Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Wow! Can you believe it has already been a few months since we were all together in Bali?  I feel like it was just yesterday that we were eagerly awaiting your arrivals at the airport and see your jetlagged faces ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime ☺

Recently I have been back to Lovina to visit our friends from the summer. We reminisced about all the fun we had with Domingo, Anik and the singing boys at the beach.   Saw the dorm staff and they say its already lonely and feeling vacant without you there.  And of course I visited the schools that you made such an impact on.  The children were so excited to see me because they thought I had brought all of you back!  Unfortunately not, but I can tell from talking to the teachers that they have a new enthusiasm for learning that directly stems from your incredible teaching ☺☺

I hope that you have had an amazing start to your new school year.  I have no doubt that you have stayed true to your commitments that you left with at the end of the program and that you have a new understanding of your role in the world.  Keep traveling and keep taking risks, I know that each of you is going to make such a difference in the world!

Miss you all and stay in touch!

-Ryan and the rest of GLA Bali Staff

Here are just some of the things I remember from our summer together:

• A special birthday surprise for Jessica
• Afternoon “yoga” with Tami, which was more like military exercises!
• Everyone running out of the water and freaking out because of the small jellyfish in Pemuteran ☺
• Fireworks and burgers on the beach on the 4th of July
• The Bali belly that basically got all of you at one time during the trip
• Zach doing his crazy exercise regiment at like 4:00am every day
• Sophie deGuzman’s crazy dance moves
• Tayla looking like she could be in Anik’s family
• Early morning runs that basically killed me
• Kiera and her ability to be creepy basically doing anything
• And so much more!

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Summer Blog Posts

June 22, 2016

Om Swastiastu!

After many, many hours traveling around the world, our GLA Bali students have arrived! We are so excited to start this 21-day journey with such amazing young people!

Check in to this blog throughout the program to witness all the fun we are going to have ?

We have one student, Brooke Yacavone, who arrived a bit later and did not make it in time for the picture. But we will make sure to have everyone in our next group photo!

– GLA Bali Staff

Friday June 24, 2016

Second day in the land of Ubud and discovery, we woke up before the sun rose for the early morning market. We experienced the extremely crowded walkways, raw fish, foreign fruits, and spongy baked goods. All were delicious (to some) and a new experience for us all.

Back to the buses we went where we bounced around in an air-conditioned van. After many twists and turns and steep roads, we saw the beautiful rice paddies of Bali. We learned about the problems that face the modern day rice farmers, being that the new generation does not want to take over the roles, and hard labor.

We got in the air conditioned van once again (it was really nice) and made our way to the Tirta Empul Temple, where we got to put on our Sarongs, the traditional Balinese skirt wrap thingy… We entered the temple and saw the cultural architecture and the natives in their prayer. We got to dip our feet into the natural springs, believed to be pure and give blessings. We participated in Balinese prayer, and gave our offerings to the spirits and ancestors, then were splashed with holy water.

Next came the view of a lifetime, the gorgeous Batur Volcano, where we had the pleasure of sitting down and looking at the sight, while also enjoying an ALL you can eat buffet. 🙂

After what seemed like a very long morning, we headed back to our homestays and got ready to meet the Prince of Peliatan. We got a tour of the amazing palace of the royal family and learned about the history and meaning of each building, tower, and especially the royal family. While the Prince cracked Chuck Norris jokes, some were laughing at the weird cat noises surrounding us…  Lastly we were served a meal consisting of rice, the main ingredient of most meals, Lawar, papaya, spicy green beans, ayam suwir, shredded chicken, jukut nangka, and watermelon and cantaloupe. The prince had us all introduce ourselves, and was very interested and impressed by us all. We then said our Balinese goodbye, and made our way back to our homestays, took much needed showers, and went to sleep. Except for us, Makenna and Alayna, who had to stay up and write this beautiful blog for you all. 🙂 Hope you enjoyed it! hehe.

Brought to you by: Makenna Bortells and Alayna Espeseth

June 27, 2016

Today was our first day teaching the Balinese kids at their school. We taught at two different schools, working in groups of four or five. Our first day we taught them numbers and colors through games, classroom activities, and arts/crafts. The kids were very enthusiastic and ready to participate in all of our activities. Tomorrow we are teaching them animals and have many more subjects for the remaining days! To end the evening, we went to a local restaurant where we swam in the ocean, took spider boats out to watch the sunset, and sung around a campfire with Balinese friends. We all enjoyed our first day in Singaraja and can’t wait to see what the remaining days bring!

– Brooke Yacavone

June 28

We woke up early again to teach the students at the English camp. Today the kids were taught the names and sounds of animals. Even though it was rainy during our day at school, we still had fun inside making masks and playing Pictionary. After we returned to our home base, we split up into groups and learned Cultural compromising. This is where we were assigned different personalities and beliefs for one group, and had to agree with another group with opposite personalities and beliefs to create a project. After completing, we drove out to Lovina, where we enjoyed a perfect day at the beach. We swam and shopped until it was time to go back to home base to eat dinner. After dinner we shared our opinions in groups about what we learned after living in Bali for a week. We then enjoyed a late night walk to the market to stock up and came back to go to sleep.

–  Zachary Wargos

June 29, 2016

Today was a holiday that translates into “metal gate” in Balinese which symbolizes protection and security. We were invited to a local village in Lovina to pray with the locals. Participating in this ceremony allowed us to truly absorb the culture of the Balinese, making this experience memorable!

[VIDEO] Watch a quick video of the praying ceremony – click here

We spent some time during the afternoon collecting plastic. Plastic is a huge issue in Bali and we learned about how dangerous it can be to the environment.

After picking up trash around the village, we did some yoga!

– Shannon Ahern & Lillian Fanali

June 30

[VIDEO] Click here to watch it

– Sofie Kamangar and Brian Butler

July 1

With each day the kids learn something new, expanding their horizon on knowledge. Today the children learned about transpiration- from acting like buses to drawing cities.
Once the day ended we settled with an exciting game of Mafia, one by one every fell and the intensity rose with each round. With rivals of cops and mafias, and cops and angels. Once the game ended everyone settles in bed and prepares for the next day ahead.

Kalah Brown and Julia Boney

[VIDEO] Click here to watch it

July 2

Today we were lucky to get a late start and started breakfast at 7:30. We left the home base at 9 and drove for about an hour to Pemuteran beach and had a presentation on the Biorock Coral Restoration Project. This presentation consisted of a film on the effects of global warming and its destruction on the coral reef. Dynamite fishing destroys the coral which is home to about 30% of fish. This causes a loss of jobs in not only the fishing industry but also the ecotourism industry. After that we had the chance to snorkel in the reef with a guide. We spent the remainder of the day at the beach and by the pool; many of us enjoyed the resort foods and beverages. We then headed back to home base for dinner, and we ended the night by celebrating Jess’s 18th birthday with cake and festivities.

– Sydney Johnson and Greta Van Herpe

July 3

Today we volunteered at our schools after a relaxing day at the beach yesterday, and we had a fun and successful day with the kids. We taught them about food and drink, and they enjoyed learning a song about some new fruits (watch them dance in the video!). The kids seem very excited about the new language that they are learning, and today we saw that they were more eager to help each other understand the material.

After we got back from school, we did lesson prep for the next day, and tomorrow, groups will be teaching different things such as sports, weather, and body parts. This is the first day that GLA students have chosen their own topics to teach, so we look forward to seeing all of the different activities that our peers create.

We also participated in a GLA session today, where we talked about Social Entrepreneurship. It was a very eye opening conversation about the way to enact long lasting change. GLA is a unique program because, in addition to valuing service, we also value learning about the culture that we are experiencing. In a TED talk that we watched to begin our discussion of Social Entrepreneurship, a woman highlighted the importance of cultural learning. This also sparked a desire to think of long term solutions for the environmental and educational problems we have observed in Bali.

We are so excited to see what the next eight days have in store for us! Happy Independence Day to those at home- looking forward to celebrating with a bonfire tomorrow.

Selamat Tingal!

Written by Ingrid Iverson and sophia Deguzeman.

[VIDEO] Click here to watch video

July 4

Happy 4th of July! We started the day off with our typical breakfast of cereal and headed off to school. Our teaching plan was different today in that each group got to pick their own subject. Highlights of our school day included arts and crafts of the season, an obstacle course, and teaching the kids songs. We headed back to our dorms in Singaraja and prepped for our second to last day of teaching. Afterwards we continued our GLA session from the previous day by pitching our social entrepreneurship business idea. After 4 hours of hard work, we were rewarded with a fun evening at the beach. We swam at a beautiful back sand beach and watched he sun set over the water. We ate delicious American food that consisted of burgers, french fries, and spaghetti! After that we sat around a bonfire singing and dancing to the music played by Domingo (the owner of the restaurant) and his friends. We concluded the night by watching fireworks over the ocean and threw the papers that we wrote our insecurities on into the fire.

Sophie Van Riet and Marta Stevenson

July 5, 2016

Today we all woke up after the fourth of July festivities the night before. We started off the day with getting on the bus and heading to the schools for our normal teaching schedule. It was a little different as each group taught different subjects rather than all three groups having the same subject. The children seemed to really grasp the material and it was satisfying to watch them love learning English. We then came back to the school to make the most awesome lesson plan invented for the following day as it is our last day at the school 🙁 Later, we left to go hiking to this breathtaking waterfall. The waterfall was called Aling Aling and was well worth all the hundreds of stairs. It was a good workout 😉 The waterfall was huge and immaculate with the sound of the rushing water and various birds. It was surrounded by miles and miles of rice patties and cattle farms. We then came back to the home base and were stoked because we knew there was a surprise coming because it was our last night in Singaraja. IT WAS KARAOKE!! We rented out a VIP room and were as boisterous as we can. Everyone had a blast and it was very loud and exciting. It was a very late night as we ended singing our lungs off at 10:30. Goodnight sleep tight 😉

July 6, 2016

Today was our last day volunteering at our schools. There were some tears shed, although they will say that they just “sweat out of their eyes.” We will miss the kids here greatly. They had and equal, if not greater, impact on us as we did on them.  We had a last day celebration where we just reviewed and had a little bit of fun at school. In Games they did some fun wheel barrow games and piggy back races. In Art we taught them all about the Underwater World and had them draw some beautiful mermaids, dolphins, and turtles. Along with that we got some cute little “I love you” letters, as our goodbye gifts. Finally, in Classroom they were taught about action verbs! Running, Jumping, Crawling, was only the beginning of their last exciting lesson. After our final volunteer day, it was a long sad goodbye. Some of the kids brought us gifts like a stuffed pig and chipmunk. And of course selfies were a must. After that all thirty of us piled into two hot cars and drove three hours all the way to Amed to get to our bungalow homes, where we are now. I can say for all of us that they are the most coziest, adorable, nice homes for 5, we have ever stayed at. Some of us have to share beds but, “hey were all friends here.” The beaches are amazing and we cannot wait for our scuba adventure tomorrow. For now we are all exhausted at 8:45 and all plan on going to bed.

The Bali Bunch – Madeleine Campbell & Talya Laver

July 7, 2016

July 9

(text incoming)

Hailey Moore & Inaara Lalji

July 10

We started off the day by going to a coffee plantation where we sampled a variety of coffees and teas that they grew there. While we were there we got to try the rarest coffee which is made from Luwak poop. The Luwak eat the coffee beans then they collect the beans from their waste. Then we went up to the gift shop and everybody ended up buying many different flavors and coffee and chocolate.

After the coffee plantation we headed to Telaga Waja River and geared up for white water rafting. We split into groups and headed to the rafts. We were lucky because the rain had made the river deeper which resulted in a faster, more exciting ride. The river went right through the jungle and it was incredibly stunning, and the water was cool and refreshing. The rapids varied between class two and four. Towards the end of the journey we rode down a 4 meter waterfall, which was the perfect ending to the experience. Right after the ride we climbed up a bunch of stairs on the side of a mountain to a delicious buffet lunch with great scenery. After the exciting day we drove back to Ubud and had a relaxing evening.

Jessica Smith and Bailey Schaeffer

[VIDEO – WATER RAFTING] Click here to watch

July 11

On our last night, all the students shared their “offerings” for the world. This is what they had to say.

July 12

There is no “goodbye” in Bali, only see you later!

Sampai Jumpa Lagi!

We had such a fun time with all of you! Come back and visit us soon 🙂

– your GLA Bali staff

Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Can you believe how much time has passed since we were all in Argentina together?  I can still imagine those flaky medialunas in the morning and all of that yummy Freddo ice cream that we shared.  Often times, it seems like yesterday that we were stomping in the mud, laughing on the bus and finding new purpose for old plastics in the form of ecoladrillos . We know that you’re probably back in school (or starting college!) but we wanted you to know that, here in Buenos Aires, we are still thinking of you and the impact we made together, last summer.

Our time spent here together truly did make an impact. You should all know you left Buenos Aires a better place than when you came. The adobe classroom and garden beds we built will continue to serve local communities for years to come.  And more importantly, the experience and knowledge YOU gained on this trip, will serve you and your communities for the rest of your life! We now know how harmful plastic is to the environment, and some ways to reduce our consumption and reuse it in order to protect our planet. We discussed the concept of meaningful service and how to select impactful projects and organizations that are truly making a positive change.

Another thing we won’t forget, is how much fun we all had together! You guys were truly what made this trip such an amazing experience (as you may recall from our rap).  We immersed ourselves in the  culture by learning to tango, drinking mate, making traditional Argentine chocotorta, stuffing our own empanadas and meeting real life gauchos on an Argentine estancia. We loved watching you embrace these experiences, form new friendships and step up as leaders.

We worked really hard and also had a blast together. We are so grateful that we got to experience this amazing place with amazing “aventureros” such as yourselves. We’ll never forget the breathtaking views at Iguazu Waterfalls, our kayaking adventure, the crazy 19-hour bus ride or zip-lining through the trees together. Even the small things were fun with you guys around. Whether it was playing cards at night, listening to Amanda’s anti-jokes, painting each other’s faces with mud during service, or exploring new places together, it was that much better because we got to share it with all you guys, the 2016 GLA Argentina group! Thanks for helping to make these special memories in this beautiful place. Aujevete!

 

10 special moments from our trip:

Learning about ecoladrillos and making an impact by recycling used plastic into the building blocks of our service projects.

Watching the wall of the classroom grow as we applied the adobe we had made.

Stumbling through the blind maze and rocking the other leadership activities at Isla Caribeta.

Practicing Spanish with David and taking way too many selfies with him.

Exploring a Guaraní community, listening to traditional music, trying the local fare and buying some awesome hand-crafted souvenirs.

Protecting our lunch from the coatis and experiencing Iguazu falls up close and personally on our boat tour.

Exploring the city of Buenos Aires and having an asado feast (and a collective food coma) there.

Teaching local kids how to make ecoladrillos and banquitos. We’ll never forget dancing together and the endless piggy back rides at recess.

Learning about Permaculture from  Gustavo and Flor at Sembrando Caminos.

Cracking up together at the talent show and getting sentimental at our farewell dinner.

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Summer Blog Posts

July 17, 2016

Today was a very successful arrival day in Buenos Aires! Our 17 aventureros and their luggage made it to safely to Ezeiza International Airport in the morning with no major setbacks. Once all of the flights were in, we loaded on to the shuttle, eager to get to know each other better and to get acquainted with the place that we would call home for the next three weeks.

After about an hour of transport time, we arrived to Tigre, the site of our home base. With bellies full of delicious Argentine empanadas, we set out to explore our new neighborhood. We played some name games, learned about each other and reviewed house rules. We also talked about how excited we were to be immersed in Argentine culture and about our upcoming excursions and adventures. We struggled to outlast the jetlag and start adjusting our sleep schedules but, by the time dinner was over, we were having a hard time staying awake. Some of us headed right to bed and others enjoyed a heated game of cards before finally crashing out. We can’t wait to learn more about our service projects tomorrow and get things started. ¡Hasta pronto!

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July 18, 2016

After a good night of sleep we all recovered from our long flights to Argentina. For breakfast we had pastries and then began our day of work. We had a little intro about the service that we would be doing and then had a small break where we bonded over playing spoons. Fundación Chacras came and explained how to build sustainable housing out of plastic bottles and materials (aka trash). We enjoyed a quick lunch and then started creating our first “ecoladrillos”, or ecobricks, by packing plastic bottles with various types of discarded plastic. We also listened to a playlist of everyone’s favorite songs. After working hard we got to relax and try the local argentine tea, Yerba Mate. You fill a traditional mate cup full of the mate leaves and pass the cup between the group. We also had a chance to head to the local market before dinner and grab a few snacks. After dinner we had some time to hang out with each other before heading to bed.

July 19, 2016

Blog by: Tristan Burton

Today after a two hour bus ride to the site, we started our service in Argentina, building the eco-brick and adobe houses. We first met the people we were working with and played futból until lunch was ready. Then the real work began making the adobe. It is a real struggle and requires a lot of man power to be able to make it successfully.

Thankfully, we had Fundación Chacras along with our advisers to show us the ropes. The fun part is putting the ecoladrillos and adobe together to form the wall. A few of us got mud everywhere. After finishing a large portion of the wall, we had to clean up for the return journey so we would made it back on time for dinner (and there was no way we were ever going to be late for dinner).

After dinner we had some free time which was spent playing playing a very competitive game of cards, per usual. Today our new Argentine friend, David joined us. Tomorrow we will be doing some more exploring around our new neighborhood and working on more ecoladrillos to be used in later construction projects.

July 20, 2016
Today was a bit unconventional, in that our group was surprised with a little game of scavenger hunting! We all woke up not knowing what to expect as we headed to breakfast where we enjoyed croissants, cereal, oranges, and of course dulce de leche. After breakfast we joined the mentors and they gave us guidelines for the scavenger hunt that was yet to come. Our two separate groups lined up at the gate of the hotel, prepared for the competition with lists of what we must take pictures of in hand. We had an hour to find each item on the list and every person in our groups must be in the photo. Once we finished the game, Great Green Gauchos reigning true; I say reluctantly from the opposing group, good game. After a delicious lunch we enjoyed a game of capture the flag and packed in some additional time with the ecoladrillos (plastic bottles filled with “materials”(trash)). Overall, sharing this day and making new memories with all these new and wonderful people is a great experience and I am looking forward to spending more time with each and every person in GLA!!
-Jackie

July 21, 2016
Today after about a 2 hour bus ride we made it the Estancía, an Argentine ranch located in San Antonio. When we first got to the ranch we all went horse back riding and got to see the beautiful farmland around the area. Afterwards we sat down together and ate a big Argentine asado.
We got to see the Gauchos perform a traditional horse show.
The Gaucho and his horse trusted each other so much that the horse let the gaucho crawl underneath him, lay on top of him, and even stand on top of him.
After the horse show some of the kids went horseback riding again, this time we got to go a little bit faster. Before getting in the bus to head back to the home base everyone filled up on delicious tea, coffee, and pastries.

 

July 22

Today, the group woke up an hour later than usual, rejuvenated and excited for the events of the day. Anxious to leave for Isla Caribeta, we hurried through breakfast, organized our luggage, and played another epic round of chain tag. After a delicious lunch of pork and mashed potatoes, the mentors announced it was time to leave for the boats. We got to the port and set sail for Isla Caribeta.
Isla Caribeta resembles a luxurious tree house, with quaint little cabins at the end of each walkway. After a warm dinner, we played an activity in which we were blindfolded and led to a string, which we had to follow to get to the end. However, the way out of the maze was to just raise your hand when you needed help. This was a metaphor representing how sometimes when you’re a leader, it’s okay to ask for help when your lost.

Today was exciting and a fun filled first day to our first excursion!

July 23, 2016
Hey my dudes,
Today was another day full of leadership activities that helped each of us understand different traits a “good leader” needed.
After races for the delicious medialunas (croissants) at our new home base, we jumped right into an activity: crowd surfing. Of course it was a lot more coordinated than the average Rock and Roll concert would have you thinking. Through the amount of times we almost had people fall over, we learned the importance of putting in as much effort as everyone else.

Then, it was free time which meant trying to shower from the the little hot water available, very competitive card games, and swinging in the hammocks by the river bank.

We were taught some volleyball passes and even had the opportunity to practice our new skills in four on four matches. The latter proved to be a lot harder than expected.

We headed to an intricate web made of string Kelly, an advisor, had weaved between two trees. With he objective of making it through the web without touching the string and using each of the 16 holes in the web once, we learned how important it was that every voice was heard. The collaborative effort of lifting people through the different holes led us to triumph.

My favorite part of the day was the cooking lesson. Gimena, the owner’s daughter, taught us how to fold empanadas and prepare a traditional argentine dessert: chocotorta.

Alicia ran through health checks with each of the students; this gives them an opportunity to tell her if there’s anything wrong with their health and talk about their experience so far in the GLA program. And for the other students not talking to Alicia, this meant more free time.

That’s the small park in the middle of Isla Caribetá.
We ended the day with a bonfire. Scary and not-so-scary stories were told in the circle that surrounded the only source of heat.

July 24, 2016

Today we woke up at Isla Caribeta and got to sleep in until 8:30!! After a delicious meal of croissants, French toast, and fruit, we split into our mentor groups to play a teamwork game. As a reward for working together, we finally got wifi! Everyone spent about an hour catching up with friends and family. Then, the group split into 3 smaller groups to continue leadership activities. We found quotes, journaled, and played a game similar pictionary to work on communication skills. After lunch and time for packing, we took 2 boats back to our home base in Tigre. When we got there, we switched roommates, settled in, and collected our laundry. Everyone spent the evening at a market and got time to explore and buy souvenirs or Argentine snacks. Half of the group went back to the home base in taxis and the others walked. We finished the night with dinner and free time to relax and hang out together.
-Paige

July 25, 2016

On Monday, July 25th, the GLA Argentina group woke up and started their day with building “eco-bricks” or empty plastic bottles filled with clean garbage and discarded plastic. We also built banquitos, “little benches” for the children at the school where we are building a classroom. They are made from eco-bricks and paper mache. Once we finished, we set off for a 2 hour bus ride to the school where we build adobe and ecobrick school buildings. Once we worked for a couple of hours, the adobe would not stick to the wood due to the violent rain storm that was occurring. We left soon after because of the poor weather. Before we left that town, we visited a finished adobe house and it was really cool! There were colored glass bottles for the windows and it was really nice inside. It was great to see what a finished building looked like so we can know what we are contributing to. My favorite part of the day was getting so muddy that I abandoned all hope of getting clean. It was a great experience all around and everyone got very muddy and had a lot of fun.

July 26 and 27, 2016

This morning we packed for our excursion to Iguazú falls and played cards. We stopped at a nearby store to stock up on snacks for the 17 hour bus ride. After, we trekked through the wind and rain to the Museo de arte but unfortunately it was closed. Half of us went back to home base to dry off and the rest went out in search of ice cream and coffee. Then, we all met up for lunch at the home base and had tango lessons with Gisele. Despite some smashed toes, we successfully learned to work as partners and resemble a tango. We said goodbye to our home base and boarded a train to the bus stop. After some empanadas we loaded the bus for our 17 hour journey.

Once arriving at Iguazú mid afternoon, we had lunch and explored our hostel. Soon after, we visited an indigenous village. We learned how they greet people which is by waving two hands and saying “aujevete.” We saw some armadillo, jaguar and deer traps before being serenaded by traditional music from people in the community. Afterwards, we were lead to a craft market where we bought some bracelets and wooden souvenirs. Continuing our exploration of Iguazú, we drove to a spot where you could see Paraguay and Brazil from Argentina. We did some shopping before returning to our hostel for dinner.

-Hannah

July 28, 2016

So today we had an early start, as we were getting ready for our day at Iguazu Falls, that we had been anticipating for a long time. We first went on a bus that took us to a train station, that had tiny green trains which led us through Iguazu National Park along the river. As we arrived we walked for about twenty minutes on a bridge that took us to the falls. When we got there we finally understood how exceptional Iguazu Falls was. It was truly amazing and breathtaking, some of us got a bit wet. At that point we were watching the main falls, so the biggest ones of them all and we got time to take a thousand pictures. As we headed back to the train station before starting a new trail, we were greeted by coatis, tiny little brown animals who eat everything they can find. We also saw monkeys!
The second trail we took was along the lower part of the falls, it just got better and better, the water was so clear and bright.
We then had a quick lunch accompanied by coatis before heading to the lower part of the falls in the afternoon. Over there we took a speed boat that took us right under the falls. We had so much fun and got soaking wet, the water was freezing cold but it was worth it. The scenery was exceptional, and we got to see Brazil and Paraguay as Iguazu falls is the border of theses three countries. The boat ride was probably the best part of our day.
After this fun day some of us were rewarded with ice cream (mostly Dulce de Leche), coffee and empanadas, just before we headed back to our hostile. We had a quiet evening just playing games and enjoying the wifi while we could still get it.
Well that was it, another great day in Argentina.

Annabelle

July 30, 2016
Following a jam packed day at iguazú falls, we woke up at 7am to go on a few more adventures. After breakfast, we loaded onto a safari truck that took us through Iguazú forests where we first stopped to go rappelling down the side of a small mountain. We went down the mountain as individuals but worked together to cheer each other on and create a support system both at the top and the bottom! On our way back up to the truck we got to take pictures in front of a breathtaking hidden waterfall. The next stop was zip lining!! After our guide debriefed us we grabbed helmets and gloves and walked up the stairs to the first line. The zip line was 20m high and 800m long broken into three lines, the first line being 400m, and the following two 200m. We went one by one flying through the canopy like Argentine birds! When we finished zip lining we took the truck back to our hostel, packed up and checked out of our rooms, and entertained ourselves by playing games, listening to music, conversing, and trying to post as many instagrams before we lost the wifi! We had lunch and then boarded the bus- back with our first Iguazú tour guide Marcos! We visited a reptile center where we saw snakes, turtles, crocodiles, and butterflies!! After, Marcos took us straight to the bus station where we bought ice cream and snacks at the market and around 4:00pm our bus arrived and our 17 hour journey home began! That night we had a “choose your own adventure” option, and have of our group went to Puerto de Frutos, a fun market with great food, some went to San Isidro, a new part of town that we wanted to explore. We ate ice cream and empanadas and explored a beautiful church.

July 31, 2016

Today was a service day and it was great. We woke up at 8 and we had a wonderful breakfast at 830. After breakfast we all got ready for our big day, loaded up the bus, and headed out at 10. Our service site was Hospital Borda, a hospital for people with mental health issues. When we arrived the sky was dark with clouds but we began to work, but just as we were getting into our work rhythm it began to pour forcing us to move inside the cultural center. The cultural center was a beautiful building filled with amazing artwork created by the patients. As we waited out the rain we explored the building and ate a wonderful lunch. As the rain began to ease we went back to work. Our objective was to creating a garden bed for the cultural center. We worked throughout the rest of the day and at around 4 we packed up and headed back to home base. We cleaned up and then had a fulfilling dinner. After dinner we played a few games and we all went to bed. It was a great day and we had an awesome time at Hospital Borda.

– Joey

August 1, 2016

Today everyone woke up bright and early at 8:00am and then had a filling breakfast. Shortly after we left the home base for our second day of service at Hospital “Jose T. Borda”. The group quickly got to work completing various tasks. Some people gathered fibers for the adobe and mixed the adobe while others shoveled dirt for the adobe and sorted the ecoladrillos. After about two hours of work we took a break for lunch which consisted of delicious chicken and rice empanadas. After that the group got right back to work, and began constructing the wall and garden bed; as well as gathering wild onions to plant. At around 4 we proceeded to clean up and head back to home base. After arriving and unpacking the shovels and boots everyone took showers and rested for a bit. Then the group wrote in their journal and did an activity until dinner which was ribs and mashed potatoes. Following dinner was a trip to the supermarket where everyone restocked on yummy goods. Afterwards there was a bit of free time filled with cards and games. Finally after a hard day of service the group went to bed.

-Raine

August 2, 2016
We started our day at 8am and set out for the city soon after. Our first stop was Paseo El  Rosedal, a park in the neighborhood of Palermo. Our next stop was el cementerio de recoleta, which reminded me of mini homes. Each grave was very architecturally different and intricate. Wealthy families could buy plots so their whole family could be buried there. Next the bus dropped us at La Boca, which is the original harbor in Buenos Aires and where the tango was created. We walked through the artisanal stands and buildings that were painted beautiful bright colors. With souvenirs in our hands and empty stomachs we headed to Siga La Vaca for lunch. We feasted on every type of meat imaginable and an awesome salad bar. After lunch we set out on foot through the newest most modern neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Puerto Madero. Our walk took us past the pink house where the president of Argentina works. After many sights we headed towards the train station and passed the obelisk which marks the 4th century of Buenos Aires as a settlement. Before getting on the train we stopped at Starbucks for a caffeine fill. It was a wonderful day of history, sightseeing, and yummy food.
-Lillia

 

August 3

Today the group journeyed across the streets of Tigre on a clear Wednesday morning. Starting off the day was a wonderful kayaking journey through the Tigre river. After a tiring journey of paddling and laughter we were welcomed with hot beverages on an island. Once our spirits were blessed with warm tea and coffee, we confidently trekked back towards Tigre. One pair of students (Jimmy and Hanna) paddled too confidently and had tipped over their boat. They had to be rescued by our kind guide Diego who brought them back onto their boat.

After our wet adventure we took an hour to fill and clean Eco bottles. Our second activity had yet to come. To reward our dedicating work to ecobottles, our counselors took us to the Museo de Arte Tigre; where we saw countless paintings created by various artists. But like the teenagers we are, in addition to marveling at the art and beautiful views from the balcony, we sat on the benches and leeched off the wifi. On our way back to home base we decided to end the exhilarating day with a sweet treat at Daniel’s Helado.

 

August 4

Today we woke up at 8:00 and got ready for breakfast at 8:30. After we had a delicious breakfast we got ready to go to service by finishing up the ecoladrillos (eco bricks) and grabbed the shovels and boots to put on the bus. The ride to the service site was about 45 minutes. Once we got to Fundacion San Jose Providente. We got to meet all the kids and start to make banquitos and get to know all the kids! We taught them how to put the 7 bottles together in a circle and tape and decorate them to be “little benches” for them to sit on. After we finished either the first group of kids, we went outside and played games with them. We went back into the dining hall and had an amazing lunch that included rice, meat, cheese and and sauce. The typical Argentine meal. After lunch we went back outside to play with more kids! We played soccer and basketball, some of us danced and gave the kids piggy back rides. We went back inside the classroom with the next group of kids and made more banquitos and did some ice breaker games! Once we finished the last of the banquitos we went to the public park that is right outside the school to clean up trash and pick up leaves. We then played chain tag and soccer with all of the kids that were 11 and up! We said our goodbyes and headed back to home base. Dinner was soon after and we had tacos and cherry jello with bananas! Soon after we started the talent show. The show was super fun, filled with singing, dancing, and comedic acts. We went to bed soon after.

Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

We can’t believe it has already been so long since our Argentina trip ended!  I can still imagine those flaky medialunas in the morning and the delicious empanadas that we shared.  Often times, it seems like yesterday that we were laughing in the rain, stomping in the mud, and building the school out of ecoladrillos. You’re probably back in school (or starting college!) but we wanted you to know that here in Buenos Aires we are still thinking of you and the impact we made this summer together.

Our time spent together here truly did make an impact. You should all know you left Buenos Aires a better place than when you came.  Gustavo and Flor’s garden will continue to be a place of shelter and community for the children you met during our first days here.  The adobe classroom and garden beds we built will stand longer after our time here is just a memory, making the environment of those sites more comfortable for the people that live there. And more importantly, the knowledge YOU gained on this trip we hope will serve you and the communities you go on to be in for the rest of your life! We now know how harmful plastic is to the environment, and some ways to reduce and reuse it in order to lessen our impact on the environment.

Another thing I can’t forget is how much fun we had together here! You guys were a huge part of making this trip so fun by being a really close knit group.  We experienced Argentine culture by learning to tango, to make the traditional Argentine dessert chocotorta, and meeting real life gauchos on an Argentine estancia. We also got to visit a local market and buy our own mate cups and other goodies to take home with us. We also got to explore the city and see the beautiful neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. And no one can forget the giddy feeling of laughter from galloping on a horse together in a group of friends that we will never forget!

We worked really hard and also had a blast together. Whether it was playing games at night, ninja with our community members, figuring out riddles on the bus, throwing mud during service, watching Colton do the Tango, or exploring new places together- it was that much fun because we got to share it with all you guys — the 2016 GLA Argentina group! Thanks for helping to make these special memories in an amazing place.

10 special moments from our trip:

Learning about ecoladrillos and making an impact by recycling used plastic into the building blocks of our service projects

Laughing during the colorful play at the community theatre performed by many talented children!

Getting to see the amazing art in Hospital Borda

Learning about Permaculture with Gustavo, Flor, and Tomas

Taking a tango class and watching Colton and Evan exhibit their newfound skills in different places throughout the rest of the trip

Watching the wall of the third classroom grow as we applied the adobe we made

Celebrating the three special birthdays

Exploring the city of Buenos Aires and having an asado feast there

Playing ninja with Gustavo and the rest of our group

Galloping our horses into the sunset at the Estancia!

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Summer Blog Posts

June 30, 2016

Today we all had a smooth landing in Buenos Aires and got settled into our home base in Tigre, about an hour outside of the city. Greeted by the staff at home base and Lola, the dog, we warmed up by the fire and got our roommate assignments. We all remarked on how lucky we feel to have such a lovely place to stay! After resting we played some name games and got to know each other and reviewed house rules. We all shared that we are excited to get immersed in Argentine culture and excited about our upcoming service projects. Team “Rock, Paper, Scissors” woke us up from our sleepiness and made us laugh. Dinner together was a highlight with a delicious three course meal. We look forward to tomorrow with a visit to the Tigre art museum and getting introduced to our service projects! Chao until then!

July 1, 2016

The second day of our GLA trip was the best! My name is Lisander and I am writing today’s blog because I am the “Leader of the Day” today. I got serenaded in the morning by the mentors with the happy birthday song because it is my birthday as well! It was really fun! I was given ballons, a card and cake.

Our group woke up and we had a great breakfast. We are all getting used to the Argentinian food here and are excited to try new things. We then learned how to make eco-bricks (eco-ladrillos in spanish). We learned how to recycle plastic trash to contribute to our community. These ecobricks will be the foundation and building blocks of the houses we will make. From there our groups eyes were opened to what we could do to reuse, reduce, and recycle plastic trash and for the rest of the day saved our trash to contribute to the ecobricks.

We then headed to the Tigre Art museum. Me being from New York, I have been to many art museums, and being in the Tigre museum opened my eyes to the different types of art. The building itself was really beautiful! We walked back to the home base and bought some supplies at the local market. The supermarket was similar but also had some interesting differences.

We went home to await the mayor, and while waiting for him we played some card games and did activities together. Unfortunately the mayor did not come but our group appreciated the time to bond and get to know each other. The mayor sent us gifts which we loved! He rescheduled for later this week. We continued working on our eco-bricks, and then proceeded to dinner. We then learned how to drink mate, a cultural drink. We all enjoyed our second day very much.

– Lisander

July 2

Today as leader of the day I woke everyone to get ready and prepare everyone for the day planned ahead. Followed by breakfast we all piled on the bus to go to the service site. Once we arrived to the community center we went around in a circle and introduced our selves with our three days of Spanish skills by saying our names, where we are from, and what we like to do. Our introductions were met with smiles and laughing from the young children and people of the center. We helped them with serving breakfast to the children, hot coco and cookies. After breakfast we talked with the children we went outside and played jump rope and soccer. We also split up into different groups and took tours of the community garden. Gustavo the community leader showed us the garden and went through all the plants along with explaining some facts about compost and gardening effects on the environment. As we played soccer it started to rain and got very muddy. During our time there we met the kids of the community and made lots of new friends. We made friendship bracelets with the girls, got blue chalk in our hair and sang lots of songs. A tradition at the community center is that every first Saturday of the month they make a cake and sing happy birthday to all the people that have birthdays that month. So we did that and sang to everyone with birthdays. Following service with went to Gustavo the community leaders house where he told us about permaculture. After, we had lunch and watched a video called “The Story of Stuff”, which is a very informative video about how the stuff we buy affects the environment.

July 3

Hello again from Argentina. After our first few days of jetlag, today was a major turning point for most. We were all super excited to get to the school where we were going to help construct some much needed extra buildings with the guidance of local leaders. Following our theme of sustainable cities, these buildings are going to be made out of recycled plastic bottles filled with trash and covered with adobe clay. Making the Adobe was the big project of the day. The minute was got to the site, we unloaded supplies, introduced ourselves in Spanish, suited up and got to work. We first dug a hole and, as a massive team, we added and stirred the ingredients to make the adobe. Some of us opted to bake sunflower seed bread inside for lunch but quickly finished and decided to join in the fun of making the clay for the walls. It suddenly started pouring but that just made us more motivated to get the job done. We had a blast stomping in the mud to blend the adobe a final time. We took a quick break to have some homemade empanadas and lemonade. When we got back to work, we started putting the adobe on the stuffed bottles that were already stacked for the wall. The rain was picking up and when we started seeing flashes of lightning above us, so we called it a day. Before we headed back, we had a hot meal of rice and our sunflower seed bread. We finally changed out of our muddy clothes ( a lot of tripped and fell in the mud, one of them being me) and headed back to home base. The whole 2 hour ride, we were annoying the bus driver with our loud singing, but we have a theory that made him drive faster. We finished the day with yummy dinner of vegetable soup and ravioli. We are super excited to finish our work at the school and today was definitely a great bonding experience for all of us.

-Anjali

July 4

Today we woke up at 8:30 and had a lovely breakfast however unfortunately we missed the croissants. We then went outside to wait for the bus, which then took us to the service site. The service site was at the community garden where we helped fixed the plant beds. We successfully replaced one of the plant beds and have five more to go. Between working we played some competitive ninja. For lunch we had tuna sandwiches and then continued to work. After the community garden we came back home and got ready to learn some tango. Our teachers Gisselle and Georgia taught us some fancy moves and in a matter of time we were all having fun and dancing. Todays dinner was probably one of the best dinners we have had thus far! We all enjoyed it and many of us wanted seconds. After dinner we watched some mind blowing videos that talked about the amount of plastic that is in the world, which definitely left us all thinking about what we could do to fix it. After the videos we went to bed!

-Erika

July 5

Welcome to the city of Buenos Aires. Being the leader of the day, I woke everyone up at 8am to start. We got on the subway, and took it all the way from Tigre to the city. In the morning we got to ride on a tour bus that showed us many sites. Our first stop was the Bosques de Palermo, which was a park that had a pond in the center with a pretty bridge over it. We saw many geese there and tried chasing them. After the park, we went to the Recoleta Cemetery, which was cool but creepy due to the fact that we were walking through areas filled with tombs. Next, we went to La Boca, which is the town where the tango first originated. There were many colorful buildings and many places to shop. We got dropped off to a restaurant for lunch known for its meat, and it turned out being a buffet with many different options of it, although the empanadas were the best part of the meal in my opinion. After lunch, we had to walk off all of the delicious food we consumed so we went to the Puerto Madero, which was a big, white draw bridge that looked like a needle that was placed diagonally. As a group, we took many awesome pictures on this bridge with the great view of a river underneath. We kept on walking and ended up in the Plaza de Mayo which contained the Pink House, where the president works. After, we went to see the Obelisco, which is a tall pencil like monument, a look alike to the Washington Monument. By the end of the city tour, everyone was exhausted, and to top that off, we had to stand on the subway which was packed to the brim. When we finally got back to the home base we had a nice dinner and then passed out in our beds.

– Eliza

July 7

Today we continued our project in the community gardens to help them rebuild boxes around the plants. We were able to complete two more today, in total rebuilding three different plant boxes for the community garden. We also bonded over trust fall games with members of the community and spoke to them in Spanish. Later in the day, we took the train into Buenos Aires while dancing the Tango in the subway car to pass the time. Once we arises in the city, we walked over to the bus terminal and took a 3 hour ride to Gualeguaychu. Upon arriving in the town, we settled in to our hippy-Buddha themed hostel and went out to dinner at a local restaurant, eating delicious traditional argentine breaded beef called ternera milanesa; a nice way to end a day of awesome service and traveling.

 

July 6, 2016

Hello from Argentina! Today we all woke up early to go to the hospital for service. We made more Adobe today and continued building the walls of the planters with the ecoladrillos. We all planted the first tree together. After service we all got the chance to choose between kayaking on the Tigre river and chilling out at home. Once everyone got home from kayaking, we all started packing for our trip to Gualeguachu.

From Alivia

July 9, 2016

Today, after all the droopy eyes and tired yawns faded into laughs and bear hugs, we hopped into taxis and drove off Reserva el Potrero. There we watched an educational slide show of the native species living in the reserve, given by well respected community leaders and activists.

After that, we strolled through the wilderness and learned about the different ecosystems that the different elevations represented. More importantly, we learned about how invasive species were harming them. Walking around, we saw incongruous plants stealing light, water, and nutrients from the local trees. Then came the machete part.

We found an invasive pine tree and learned about the different, and correct, ways to kill it. Our tour guide then took out his machete and cut a long ring near the base of the tree and told us how this, accompanied with a nice dose of poison, would end the tree and its destructive effects.

After, some broke off for a peaceful round of bird watching, but most stayed behind for a boisterous round of Mafia. We sat on tree stumps in a large circle as we screamed over each other, accusing friends of murder while desperately defending ourselves (or, in Sam’s case, breaking down laughing.)

Mafia screams were soon replaced with dance party screams and throwback music, as well as exhausted sighs from sleepy kids. When everyone was rounded up to leave for dinner, those dance party screams were replaced with catchphrase screams and the sleepy sighs were replaced with soft spoken suggestions.

Then we walked to dinner down the block. We were served a delicious spaghetti, followed with pies and cakes for birthday desserts.

To finish off our day, we walked around town to check out the local shops and buy ice cream. During this, we met a friendly dog who followed us around, and was eventually named Steve.

After the long day, we walked back to the hostel, where we took note of the day’s ups and downs, then left for bed when the happy smiles once again turned into droopy eyes and tired yawns.

-Brenna and Megan

July 10, 2016

Today we took an early bus from Gualeguachu back to Buenos Aires. In the bus station we took a break for empanadas and then took the train back to Tigre. On the train we had a group jam session led by Evan on the guitar. Upon arriving home, we had a “photo scavenger hunt” activity in the town of Tigre in our mentor groups. We had to use our Spanish to navigate the town and take pictures with monuments, people, and random items in the town such as: an Argentine flag, street art, the tigre symbol of Tigre, the Museum of Mate, the river, and more! We had a great time running around the town and seeing more of our homebase of Tigre. We also had to take a jumping photo and a human pyramid photo. We then rested for a bit and had dinner, followed by reflecting on the day with activities and giving each other positive feedback.

July 12, 2016

Today was a day we have been looking forward to- a day full of horseback riding! We went to an Estancia, a traditional Argentinean ranch where we got to horseback ride, see a traditional gaucho give us a horse show, and eat a huge Argentine BBQ while being serenaded by a guitar player. At first the gauchos taught us to ride slow and carefully, but by our third time out later in the day, they finally let us trot and go a little bit faster. We had so much fun!