work. Sherrilee’s group went to the close town of El Jobo to help some local women pick up trash on the streets and playground. Emily’s group went to the greenhouse site and helped out by setting poles in the ground for the foundation of a new greenhouse. They also moved dirt to level the ground and remove nails from old boards so they could be recycled. Emily’s group finished the day by playing soccer with the school children nearby.

Today in Alex’s group, we went to the city of La Cruz to interact with some of the high school students. There we learned about what kids our age do in Costa Rica. We also helped them with their English by talking to them in English.

With the Tico’s Gringos we worked hard on re-cementing the wall to make a smooth surface for the continuation of the mural. However this also involved finishing up the breaking down of the walk.. It was a ton of fun but hard work. After we were done we enjoyed a small soccer juggling session with one of the workers, and even a young boy. The monet was surreal, but quite picture perfect.

This morning Kevin’s family group went into the town of La Cruz. We helped put cement on the walls to prepare them to be able to paint. They are making a mural down the whole street. While working we spoke with the locals and helped them with their English.

– Claire Ballentine, Grace Nikunen, Nicholas Sarabia, Kasey Rohleder, and Natalie Cooper

A Diversity of Service

Today Sherrilee’s mentor group paired up with another group and drove to La Cruz to work on a mural. Once we got there,a group sifted through dirt to smooth the wall, another group painted, and a final group took down cement blocks with sledgehammers. We got to interact with the locals and actively see that we were making a difference by covering up graffiti and preserving the town history of La Cruz by painting a mural showing historical events in the town.

Meanwhile, Alex’s group was at the greenhouse. We started off by carrying logs and digging. Afterwards, we planted some of those logs. While the school kids were out at break we talked to them, and then as we got to know them we played soccer (and of course duck-duck-goose!). The kids were touched that we spent time with them, and after our time together we didn’t want to say goodbye.

Team Ticos Gringos traveled to a local beach in el Jobo and worked with a group of women to decorate six trashcans. Our biggest challenge throughout the day was communication, but the women were very understanding and we were able to complete the task in the end. It was a lot of fun painting designs, and hopefully, restoring the trashcans will encourage people to keep the beaches clean.

The Lufepos’ (Kevin’s mentor group) practiced speaking English with local women in La Cruz. We paired up one-on-one and conversed, learning about each other’s lives. We then presented in front of the group, Ticos in English and the rest of us in Spanish. We played a game similar to dodge ball afterwards. It was a unique opportunity to practice our Spanish and also make a personal connection with the native Costa Ricans.

Finally, #TeamAwesome (Emily’s group) went to La Cruz to help construct a mural for the community. There were mainly 3 different tasks that we had to complete: putting a primer on the wall for the concrete to bind to, sifting the dirt onto the concrete, and finally smashing down some sides of the wall with a protruding section. The locals there were so engaging as they interacted with us. They made jokes that were hilarious, and definitely helped us improve our Spanish. In the end it was another amazing, engaging, and fun-filled day.

– Helen Craig, Savannah Carson, Kayla O’Brien, Elizabeth Porter, and Maimouna Diallo

Good Vibes

The heat was intense in the beginning, but worry not! We did not let it bring us down. Our day was packed with good vibes and the atmosphere remained pleasant throughout. Some groups ventured to the beach and river to clean up countless amounts of trash, as well as painting several trashcans with plenty of style. Other groups visited a Costa Rican school and practiced their Spanish while simultaneously helping other students improve. Yet another group set up the base of a greenhouse and played soccer with many children from this beautiful country.

The World Cup series better watch for this upcoming team folks (insert snippet of the grand World Cup applause here!) After another Costa Rican lunch, we learned about ecotourism and explored a Costa Rican beach. While there, we played games in the sand mimicking the famous sea turtles we had learned about earlier in the day in a brilliant presentation. The warmer-than-usual highly salt-concentrated water was a nice cool off after the activities. We then returned to home base in anticipation of another delicious meal.

 – Nattamon Rawanghet (Patch), Gena Cohen, Addie Waskowitz, Julia Knecht, and Kenny Park

Challenges and Rewards

Each family group photographer captured the challenging and rewarding moments of today through a camera lens, with the help of a couple of ticos (Costa Rican locals)!

Three family groups were able to help clean up local beaches. One challenge that we faced was communication between the locals and volunteers. A reward was swimming and appreciating a clean ocean.

Another group visited a local high school, where they were greeting with smiling faces and excited students. One of the highlights of the school was watching a handball game among the students. Despite the challenging language barrier, this group has a blast hanging out with kids their age from Costa Rica.

The last group dug holes in order to begin the construction for the greenhouse at a school. A challenge was the organization of such a task. A reward was laughing with the local children.

Overall these adventures have contributed to the Costa Rican community.

-Katie Glaser, Sophia Smith, Camryn Riddle, Janay Livings, and Tia Jone

Ecoplaya Adventures

Here we are in beautiful Costa Rica enjoying the sunshine. Our morning was perfect! We got to know our home base and and our GLA community while taking in the scenery around us. The afternoon brought quite a bit of rain, but we made the best of it and took the time to reflect on our new experiences by journaling. Overall it was a great day here at Ecoplaya; filled with lots of fun activities and plenty of laughter! This is the start of an unforgettable summer!

-Lindsey, International Director

All Arrived!

With the exception of one student who missed her flight, all students have arrived safe and sound in Costa Rica! We’re already having an amazing time getting to know one another, and we will keep you posted on our progress.

Headed Home

All students have checked in the airport and are headed home!

Saying Goodbye

If there is one thing to say about the amazing past three weeks in Costa Rica, it is that it feels like anything but three weeks. Two, maybe three days ago, I was on a plane coming here. Yesterday, I was building sidewalks, making eco-bricks, rafting through a beautiful and rushing river, learning Spanish, and just hanging out with friends, somehow all at the same time. And today, as I write this, I am fully packed up, my room empty, getting ready for the last delicious meal I will ever share with this group of incredible people. Even though I can look back at the calendar, and I know that we didn’t really do everything over the course of a couple days, a part of me refuses to believe it, the same part that refuses to believe that these three weeks really have come to an end, and tomorrow I will be on another plane, this one taking me back home. Nonetheless, it is over, and now it’s time to look back, reflect, and remember all of the fantastic things these short few weeks have held.

Even though this trip was explicitly described as one of service, I don’t think I fully realized before I left how much hard work we would be doing. Although the first few days were definitely hard to get used to, looking back on all of the great work we have done is an amazing feeling. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we are all so happy for the opportunity we have been given to help out in both communities, and do not regret a single blister, sore arm, or sun-burn we have all acquired over the course of our time here. I know that I could spend the rest of this paragraph going over all of the how many bags of cement, and how many painted tires, and how much square feet of sidewalk we made, and all of that, but I won’t. Those numbers belong on a spreadsheet, and this experience will never be anything like one. Instead, I will simply say that I think we made a real difference, no matter how small, and I, like everyone else in the group, am incredibly grateful for that opportunity.

If I could, I would spend paragraphs and paragraphs talking about the amazing friendships I have made here, the adventures and excitement we have had, the incredible locals we have been guided and welcomed by, and the ways that all of us have grown, as leaders, followers, and individuals. Unfortunately, I can’t. There is too little time, too many things to talk about, and I am pretty sure the food is getting cold waiting for me to finish this blog post, so I have to end it here. I don’t think it really matters anyway, because I would never have been able to do any sort of justice to this experience, no matter how much time I had to write. The only way to really hear about this story is to hear it from one of us, and I don’t think even that will ever fully capture it. But don’t worry, because if you want to hear about this wonderful experience in person, you won’t have to wait long. We, sadly and much too quickly, will be home soon.

-Reuben Dubester

Ending Service

With this final week, we wrapped up service at San Pedro, accomplishing all the goals set for the program. Among the key tasks were the continuation of the cementing of a sidewalk, and helping in the fertilization and cleaning of various organic coffee farms in the area. Both had great advantages, and disadvantages. As regards to to the coffee farming, one of the highlights was riding in the back of a pickup truck to the farming destination, and hooting and hollering at the cement group, who returned the gestures and comments, all in the name of jest. However, the thrill of riding in the pickup truck faded with arrival at the farm, and the immediate swarming of bugs no one had ever seen before. A word from the wise: it turns out that when faced with the super bugs of Costa Rica, conventional insect repellent does not completely eliminate the number of bugs capable of mounting an attack on one’s flesh. Casualties still occurred, just on a smaller scale. As far as cementing the sidewalk went, the largest “con” was simply the amount of labor necessary. Mixing cement is difficult work, but the feeling at the end of the task, and seeing the sidewalk slowly advance was rewarding. All the service tasks at San Pedro were completed, and we finished the final day with a satisfying soccer game. The end of service proved to be bittersweet, with many valuable lessons learned along the way.

After the week of service, we had a single-day excursion at an adventure park. There were all sorts of high-flying activities (literally). They included a Tarzan swing, climbing up the inside of a ficus tree and repelling down, and many others. All had fun, many conquering their fear of heights in return for a rush of adrenaline.

As far as the program goes, I am sad to be leaving. However, it is now time to take all the memories, and return to change our lives at home.

-Catherine Gong

Excursions!

This week, I get the blog about our excursion. I plan to make the most of it.

On Monday, we traveled to the Dominical beach. As to be expected, going to ¨la playa¨ with a large group of teenagers was a crazy affair. Our group arrived around lunchtime, and after devouring the aforementioned meal, had an afternoon of free time. There was an outdoor pool at the hotel we stayed at, so some opted for that option rather than dunking themselves in the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean. Surfing lessons were provided, for a fee, and the adventurous few that took this opportunity emerged with mixed results. Some proved natural surfers, while others found the ocean to be rather disagreeable; the ¨naturals¨ comforting those that found the waves disagreeable with the words ¨All I did was stand up,¨ and receiving the response ¨I tried to do that multiple times, and failed.¨ Personally, I sympathized with the group that found the ocean less friendly.

The next day of our ¨weekend¨ (Tuesday), we went to one of the most famous national parks in Costa Rica: El Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. Before reaching the beautiful beach the park provided, we walked on a short trail through the rainforest surrounding the coast. Sloths, monkeys, bats, and various insects and bugs were sighted on the trail, showing the diversity of life in the rainforest, even though we passed through a very small, people‐congested segment of the ecosystem. Our tour guides led us to a more private beach area, and almost immediately upon arrival, people began sprinting for the water ‐ a cautious few remaining behind to secure their belongings to prevent theft by raccoon. The water was warm and extremely salty. Those that enjoyed diving through the waves did that all morning. Everyone enjoyed wonderful and relaxing atmosphere until lunchtime, when it dawned upon the group that we needed to walk all the way out of park and twenty minutes more to the restaurant in hot, sticky, and humid weather. The showers were outdoor, so many opted out of them, and the result was a salty and sandy entourage engaging in a miserable and complaint‐filled trek in which every individual was forced to dig deep inside and find the motivation to continue. Looking back on it though, it really wasn´t that bad, we were all probably just hungry. The rest of the afternoon was free‐time, and a long bus ride back to home base. The day ended with a delicious meal prepared by our chef (more like resident superhero) Memo.

In conclusion, the beach excursion this weekend was filled with entertainment and great experiences. Service is fun and chock‐full of lessons, but breaks are refreshing, and we want to enjoy all that the country of Costa Rica has to offer. The two beaches we went to were beautiful, and it is a valuable lesson to remember that we must work hard to maintain state.

-Catherine Gong

A New Week of Service

Today marked the beginning of a new week of service, and the completion our first set of service projects. We spent the last week in San Bernardo, a small town tucked away high in the Costa Rican mountains. Although we had to get up earlier to account for the long and winding drive there, we had several delicious breakfasts prepared by Memo, our chef/superhero in residence, to fortify ourselves for each days hard work.

While in San Bernardo we had three tasks: painting and extending a fence made out of recycled tires, improving the concrete driveway that connected the community center to the main road, and constructing an eco-brick wall around the local school’s garden. Constructing the tire fence first involved the incredibly hard and strenuous work of sitting down and using a paintbrush to color the tires. Although this was back breaking labor, several brave students volunteered themselves for this sacrifice. The tires were then positioned in trenches, and stacked on top of each other, resulting in a colorful and efficient barrier between the grass soccer field and the town’s hungry cows. While half the group worked on this project, the others got their first exposure to cement, and received a crash course in how heavy shovels can be. Although the work was very tiring, standing back at the end of each day and seeing the driveway slowly grow towards the road was very rewarding, and when it was finally complete, we all felt happy about what we accomplished, although that feeling could also have been the exposure to excess paint fumes from the tires.

The last service project was the helping the local school with a wall for their new garden, made out of eco-bricks. For those who don’t know, eco-bricks are recycled plastic bottles that are the filled to the brim with other plastic trash. This sounds incredibly easy, up until you finish your first eco-brick, hand it to one of the counselors, and have your dreams crushed when they squish it down and your learn you only filled up about half of the bottle. When all of the eco bricks were finished, we painted them in the colors of the Puerto Rican flag, and built up the wall itself. In the end, we were left with a smooth, beautiful, and eco-friendly wall, that was then entirely ruined by 20 GLA students signatures, along with a host of smiley faces, hearts, and the use of the phrase “2K14.”

Although we have finished our first set of projects and we still have many more to go, we will all always remember our achievements, the locals we met and befriended, and delicious food we ate while we were there. We won’t have to think to hard to remember though, because we will always be reminded of them by specks of paint that we still have on our arms, and at this point look like they are never coming off.

-Reuben Dubester

Adventures!

The past week in Costa Rica has been full of service and learning, but there has been plenty of adventure and excitement as well! After two days of hard work in San Pedro, we started off our “weekend” with a late wake up, and a fantastic breakfast. We then got on the bus, and traveled three hours to the beautiful Gauyabo National Monument, an archaeological site where we hiked through the rainforest while learning about the indigenous peoples who used to inhabit the land, and the monuments they left behind. We saw the foundations of the houses and structures they inhabited, and an aqueduct that still functions after hundreds of years! After this, we headed back to a hotel in Turrialba, where we ate a delicious dinner and relaxed to get ready for a busy day on the Pacuare River.

The next day, we hopped on another bus, and drove through the mountains, descending down to the banks of the Pacuare, where we met our guides, geared up in life jackets and helmets, and grabbed our paddles. Once we were on the river, the guides taught us the essential commands, such as “forward” and “backwards,” and then moved on to more complicated and advanced maneuvers, such as “right forward” and “left forward.” Although advanced, we quickly mastered these techniques, and set off down the river, towards the rapids. As the river got faster and the rapids got more intense, losing a couple travelers along the way (we managed to retrieve them all quickly, with no injuries other than their pride,) we ended an exhilarating and excitement fun filled morning with a delicious lunch on the banks of the river, prepared by the guides.

The afternoon rafting got on to an exciting start, when one intrepid crew of rafters became carried away with just the basic commands of “forwards” and “backwards” and decided to advance to the next level command of “upside down,” while trying to save another member of their crew who had decided to take an impromptu swim through a rapid. Fortunately, everyone responded quickly and intelligently to the situation, and soon enough we were once again forging on through the river. Everyone had a fantastic day, and our rafting adventure (or misadventure) will definitely be one of the highlights of the trip!

-Reuben Dubester

A Great Week!

Because it is really difficult for me, as a writer, to write a brilliant introduction, I won’t. It has officially been a week since the start of this Costa Rica trip, and so many events have occurred. It’s really hard to believe that this program is already, or perhaps only, a third of the way done. Personally, I’ve experienced so much, especially through the various service activities that we assist in in the area.

One of the communities that the group has been assisting is the small town of San Pedro. After arriving at the service site, there was a group discussion regarding sustainable development, which we defined as development in an area that is designed to maintain the environment, and benefit the community at the same time. To explore this, a hypothetical situation was proposed. “If Earth were to be destroyed within a week, what ten things would you take to another planet?” The only assumption to this situation being that there was no need for oxygen. We were split into groups, with some being more serious than others. After much jest, however, we realized just how much humans depend and are a part of nature (despite the reluctance of some to accept this), and how necessary it is to promote sustainable development. The various lists proposed were almost entirely composed of water, seeds, and other “natural” materials. Clearly, an X-box, no matter how entertaining, would not be helpful without other necessities coming from the Earth.

After this discussion about sustainable development, we set to work in aiding the community of San Pedro. Half of our group was assigned the duty of helping a local coffee farm in its transition to a more eco-friendly technique. The farm was located on a slope, as most are in Costa Rica. In order to slow the process of erosion in the topsoil, deep holes and trenches were dug – the former to catch dirt, and the latter to carry rainwater away. Many compared the experience to the novel and film Holes. The other group went to the local school and completed several smaller projects. Some were delegated the task of painting tires, and others were told to dig ditches in the ground for the tires, so children could run and jump on them. The last section of the group that went to the school was given the task of scrubbing a wall to clean it for a future paint job. From a personal perspective, vigorously attacking the wall and watching the clouds of dust and moss explode of the wall was far more satisfying than one could expect. For day two at San Pedro, the responsibilities were switched, and everything functioned similarly to the first day, with slight discrepancies: the freshly scrubbed wall was given a paint job, and the group at the farm planted trees in addition to digging ditches.

The second community we spent time at was San Bernardo. By the time we got here, everyone was out of the fresh energy that was plentiful at San Pedro (i.e. It was a little difficult to get everyone moving). During our first day there, half of the group was given the responsibility of moving piles of dirt near the goal of the soccer field. Later, we also began cementing a sort of driveway. The other half of the group painted tires for a fence around the soccer field. The second day, the group that painted tires continued the cementing job, and vice versa. Later, we all made eco-bricks. Eco-bricks are plastic water bottles that are stuffed with compacted plastic waste, and later painted and cemented to make a strong wall. If one ever desires to have their dreams repeatedly crushed, begin an eco-brick project. You fill the water bottle to what you think is the brim, and watch someone else mash the plastic to half of what it was.

However, despite any possible complaints, this past week of service (with a “weekend” break – see other blog post) has been an almost literal blast. Helping a community to build can be truly rewarding, in more ways then one. I never knew that I could have the liveliness to complete some of the things that I’ve accomplished. As an example, I look children running around, and wonder how they have the energy and excitement for something like that. I’ve realized, however, that the reason why adults seem to have less energy than children is because adults spend all their energy thinking, as opposed to children, who spend all their energy doing. Through the service in Costa Rica, it has become more apparent that doing is infinitely more valuable than thinking.

Starting Off

Well, it is official; the second GLA Spanish Service Adventure Mountain program is in full force. Starting with the first students arriving at 6am Thursday morning and the last one at 11:00pm, all the motivated, enthusiastic, amazing learners are here, happy and healthy! Our international staff consists of Director Andrea and Mentors MarDestinee and Carlos. I can confidently say this is an amazing team, which is only enhanced by our local collaborating partners. We all agree that we are lucky to have such a strong local Costa Rican staff running an authentic environmentally sustainable program as well as such a strong home base (GLA) in San Diego providing support.

The program is located in the South Central region of CR called Los Santos. It consists of three towns: San Pedro, Santa Maria and San Marcos. Our home base in Copey, the beautiful Cedrela (Cedar) Eco Lodge is located about three miles uphill from Santa Maria and sits around 6,000 feet. It consists of seven cabins, staff quarters and a beautiful dining hall built four months ago. The cabins and all the furniture are built using local Cypress and Oak and are nothing short of master craftsmanship woodwork. The cabins range from one to three floor units with winding staircases, balconies, and large glass windows to take in the breathtaking views of the rolling hills and valleys below. There are over 50 species of birds in this area alone and a trail that winds through the hundreds of acres of forest above and behind Cedrela where one can find all sorts of food being grown. The mornings are crisp and cool but the sun quickly warms one up. Throughout the day the clouds roll in at around the same level as our lodge. The days are hot, the afternoon rains are cooling, and we have dipped into the low 60’s in the evenings. At night we trade flip-flops for socks and shoes, t-shirts for a warm sweatshirt and cold water for a hot tea.

The students have been amazed by the property and excited about their living quarters. They have been incredibly open towards everything here. They are full of questions, eager to learn, and have been practicing their Spanish with the local staff. Today, Friday, was our first day in the community. We met the local community, who prepared us lunch and a handful of the little girls from town performed traditional dances. After lunch, we headed into Santa Maria for a coffee tour learning about the process from farm to cup ending with a taste of one of the café’s delicious specialty drinks using their award-winning coffee. The café and coffee cooperative is listed on Lonely Planet’s “The 9 Best Places to Have a Cup of Coffee Around the World!” To round out the day, the students also had their first Spanish class and mentor groups back at homebase.

True learning is taking place and we are only one full day into our program. We want to thank the parents for supporting their children on such an important journey. Through the students we see the work that has been done at home and we hope they return even more motivated to ‘become the change’ they want to see in their lives and their local communities.

-Carlos Bill

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived and are ready for their program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!

Headed Home

All students are on their way home after an amazing program!

“Ah-Ha” Moments

The three life changing weeks are coming to a close! Even though we are all going to miss each other we can’t deny that the people that we have met here, Costa Rican or not, have changed our lives!

In closing discussions we were talking about our “A-ha” moments! For me it is when I really had to use the bathroom (like really, really bad!) and the tour guide simply asked this woman who lived nearby and she let me…not only a stranger but a foreigner (who didn’t speak her language) into her house! I was completely amazed! No one in the states would do that! Here is a collection of “A-ha” moments from people on this life altering trip!

Marin- “seeing the school kids use the sidewalk that we created; our hard work turned into something tangible!”
Kate-” after the Costa Rican loss in the World Cup the Ticos were still so happy and gracious. People lined up on the side of the road waving flags to greet every car driving by. The sense of community even in the face of defeat was inspiring.”
Vivian-“second night when I realized I was on my way to making 23 new friends :)”
John M.-“When the plane landed and I finally realized that I was in Costa Rica”
Alec- “After a leadership session and I realized that there are so many different ways to live in the world, and that the way I was living was one of worst possible”
Nick – ” I was astounded to realize there was no connection between economic prosperity and happiness.”
Marc-“from coming to the last coffee plantation, and finishing on the last day, completing something that was never thought possible”
Josh-“I realized that I can enjoy sooooo soooo much without technology. I admit that I used my phone a couple times but I depended on it less!”
Hoyt- “When we left San Pedro and thanked the local women for all their cooking. The women were so happy to have met us!”
Koby-“you don’t need to lead a group to be a leader, you just need to show them!”
Ethan-“I was amazed when I realized that “the people who are happy are the people who have less.” I love how the Costa Ricans focus on community and friends rather than material aspirations.”
Linda-“when I came to the first lunch in San Pedro and the people welcomed us and did their traditional dances, I knew I was in Costa Rica.”
Irene-“during the soccer game everyone still had pride and welcomed us in to cheer with them! This lady even gave me a horn! And then after they lost people were still cheering because they took so much pride in their country!”

One thing that every student needs to keep in mind as we all pack up and return to our homes is “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” -Dr.Suess.

-Julianne McLay

Vamos a la Playa

Even before wake up call, we could all hear the heavy, trembling rain smashing against the hotel roof. When us students finally got up for breakfast at 8, we were all ready to have fun and explore the city of Dominical. What we weren’t ready for was the Costa Rican humidity, which was so different from the mountain climate we were used to back at home base. With sweat dripping from our foreheads, we ate our breakfast of beans, rice, and fresh fruit at the Diuwaka Hotel restaurant.

After breakfast, we explored the streets for what to do next. We came across a surf shop owned by a man named Nick. He was tan like wood with hundreds of gray hairs popping out of his chest. Nick also had an impressive beer belly, one that probably took decades to achieve. He was very helpful in letting us rent our own surfboards for the day, and even gave us a few pointers for us first-time surfers.

We then headed to the beach with our 8-foot tall boards, reaching the rocky shores of the beachfront. There were tourists all along the sandy coast with stretched out towels and sun burnt faces the color of ripe apples. We rushed into the water with surfboards and boogie boards at hand. I “surfed” for 2 hours in the lukewarm Costa Rican waves. The currents were very strong; so strong that after half an hour, the riptide drifted everyone a clear 100 yards away from where we first started. After what seemed liked the longest time, occasionally drowning under the salty waves of water, we drifted back to shore to dry off and rest.

After we showered and removed the sand from places that are best left unnamed, we ventured through the local streets to shop for souvenirs. Rummaging through the little shops, the vibrant colors and beautiful cloths drew dozens of people inside. The beaded bracelets and vintage “Pura Vida” t- shirts were plentiful and attracted buyers from every which way. As we perused through the merchandise, I could feel the stares of the shop owners making sure no brazen tourist even attempted to pull a fast one on them. Although everything was overpriced, it was fun haggling with the owners. As we negotiated the prices down, the constant protest of the shop owners and their merciless attempts to reap the biggest profit possible definitely separated the boys from the men.

When the dust settled and the money was spent, our group headed down to a local restaurant by the beach for lunch and to watch the World Cup Finals featuring Argentina v. Germany. We didn’t get to watch the entire game since it ran too long and the humidity was getting to everyone. I’m convinced that if we had been there for only ten minutes more that our clothes would have melted into our skin. Alas, we began our three-and-a-half-hour-long bus ride back to home base. When we entered the bus, the air conditioning was like a fresh breeze straight from heaven. We also stopped by a shop for food, and as expected from teenagers with no parental supervision, everyone stocked themselves with plenty of junk food. The combination of chips, chocolate, and a bumpy bus ride left some sick and nauseous.

When we returned back to home base, we were welcomed home with the embrace of our hosts and our chef, Memo, who’s food made us forget all about our tiring trip. After dinner with bellies full and people starting to nod off, we spoke as a group about our expectations for our next (and last) week of service in Costa Rica. In the end, everyone hobbled off to bed under their covers to rest up for the next day of service in San Pedro.

-Irene 

Service & Rafting!

This week we worked in the community San Bernardo. In San Bernardo we were split up into three groups. One group worked on cement the other group on Eco bricks and the last group on building a fence for the soccer field out of tires. The Eco bricks group filled empty plastic bottles with garbage and they had to be filled completely. The group building the fence had to dig a trench at a certain width and height so that the tires would fit.

Over the weekend we went white water rafting. We were divided into five groups of seven, including the guide. Our guide, Sasi, explained some commands before going into the river like paddle back, paddle front and lean. After learning the commands we went down to the river. Our group was in the back since the guide had the safety rope in case anything happened. We got in and he started telling us to paddle front or back or to lean. We got to a point where we were allowed to practice swimming across the current. All the groups stopped and started swimming to the other side. Once someone got to the other side the next person was allowed to go. Swimming to the other side was pretty easy because the current pushed you in the right direction but at a certain point you had to start swimming harder so that the current wouldn’t take you. Swimming back was harder for me personally. First you had to throw yourself off a rock and start swimming with the current hitting you. My guide had to throw the rope to help me get back.

After that, we kept going until a point where our guide told us if we wanted to go into the water, do it now, it was the perfect time. We thought he was playing around but then Irene went in and so did the rest of us. The water was so good and it wasn’t too cold. I stood near the boat holding on to it when I noticed he was helping someone to get back in. Then he helped me and I tried to help someone else. It was so much fun and time flew by really fast. We stopped at a certain location where they had food for us. It was a really nice experience especially since it was my first time doing it.

-Kathy Lopez

The Adventure Continues…

The first week of this GLA adventure is over and I can honestly say that it feels as if it has been a month. We have been able to cram so much into such a small time that I am beginning to lose track. It has all gone by so fast and yet we are not even half way done with this 3 week time slot of all our lives. The trip started with 10+ hours of flight to reach our destination, which was immediately followed by meeting our small collective of teenagers ranging from 13-17 and our three leaders, Andrea, Carlos and Mar. We then exchanged money and paid the $29 fee to leave the country. Next was a 2 hour bus ride to home base with 23 other awkward kids I’ve never met before. Once getting to home base in the mountains around the city of Copey in the Santos Region of Costa Rica, we split into cabins and slept. The second day consisted of get-to- know-yous and various ice breaker activities as we all get to know each other a little more.

The next few days quickly fell into routine and rhythm as we volunteered at the local town San Pedro and helped continue the construction of a side walk for the children to walk to school instead of walking in the road, as well as the maintenance of an eco coffee farm where natural substances are used in place of things like pesticides and growth chemicals. Throughout all of this, the group has been able to work along side and interact with the locals known as “Ticos,” allowing for rich experiences and Spanish speaking opportunities offering non- stop growth for both sides. This efficiently became the norm for the next few days until we were allowed a precious 2 day break to go on our first excursion of white water rafting. This started with a long drive with only a stop to watch the Costa Rican’s face Holland in the World Cup, and another stop to refill on snacks and other small luxuries. We then stayed in a very nice hotel for a night and woke up to the sounds of the bus horns telling us it was time to go rafting at last!

Every day has been a new experience with no single day like any before it. The experiences I have individually gained have started to make a visible impact on my person and it has only been a single week out of three. Everyday brings something new with the best part being that no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to predict exactly what will come. I look forward to the next 2 weeks in Costa Rica, making life long friends, helping the community, improving my Spanish and viviendo la PURA VIDA!

-Alec Burke

Pura Vida!

The program is called Global Leadership Adventures with a purpose of creating leaders that would spark a positive change through out the world, and that change would spread like wildfire! But to create leaders we first have to start by creating a successful team! That can be a difficult challenge when you take 24 students and 3 mentors, not knowing each other, and throw them out of their comfort zone in a different country! But we all went from not knowing one another to talking to each other like we have been next door neighbors our entire lives… and it shows!! For example in our service work we spilt into groups and in San Pedro one group was doing cement and another group was working with coffee. The coffee group was done first and the sidewalk group still had some work to do and then clean their supplies. Without hesitation the coffee group grabbed shovels and hoses and started working!! It was awesome! And the locals noticed! The locals make us lunch everyday to thank us for all the hard work that we are doing for their community, and it has been delicious!!

In this first week we had one of the most exciting things… The Costa Rican World Cup game!!! On that day… The air was different…everyone wore a jersey, and the flags were out! On our way to rafting we stopped in town so that we could watch the game!! The restaurant had a fun atmosphere and I was so excited to get my hamburger and french fries, but even that was different! The ticos all dressed up in jerseys, wigs, face paint, temporary tattoos and they brought horns and drums into the restaurant! It was so crazy!! And they welcomed us! They invited us to sit with them, taught us the chants, and gave a horn to Irene! It was so cool! It was sad when Costa Rica lost the World Cup but that did not upset the ticos. As we finished our drive to the rafting location we saw so many of them on the side of the road waving flags and cheering. It was heartwarming to see these people not lose their spirit!

A big part of this program is learning about sustainability and how we can help with simple acts. We are learning about sustainable coffee farms and helping provide labor to local farmers who couldn’t afford the labor for the Eco version of coffee farming. We have pulled weeds, loosened soil, and fertilized with organic products! It is very hard work but it is really helping the communities and teaching us about what humans do to the environment and the simple actions that we can do to change it. In the coming week we are going to build a fence by reusing tires and build benches out of “Eco-bricks” which is basically plastic bottles stuffed with plastic. What an amazing way of reusing things that would other wise end up in a landfill!

Pura Vida,
-Julianne McLay

First Days

By: Carlos Bill

Well, it is official; the GLA Spanish Service Adventure Mountain program is in full force. Starting with the first students arriving at 6am Tuesday morning and the last one at 8:30pm, all the motivated, enthusiastic, amazing learners are here, happy and healthy! Our international staff consists of Director Andrea and Mentors MarDestinee and Carlos. I can confidently say this is an amazing team, which is only enhanced by our local collaborating partners. We all agree that we are lucky to have such a strong local Costa Rican staff running an authentic environmentally sustainable program as well as such a strong home base (GLA) in San Diego providing support.

The program is located in the South Central region of CR called Los Santos. It consists of three towns: San Pedro, Santa Maria and San Marcos. Our home base in Copey, the beautiful Cedrela (Cedar) Eco Lodge is located about three miles uphill from Santa Maria and sits around 6,000 feet. It consists of seven cabins, staff quarters and a beautiful dining hall built four months ago. The cabins and all the furniture are built using local Cypress and Oak and are nothing short of master craftsmanship woodwork. The cabins range from one to three floor units with winding staircases, balconies, and large glass windows to take in the breathtaking views of the rolling hills and valleys below. There are over 50 species of birds in this area alone and a trail that winds through the hundreds of acres of forest above and behind Cedrela where one can find all sorts of food being grown. The mornings are crisp and cool but the sun quickly warms one up. Throughout the day the clouds roll in at around the same level as our lodge. The days are hot, the afternoon rains are cooling, and we have dipped into the low 60’s in the evenings. At night we trade flip-flops for socks and shoes, t-shirts for a warm sweatshirt and cold water for a hot tea.

The students have been amazed by the property and excited about their living quarters. The first wave of students, who arrived early Tuesday morning, were so pumped up they couldn’t take a nap even though they were on a red-eye flight. They spend hours helping me make signs for the program. All of the students have been incredibly open towards everything here. They are full of questions, eager to learn, and have been practicing their Spanish with the local staff. Today, Wednesday, was our first day in the community. We met the local community, who prepared us lunch. A handful of the little girls from town performed traditional dances and the students also had Spanish class.

True learning is taking place and we are only one full day into our program. We want to thank the parents for supporting their children on such an important journey. Through the students we see the work that has been done at home and we hope they return even more change’ they want to see in their lives and their local communities.

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived and headed to the home base yesterday. Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!

Headed Home

All students are headed home!

The Weekend

While participating in Crossing the Line Friday night, we were told to cross the line if we had cried this year. Our mentor Christina shared with us that she had cried during the previous program. She described her tears of happiness when at Playa Naranjo, where she said, “…I saw the most beautiful sunset to the right and to the left the most brilliant, vibrant, rainbow and at that moment I was filled with so much love, it poured out of my eyes…” She described that she had never seen anything like that before and she just sat there and took in a sight that filled her with pure happiness.

The next day, we traveled to Playa Naranjo to learn to surf and camp on the beach. After we finished our lesson, we decided to take the surfboards out in the water to experience surfing at sunset. We were in complete awe of the beauty, wondering what we had done to deserve such an amazing experience while being in the presence of such unrealistic perfection. As we got out of the water, we noticed that there was a rainbow shining through the clouds on the right and the sunset filling the sky with orange and pink on the left. We talked about how beautiful it was and how lucky we were to experience the same moment Christina talked so highly about. But we then realized to take in the moment in silence, appreciating everything about the amazing scenery we got to live in. We were the only two lucky enough to see it, while it lasted for less than three minuets. Laurel & Lauren

SpokenWord

GLA !!! What Is It ? Yeah GLA !!!

Where does it come from ?

What’s the benefit of it ?

Global Leadership Adventures

3 Keys words that are combined

Strongly….

Such as a Huge Diverse Ethnic Background

Connecting within 2 weeks

In Costa Rica !!!! Pura Vida !!!!

La Escuela Playa Hermosa

Today we all woke up at our regular time: 6:30am. After breakfast we split into our mentor groups and headed off to our service sites. At Jess’s team’s site we continued work on the principal’s office and sports court. The best part of the morning was definitely playing and spending time with the kids who attend La Escuela Playa Hermosa. They were very excited to spend time with us (or maybe it was just our iPhones!). After plenty of hard work and selfies with the kids, we headed back to our homebase for lunch. After the usual delicious lunch and a little free time, we broke into our Spanish groups. While one group took off to do pottery, the other group remained and did a Spanish lesson. Once the lesson was completed, we got a chance to explore the center of the town of El Coco, guided by our Spanish teachers. We stopped to by fresh fruit, smoothies and some souvenirs. In the afternoon, we all went down to the beach to lay in the sand of soak in the water. Once again there was an absolutely beautiful sunset, which was only the beginning of a relaxing evening. Once dinner had been finished the entire group took a trip down to the beach to meditate under the stars. The moon was out and lighting up the whole beach. After meditating we broke off into mentor groups to reflect. Now we’re all off to a well deserved night’s sleep.

Welcome to Playas del Coco!

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived in country and are ready for their program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!

A Full Day!

Today, we woke up to a beautiful day. Although Wednesdays can be exhausting since we’ve already worked for two days, and we still have two more, we were excited for service. We mainly did the same tasks as earlier this week, such as shoveling, painting, wheelbarrowing, and making cement. Service can be hard, but it is very rewarding. We are all making a lot of progress while having fun with the children.

After a plentiful lunch of rice and beans, we split up into our Spanish groups. One group was able to experience the petting zoo with moneys and animals galore. The other group went snorkeling. It was nice because the sun had just come out.

After our activities, we all got ready and decided to dress up for an American dinner of burgers and fris. What a special evening. we continued the festivities with a group exercise called ‘Cross the Line’, which brought us all closer together. I can’t believe this journey is almost half way over!

Miss everyone at home! See you soon Mom and Dad!

-Nicole Hu

Adventures & Service

This weekend we went camping, hiking, and surfing! We camped on the beach where we surfed, wcich is called Playa Naranjo, located in Santa Rosa National Park. It is famous for its waves and beauty. The waves and instructors were so good that nearly everyone was able to ride the waves. We also hiked through another national park, where we saw many natural springs and mud pools created by volcanic activity. After hiking, some people enjoyed rejuvenating mud baths, while others went to a local restaurant and watched the World Cup final. Overall the weekend was educational and fun!

Monday and Tuesday have been full of hard work and exciting activities. All of our projects are coming along nicely, propelled by teamwork and enthusiasm. All of the service groups have now had a chance to interact with members of the community and utilize their Spanish. Spanish classes have featured a tour fo Coco’s Super Mercado, where students participated in a scavenger hunt that introduced them to local foods. On top of that, students visited a Tico’s home to learn how to cook tamales and Costa Rican bread. Others went on a snorkeling adventure, where they explored the sea, admired the fish and met several howler monkeys!

Can’t wait to see what the rest of our time has in store! Stay Tuned.

-Jenn and Sarah

Service

After our typical 7am breakfast, we dispersed into our service groups. Cristina’s group carried on with painting a local school. Jess’ group continued to shovel and sift sand at the Playa Hermosoa school in order to construct a new sports court. At the school of Philip’s group, we finished what we started– a cement covering for a septic tank.

Then we had lunch and after a short break, we split off into our Spanish groups. Half of us went to potter class, while the other half stayed at home base for a Spanish lesson. After a long day, we all cooled off in the pool and at the beach before dinner. Later, we watched a Ted Talk about the importance of seeing multiple sides to a single story.

Surfing and hiking tomorrow! It’s going to be great!

-Mara, Bola and Nicholas

An Extra note from Nicholas:

Costa Rica is very eye-opening, the culture and people are not as they would be if in what is considered the first world. I have always heard that the people here are happy, and I strongly agree. I see children in California play with iPads, with plank expressions, yet here in Playas Del Coco, I see children playing with reptiles and bugs as if they are toys. One boy asked me today, “Are you coming back to me?” Of course he said it in Spanish, and like always, I didn’t understand it. That really made me feel important, special and alive.

I came here to see the sunset and make a difference for the future youth of the world. I feel complete here. I will hate to leave my new found little pals. I hope they grow up, just as I did, and will benefit the world, even if for a fragment of time.

They have the potential. I can see it; They, like how I desire, will change the world.

Sincerely,
-Nicholas Silva

Starting the Journey

Today was a start of our journey, as all four groups began their new service projects. After hard work and dedication we were rewarded with the beach and an evening trip to town. While we were at the beach we relaxed and played futbol con los ticos! Later that night we were at a carnival and went on rides. We all became great friends so there’s no need to worry. We are eating three full meals a day and the food is absolutely great! We’ll make sure to keep in touch and call whenever possible. Love you all and take care!

MUAH!

-Isabella, Anita, Gabriel, Bryan

*Photos to follow.

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived in country safely and are ready for an amazing program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos.