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

Here are a few things you can expect:

1. We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
2. Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
3. Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

**Please note – This blog will be for both the 14-day program and the 21-day program.**

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Hello friends and family of our Costa Rican travelers! We are writing to report that all 32 students have arrived safely with their bags in the capital of San Jose. We are getting to know one another and excited about this great group of people!

Tonight we met one another for the first time, learned names, and ate dinner together. We played card games, colored, and chatted while waiting for everyone to arrive from the airport. We also made friends with the hotel staff family, who are super hospitable.

We leave early in the morning for our first beach-side stay in Montezuma!

Check back for more updates and pictures later!

GLA Staff

Kristin, Katherine, Kanya, Patrick, and Angie

BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

Starting off our morning bright and early, we savored a delicious breakfast of (surprisingly) rice and beans as we enjoyed the beautiful canopy of green forestry among us. Consequently, we ventured far and wide in the blazing heat to save the turtles that roam freely along the Pacific shoreline. After a strenuous yet rewarding couple of hours picking up trash that has accumulated over time by the careless and inconsiderate actions of others.

Our afternoon consisted of a relaxing in hammocks and washing off the grime in a freezing cold shower. Soon after, we enjoyed the taste of a spaghetti and meatball lunch with a side of thirst quenching papaya juice.

We were graced by the warmth of the not so soothing waves of the Pacific. Some of us tumbled across an array of pebble-like sand, while others floated gently across the rocking waves. After this long period of cardio and muscular endurance, we drank a refreshingly cool coconut, hacked with a machete by a Costa Rican local.

We ended this tiresome, but exuberayting, day with a exotic fish dinner, served to us by hospitable hosts.

By Sadie and Antonia

BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

We woke up to the beautiful sound of rain at our lovely hotel, La Cascada. After a delicious breakfast of rice, beans, eggs, tortillas, fruit and juice we headed out for a morning of service. At the beach, we continued our work from yesterday of cleaning up natural debris, from coconuts to big logs. After the rain storm the town went through a little water shortage but we stuck through and we were all able to shower and make to our lunch.

Lunch was delicious bacon burger with waffle fries ketchup and lychee juice. After lunch we were able to have a little bit of free time before getting ready to head into town for some shopping. Downtown Montezuma had many unique and beautiful things and lots of us picked up all things from crochet tops to jewelry to things to munch on in our rooms. The rain started back up again and we walked back to the hotel for some downtime before dinner.

For dinner we ate vegetarian lasagna with a refreshing side of salad and garlic bread and another delicious juice. After dinner we prepared for our first night patrol on the beach where we were split into groups. We were able to learn from an expert about how the turtle hatchery works and we even got to see the nests.

Fiona and Emi

BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

We started our day off waking up to the sounds of all the wildlife and the waterfall right outside of our rooms. It was a gorgeous morning compared to our rain filled day yesterday. For breakfast we had a home comforting pancake meal and then we hurried to get ready for our hike in Cabo Blanco Nation Forest.

After a scenic bus ride we arrived at the national forest. The hike was guided by 2 fantastic Costa Rican experts who took us through the rainforest and taught us about the local fauna and flora. As we hiked below the canopies of trees, we saw families of monkeys, butterflies, birds, lizards, and hundreds of species of plants and fungi that took our breath away.

We rode the bus home to devour a tantalizing lunch as soon as possible. Our lunch was Ropa Vieja which was a mix of rice, beans, and beef mixed together. After lunch and some relaxation we voted to take a trip to the beach and the local grocery store to stock up on snacks and necessities. After the beach we returned to home base and enjoyed some free time to relax, play games and talk to friends. For our last dinner at this home base, we had some delicious fish with potatoes and then had a special Costa Rican dessert called Arroz Con Leche.

After dinner a small group of 12 of us decided we wanted to go to the beach for night patrol. Night patrol is where we walk up and down the beach looking for sea turtles ready to lay their eggs. This is an important task for the hatchery to ensure that the people working at the hatchery know where the eggs are. During our adventures at the hatchery we were attacked by fire ants and mother nature when a torrential downpour occurred. Some of us danced in the rain while the other continued patrolling. We made our way back to prepare for our travels to Parrita the next day.

Jacoba and Eileen

BLOG POST FOR JULY 13

Hey y’all! Welcome to today’s blog. This morning we woke up to a scrumptious breakfast of sausage, pancakes, and eggs. We deeply appreciate our staff and all they are doing for our large group. For today’s service we cleaned and restored an old mangrove nursery which was severely damaged by a storm and we helped turn it around.They gave us machetes to cut the dead palm leave from trees and that was very fun. We then had a lunch of chicken fried rice and chips.

We then had guest speakers (Roberto and Yuma) who gave a fantastic, informational presentation on turtle conservation. In the presentation we learned about the different types of turtles and their life cycle. We learned a lot about characteristics of turtles and where they travel to throughout the ocean to complete the cycle. Turtles do in fact play a very important part in the ecosystem by balancing out the level of sea grass so other marine life can thrive. After the guest speakers we had 4 hours of free time including some yoga, and pool time! It also included a thirty minute HIT workout and OMG we were sweating, as if we weren’t already. Everyone relaxed and took some time to regroup before some GLA students partook in a beautiful beach walk.

As we headed to dinner rain started pouring down on us and we arrived soaked!! We enjoyed dinner, which was creamy lasagna, with the rainy ambience. After dinner was a fun debate leadership activity and then off to bed! Good night and pura vida!

– Written by Julia and Delaney

BLOG POST FOR JULY 14

The 14th of July was truly a great day. First we woke up around 7 and had an amazing breakfast filled with tons of nutrients. Then we got ready to put soil into plastic bags so we could plant almond trees. After 3 long hours of hard work we went to lunch and ate yet again. After lunch, there was a guest! He was a professional dancer and was there to teach us some culturally significant dances to Costa Rica. We learned the Salsa, the Bachata, and a couple more. it wasn’t a super long class but it was still really fun to learn new dances. I was glad I got to immerse myself into a new culture and really feel what it meant to be one with everyone. Overall, it was a pretty good day.

– by Aedan Youtzy 😀

BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

The morning of Friday the 17th was a truly memorable time for all of us. We were told of a surprise, but not one of us could’ve presumed the magnitude of that surprise. We loaded up the busses, grabbing bagged breakfast as we came at seven AM. The busses were set to leave just ten minutes later. Once loaded and fed, we made our way through a small village of sorts until we came upon a large villa. This villa held what our surprise was to be. We came through the courtyard and between the buildings and once we had reached the backyard we beheld a sea turtle hatchery filled with freshly hatched baby sea turtles.

Not only were we able to observe the baby sea turtles, but we were given an in depth explanation and demonstration of how sea turtles nest, lay eggs, and hatch. What happens next will stay with all of us for many years. We were given the truly spectacular opportunity to pick up these baby sea turtles and one by one release them into the ocean. We had no idea where we were going or why we were roused so early from the comforts of our beds, but that momentous occasion will never be forgotten.

-Evan Johnstone

BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

We awoke to the sounds of roosters, the loud noise of the cicadas, and the sun arising from behind the Costa Rican mountain range. We drove the short distance to Bahia ballena National park to begin our surfing excursion. We learned the basics, safety, and rules of riding the waves before we ventured into the water. While some of us chose to learn to stand up on the board, others swam in the waves

We later had lunch before a quick turn around of heading to service. Service consisted of both reforesting trees and painting signs to notify park-goers of the new tree’s whereabouts. Our service, however, was interrupted by a swarm of wasps, an earthquake, and biting gnats. Even with these interferes we managed to leave with high spirits that only increased as we made a pit stop at the supermarket.

Our day ended with mentor groups that left of us with stronger listening skills, public speaking, and a deeper (nearly unbreakable) group bond.

By Sadie

BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

After an early 5:45am wake up we headed to breakfast and enjoyed some warm, fluffy pancakes. We were then offered some banana bread and orange juice at dolphin tours, which was a brief bus ride from our home base. 30 minutes into our boat ride, we spotted a 13 meter long Bryde’s whale as well as a pod of dolphins swimming beside our boat.

We then arrived at our snorkeling destination where the water was crystal clear and the perfect temperature. After we were given our flippers and snorkeling gear, we hopped in the water and observed the coral reef that homed many forms of marine life. This included sea cucumbers, sea urchins, puffer fish, rainbow fish, damsel fish and many more. After our service in Montezuma where we worked on sea turtle conservation it was amazing to see four sea turtles one of which was a green sea turtle and the others which were olive ridleys, the species we had previously released into the ocean in Parita. The generous tour guides gave us fresh pineapple and watermelon slices. The tour guides then took us to a second location to once again snorkel. We were able to dive down to closely observe the seabed and schools of fish.

As midday approached, people’s stomachs began to growl and we knew it was time for lunch. The trip to shore was hasty however the captain was able to spot a baby humpback whale and its mother. He went into depth about how it was the season of humpback whales as the mothers need to give birth to their young in warm water to ensure their survival. He also informed us that the baby humpback whales consume 500 liters of milk a day. Lunch was set up on the beach and we were given time to swim in the water. We devoured some flavorful chicken and rice, tuna pasta salad, chips and beans and more fresh pineapple. As the rain began to trickle down we hurried to the boat and began the journey back to Uvita. The ride was bumpy and the rain rapidly hit our faces but by the time we got back we were excited to jump into the warm hotel pool.

A delicious meal of rice, beans and fish was followed by some group activities and a long needed sleep.

By Lena and Pippa

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

Here are a few things you can expect:

1. We typically receive 1-2 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
2. Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
3. Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 12 & 13

This morning we all were early to breakfast and started the day off really smooth!

We did some community service by preparing a sign for the turtle hatchery per their needs and used some awesome teamwork to start creating an inspiring informative sign to block the lights from the parking lot. Why? So the turtles don’t get confused by the artificial light and attempt to head inland instead of out to sea. Super important! It also helps to educate the public about these important issues.

The rain hindered our beach plan a bit, but we had an amazing pool party in the rain instead and we were able to listen to a culture talk by a lady named Sylvia who taught us a lot about her way of living here in Costa Rica.

We finished off the day with a 10/10 mind-melting sunset and some awesome dinner!

We all got covid tested and all tested negative (which is so awesome). And then we learned more about how the turtles come to the beaches to lay eggs and the struggles that occur with the process.

#positiveattitudesnegativecovidresults

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 16

We started off the day today bright and early for breakfast at 6:15 AM. We then headed out the door at 6:45 to go on our great adventures!

On the way, we stopped at a mini supermarket to get some foreign snacks. We then arrived at the zip lining adventure and got all geared up. The zip lining was magical! We swung and climbed through the great canyons of beautiful Costa Rica.

Zip lining highlight: going upside down.

Before lunch, we decided to go on a hike to a river nearby. We swam and explored all the way up the river.

River highlight: nature made chairs. We got to eat from a buffet for lunch, and got rice pudding and coconut cake for dessert.

To swim in a waterfall, we took another hike. The water was turquoise blue and we got to cliff jump past the falls.

Waterfall highlight: scenery.

It was now time to go tubing. We were all a bit nervous, but after getting geared up, we started to descend down the river. There were some fast rapids and also some slow parts, but overall was very funny to hear everyone screaming and laughing.

We then headed home, but stopped at a cafe for hot chocolate and pastries. After a long drive home, we ate dinner and finished the night off by watching a movie. What a great day!

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

Here are a few things you can expect:

1. We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
2. Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
3. Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1

Bienvenidos!

Welcome to one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, Costa Rica! 33 of our young leaders arrived today, ready to face the next 10 days of learning, service, and fun. The students were welcomed by a tropical summer afternoon at the airport and headed straight to our home base, a beautiful Eco Resort in Junquillal. We did couple of activities in the afternoon, ate some nachos for merienda, played soccer at the beach, and watched an amazing sunset!

Few of the students arrived later at night. We just can’t wait to see the whole group tomorrow and start to get to know each other more.

GLA BSA Team

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2

Hola!

This morning we had a delicious breakfast of fruit, scrambled eggs, rice and beans, and apple juice and orange juice.

Then, we woke up by chasing RJ (which stands for Ricardo Jimenez) with his Bobsleigh activity, and played Where the Wind Blows to learn more about each other. We also did a big name circle where Zoe got everyone’s name right on the first try and earned a free smoothie from RJ!! Afterward, we had orientation where we learned about our mentors, went over COVID guidelines, and made and signed our Community Agreement.

For lunch we had rice and veggies, then continued orientation. In this half, Daya taught us a little bit about Costa Rica culture, like how “pura vida” can be used to mean many different things! The acronym “pura vida” stands for Polite/participate, Usted, Respect, no American (say Estado Unidense like “from the United States” instead because everyone here is from America), Vivir en español (live in Spanish), Initiative, Dress code, Appreciate every moment and aspect of this trip. We also went over the dress code for our service sites.

We had to do a swim test and health checks to go over general information like prescribed medications and current physical and mental health statuses. After the swim test we had free time, where lots of us swam and played Taps and full tackle basketball in the pool. We went to the beach for sunset and Chow Circle where we gave shoutouts, highlights and takeaways from the day.

We ate a delicious dinner of pork, mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies. We then got assigned our service groups which would determine what we did for the rest of the week. We met with our mentor groups for the first time, and discussed what we expected from the rest of the trip. Wrote a fact about ourselves and had to guess who the fact was about, and also made specific goals for the whole trip and outlined how we will reach them. We then had free time in the rain in which we spent writing this blog.

– Zoe and Luca

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 3

Pura Vida!

Today was a nice and productive day! We first had to wake up at 6:45 for 7AM breakfast. We ate pancakes, fruits, cereals, and rice and beans. Then we had to go to our service activities. We planted seedlings and placed them in the nursery, painted colorful turtles and marine animals on signs, and did beach clean-up.

After this we went to have our COVID Test and then to the beach and soaked in the sun.

For night activity, we then had a debate about sea turtles and conservation for their habitats. After the debate we had our mentor groups where we talked about was to conserve the turtles and make everyone happy in the community. Then we hung out by the pool to complete or a great day of work and fun!

– Sophia, Leanna, Gillian, Jakob

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4

Today was jam packed with fun activities, meaningful volunteering and discussions. The day was eventful because we finished our signs for the turtle group, and the other group also got so much done by planting 120 trees and transporting them to a delivery site.

After service we enjoyed free time and swam. Transitioning to “Beach Olympics,” we partook in fun activities such as relay races, coconut bowling, and a sand castle competition. Team Turtles won the competition. Then we body surfed waves right before it started raining

After dinner and cleaning up, we went to the ranchito We learned about the “dangers of a single story” and were challenged to think more about how we all are effected by a single story and the lack of nuanced perspectives.

-Nandini, Anthony, Phil, MJ

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5

Hola!

Today we had a super fun day starting off with a yummy breakfast of french toast. We then headed off to our services and learned tons about micro plastics and went to a local school to help them set-up their very own garden.

We prepared soil and compost to grow papayas and passion fruits. We also painted signs and helped out at the turtle hatchery.

After service, the mentors had an awesome activity planned for us: a chocolate workshop! We took a tour around the garden there and tried many fruits such as kumquats and guanabana. The chocolates were also very yummy!

After going back to the HB, we had some free time and then had an intense game of “Jeopardy,” which really put our minds to work.

And of course we celebrated Bornali’s birthday with a birthday cake and a Piñata. Finally some people did yoga and then went to bed after a long, fun, eventful day.

-Kayla, Dorothy, Maya, Nick

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7

Pura Vida!

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 8

Today was our last service day. Guanacaste Water Center group planted the rest of their trees and completed all their prior projects. Avellanas group picked up microplastics and hung the signs we made in the first couple of service days. After that we had the honor of leading three cultural dances, merengue, samba, and a Costa Rican dance.

Then after the Dance class, we couldn’t go to the beach because it started pouring buckets so we went to the pool at the homebase and chicken fought. Then we did a singing riff-off game where teams had to name specific songs, Daya, our local director, also prepared the best hot choco and biscuits! We had dinner after then night activity.

-Christian, Maya G., Elliot, Caroline

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 9

Hola!

We woke up very early to prepare for long day of adventures ahead of us. We started off by driving 2 hours to the zip-line center. We zip-lined through the canyon and saw rivers, canyons, and blue butterflies. Many of us conquered our fears and even went upside down. Then we went for a quick covid test.

Lunch was delicious at an all you can eat style buffet. We had a short hike to a waterfall. The water was bright blue, very cold and refreshing. We then suited up with life jackets and helmets to go tubing! On a tough but fun journey through the river. All in all it was a very good experience!

A fun 2 hour bus ride full of throwback songs made the trip back bearable. We ate dinner and went to bed, excited but sad for our last day.

-Adriana, Karli, PJ, Ari, and Autumn

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 10

Today was our last day on the program!

We all woke up around 5:30 as we said goodbye to the first group leaving us while we stood together as a group for one last time. After their departure many of us spent a good amount of time packing as the feeling that our trip as finally is coming to an end started to truly sink in.

For the group that was left we spent the time joking around and making the best of the time we had left. We dropped our bags off at the bus and ate our last meal in Costa Rica which happened to be pancakes and rice and beans.

During this time many of us started planning when we would see each other again because we didn’t want this to be the last goodbye!

We then hopped on the bus and left our temporary second home behind. At the airport we finally said our last goodbyes and went our separate ways, officially ending our Beachside Service Adventure.

We all are grateful for this opportunity to learn, grow, and make a difference in Costa Rica and our greater global community.

A special thanks to our mentors and many friends that made this experience truly amazing, RJ, Ingrid, Mag, Daya, Heather, Frank, Alberto, Yorti, Marcia, Berta, Valerie, and Amanda.

To the next adventure and to lifelong friends,

-Will

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

Here are a few things you can expect:

1. We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
2. Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
3. Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

Bienvenidos!

Everyone has arrived safely and happily to Playa Junquillal, Costa Rica. Students are settling in, meeting their roommates and enjoying some typical Costa Rican food. We were welcomed by a beautiful sunset on the beach at home base. Everyone seems to be getting along well and it’s easy to see new friendships forming through name games and bus ride chats that also took place throughout the day. Students are visiting from around the world to contribute to the upcoming service work, including sea turtle conservation and rebuilding the water table. We are also looking forward to adventure days where students will step out of their comfort zone both physically and culturally. Orientation is tomorrow so everyone is hoping to get a good nights sleep. Another beautiful day in Costa Rica!

Alex, Brewster, and Ruby has arrived late last night. We can’t wait to have our first ever full group photo! (Masks were put down for photo ops)

Pura Vida!

– Ingrid, Mentor

BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

Our first full day started off with a delicious variety of breakfast food including fresh fruit, rice, and eggs. A classic Costa Rican breakfast. We then transferred over to orientation where the mentors spoke about the code of conduct, COVID precautions, and respecting the local culture.

Following a lunch break of picadillo, another classic Costa Rican dish, we took a swim test and health check. (Everyone passed!) After a relaxing free time, everyone took a walk down to the beach to enjoy the sunset and have a chow circle.

We then met with our mentor groups and discussed about what it means to be a leader and what we want to accomplish from this trip. We wound down in our rooms and hung out around the pool until lights off at 10:00. Simply put, pura vida!

Ray and Ruby

BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

On day three in Costa Rica, we had out first day of service. After a pancake breakfast, we split up into our service groups and left Home Base. At the Guanacaste Water Center, Alberto, the director of the water center, taught us about the rainfall frequencies in Costa Rica and the importance of trees in the erosion process. We were then able to plant saplings and place them in the nursery. Other students were also able to use a wood carving tool to help Alberto make signs to identify the rivers. At the Grupo Ecologica Avellanas, we met Frank, a local community leader, who first gave us a tour around the school. After the tour, we began our clean up. We walked down the main road of the local community and picked up different types of trash. After collecting bags of trash, we sorted the trash into categories: aluminum, glass, and plastic. We ended our service with a quick game of soccer outside the local school. At VerdiAzul, we worked at a Turtle Hatchery and helped to improve the turtles hatching habitats. We dug holes and placed nets for the eggs. We worked on our teamwork skills through communication and hard work on the sunny beach. We also learned many facts about turtles from the hatchery director Valerie.

After service, we went to a local clinic for our first COVID test. We then drove to a beautiful beach named Conchal (because of the loads of seashells that could be found there) thats is located in a local town nearby. After many piñacolada’s and souvenir buying, we came back to Home Base. We then listened to a cultural and historical presentation by a guest speaker, Silvia (a local owner of a hotel and historian of Costa Rica).

We then ate a pasta dinner and had our night activity and mentor groups. After the time reflecting with mentors, we had free time and then went to sleep.

Pura Vida, everyone!

Eli, Jack, Emma, and AnnieGrace

BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

Hola!

We started off our morning with an early wake up call from one of our fellow leaders of the day, Brewster. We headed up to breakfast where we ate some killer scrambled eggs and pico (rice and beans). After breakfast, three groups left to do service with the same groups they were with yesterday. Avallanas split up into two groups who were set out to clean over two kilometers of the beach, filling up bags with micro plastics. They took a nice dip in the Pacific Ocean after hours of hard work. The group at Guanacaste Water Center watered 232 saplings from a previous GLA session, refilling watering cans after every three trees. They also made mushroom shaped plugs from newspaper and tinfoil to put on the top of tubes to prevent water from drying out. The group at VerdiAzul switched from the turtle hatchery to the beach, picking up microplastics from about three kilometers of a different beach, all the while learning about plastics and how different materials decompose (or don’t).

After a nice lunch of Quesadillas con Pollo, we had about an hour of free time before Rally Day in the afternoon. During free time after lunch, some played Spikeball, some swam and some relaxed. At 1:45, we all took two buses into town for a fun afternoon of cultural activities. Everybody split into two different groups, one went into a local woman’s kitchen, while the other group played Costa Rican games. Mirita is a well known local baker who aided us in making Boñuelos in a sweet honey sauce, with a purple corn drink to wash it down. The games played included a T-shirt relay, marble race and a hybrid of Quidditch and Basketball, all of which relied on teamwork and communication in order to succeed. Finally, we finished off with a game of soccer in the pouring rain. The final score was 2-1 in a very intense, muddy, and sopping wet soccer match.

We then headed back to home base where we had about an hour of free time to dry off and prepare for the night. At 6, we gathered at the Ranchito to play some games and do Chow Circle (where people share their shoutouts, highlights and takeaways). Everyone headed up to the restaurant where we all enjoyed Chickpea Curry with rice and salad. After dinner we went to the night activity, and listened to an informative TED talk called “The Danger of the Single Story”. One of our amazing mentors, Becca shared her life story as a perfect example of vulnerability and to not judge someone based off of a single story. We finished off the night with an hour of free time and then went to the sleep for the night.

All in all, today was an amazing day!

– Chloe, Cooper, Brewster, and Riley

BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

Pura Vida!

For breakfast this Saturday morning we all enjoyed some French toast and rice and beans with local fruit before heading out for a rainy service day. At the Guanacaste Water Center we worked with Alberto to put a sticker on his honey bottles, plant saplings again and paint some signs to label local rivers. In VerdiAzul we sanitized buckets and baskets used to hatch baby turtle eggs. Then we went to the beach and dug five more holes in the turtle hatchery. we finished service with a swim at the beach. The Avellanas group painted signs today due to the rain eventually getting to spend some time at the beach picking up trash once the sun was out again. after service we all came back and enjoyed a lunch of stew with rice.

Afterwards we all met with a couple of local professionals where we learned three traditional dances and then continued our activities at the beach. We participated in the Beach Olympics where we worked together with our service groups. A couple of fun activities to strengthen our team bond and push ourselves!

We were all really excited for a dinner of chicken fingers and fried plantains after such a busy day. Then we ended our day with group Jeopardy and headed to bed a little early to prepare ourselves for our first adventure day tomorrow.

– Will, Zoie, Estefania, Tristan, Molly

BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

Hola!

We woke up bright and early and had empanadas for breakfast. We then loaded the busses for an adventurous day. Once we arrived, we suited up for zip lining and headed for the tree tops. There were many fun features such as a climbing wall, Tarzan swing, and rope jump.
After that we went and got lunch at a buffet. Then we hiked to a waterfall with scenic views and a lot of butterflies! Next, we took a bus to go tubing. We tubbed down a river with lots of rapids. Then we drove back and ate a late dinner with a beautiful sunset.

– PJ, Drew, Ben, and Jack

BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

Day 7 started with early morning yoga at the beach with Ingrid. After yoga, we went to breakfast and ate some delicious pancakes before leaving for service. At VerdiAzul we all helped out on cleaning the area around the hatchery, painting signs to promote sea turtle conservation, and digging holes for the turtles eggs. It was pleasantly followed by a nice swim in the ocean to rinse off. At Avellanas we drove to the beach where we took a tour of the recycling bins, and cleaned the beach for about 30 minutes. After we put up signs that we made the other day in service. Once we were done with all of our work we took a refreshing dip in the ocean and we were riding the waves. The Guanacaste Water Center focused on planting parts that were cut off of grown trees to form new trees and planting bamboo. Once everyone returned from service, we had a couple minutes to swim before going to lunch.

After eating, we left for the chocolate tasting at Reinas Chocolate. 45 minutes of a very entertaining bus ride later, we arrived and started the tour/tasting. Half of the group started by watching and helping make chocolate from scratch (peeling and grinding cacao beans, etc). The other half began with the tasting where we sampled a bunch of fun flavors (chocolate raspberry, white chocolate orange, chocolate cinnamon , etc). We finished up the tour/tasting, thanked our wonderful hosts, and headed back to home base. The rest of the day was pretty laid back with a chow circle at an amazing sunset, a yummy taco dinner, and a fun night of karaoke. After a great session with mentor groups, everyone wrapped it up and headed to sleep. We are looking forward to another amazing day tomorrow!

Pura vida!

– Grant, Hazel, Alex, and Rafe

BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Unfortunately, we are coming close to the end of our trip but today we all ended our service projects on a strong note. After a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs and hash browns, we loaded up the buses and headed to our last day of service. After 4 hours of hard work we came back to the home base and ate lunch. Our afternoon consisted of watching a “responsible tourism” video and hanging out on the beach! We body surfed and drank mango smoothies untill it was time to head home.

Once we arrived home we walked to the beach for chow circle while enjoying the sunset. We had the night activity shortly after and then did mentor groups. We all finished the last day of service on a good note and are excited to enjoy our last day together tomorrow!

Pura Vida!!

Chris, Ruth, Ana, Lucy

BLOG POST FOR JULY 28

Today we woke up for our last breakfast all together. We ate pancakes along with a usual side of costa rican rice and beans. We set sail on a catamaran and a few of us felt a little sea sick. We all had hours of fun together swimming snorkeling and soaking up the sun. We then took our final covid test for our return home. After getting stuff organized at homebase we spent our final dollars at a local costa rican market supporting the local economy. We then continued our evening with an emotional activity and chow circle. A few of us shed some tears with the thought that we soon had to leave our new best friends. After that, we all gathered at dinner and chugged water, then ate a classic meal, burgers. We listened to music and all sang together.

Dinner was followed by a deep last talk with our mentor groups. We all met in the ranchero for last time to watch a slide show of the incredible moments we all shared together. After a few more tears and hugs e ended the night with a night swim and listened to music. We are going to miss all of the people we met here but plan to keep in contact.

– Eme, Lizzie, Logan, Finn, and Grace

BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

This trip has changed me for the better and made me realize the true reason of why we all went on the trip. On the first night of the trip, my mentor RJ asked why we were all here. Some replied with such things as “to help the environment” or “to travel the world but have a purpose in doing it”. My personal reason at that time was “to feel like I am making an impact on the world”. After hearing the reasons, RJ told us that they were all selfish reasons. He told us that we weren’t qualified for the work that we were going to do and that the money we spent coming here could be better used to pay professionals to do the same jobs we were about to do. At the time, it seemed like an attack. Nobody knew what to think, but then he told us that after all the work we do and once this whole program is over, we will know the true reason of why we came here and what impact we can make.

This made me think, why were we here? What could we possibly bring to the table that professionals can’t? Looking back on this experience after the program was over, I realized what impact we actually made. Although the work we did will help tremendously, it wasn’t the biggest impact we made. It was the attitude that we had while doing the work that would make the biggest impact. The attitude to change what was wrong, and the attitude to keep a smile on your face throughout some of the hardest work you’ve ever done. The attitude that spread from this tiny group of high schoolers from the United States who were doing work that only helped a little in the grand scheme of things, that what made the biggest impact. And that was the true reason we were there.

– Graham

Please see the video prepared by the mentors to cap off this amazing session!
https://bit.ly/GLA-BSA3
 

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

Here are a few things you can expect:

1. We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
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3. Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

¡Pura Vida!

Welcome to the Beachside Service Adventure Session 2 blog! Today we welcomed 34 incredible and diverse high school students to Costa Rica and we couldn’t be more excited for this new group of young leaders!

Our first group of students arrived to the home base around 4 pm with the second group following an hour or so after. We ate some nachos, got to know each other a bit better, and then headed to the beach to watch a beautiful sunset and do our first chow circle of the program. We had a delicious casado (a Costa Rican meal usually with rice, beans, and a form of protein) for dinner and played a few “get to know you” activities before the students had some time to unpack, relax, and get to know their roommates before heading to bed.

This group is already so much fun and we are so excited to see what the next 9 days brings us!

*Mask off for photos!

– Becca, Amanda, Ingrid, RJ, Heather, and Daya, GLA Team

BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

¡Hola padres! ¿Como estas? Unfortunately that’s the extent of my Spanish speaking skills, but we’re already learning so many new phrases just by being here! Our first day was a recovery day, filled with lots of informational talks and getting to know each other. It’s insane how fast everyone clicked and blended together as a group. We’ve all found we have things in common and are enjoying having friendships with students from all around the world. Something we all have in common is that none of us are used to the hot, humid weather! As teenagers, this weather can be bad as we all know our age group is typically the smelliest….Don’t worry, we’re showering as often as possible.

After a breakfast of scrambled eggs, rice, beans, fresh fruit, and granola we headed over to the meeting area and were given all of the important information by our mentors. They had icebreakers and games for us to play that helped us get more comfortable with our new environment and peers. After an informative morning, we made our way back to the kitchen for a lunch of rice, veggies, and sausage. While eating our meal we got to enjoy a beautiful view of the ocean since our resort is right across from the beach!

A few more code of conduct and talks and policies later, we all made a break for the pool for our swim tests. This was followed by an announcement of a “surprise”, which turned out to be watching newly hatched baby turtles head into the ocean. The turtles were so cute and small, and the group was filled with lots of high pitched squeals upon first seeing them. It was a one of a kind opportunity to be able to witness nature up close.

After all of the babies had made it safely into the water we enjoyed a beautiful beach sunset and took pictures( typical, we know). There were many other interesting creatures besides the turtles, including a surprising amount of hermit crabs which everyone took a liking to. Our mentors informed us that Costa Rica makes up about 6% of the worlds biodiversity, and we’ve already seen many exotic birds, very big lizards, and lots of large insects!

During dinner there was a rain storm that was very short and warm. It was actually enjoyable while sitting under the roof, and not bad walking in when we left. We have little groups we’ve been assigned to with a particular mentor for us to talk about the day and share thoughts, which we broke into after dinner. Our night was concluded with free time which we filled with basketball, card games, and just chatting.

Lights are off at ten, and we’re all about to say goodnight. We’ll be up at 6:30 tomorrow morning for our first service day which you’ll be hearing all about in tomorrow’s blog. We miss you and love you very much. ¡Adios padres!

– Bethany

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Pura Vida!

It was an early morning for us all today since it was a service day. Breakfast was at 7AM and we had some really good pancakes, fruit, beans and rice. and then we left for all of our services at 7:45. At the beachside cleanup we picked up trash on the roads, helped the community by making signs, and then we played soccer. The Turtle Hatchery and clean up group started to paint signs and sanitize the baskets that holds the turtles eggs. The Guanacaste Water Center group arrived at the reforestation center around 8 o’clock. We then learned about the local watersheds and about some of the native plants. Then, we began to mix soil and make signs. We also transplanted some of the native plants from the nursery to bigger bags so that the roots don’t grow through the bags.

After our service, we came back to the home-base and had lunch, it was fried rice, chicken, and salad. After lunch, we went to get our covid tests at a clinic and went to the beach where we played in the waves and played soccer! Around 4, we came back and prettied up and had a guest speaker inform us about Costa Rican culture, food, and geography. Fun fact: Costa rica is a blue zone (regions of the world where a higher than usual number of people live much longer than average). Then, our lovely, amazing leaders of the day leaded the chow circle and we went to dinner (pasta, garlic bread, salad). After dinner, we came back to the ranchito and had a debate regarding a sea turtle law and had the rest of the night to hang-out with our friends.

– Nick, Lucca, Ava, Noor

BLOG POST FOR JULY 10-11

Hola!

While our trip had taken an unexpected turn, we’ve been having a wonderful time despite the challenges. We started off Saturday morning waiting for our covid results and eating a delicious breakfast. With the news that we would not have community service due to the covid results, our mentors planned a fun day for us while some of us went to get another covid test. we played riff off, basketball, cards, and went down to the beach to have Beach Olympics! We then had lunch and took a lovely scenic stroll down the beach. It was overcast but the landscape is beautiful regardless of the weather. We finished the night with a dinner of curry and a movie with popcorn!

Sunday morning we woke up excited for a fun day with lots of activities. After eating a breakfast of pancakes, we headed to our community service sites where the groups painted, planted trees, and cleaned up the beaches. After service, lunch was then followed by amazing Costa Rican dance lessons! An afternoon at the beach was a great way to cool off, and we spent a couple hours splashing in the waves and sitting on the sand. Following our beach excursion we spent a little time in the pool listening to music before dinner. Overall we’ve been having an eventful and fun time in Costa Rica. We can’t wait for tomorrow!!

– Novella, Willa, Lauren, Jean, Abbey

BLOG POST FOR JULY 12

We started off our morning bright and early with an amazing breakfast that included eggs, rice, and beans, that fueled our day.

The verdi azul group went to the beach to pick up micro plastics. At the end of the walk we used the plastics to create a mural of a turtle in the shape of our foundations symbol. We then picked up the trash and spent some time in the beach.

The avellanas group started off their day at a beautiful beach called Playa Negra. Athough the beach was beautiful, it was tainted with loads of microplastics and all types of trash. Their group made their way down Playa Negra cleaning up all of the garbage. The group was aided by an amazing lady named Ester, that made sure we stayed on track. The group also got to take a break and enjoy a game of ultimate frisbee. After the game they continued cleaning up till reaching the pickup spot.

The group working with the Guanacaste Water Center helped out with building a garden for a local school and its community. We built a garden bed and helped baby trees grow healthy. Although there were some encounters with insects, we all had a good time.

After all of our service we went back to home base and had lunch, which was pasta and a salad. After lunch we went out to a local school and had rally day. We cooked empenadas and played Costa Rican games, before having a big soccer match, which ended 1 – 0. After having fun at the rally day, we came back and had dinner after watching the sunset. For dinner we had chicken fingers and fried plantains, which was amazing! After dinner we enjoyed a video on the Banana Republic and broadened our view on the affairs of the North America and Costa Rica. We ended our day with reflection and nightly debriefs with our mentor groups.

– Robi, Barrett, Sean, Kasey, Eric

BLOG POST FOR JULY 13

Our adventure day could not have been as fantastic as it was without an extra hour of sleep. Students awoke to the smell of family love in the kitchen in the form of steamy breakfast burritos.

Following a bus ride full of antsy teens, we arrived in Liberia to the welcoming staff of Hacienda Guachipelin. The next hour was well spent zipping over majestic views full of waterfalls, plummeting into canyons and scaling rock walls.

Shortly after, we were delighted to accept an all-you-can-eat buffet in the adventure park cafe. lunch included a fresh salad bar, a scrumptious variety of proteins and grains, and a well stocked dessert bar! Once our stomachs were satisfied, we used our new found energy to hike to a view point of the recently erupted volcano, Rincón de la Vieja.

Proceeding with our thrilling day, a 10 minute bus ride led us to a the launch point of our open water tubing adventure. Once we were set-a-sail, we could not contain our laughter and screams. shooting down narrow paths of strong currents, many of us found ourselves lodged between rocks, requiring the assistance of our peers. Something about the roaring rapid brought all of us closer together. Although some of us flipped into the cold water, this will be a warm memory in our hearts for years to come.

We end our day with a relaxing, rainy, bus ride home. We were welcomed back with a magnificent home-cooked meal containing stir fry and salad. We are forever grateful for the love and support of our GLA staff for making it possible to have days like this in weeks full of unexpected twists and turns.

– Karsyn, Eli, Maya, Irene, Carolina

BLOG POST FOR JULY 14

Hello Everyone!

Today in beautiful Costa Rica we prepared for our last day of service. Our amazing chefs made and served us French Toast for breakfast to start the day off to a great start. We spilt into our three device groups and departed for our designated locations. The Guanacaste Water Center group planted over 228 trees which was a great finish to their final day of service. The trees help make a new home for monkeys, bring oxygen to the area, and overall aid reforestation to the community. The Avellanas group (Beach Clean Up) walked along the beach and picked up micro plastics to help clean up the beautiful costa rican beaches. Finally, the Verde Azul (Sea Turtle) clean up group prepared the sea turtles’ nests for hatching in the hatchery located right along the beach. After service groups, we came back for a nice lunch of rice and vegetables and then we quickly left for our final COVID test. Afterward, we visited a local beach and had a fun time swimming the ocean while spilling piña colada’s at the beach out of pineapples. Afterward, we returned back to the home base to enjoy our second-to-last dinner and participated in friendly competition between the service groups for our night activity. Today was very fun and we are looking forward to our last day full of adventure in Costa Rica.

Pura Vida,
Lauren L., Salar, Anna, Olivia, Ben, Tate

BLOG POST FOR JULY 15

¡Hola Padres!

The last day of our adventure was definitely one to remember. We started with an early breakfast and then quickly hopped in the busses to head to our catamaran trip! After about an hour and a half of lounging on the bow of the ship, we had some swim time in gorgeous blue water. We had a huge game of “king on the hill” with the girls and boys on opposing teams. We had a very tasty lunch aboard and headed back to home base. Tired out from our day, we took about an hour break before leaving again for the local artisan fair, where we purchased all kinds of jewelry and trinkets made by the locals.

This was followed by a quick walk to the beach to watch the sunset, an amazing dinner, and a celebratory music video of our trip. Most were crying by the end and hugs were given all around. We were surprised by a pool party afterwords and are wrapping up now. Tomorrow will be a sad day as we have to say our goodbyes, but we can’t wait to see you. This trip has been absolutely amazing, and we can’t thank you enough for giving us this opportunity!

Please see the link for the video: https://bit.ly/GLA-BSA2

– Georgia, Leah, Bethany, Berta