6/29/2015

We have received all of our 21 brave volunteers!  We had some time this evening to get to know each other and get a preview of our next two weeks.  We will be traveling to the Osa Peninsula tomorrow.  Pura vida!

6/30/2015

Our students have arrived at the Osa Peninsula!
We made our journey to the Osa, stopping at a river to see crocodiles and then we stopped for lunch at Playa Dominical. We were greeted by the rancho quemado community for our arrival at dinner time. We got settled into our cabinas, then heard a talk by Mark Green, the local peace core volunteer.
We are excited to start service! We’ll keep you posted!

7/2/2015

Our students worked very hard during their first day of service.  We got to visit an organic farm where we made our own cane juice and got to pick cacao beans and got to see how hot chocolate is made.  We ended our evening with a leadership sonar and meeting in our mentor groups.  Pura vida!

7/4/2015

7/7/2015

Hola! It’s Sam, Eric, and Ashlynn.

On the morning of July 7th, we went to a lecheria and got to try our luck at milking cows. After milking the cows, we observed the locals make cheese, which we later got to taste. Also, the founder of Rancho Quemado told us the story of its beginning.

In the afternoon, we had three service projects. Sam’s group painted signs for the community. Eric’s group made bracelets and Ashlynn’s group helped to organize, paint, and put up curtains in the library.

At night we watched and enjoyed the first half of Selma, a movie about MLK. It was another successful day in Rancho Quemado.

7/9/2015

Hola, it’s Katie, Tom, and Keke! Today is Thursday July 9th; we’ve just enjoyed another fulfilling day in Rancho Quemado.

After a great breakfast of the classic Gallo Pinto, we participated in a variety of enriching activities, including horseback riding, a gold mining tour, and fútbol con los muchachos. These were followed by another delicious lunch and our afternoon service. Some of us tried local bracelet making techniques (easier said than done), while others designed signs for the library and other local landmarks. Throughout the week we had been formulating action plans for tackling problems in Rancho Quemado and our own communities.

We had the opportunity to present them and provide constructive criticism to enhance our problem solving skills. To end the day, we practiced salsa and other Costa Rican dances, then taught the locals some of our own.

We’re looking forward to our last day here in Rancho Quemado, hasta luego!

7/10/2015

Hi GLA parents, it’s Kate, Melanie, and Arman! Today the group played a soccer scrimmage against the kids in the village, participated in a cooking class taught by their host families, made bracelets out of a locally found plant, and made signs to advertise important sites around the town such as the local store. The Jaguarundi group went horseback riding to a gold mine, where they hiked to a river with local gold miners who showed them the proper technique to extract gold out of the rocks. Additionally, some students helped work on finishing the world map for the school in their free time; a project they started on their very first day of service. The students will hopefully finish the map before their departure for San Jose on Saturday.

After dinner, during GLA leadership we met with our mentor groups to discuss our thoughts regarding the trip coming to an end. To bring the day to a close, we finished the movie Selma, which we had started the night before.

7/12/2015

All students have departed for home safely!

7/30/2015

Our newest Protecting the Pacific students are here! We are super excited to begin our journey together… Welcome Joshua C., Miles,  Jack, Shane, Callen, Isis, Antonio, Dylan, Adi, Austin, Anastasia, Joshua S., Moises, Moaen, Fatou, Matteo, Megan, Julia, Sabrina, Summer, and Annetta! Jany not pictured due to late arrival!

7/31/2015

Today in GLA we had an amazing day! It started off with a simple breakfast that is even familiar outside Costa Rica: toast, eggs, rice and beans. We then set off to go surfing accompanied by some community service work. We split up into two separate teams, where one team surfed while the other did community service work and vice versa. The surf instructors were amazing, the water was warm and everybody managed to ride at least one wave successfully. Our service consisted of clearing the beach of trash as well as finding and planting both mangrove and coconut seeds. Every one left happy knowing that they made a difference while learning a new skill at the same time. After returning from the beach we ate a typical Costa Rican meal consisting of rice, beans, plantain chips and as well as a type of meat. It has been fairly humid here so most of us decided to take a dip in the pool after where we enjoyed great games of Marco Polo and maybe even a chicken fight which you cannot prove happened. We then took a walk within the community where we learned some interesting facts and saw some awesome sights. To wrap up the night we enjoyed a presentation on ecotourism, specifically within Costa Rica which opened our eyes to some interesting and shocking facts. Overall, it was a great day in which we all enjoyed each other’s company and continued to create bonds all while taking in this valuable experience.

– Authors: Moises and Shane

8/1/2015

Authors: Megan and Julia

This morning almost everyone woke up earlier than required to take advantage of the pool that is in our tropical backyard. After about an hour of splashing and laughing we all ate a typical Costa Rican breakfast. We then went to Forjando Alas which is a local after school program for the children of Uvita. We were greeted by the director of the program who informed us about the projects that we will be helping them complete throughout out time here. Today we began our project by painting recycled plastic bottles that will be used for the hanging gardens. Next we played with the kids within the program. After getting covered in paint we all went to the beach where we played a game of soccer. Most of the kids kicked our butts. We cooled off in the warm ocean water, and played in the waves. Lunch time! We came back to home base and ate another wonderfully prepared dish of rice, beans, salad and fried fish; almost all the food served is grown right on the hotel property. Next came free time, which included more splashing and pruned fingers. One of the amazing parts of this experience so far is all of the opportunities we have to speak to people making a difference in the communities we are serving. This brings us to our next activity where we learned about GPS’s and the benefits they bring to communities such as Bahia Ballena. After a little more time in the pool, we all gathered for dinner. Following dinner we discussed the development in Costa Rica and how it effects both the environment and the local people’s income, in what we call “ocean hour.” Then in was off to a much deserved bed time. Goodnight from Costa Rica!

8/3/2015

Authors: Adi Segal, Callen Scaroni

Today we had a very busy and fun day! Everyone took a big step out of their comfort zone, and became more adventurous and fearless. The first activity of the day was zip lining through the Cloud Forest. The feeling of the wind rushing past you while you are zooming hundreds of feet above the cloud forests was a thrill to everyone. After a quick lunch and a game of cards, we went to do some service work at an afterschool program called Forjando Alas. We worked on vertical gardens out of plastic bottles. It got very emotional towards the end of the service day because people had made great connections with the children that were from Forjando Alas. We ended the day with the celebration of Summer’s birthday. We ate cake and ice cream, talked, and played songs until it was time to end the day and go to our rooms to sleep for the long day of kayaking ahead of us.

8/4/2015

Authors: Austin and Dylan

Today’s day started off with breakfast and heading off to the mangrove, Terra Sierpe. We each got in kayaks, myself and Antonio shared one and proceeded to splash and throw mangroves at the passing people. Roughly 95% of the river was upstream, causing the trip to be very challenging. After finishing up the intense kayaking we were going to go to a schoo but because everyone was tired we decided to relax at home base. After lunch we chilled by the pool side for about 3 hours. Before dinner we had a girl named Amy teach us about GPS and GIS which is a data collection and management technology that for example, tells us where and how many whales arrived this season. We then had dinner and talked about today and how the next day will be a surprise for all you family members reading this back home.

8/5/2015

Authors: Annetta Stogniew, Jany Zhu

This morning we woke up especially early for breakfast and then walked to the local beach from the hotel. At the beach, we split into two groups to board separate boats, and then set off on our adventure. On the way to the Corcovado National Park, we surfed the waves and enjoyed a long and exciting ride. We hiked through the national park, where we saw many animals, from howler monkeys to sloths and many more. We had a picnic on the island, and then set off to go snorkeling. Once we reached Cano Island, we jumped into the water with our flippers and goggles. While in the water we saw multiple sea turtles, a sting ray, and many beautiful fish. The plan was to get back in the boats and go to a different spot for snorkeling, but one boat decided to stay in the area and watch for whales. We were incredibly lucky and saw five whales in the area, one female and four males. They put on a show, coming up again and again, and we even saw their tails. Once the whales were gone, we went back to shore and walked to the hotel. The rest of the day was spent just hanging out by the pool or in our rooms. For dinner we had pasta with rice and afterwards we watched a documentary on plastic pollution in our oceans.

8/7/2015

Authors: Isis and Sabrina

Our day started at 7:00am, with pancakes and sleepy faces. We then walked to the local school, Escuela Flor de Bahia, to start our community service of the day. We split into four groups and each group got to know and play with a different school grade, our particular case, third graders. The language and cultural barriers were easily surpassed by gestures, smiles and children games, such as Duck, Duck, Goose. This morning got us nostalgic as we were transported in to the memories of our childhood. As the kids went to class some of us started working on wooden planks to hang around the community and the rest occupied themselves restoring the painting mural that circled the Salon Comunal (common public space used for community activities such as dancing classes, which we had the pleasure to hear and occasionally observe). After work we were offered frozen treats, made by the school. At 12:30pm we headed back to our hotel, walking, to have lunch. We had a great chill time, where pretty much everyone relaxed at the pool, something that has become a strong habit here. Later we took a long rainy walk to the soccer/football field in front of the school, in order to engage in a sweaty, tiring and muddy game with the local team, formed by 13-17 year old Costa Rican boys. We proudly lost. We walked to the home base again, dirty but joyful, and everyone went shower (it was mandatory). Dinner was served at 7:00pm and afterwards a documentary about a trip to Patagonia was shown- 180 degrees south.​

8/8/2015

Authors: Anastasia and Moaen

Today was a pretty quite and chilly day. It started off with a trivia game, all of us were separated to four groups of five, we chose names for our teams which include “heat rash”, “sunburn”, “las ballenas”, and “las olas”. Then, we started the game. “Sunburn” team was leading, but after “last question wins” “las olas” won and got some coffee candies as a present. We were cheerful members of our little community and shared with others. Then we had a cooking class with Doña Yeri Bonita and Doña Lidith, who work in the kitchen in Canto De Ballenas hotel. They taught us how to make starfruit juice, salad, rice, smashed beans and patacones. After we enjoyed the meal we cooked and had free time, we walked to the Whale Tail, but by the time we got to the national park Marino Ballena, storm clouds covered the sky and it started to rain. Instead, our guide Jovino gave as a little talk about the Whale Tail and we went to have some smoothies in the local cafe near the national park. After that, we separated into two groups: some people went back to the home base and others went to a small shop. When we returned to the hotel, we were completely wet, so we went to the pool to swim a little bit and took some pictures. Finally, after dinner we had an activity directed to learn more about each other, that put us in a great mood before we went to bed.

8/10/2015

Today we left our hotel Canto de Ballenas in Bahia Uvita. We spent 2 great weeks here and made a lot of memories. We are sad to go, especially to say goodbye to each other.

7/12/2015

All students have arrived safely and are ready for an amazing program! Blog updates and photos to follow.

7/14/2015

Authors: Anna Sliverstein and Walter Conde

Today we went to Coronado beach and learned to surf and cleaned up the beach trash. Included are photos of the mangrove saplings that we collected on the beach that will be planted in a water garden and later transplanted to combat coastal erosion. Also there is a picture of Rainbow Eucalyptus trees. We had great fun today in our new community. In the afternoon we went for a walk in the village and we learned quite a lot of things about the culture and the people who call this town home. As the grand finale, we watched a soccer game of Costa Rica vs. Canada; it ended in a tie. As shown in the photo, Nicky and Walter were too busy taking calls on the banana phone to pay attention to the soccer game. Tomorrow brings new adventures!

7/15/2015

Authors: Carolyn Saplicki and Molly Ellrodt

Today, we visited Forjando Alas, a local afterschool program. There, we learned about the community goals for the next generation. At the Forjando Alas, we split up into groups and worked on creating a vertical garden. This consisted of recycled bottles from the community, cut to make an opening for plants to grow in. We also painted the bottles with help from the local children. Next week, we will return and install the vegetable gardens at people’s homes. We also took a break and played pato pato ganzo (duck duck goose) with the local children. When we returned back to the home base, we worked with Travis and Noilyn and learned how to use GPS units for data collection. He informed and demonstrated to us the GIS system that helps to monitor trash clean up in an effort to clean the community and change littering behavior. Afterwards, we took a break at the pool and finished our free time with a friendly game of soccer and frisbee in the rain. Later, we did team-building exercises to finish the night. Below, there are photos, although not many because we were too busy having fun! Love you parents, guardians, siblings and beloved pets!

7/16/2015

Author: Nathalie

Today we went to a farm in Bahia Ballena where they were working on creating a tree nursery. The nursery will be used to grow trees that will be planted to benefit the environment and community by providing fruit, combating soil erosion, as well as keeping the natural beauty of the landscape. We worked on filling bags with dirt for the new seedlings as well as laying posts for the nursery building. It was hard work but it was rewarding. In the afternoon we went on a kayaking tour in the mangroves where we learned a lot about the trees and their importance to the ecosystem and saw bats, tree crabs, monkeys, and crocodiles. A few of us also decided to go swimming in the river, and practice getting back into the kayaks. We finished the night by discussing what we saw and learned and how these ecosystems have such an impact on both the land and the ocean. Lots of excitement and adventures are still planned!

7/17/2015

Authors: Nicky Gavin & Lucas Stolk

Today we woke up and had a pancake breakfast at 7:30 then left at 8 to go to the beach for service and surfing. For the service we planted mangroves saplings and marked their location using gps units. Mangroves are important ecosystems for protecting coastal areas, water filtration and fish habitat. After surfing and service, we came back to home base and hung out at the pool. Then, we went to continue helping make the hanging vertical gardens with local families and our friends from Forjando Alas. When we got back to the hotel we played pictonary using Costa Rican idioms. After dinner we watched a movie called 180˚ South about a person traveling from North America to Patagonia, Chile.

7/18/2015

Today, after breakfast, we headed down to the Bahia-Ballena beach and walked out to the “whale tail” at low tide to swim and enjoy the beach. On the way, Wayne, our guide, taught us about how the fishing industry in Bahia-Ballena has died in the last few decades with the establishment of the marine national park with the exception of one fisherman. After we swam, we returned to home base for lunch and rest. After that, we went to the farm that we visited Thursday for three hours for community service. There, we cut out of barrels and painted them to make trash cans for the community as well as making a walkway for the future visitors of the farm once it’s finished.  Despite rain falling the entire time we were there, we got all our work done and then some. When we returned to home base, we rested, ate dinner, and watched a short movie about the large issue of plastic in the ocean. Following the movie was an enlightening discussion and a challenge for all of the students to use and reuse less plastic when we return home.

On a side note our author Jonah had the unique opportunity to visit a local hospital after he smashed his finger between a concrete chair and a concrete table he was trying to move near the pool. He was very strong despite the pain, and learned about how awesome the Costa Rican medical system is. He received x-rays, a doctor consultation and ibuprofen all for free! Fortunately his finger is not broken, but he did hurt some of the tendons and cartilage. He now has a healthy fear of heavy concrete items and respect for free Costa Rican health care. We are happy he is safe and do not anticipate any other students will have the opportunity to tour Costa Rican hospitals. Jonah is the (un)lucky exception.  He advises that people do not re-arrange concrete furniture. Otherwise, all GLA students are healthy, safe and learning a lot from one another!

-Jonah and Janson

7/19/2015

Today we ate breakfast in the bright light of 5:45 am, so we could be on time with the tide to start our adventure to Corcovado National Park and snorkeling. With the great tour company Bahia Adventures, the group took two bumpy boats 90 minutes to the remote Corcovado national park in the Osa Peninsula. Midway, we spotted a couple dolphins riding alongside the boats and stopped to take in their beautiful giddiness in the infinite blue water. Once at the park, we put on our hiking shoes and silenced ourselves to respect the great nature ahead of us. On the tropical walk, we saw scarlet macaws, a fine amount of playful monkeys in the leafy green trees, and a large, bustling family of coatis. In addition to witnessing such pristine natural beauty, we preserved it at the same time by filling up three bags of trash that was discovered along the beach! After a fruitful lunch at the ranger station, we loaded back up n to the boats to head to the snorkeling island. The most amazing moment happened en route- the sighting of SIX whales, mothers and calves spending quality time together near the surface of the crisp saltwater. They were such beautiful, euphoric creatures which brought both boats to a hush when they peeked their humps over the surface. We reached the island and outfitted ourselves in flippers and snorkeling masks and jumped into the turquoise water, finally getting a clear view of our sea friends beneath us. We saw amiable sharks, “nemo” fish, and various other species swimming with us. On the way back to the beach where we initially set off, a storm rolled in and the waves became choppy, water spouts formed, and we were in the splash zone on the boat, but we made it safely back to shore and to the hotel, soaking wet with both H2O and adventure! The rest of the day was spent relaxing and recovering from an exotic and exhilarating day spent in the breathtaking wild of Costa Rica.

Grace Diaz

7/21/2015

Today, the group walked to the farm that we had worked at twice before. We began our service by sawing wood in order to make signs that say “yo no tiro basura” or “I don’t litter” to encourage trash disposal instead of littering around the community. We also painted mermaids, sea turtles, crabs, and flowers on trash cans to make them colorful and fun. Other kids also watered plants for the tree nursery. After serving the community, we walked home and were welcomed with a delicious lunch and a lovely ocean moment presentation by our mentor Emi! We learned about different whale and dolphin species and how they are endangered but also what the future holds for their safety. Then we left and walked to the local soccer field and played an awesome game with the community and, despite their amazing talent, we won! We all celebrated with a trip to the store to buy some ice cream! Afterwards, we retreated to the home base again for dinner and a relaxing, plan-free night. Below are some pictures of our adventures! Peace, love and happiness sent from your loving adventurers!

7/21/2015

Today we woke up bright and early to go zip lining! After two bumpy car rides, we finally reached the start of the nine zip lines, where we had fun zipping through the trees upside down and right side up. The view was breathtaking as we saw monkeys and toucans with the beautiful “Rich Coast” mountain range in the background. Later on in the day came the hard work, where we continued building our mangrove nursery at the farm. We worked for three hours landscaping, making pathways, building a fence, and planting trees. Sweat, dirt, and some blood (Taylor is no longer allowed to use saws) was all worth it in the end, because we all know in the long run, the work we have done will have a significantly positive impact on the environment. After a long, fun day, we all came back to home base to eat dinner and hang out with each other until bedtime. And as Rosa Parks once boldly stated, “NO!”

-Taylor Stine and Joey King (don’tcha know eh, baud)

7/22/2015

Today we started the day with a hike to a waterfall. It was technically a walk, not a hike, but because of the heat, it felt more strenuous. The waterfall and swimming hole where we went were especially appreciable because of this, though, and not too many complaints about the frigid temperature were heard. The waterfall area was a beautiful place for introspection or just enjoyment in a little secluded pocket of nature—although, if you prefer, there was also the thrill of cliff-jumping available, including diving off cliffs through the waterfall itself.
After the waterfall adventure, we got to enjoy icy smoothies and other snacks, and then took a taxi to some artisanal souvenir shops and an internet café. For some of us, it was the first technological connection to the outside world in almost two weeks. Kind of surreal, after being pretty thoroughly disconnected, immersed in a culture not so dominated by Apple’s latest and greatest time-saving/time-killing devices. But it was nice to check in with various persons on distant continents who might have wanted to know how things are going here.
Later, we helped out in the kitchen of Hotel Canto de Ballena, where we’re staying, and learned how much work goes into preparing the food we eat every day. Despite our dubious culinary skills, the food was still excellent.
We still have a couple days left in Costa Rica, but time is starting to bear down on us, and it’s really feeling like the end could be tomorrow. This evening we played some last-minute getting-to-know-you games, to find out a few more things we didn’t know about each other, and then we taped signs to each other’s backs and wrote anonymous compliments to one another. This trip has gone so quickly—some things are blurred and some are crystallized in our memories, but I still can’t believe that it will wind down so soon, and we will all be scattered to the far corners of the United States and Europe, hopefully with opened minds and new perspectives and determination to build on everything we have realized and learned here, and to use these experiences to keep finding ways to fight to protect this fragile, beautiful planet.

-Jennifer Horsburgh

7/24/2015

Today was our last day in Bahia Ballena, Uvita. We had a wonderful breakfast together and then walked down to the beach. We had a wonderful morning swim together and said our goodbyes to the beautiful beach where we have learned to surf, cleaned up trash and planted mangroves to combat coastal erosion and where we witnessed baby humpback whales swim with their moms, What a memorable two weeks it has been! Saying goodbye to this place and our friends will be difficult!

-Bridget Tinsley

June 26th

All students have arrived safely and are ready for their program!

Author: Emi

Hola todos! Our second Protecting the Pacific group of the summer has just arrived in Costa Rica! We are so excited to have Henry, Maria, Elizabeth, Jessica, Wayman, Katie, Rita, Nicole, Max, Ellie, Riley, Grace, Gabriel, Billy, Grace, Noémie, Samantha, Sophia, Sammie, and Anna Kate here with us for the next two weeks jammed packed full of ocean conservation, community-based innovation, and grassroots empowerment. Bridget, Jose Pablo, and myself cannot wait to get to know our students and grow together as a group and also as individual leaders in our own light. Let the adventure begin!

Beyond the Surface International
http://www.beyondthesurfaceinternational.org

June 27th

This morning when I first woke up, I had no idea what to expect. A delicious variety of foods were provided for us in the morning. We embarked on a journey to our home base later on in the afternoon. We came to a stopping point for homemade smoothies. Some of us even went back for seconds. The home base is absolutely gorgeous! It has beautiful wildlife and it smells amazing. A majority of us jumped in the pool and played some marco polo and a variety of other pool games. After another delicious meal to end the day, I realized that a lot of us have become closer and learned a lot more about each other. The leaders are supportive and make this experience so much more enjoyable. The phrase that we learned today was Pura Vida! This is used for pretty much anything in Costa Rica. It means good life! Today has been an amazing start to our 2 weeks here in Costa Rica!

– Anna Kate Gardner and Jessica Velasco

June 28th

Authors: Billy Chen and Noémie Roy

Hola,Our third day just ended. We learned so many things, but each time in a different way. We learned to love the ocean by having surf lessons. We learned ways to prevent coastal erosion of the beach with cleaning up the roads and moving trash. We learned about the community of Bahia Ballena, Uvita by having a tour around town. We learned about the economic development in Costa Rica with a video and discussion about what we just saw. After that, we had group work to get our perspective on economic development in the air. To end our successful day, we had a presentation about GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and how creates perceptions about Costa Rica and the world. We learned about how GDP and GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) are significantly different by showing a country doesn’t need much to be happy. As such, Costa Rica is known as one of the happiest country in the world!

¡Pura Vida!

Hola,

Notre troisième journée vient de se terminer. Nous avons appris tant de chose, mais chaque fois d’une façon différente. Nous avons appris à aimer l’océan en ayant des leçons de surf, puis nous avons appris à le protéger en ramassant des déchets sur la plage et en rendant la plage plus belle pour rendre les gens plus sensible à son état. Nous avons appris des façons de prévenir l’érosion de la côte en faisant une barrière de feuille de palmiers et en plantant des cocotiers. Nous avons appris a propos de la communauté de Bahia Uvita en ayant un tour guidé à pied dans le village. Nous avons appris a propos du développement économique  au Costa Rica, en lien avec le tourisme, grâce a un vidéo, des discussions en groupe et des présentations de nos mentors. Cette journée était très riche, aussi riche que la biodiversité et la culture du Costa Rica, de la côte riche.

¡Pura Vida!

June 29th

Today everybody  was awake by 7:30 am for a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, sweet plantains and toasted bread. We headed off to Forjando Alas, a local school in the community of Uvita. Throughout the morning, we were educated regarding the organization´s role in environmental protection and education. On top of that, we repurposed plastic bottles to become placeholders for common crops. After interacting with the students of the school in a traditional game of janga and uno, we were also brought to the local quad where we played nostalgic games (such as duck duck goose and meow) with the local students. Sadly, we had to return back to homebase to eat. However, we were delighted by the great food we had for lunch. Afterwards, we were informed regarding the ways of the GPS and GIS, and how they are used to track the appearances of various types of trash. After learning that we are kayaking in the mangroves tomorrow, everybody went to bed with bright and excited smiles on their faces!

Pura Vida, y buena noche!

-Henry Liu and Sammie Edery

July 1st

Photo 1-9: We started off the day with our second session of surfing lessons followed by picking up trash on the beach. We also used GPS systems in order to map the trash we picked up in order to see which areas were the most polluted. We later found out, we picked up over 1,300 pieces of trash!

Photo 10-14: Throughout the trip we have helped at an amazing after- school center called Forjando Alas and today we continued our bottle garden project with the help of many hard- working students.

All in all it was a fantastic day filled with exciting service and amazing experiences in this beautiful country.

-Maggie Swomley and Ellie Hull

Nicole: This is Nicole demonstrating the famous Tarzan swing

Upside Down Nicole: This is Nicole (again) literally seeing the world from a new perspective.

Upside Down Sammie: Sammie being suspended mid air from a single rope! 

Sideways Billy: Billy showing off his million-dollar smile finally back where he belongs, the dense jungle among his monkey friends.

Group: Riley, Sammie, Rita and Nicole all gather around the rare Costa Rican giraffe that strangely resembles a human named Henry. 

Group 2: This was a picture before the first jump, many showed excitement while some others contemplated their demise…

July 4th Flashback:

Today the GLA group accomplished service work as well as adventure. The day began with a walk down to the Whale Tail of Bahia Ballena, Uvita. The scenery was beautiful; filled with mountains, sand, and palm trees. On the walk, Noilyn, our guide and friend, explained the origins of the whale tail; for example how the current manipulated the sand to create the body of the whale tail which connected the island to Bahia Ballena. Once we reached the whale tail we had free time to enjoy the refreshing ocean.

Later in the afternoon, our group began service. The goal of our service was to create a community tree nursery for the Bahia Ballena citizens. The tree seedlings will later be planted in areas that are deforested. Reforestation is an important way to combat soil erosion and sedimentation in the Pacific Ocean.  We started clearing the ground, in a set perimeter, of weeds. After about an hour, it began to rain so the group transitioned into our next activity.

Team GLA versed Team Bahia Ballena in a friendly game of soccer/futbol! A huge majority of the community was involved in the game. The game was even more exciting because we played in the rain. The game resulted in a tie which called for a penalty shoot out. Overall team GLA lost, but it was an adventure everyone enjoyed and will always remember despite the score!

Sincerely,

Grace Hennelly and Grace DuBois

Flashback to July 2nd:
Today we walked to the local school, Flor de Bahia, to do our service project for the day. We introduced ourselves to the kids and played games. Next, we painted the walls, floors, and trash cans. Lunch included a typical Costa Rican food: beans, rice, picadillo, tortilla, and egg wrapped in banana leaves—it was delicious. After our work at the school we came back to the home base and analyzed our GPS and GIS data about the trash we collect on the beach yesterday.

I can’t believe we only have a week left. I think everyone is a missing home a bit. I love you mom and dad.

– xoxo, Sophia.

July 6th

Hola!

Today, we hiked to the beautiful waterfalls of Uvita! We had an amazing time swimming in the pools of the town! When we finished swimming, we had an hour full of touring the main part of town where we shopped for souvenirs, tasted great Costa Rican baked goods, and had a cooking session with our hotel chefs. We learned how to make coconut rice, plantain chips, tortas de carne (meat patties) and starfruit juice! And finally we ended our great day with checking if we accomplished our goals for this trip and a scary movie!

Pura Vida!

Ciao! Todos!

-Billy Chen (IG: billych3n)