Day 1:

GLA Students arrived in the San Jose Airport and were picked up by our camp leaders. We then took a short bus ride to the hostel, called Pacande Hotel, where we got to know our bunkmates, ate delicious chicken burritos for lunch, and played “two truths and a lie”. We then went out for a nice stroll around Alajuela, where we experienced daily life in the City of Mangos by walking through the town’s narrow streets, among shops, markets, parks, and friendly locals. When we returned to the hostel, we played cards, made conversation with our group members, and took some time to relax after our travels. We finally went out for another walking expedition along with some new additions to the group and dined at the local typical Costa Rican restaurant. Most of us ate a typical Costa Rican dish, white rice, black beans, seasoned potato salad, fresh salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, fried plantations , and a toasty corn tortilla.

Day 2:

The now rested group took off from the hotel in Alajuela to Uvita around 8m. Students rode for 4.5 hours in a bus, stopping along the way by a well known crocodile sighting spot, where we bought Costa Rican souvenirs, ate some fresh snacks, and snapped some pictures of the gargantuan lizards in their natural habitat. We later arrived at Bodhi Surf Lodge, where we ate a delicious pork-chop lunch, received a tour of the grounds, and afternoon community walk along with a native tour guide in the pouring rain, where we saw many interesting medicinal trees, tropical fruits and walked around in the salty ocean. We tried the leaves of the medicinal bitter tree, starfruit, mangos, and coconuts. We also got to see the cashew fruit with its nut on its outside and smashed the leaves of a teak tree to produce a bright red dye. Upon our return to the lodge, we ate dinner and listened to a great introduction to surfing presentation by Gibran.

Day 3:

At 6:30 am, GLA students ate breakfast in preparation for their first surf lesson, at 8 AM. After arriving at the beach, called Playa Colonia, Gibran and his assistant surf instructors taught us the parts of a surfboard and how to properly handle the equipment. Students did drills on land to practice mounting the surfboard, turning, and stopping. We excitingly got in the water and practiced basic surfing for about 3.5 hours. By the end of the session, everyone knew how to ride a wave while standing up on their board. We then returned to Bohdi grounds for a delicious lunch and set off once again to a local surfboard shaper’s shop for service. We helped the owner, Snyder, paint the walls white and design a mural for the front wall. After working hard all afternoon, students returned to Bohdi for dinner and engaged in a final activity called “story of Self.” Names were chosen randomly and each student or staff member whose name was pulled shared their life story with the group, forming a close-knit relationship.

June 15, 2017

Today, the 15th of June, we went to the local elementary school to play sports with the kids. We played frisbee, basketball, volleyball, and soccer together. It was National Tree Day in Costa Rica, so after sports the kids put on a presentation. Then we got on stage and danced for them!

When Olivia and I (Cameron) were the leaders of the day, we went helped at Esneyder’s surf shop again. We finished painting the walls, kept working on the mural, and completed the surf board racks.

Also we helped our fellow peers surf that afternoon. After dinner, we watched the movie Chasing Mavericks.

In total we enjoyed being the leaders of the day and would be looking forward to doing it again.

June 17, 2017

Today we woke up and got in the car & rode for an hour and a half to pick up the rafts for whitewater rafting! We rafted for about an hour and then stopped on a river bank where our guides made us fresh salsa, guacamole, and various fruits. As we continued down one of Central America’s cleanest rivers, we stopped and hiked a waterfall, and jumped down!

We also found clay rock which we used to paint our faces. When we finished we ate lunch at a restaurant that over viewed a palm plantation and then drove home.

To end a long and busy week of service and fun we had a yoga session during a rain shower.

June 18, 2017 

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! Today we went to the beach to surf, but the tides were too high so we completed a beach cleanup first. After the cleanup we went surfing to shred the gnar! Post surfing, we went on an 8k hike through the rainforest and saw amazing  views. Finally we played soccer against some locals and got crushed, but it was still fun and sweaty!

8/17/2017

Hello and Welcome Beachside Adventurers!
¡Hola y bienvenidos!

We are so excited to have the students here in Parrita, Costa Rica to finish up this summer of service learning, leadership activities, and adventures!

All students arrived safely and are settling in to their new digs that will be home base for the next nine days. We have a full schedule each day, and all have arrived excited to see what Beachside Service Adventure is all about.

Students are in Orientation today, learning about home base, diving into Mentor Group discussions, and getting to know each other.

We look forward to a wonderful week ahead full of service learning, personal transformation and leadership development, and soaking up the Costa Rica sun!

Saludos,
Erica

August 18, 2017
By: Faye Blackburn

This was the first day of service work and the second day in Parrita, and so far I give it a 10/10!! I have never done something like this before, going outside the country alone, and eating exotic foods. We started working on a fence at a small school up in a mountain. The view was gorgeous but the murals on the wall of the school were even better.

After the service work everyone met up to drive to the farmers market. I personally loved all the different foods. After that we went to play an intense soccer game with two of the locals who were way better at soccer than us. Overall this was a great first experience in immersing myself into the culture of Costa Rica!!

Blog 8/19/17:
By Emma Jeske

Today we had an awesome adventure in the morning and continued to work on our service projects in the afternoon. For our adventure we went whitewater tubing where we saw many birds, waterfalls, and plants. Before we got in the river we stopped to swim in a beautiful waterfall and watch a safety presentation.

Once we got on the river it was full of laughter and had awesome rapids. We stopped halfway for a snack of local foods such as crackers and fresh piñas (pineapples) provided by our amazing guides. After our snack we continued down the river in circle formations taking on the whitewater water.

After all the fun on the river we headed back to home base for a delicious lunch and then went to our service projects. My group is working on a tire playground and finishing up a fence for a local school in the mountains. We finished building the fence and painted most of it while painting many of the tires.

Overall this was a successful day of adventure and service!

August 20, 2017
By: Chelsea Cheung

Today was super fun and activity packed! The first thing on the agenda was horse back riding, and for many, it was their first time riding a horse. We were urbane equestrians for an entire morning, riding on sinuous gravel paths while looking out into the lush, mountain landscape.

We then had Lulu, a Costa Rican native, visit the home base to teach us how to cook picadillo. I can vouch and say that they tasted absolutely delicious.

Later, one of the mentors, Mark, taught us how to be overall better story tellers, which is a skill most for us will find handy throughout our lives, whether for writing our college essays or just fostering a deeper connection with another human being.

Soon after, we were taught how to dance by a group of local women, and we had the best time moving to the music.

Finally, after dinner, we settled down to watch a hard hitting documentary about the poverty industry, and it completely opened up our eyes about the way we help others.

By the end of the day, we were slumped, but we wouldn’t have traded the amazing, eye opening experience for anything else.

Date: August 21, 2017
By: Ruby Shumaker

Today was an exhausting day in the lives of the GLA students here in Parrita. It was our first, and last, full service day. My group started our day in a different location than normal. In the past, we planted trees on the shore of the river to help keep the island together and to reforest the land. We also have potted and transferred plants in the backyard/nursery of Lulu, a local hero and founder of Ave-Fénix, an organization that provides farming jobs to unemployed Costa Rican women.

However, today, my group joined Mark’s group at the Escuela Lourdes where we helped them paint tires, and dig holes for the tires for a sun themed play set for the school children. We also completed painting the fence that Mark’s group had started. Because the school is in the mountains, it was much hotter than the previous locations my group had worked at.

Around lunch time, our group left to go to Lulu’s house where we continued the potting, and repotting of the plants for Ave-Fénix. Lulu’s friend and colleague, Ale made us food (salad, chicken, and rice). We met a lot of locals, who were very kind and welcoming despite our often subpar Spanish. We worked, potting plants that needed larger bags to root, and mixing soil until 4pm when we left and went back to home base for an hour of free time before an excellent sunset and an equally excellent dinner. Overall, today was so full of service and Costa Rican culture, both of which were extremely enriching and fascinating.

By: Ruth Fernandez
Date: 8/22/17

Today we all met up at 5:20 am for the sunrise. We walked along side the beach and took pictures of the sunrise. Later we sat down our typical rice, beans, and eggs for breakfast. We got into our service groups. Today we had to wrap up our projects since today was the last day of service. Pepe’s group finish planting all the plants that Marks group had picked the day before. After a long time of hard work we were rewarded with a coconut walk. We drank and ate coconuts and took many pictures.
Mark and Jesses group planted seeds then went to Lulus house to plant trees.
After service time was over we had lunch then we had free time and jumped in the pool. Later we played a game called star power, a strategy game where we had to trade different value of chips and the person that would win would get the giant bag of candy.
Then we went on a trash clean up beach walk. Everyone walked along side the beach picking up trash that the ocean had brought up. After we had a very good typical Costa Rican dinner. When we finished it was time for mentor groups. In mentor groups we talked about leadership and the single story of Africa.

Date: August 23, 2017
By: Tommy Anderson

Yesterday was the last day that we got to hangout with an amazing person. Her name was Lulu. She is a hard worker who loves her town. Lulu inspires people to want to do great things. Some of the projects Lulu had us do was plant plants for her nursery.

Today we are going on a boat to go to a reserve. We will be able to see different kinds of animals that Costa Rica has to offer.

We just finished the boat ride. We saw dolphins, lots of fish, and birds. Once the group got done with snorkeling we got to jump off the top of the boat. It was absolutely amazing to the start of the day.

Date: August 25, 2017
By: Elizabeth Grenzow

Today is officially the last day before we all head home! We ended our fun trip with one last adventure day. Our morning started off with zip lining through the mountains and getting to see some amazing views.

After lunch everyone packed their bags early and enjoyed the couple hours of free time. Most of us choose to have one last dip in the pool and hang out with all the friends we’ve made. After that we had a story slam where people got to get up and share their adventurous or fun stories with the whole group.

For dinner everyone dressed up as we shared one last meal and then had our closing ceremony. At closing we did a couple group activities that showed our appreciation for each and every person and told each other all the good qualities they have and how great it has to become friends in such a short time. We also had one last mentor group and then had a salsa dance party. Now we are all headed to bed and getting ready to go to the airport at 2am for everyones flight and to say adios to Costa Rica.

¡Hola! Hello from Parrita, Costa Rica where 55 students have arrived at Beachside Service Adventure! Students arrived from the wee hours of the morning into the wee hours of the night. We are eagerly awaiting our final student to arrive, Seoyun, to join the group after long travels. Then we forge into the week ahead – making friendships, adventuring, getting dirty at service projects, and learning about each other, the community, and ourselves.
Today began with getting to know the GLA team, home base, and enjoying the freshly prepared traditional meals. Students were able to get a swim in the pool while the sun was shining and bright. It wouldn’t be a day at Beachside without an afternoon rainstorm to provide a cooling reprieve from the hot and humid morning. Everyone is taking it in stride, getting to know their groups, spending a bit of free time relaxing in the hammocks, and dodging huge raindrops when the sky opened up.
As the week progresses there will be more activities and adventures to come, as the Beachside Service Adventurers embark on their Costa Rican journey!

¡Pura Vida!

Buenos dias! After settling in and getting to know everyone, today is the first day of adventure in Parrita, Costa Rica. The sun is shining and the air is hot and humid: the perfect day for an adventure on the beach.

By: Christina Lempinen Cabana
Date: August 8, 2017

Today everyone woke up very excited and a little bit nervous because today we had a full day of service ahead of us. We grabbed our packed lunches and headed towards the buses.The bus ride to the service site was full of laughter and songs.
After a few hours of working, we ate our lunches and played soccer with the school kids. The kids were full of energy and were super energetic! After these few days, we’ve gotten to know all the other kids a lot better. The mentor groups have gotten a lot closer and everyone gets along super well. Looking forward to the days to come.

Hi mom, dad, and loved ones!

Pura vida!

Can you believe it? 64 of us teenagers have successfully flown in from all over the United States, Canada, Netherlands, and Brazil to gather together in Parrita, Costa Rica! Some of us came as siblings, a few of us came with a friend or two, and many of us came as solo travelers. Regardless of who we were on that airplane when we left from home, part of us each know that we won’t be that exact same student when we return in just a brief 10 days from now.

Though we might not be able to predict in what ways our minds will change, how new friendships will be established, or even what fears we currently have that we might overcome, we do know that our experiences working here in this incredible Tico Community will prepare us to be a better version of ourselves in the future. Thank you for giving us this opportunity! We can’t wait to keep you updated on all that we will encounter! Goodnight for now, tomorrow’s adventure of service in jungles and schools awaits!

With Love,

Your GLA students and staff from Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure

July 25, 2017

Waking up to a rainy, the students eagerly set off to a pancake breakfast at 7 am, excited for their first day of adventure. Leaders of the day from each mentor group (sometimes called LODs) met at 6:50 to discuss the plans for the day and to decide who had which job: the picture taker, the blogger, the morning announcements, the dinner announcements, and the thought leader (sharing a quote of the day). After a quick breakfast at about 7:30 the students packed into their busses and headed off to their first adventure of the trip.

There are four adventure groups, each one doing a different activity: tubing, horseback riding, zip lining, and relaxing around the hotel. Those staying at the hotel had the privilege of sleeping in a bit later, not being required to be at breakfast until 7:30. After these activities, everyone (starving, of course) returned for a spaghetti lunch. A beach soccer tournament was announced during lunch, with a large portion of the group deciding to participate in the games; those not participating watched. Many, sand-covered from the exhausting games, chose to dip into the pool for a little before continuing on with the day.

At four o’clock, for the celebration of La anexión del Partido de Nicoya (the celebration of Costa Rica’s annexation of the province of Guanacaste), young women from Parrita came to teach the students some dance moves. Lots of dancing and lots of sweating soon followed, with the kids learning how to dance the salsa and baccatta, for example. After a long dance session, the kids piled into the dining room for the dinner circle, where Nathalie de Leeuw – astoundingly – knew the name of every student. The young women who taught the dance moves soon came into the dining room to eat with the students.

Brayden Priebe

July 27, 2017

Today we started early morning with breakfest  from our wonderful hotel chefs. Then we began to load on the bus for our first day of service work, all groups had a lot of fun beggining to start a change in our local parrita lives. After returning from hard work we had a fun day competing in activities ( games )  with our adventure group. A local woman lulu joined us to teach us how to create corn pancakes ( amazing ) and after we got an opportunity to eat them as well, lulu brought a friend and sold some handmade braclets. After having so much fun with our new friends we started to settle down with a group circle before dinner revealing some ”  props ” to someone we felt proud of or an act of kindness. After dinner we always end with a mentor group session which consists of getting deep with our thoughts and creating open minds.

-Brittney carlos

July 27, 2017

July 30, 2017

By: Lindi Peterson 

On the eighth day, some of us woke up at as early as 5:00 to watch the sunrise and take a walk on the beach. We took photos and watched the sky turn from night to day. After that, we went back to our rooms and some students went back to sleep while others began to get ready for the 7:00 breakfast of cereal and omelettes. 

At about 7:30 the group split up onto different busses to start the exciting day.  We were reunited at the catamaran dock where we waited in the rain for the boat. The rain eventually stopped and we took a break to swim and snorkel. On the way back to the shore we ate a lunch of kabobs and fruit.

We loaded back into the busses which took us to Manuel Antonio National Park and we swam at the beach for the afternoon. As we walked back to the busses to head in for the night, we stopped at some of the local stores to shop around. Then it was back to home base for dinner, mentor groups, and time for bed. 

July 31, 2017

By: Lauren Kanan

We woke up bright and early today for our last day in Costa Rica. After breakfast we headed off at 8 am to our service projects where we all worked hard in the heat to finish what we started in the beginning of the week. My group added some finishing touches to our tire playground that we worked on at Escuela La Costanera. After working for a while, we returned to home base and had a bittersweet final lunch. We then proceeded to sadly pack our suitcases for our flight home. While packing our suitcases my room mates and I witnessed a lizard eating a crab which was gross and tragic. Tonight we will have a “story slam” where people get the chance to share stories with the rest of the group. We will also have a salsa dance party tonight where we will dance away our sadness for leaving Costa Rica. Shout out to Maisy and Jenna for being awesome roommates.

Hi mom, dad, and loved ones!

Pura vida!

Can you believe it? 64 of us teenagers have successfully flown from all over the United States and Mexico to gather together in Parrita, Costa Rica! Some of us came as siblings, a few of us came with a friend or two, and many of us came as solo travelers. Regardless of who we were on that airplane when we left from home, part of us each know that we won’t be that exact same student when we return in just a brief nine days from now.

Though we might not be able to predict in what ways our minds will change, how new friendships will be established, or even what fears we currently have that we might overcome, we do know that our experiences working here in this incredible Tico Community will prepare us to be a better version of ourselves in the future. Thank you for giving us this opportunity! We can’t wait to keep you updated on all that we will encounter! Goodnight for now, tomorrow’s adventure of service in jungles and schools awaits!

With love,

Your GLA students and staff from Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure

**Annie L. is not pictured because she arrived late last night.  She is with the group and more pics will be coming soon!!!

July 11, 2017– Orientation Activities

July 12, 2017—Preventing Beach Erosion

The morning began on a hot and humid day with breakfast at 7:00 a.m. When our “service groups” broke off we started on our adveture of a bus ride about a mile away. Our Costa Rican guide Mao showed us all of the plants that prevent beach erosion and the drastic affects it has caused. Lifes have been disturbed and destroyed when the beaches high tide reach the home front. As ice caps and glaciers continue to melt the seas continue to rise and are slowly disapearring.
As we reach our destination accompanied by breathtaking views we get off the bus to begin our intriduction to our service. This involved talking to a few locals whom are directly affected as the high tide is almost at their doorstep. On our walk back we collected almond and mangrove sapplings. The plan is to plant these sapplings back at our home base, Hotel La Isla, in a nursery that has previously been made in the back of the property. The nursery will help prevent future beach erosion. Our first step started with clearing out all weeds and other grasses. Then, we began to place the seedlings previously colleced from our morning adventure into small black bags to prepare them to be planted. Though the nursery we work on will make a difference, it also raises awareness for all to see how critical the issues of climate change are.

-Britney Facenda, Serena Samson

July 13, 2017

First excursion day!!! The first half of the day we had zip lining, hiking, tubing, horseback riding, some relaxation, and cleaning up the beach. Many people conquered fears, be it heights, horses, or rapids! I know I learned that the more work you put in, the better the view is. And it’s always worth it! We got to pass by the palm oil trees, which are the main export of Costa Rica. Then after everyone arrived back at home base, we had a mini soccer tournament! (Go alfalfa!!) we had to rush though, our fields quickly turned into water soccer with high tide approaching. We had an amazing dance lesson from some students from a local high school, where we learned how to salsa, merengue, and bachata. We ended with a huge dance circle with everyone dripping in sweat. They stayed for dinner, and I learned that one of the dancers, Christian, wants to be a computer programmer/app designer in San Francisco! We got to practice our Spanish, while they practiced their English. It was a full day. I’ll end with the quote of the day, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of ones lifetime.” – Mark Twain (via Davis Langhoff)

Pura Vida!!

Erin McEneny

Photos by Brittney Facenda

July 16, 2017

                Whenever I first came to Hotel La Isla in Parrita, Costa Rica, I had no idea what to expect. I waited for weeks anticipating the adventures and experiences I would have to endure in the 10 days. Not to mention feeling homesick, it being my first time out of the country.

Now, it is Day 6 and all of my worries have gone away. GLA is such a unique experience. You get to experience the culture of the local people. By doing this, I have come to understand my place in the world as well as the people around me. By traveling to another country, I no longer thought of my city as the “center of the world.” There are so many other cultures you can learn from. You compare your culture to theirs and realize that although they are different, they also so similar at the same time.

One major difference is the language. I am an incoming Freshman and I have only had 2 years of Spanish. In those years, I realize how much I have NOT learned. When placed in a community that only speaks that specific language, the amount of knowledge you lack is quite surprising. By talking with upperclassmen and my mentors, one thing they say stays in common: you learn so much more about a language by being an outsider to a community that speaks the language then by being an outsider to one person who speaks that language.

Even if you speak similar languages, you can still learn a lot from different cultures of people. Not only have I learned so much from people native to a foreign country, I have learned from people who live in my home country. The people that come to GLA are very diverse. There are people from Florida to Colorado and from California to Indiana. I am very surprised that by spending time with people in a foreign country, you learn way more about your home country than you could ever imagine.

The people on this trip, although diverse, all have one thing in common: we are all in a foreign country. You would be surprised by how much you can connect with people through that one similarity. Making new friends is one of the best things about this trip. I came into this trip scared thinking I would spend an entire week and a half with strangers, but the funny thing is the more you spend time with those strangers they become acquaintances, then they become friends. I have made more friends with diverse cultures then I would have ever imagined. GLA has so many opportunities to meet new, lasting friends.

One of these opportunities are “Adventures.” By taking these adventures you accomplish two things: bonding and having a good time. By having a good time, you bond closer to the people who are also having a good time. Our adventures range from water tubbing down a raging river to galloping through the Costa Rican jungles on a trusty steed.

Another opportunity is service, or mentor groups. When you arrive at GLA you are put into selected groups. In these groups, you do service and learn more and more about leadership. I have really bonded with my mentor group. They are all just so cool people with the same goal: service. (Not to mention, Callie is the best mentor by far.)

The service we do is truly helping the community. Before we came to Costa Rica, our mentors went around the community and asked what THEY needed. My mentor group is working on a recycling center for a local school. The school is only one classroom and has around 10ish kids. We had to design this and build all within a week and a half. Although the task may seem daunting at first, when people are united with a common goal of helping people and give 100%, no task is impossible. Our mentor group really bonds by building. Keep in mind, we do not have ANY power tools. We depend on each other and to get the job done. For instance, in my group I am excellent at sawing through wood, but terrible at hammering nails. People depend on me to saw and I depend on others hammer. We bond through these dependencies and make ever lasting memories.

Overall, regardless of what I am doing at Costa Rica, I am so surprised by how much I have learned and experienced here. My mindset about what I thought was going to happen and what did happen were two completely different things. I have made great friends and great memories here in Costa Rica and I would not have changed it for the world.

Sincerely,

Sam Syroney

(P.S. Props to my Junior High Literature Teacher because without her I would have no idea how to do this blog)

July 17, 2017

I am very fortunate to have been born into a loving family, a beautiful home, and a welcoming school community.  Most of the time I can appreciate these gifts, but as I met more and more students on this trip, I have seen and related to the the groans and grumbles of having nothing to do in your home town or being bored with the same routine during every school year.  I had fallen into practices of completing tasks just for the sake of getting them done, and I had never done a meaningful project in my own community. I could not have honestly explained my home town as a pillar of importance in my life, however on one of my first nights here, a man from Parrita named Maurillio came to give a presentation that changed my perspective.  He came to educate us about the surrounding area and its points of interest, and in his presentation he spoke with pride and marveled about the unique features of his country. At first I was jealous that he grew up in such a beautiful beachside location, but on my last day of service I finally understood where its true value came from.

This morning we stood in front of an endless pile of rotting wood and leaves that needed to be cleared in order to add to the nursery being built to help with reforestation efforts. We began working and after a day of sweat, Mau’s blood, and more bugs and crabs than any of us could have possibly been prepared for, I was astonished at what we had completed. I stooped over to get every last root and make sure that we had raked over every area; I wanted to make sure that our long day of work was a job well done. Not only was our task difficult, but working with my hands in a way I never had before gave me a newfound sense of power and capability. I stepped back and was overcome with pride.  What I am beginning to understand is that while gifts can give you with gratitude, hard work that can earn you pride.

-Abigail Seidman

July 18, 2017