8/1/17

Breakfast this morning was a combination of scrambled eggs, beans, papayas, and friend jacks (a kind of deep fried dough). We spent the morning getting to know everyone a little better and beginning our mentor groups. The mentor groups are a kind of way to discuss goals, expectations, and our home lives with a smaller group. A short break later and we sat down for lunch. Our lunch consisted of delicious rice and grilled chicken with sauce and a cabbage salad. Everyone went up for seconds :). After lunch we headed for the Belize Zoo! It was not like most zoos, since all of their animals were native to Belize. We split into groups and got an interactive tour with a staff member. Some of us had the opportunity to feed toucans, parrots, tapirs (the Belizean nation animal), and everyone held the boa constrictor! A majority of the animals were rescues such as the jaguar, pelicans, harpy eagle and others were taken from being illegally kept as pets. We came back to came around 4:30 and took some free time where people showered, played volleyball, and sat on the bridge enjoying their surroundings. Right before dinner we played some group games then proceeded to eat a wonderful meal including pasta, grilled chicken, steamed vegetables and for desert some banana bread. In the evening, we had two group speakers from the school we will be working with. The vice principal and one of the teachers sat with us for about an hour and talked about the curriculum, Belizean school standards, the melting pot of cultures and introduced their school. Our plan for tomorrow is the head into the school for the first time and prep the classrooms for our individual age groups. Later in the day, we’ll be hiking around some Mayan ruins.

Special hello to Macey and Sophia!! 🙂 <3

From,

Francesca C. and Emily M.

 8/2/17

At the crack of dawn we awoke to the sound of a loud bird chirping, sausage frying, and shuffling on the pebble pathways. Mentors encouraged us to eat a hardy breakfast to prepare ourselves for the busy day ahead. Following breakfast we hopped on our bus and to St Joseph’s, the school we will be teaching over the course of our trip. There we helped clean and set up our classrooms, moving desks and getting our materials ready for the next day. Next stop was the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich. We hopped on the bus where we had chicken sandwiches for lunch.When we arrived at our destination we immediately noticed the brightly colored shops and the river we would be crossing by ferry. Some of us were lucky enough to get a chance to steer the ferry across. Then we trekked up a mile to meet our tour guide. After a short distance we had finally come the breathtaking beauty that is Xunantunich. After a few quick pictures our guide began delving into the history of the magnificent structures and the civilization behind them. His enthusiasm attracted the attention to all the rich culture of the Mayans. Then we climbed up the king’s palace, the tallest of the buildings. The view from the top was too beautiful for words [insert inspirational song here]. Once we had captured more than a few pictures, we headed back to the ground to explore more of what the site had to offer.  We learned the story and purpose behind each building, and were even taught about an ancient Mayan game with associations to the gods and ancient rituals. In relation to the Mayan culture and ways of survival we were each given the opportunity to feast on the flesh of the termites. It was explained that termites are an abundance source of food full of protein and can be used in dire circumstances as a natural bug spray. After a full informational day at Xunantunich we purchased at some of the local gift shops and rode ferry back to the bus. We arrived back at home arrived back at home base to eat a dinner consisting of beans and rice with stewed beef. Following dinner we had guest speaker named Emily Martinez. She is a member of numerous leadership and educational organizations. Her discussion inspired us to adopt a new way of thinking and to appreciate multiculturalism and its relevance in the world. Martinez’s mantra of “Peace, Love, Hope, Joy” wasn’t the only lesson she imparted onto us. She said, “If you don’t know yourself then someone else will define you.” Her lessons boosted our energy for the final task of the day which was to create lesson plans for the first day of summer camp. We can’t wait to meet the kids tomorrow and learn from them, as they will from us.

Shoutout to Momma Marquis, Paul, Grace, Amanda and Nona.

8/3/17

Today we started our day a little earlier than the last few days. We had breakfast at 7:30 (biscuits, ham, and fruit) and then headed over for our first day of teaching! All the GLA students were split into small groups and assigned to different age groups ranging from Infant One to Standard 5 (kindergarten to 7th grade). School started at 9 o’clock and we welcomed 60 students into our clean and decorated classrooms. The GLA students were in charge with coming up with our own lesson plans to teach to our grades. For example, Delaney and Valentina, who taught Infant One, did character building arts and crafts, introduction games, and duck duck goose. Others such as Shelby, Franny, Jenny, and Ashley in Standard Three decorated handprint name tags, spelling contests, and played educational games. After a 30-minute recess and afternoon classes, the school was dismissed at 12. We packed up and headed back to base for a quick lunch and regrouping then boarded the bus and returned to the school. Once there we painted the bathrooms and set up white boards in classrooms that previously had blackboards. After a few hours of redecorating, we returned to base for dinner and lesson planning. We are ready for a long day of fun tomorrow!

Shoutout to Devin. Hope your teeth are feeling better! (Ily mom/mami and dad/papi).

Day five has for sure been wiiild!!

8/7/17

We woke up and ate breakfast at 7:30 as usual.  We had beans, eggs, and toast for breakfast.  We then returned to our dorms to get prepared to teach.  Our handsome bus driver, Windell, drove us to the school to begin the week.  We had a student arrive to school on a horse. Overall, it was a pretty calm day. We did not have students run away like last week. After a successful day, we returned to home base and consumed some phenomenal empanadas. After lunch, we split into two groups and did separate activities. One group went to “Cheers” to eat the traditional American cuisine of saturated fat. They ate cheddar bacon burgers and milkshakes. The other group participated in a cooking class. They made the traditional Belizean meal of chicken, rice, and beans. After two consecutive meals, we ate dinner. For dinner, we ate the food that was made by the cooking class. After dinner, we had a group jeopardy game and planned for the big day of education tomorrow. We hope tomorrow goes as well as today did.

Evan and Alex

July 7, 2017

The 21-day Belize program is off and running!

It was a very smooth travel day for 24 of our new global citizens who arrived in Belize! Our program, comprised of all young women, came from almost all corners of the country with a shared goal to grow as leaders and to be of service in Belize.

All flights arrived by 12:30p, and we were well on our way to our home base, the Tropical Education Center. After a quick shop at the store to grab snacks, we were to our new home for three weeks by mid-afternoon. Students dropped their bags in their rooms, met their new roommates, and we were briefed by Diana, the Office Manager at the TEC, on safety and any other necessary information about our stay. We quickly dove into a a variety of fun name games, and of course, one that included dancing!

After our first dinner together, which concluded with a very tasty tres leches birthday cake for our Mentor, Elise, we headed back up to our classroom and asked the GLA Alumni to share their words of wisdom and advice for the new GLA travelers. We have five alumni who shared wonderful feedback to all of us: be present, enjoy every moment, don’t make any judgments, be open, and be mindful that 3-weeks will fly!

Before we called it a day, each room got together and made creative door signs for their dorms. To close, we had everyone say their first impression of Belize, this program, and this experience in one word. We heard everything from “hopeful” to “friendship!”

We are definitely off to a wonderful start and we are looking forward to spending these busy and meaningful three weeks with each of these young travelers!

Here we go!

Best,
Kelli, Elise, and John
Belize Team

July 8, 2017

Hello! My name is Madeleine Campbell, and I am the leader of the day!
Today is a blog of my personal adventure while on Day 2 of their Belizean experience!

Today was day 2 of our trip! I woke up this morning to the sound of the birds chirping and sweat dripping. It has been excruciatingly hot and we are all still trying to acclimate to the temperature here! So this morning I thought it would be a wonderful idea to do yoga outside with my new friend Hope! We didn’t make it through a full set, on account of we were slipping and sliding all over the wood from our sweatiness. After attempting to do yoga we both went for a nice cold shower this morning and then headed to breakfast! This morning we were served fried dough cakes, eggs, beans, and a little fruit. After we were sent to our classroom on the second floor to go to a meeting! We talked about safety precautions, rules of GLA, and got to know each other a little more. We played a riveting game of never have a I ever, chair style, and then went for a little lunch! Lunch was delicious with, buffet style, man made tacos. We were allowed free time after lunch, and a group of us started playing cards and got to know our mentor, Jon. We played all the way until it was time for our special guest, Minerva, ( the woman who helped started the belize trip all together) to talk about what she excepts from us as volunteers. She explained many of the kids learn english at the age of 5, so much of our job is going to being teaching the children about Literature. We want them to learn how to read, think critically, learn how to speak english, and give these children some tools for success. Education is so important here because if they don’t pass a standardized test at the end of their Eighth Grade they are not welcome to go to any high school. It is a very serious test that determines the fate of these children, and it is so important for us to help these children as much as we can before we leave. After learning about all the activities we are going to being doing with the kids we were allowed more free time. As. Everyone scattered around and went exploring, played more cards, and talked in Groups, I racked my brain for a game that we could all play before dinner. I decided on a game of Mafia, and it was very fun! We played a little bit before being shipped off to dinner where we had Tostadas. Again very delicious. Later that night we all made peace flags and gathered around a campfire and learned more about each other! It was a very productive day learning about all of my colleagues and mentors! Tomorrow will be even more excited, but as for now I am off to bed.

Sweet dreams!

July 9, 2017

After a day of lounging around home base yesterday everyone was itching to get out and explore Belize. The opportunity arose and once we had eaten a delicious breakfast made by the kind people here, we made our way to the bus and after a short drive we arrived at the Belize Zoo. We split into two groups, each of which had a keeper from the zoo to lead us. Emmanuel, leader of my group and zoo keeper to the monkeys, then told us the zoo was opened in 1982 when the original animals were gathered for a documentary, now the zoo serves as a sanctuary and rehabilitation center. While there we learned about animals native to Belize along with some introduced, we got to hold a nine foot boa constrictor, we met Junior, a Jaguar they trained to do tricks after his mom rejected him, we even got to feed a tapir, the national animal of Belize. It was truly unlike any zoo I have ever been to, not only were the keepers happy, the animals seemed to be as well. We finished the morning off at the gift shop and with ice cream.

When we returned we had a lunch of mashed potatoes and chopped stew beef along with delicious homemade fruit punch before heading back out to see the school for the first time! We split into groups of four, each with a different grade and began to clean and sort the classrooms we were going to be using. Planning the classes is also up to us, we have a book to base our lessons on but most grades we have to tailor them to. Some kids gathered by the back fence and called us over. They were all so excited for camp and they told us all of their friends were coming, too! They also learned our names very fast, faster then we learned each others names. After setting up our classrooms for the next day and meeting the principal who is kind enough to let us use her school we once again returned to home base.
Our speaker today was a very nice woman named Miss Emily, she’s been a teacher for her whole adult life and along with telling us about her culture and the mixed culture of Belize she gave us a few tips on teaching. She told us the kids are very excited to learn and even though they may occasionally need encouragement they are all quite happy to be at summer camp, Miss Emily also told us that the kids will be very cuddly which everyone is looking forward too.
With three days under our belts we are all excited to see what the future has in hold for us.

With love from Belize,
Cody Gondella

July 10, 2017

Today was our first day of service and we all had an amazing time getting to know the children. We started off the day with delicious Johnnycakes, ham, cheese, and papaya. We then all loaded up on the bus to St. Mathews. The bus first dropped us off and then went to mile 39 and 40 to pick up some of the children. At about 9:30 we got to work with our classes. The children were very excited to learn and meet us and they automatically stole our hearts. After service, we returned back to home base for lunch where we had curry chicken and rice. We ate quickly and got ready for our next adventure at Blue Hole National Park. We loaded up and drove an hour to the springs. We spent an hour splashing and swinging from vines into the water. The cool water was such a nice break from the hot climate. After we got tired of swimming, we loaded back into the bus and went to a local supermarket to pick up snacks.

We were all starving by the time dinner rolled around and happily enjoyed chicken stir-fry and celebrated Hope’s sixteenth birthday with an amazing strawberry cake. Right after dinner we made our way up to the classroom above the dining hall to play a game of Buddha. The game is played by one person standing in the middle of a circle formed by the other players, this person is called the Buddha. The other players would be in pairs, one in front of the other. When the person closest to the Buddha’s name is called they have ten seconds to touch the Buddha with the player behind you trying to hold you back. We played for an hour and had such a fun time – everyone got so into the game and by the end we were all clapping and cheering. After Buddha, we sat and discussed our lesson plan for the next day. We had a blast with each other and our students and we are even more excited to return to St. Matthew’s tomorrow and afterwards learn to make chocolate!

-Azure

July 11, 2017

Today we started off the day with another delicious meal that prepped us for our second day of school. We continued to teach and develop relationships with the kids and it was a lot of fun. After the fun filled morning of learning and play we headed back for lunch. We had some fabulous quesadillas and headed off to our next adventure at a authentic chocolate factory. We learned how the process of making chocolate is conducted. This was really interesting and also opened up a conversation about different work ethics in Belize. We headed back to home base to talk about our day and eat some good old spaghetti. Finally, we finished off the night with a fun group game and service prep for tomorrow. Overall, it was a great day and anxiously awaiting to see what tomorrow holds!

– Azure
July 12, 2017

We woke up to many birds that were excited for the morning, getting ready for service gets easier every day. Today’s breakfast was slices of bread, eggs, beans, and fresh fruit and orange juice. Everyone was eager to get on the bus and head to the school to teach, we have all started bonding with our students and started to become close. After a long and fun morning of teaching we headed back to the base for lunch, where we had chicken and bean empanadas with coleslaw and pineapple juice, everyone was so happy to be eating and made sure they were full.

For our afternoon activities, we spilt up into three groups and all went our separate ways. My group had a cooking class at the base with Sandra. We had so much fun learning about how to prepare dinner for everyone, multitasking laughing so hard and peeling potatoes. We made chicken stew, potato salad, and fried plantains. This meal was then eaten by the group and thankfully they enjoyed the meal and had no complaints. After dinner we enjoyed a game of Mafia, which seems to be everyone’s favorite game. We concluded the night with service prep for the day with writing letters and making worksheets for the students who are so eager to learn more and more everyday.

– Madison

July 13, 2017

This morning we went to St. Matthews School to teach. After our initial stop to drop our group off, a couple of us stayed on the bus to go pick up the children. Getting on the bus, the kids were so excited and happy to get the opportunity to learn and go to school, even though it’s their summer break already. When we arrived at the school again with the added children, they ran off the bus to go see their friends and hug their teachers. As the week is coming to a close, the kids were more energetic and pushed their limits in the class, but by noontime they’ve learned their share of English and were ready for lunchtime, just like us. After saying our goodbyes and cleaning up the classrooms, we got back to home base for lunch and free time before splitting up for our next adventures. One group went to a local restaurant for discussion, the next to the jaguar encounter, and the last stayed here to make a dinner of stew beef, coconut rice, salad, and bread pudding. After dinner, we played jeopardy about Belize and made groups for our painting project at the school tomorrow. Overall, a tiring but successful day in Belize. J

-Sonia

July 14, 2017

Hey families!

Today was super fun and FILLED with service. In the morning, we did our daily service working with the Belizean children who were very playful and excited to learn (like always). All in all, it was a really great end to a full week of teaching. Everyone has already made such strong bonds with the kids that will last a lifetime. For lunch, we had MAC AND CHEESE!!!!! We love the food here, but some American food was much appreciated. After lunch, we went back to St. Matthew’s School to do some hard core painting! We split up into groups: some people repainted the hopscotch lines on the side walk, some people painted a multiplication chart and others painted the walls of the school. Seeing all of our hard work when it was finished was extremely rewarding and worth all the sweat. When we got back to home base we had some chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner and then played a competitive yet fun game of Heads Up. It was an exciting day but we are all ready for the weekend break and the adventures ahead of us!

-Jessica Savage

July 15, 2017

Hey friends and families!! Today the group kicked off our second week of life in Belize with an incredible trip to the ATM caves!! Before we could set out for our journey, we had a delicious breakfast of pancakes! Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures at the caves but believe me when I say the views were breath taking. Essentially, we drove about an hour away from Home Base and then hiked a mile and a half to get to the mouth of the cave. We were split into 3 groups of 8 and set off with our tour guides. In my group, our tour guide, Jam-Jam, was not only extremely educational but also extremely kind and funny. All the people we’ve met here in Belize are so nice! The hike itself was beautiful as it was through the jungle and we had to cross three rivers. Once we reached the cave, the first half of our trip was swimming through the parts of the cave that were under water and the second half was climbing through the dry parts of the cave to see the Mayan artifacts. The ATM cave was a very sacred place for the Mayan people, it was where they would do sacrifices and rituals. During the first part of the cave tour, we swam through tiny passageways and climbed from boulder to boulder. Once we climbed up to the dry area, we found ourselves in a room the size of a football field. Here we saw broken pots and human and animals remains. Jam-Jam explained to us the significance of all the pots and the sacrifices that took place in the Mayan culture. We then climbed up a ladder into a tiny room to see more artifacts. After that we returned back through the caves the way we came, but still completely awestruck by their natural beauty. The ATM caves themselves stretch for around 4 miles and Jam-Jam said it would take about 15 hours to explore. On the hike back from these beautiful caves, Jam-Jam picked us a naturally grown papaya and showed us the plant that the Mayan’s used as insect repellent. Once we got to the last river, he let us cool down and go for a little swim. We then met up with the rest of the group for a yummy sandwich lunch and headed back to home base. At home base we relaxed and had a delicious dinner of grilled chicken and rice with our all time favorite dessert, banana bread! After dinner we played some fun games as a group and then parted ways to hit the showers and go to sleep. It has been an exhausting and exciting day and we’ve got another big one in front of us tomorrow! The fun never ends! Goodnight!

-Hannah Seinfeld

July 18, 2017

July 18, 2017

Tuesday’s in the US may not be the most interesting, or the most fun, but here in Belize, things sure are different!

Our day started with breakfast; we had amazing biscuits, (four inches in diameter!), smothered with our choice of peanut butter, jelly, or ham, along with fresh fruit, so we were more than ready to take on the crazy, energetic, wonderful children we are teaching. Today’s main activity, in most classes, was a music lesson, learning different genres, as well as dancing along to some tunes! So classes today were blowing up with music of all sorts, and along the way we found some talented dancers, singers, and even rappers! Each day we are with the kids we grow closer, learn more about their lives, and enjoy them even more, which seems impossible!

Our afternoon today was jam packed! First we made an ATM stop for those of us who needed withdrawals. Then we walked across the street, to the Belmopan Market. Belmopan is Belize’s capital, and often we drive through it, going to different excursions, but today was the first time we were able to spend time there. Tuesday’s and Friday’s are the days that Belmopan’s market is at it’s fullest; so we got the full experience. The market included all sorts of goods, from fruits and veggies, to clothing and jewelry, to random trinkets of all sorts. Some of us even got gifts for loved ones at home, so get ready GLA families. 😉 After the market, we made a stop at a general store to get anything we’ve run out of, or want to snack on. And from there, we made a snack stop at our favorite restaurant Cheers! Most of us got American snacks we are missing, i.e. Milkshakes and french fries.

Our day concluded with a wonderfully prepared dinner of baked potatoes, chicken, and for dessert, vanilla cake! We then got into groups and watched a TED Talk, followed by a group discussion about the differences we wish to make in the world. It was an interesting and intriguing talk, that really made us think.

Overall, it was a wonderful day here in Belize! Pretty good for a Tuesday if you ask me. We learn more and more each day, and grow closer with our students, as well as our fellow teachers. Here’s to another great day of service! Ya mon!

–  Carley Kormanis

July 19, 2017

It’s hump day! Our Wednesday morning started off with a delicious breakfast that included bread with jam and peanut butter, eggs, ham, and some melon and pineapple. After breakfast we went to the school for our usual service, but today the kids had more than enough energy!!! We spent time in our workbooks, but took breaks having dance parties and playing football to get some of our excitement out. Some of the teachers got their nails painted by their students during recess while others took part in games such as tag. After service we had a HUGE lunch of burritos, they were the size of our face! This is actually fairly common, because lunch here in Belize is the largest meal of the day. After lunch, Celso, one of the heads at the Belize Zoo, and a passionate tapir enthusiast, came to speak to us about tapir endangerment and their preservation. It was interesting since many of us had no clue what a tapir even was until we got here, so we encourage everyone to google them! (They’re relatives to both horses and rhinos, so they are quite unique! …and so ugly they’re cuteJ) The rest of our afternoon included free time: relaxing with face masks, taking naps, and friendship bracelet making. It was nice to have a calm afternoon after the children being so wild this morning! Before dinner we played a game of charades. Dinner was rice with either chicken or fish and yummy vegetables! After our meal we had a discussion about our service and our impact on the students along with the school. None of us are ready to say goodbye to the sweet faces we’re greeted by every morning; but we are soaking up every second of them we can get! A Wednesday for the books, for sure.

– Courtney

July 20, 2017

It’s the day after hump day, and it started out like any other typical service day. We woke up to the sounds of birds chirping at 5 am and heavy rain against our roofs. We had a breakfast that consisted of biscuits, oatmeal, and local fruits, and then we set out to St. Matthews to begin our service for the day. We taught our students the importance of striving to reach their goals and during recess engaged in some intense games of football (soccer). After a delicious lunch of tacos at home base, which we all ate too many of, we headed back to St. Matthews to complete painting the school from the previous week, but today we were assisted by some of our students! Though it was debatable whether the walls or we received more paint… After finishing we came back to the Tropical Education Center for a traditional Central American dinner of spinach tamales and chicken with coconut tarts for dessert and later a brief crocodile sighting in the pond. Then we all sat down and played a quick game before beginning to write letters to our students. This quickly became very sentimental as we all prepared for our last day with the kids. Overall, it has been an emotional, but great day in Belize!

– Lily Wielar

July 21st, 2017

Can you Belize this day has finally come? It’s hard to describe the emotions we’ve all been feeling, as today our two week summer camp drew to a bittersweet close. Beginning the morning with games and pictures, by the time 12:00 rolled around, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. It was amazing to see the difference we’ve made in the students’ lives, but more importantly the difference that they’ve made in ours. Out of all the adventures we’ve had here in Belize, saying goodbye to our kids was undoubtedly the hardest. Concluding our morning at St. Matthews, we headed back to our home base for lunch, only to quickly turn back around and head to Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce Factory. The scenic two hour drive gave us time to recuperate from our emotional morning while surrounded by luscious green mountains. The tour was short but interesting and ended with samples of all of their jams and hottest sauces. When we returned to the Tropical Education Center, we played a quick game of volleyball then headed to the dining room for a dinner of Pasta Alfredo. We finished the day with a quick group game then wrote letters to our future selves, which Kelli will send to us next summer. Overall, today had its ups and downs, but we all feel very accomplished with the work we have achieved and are looking forward to our cave tubing adventure tomorrow!

–  Elisa Membreno

July 25, 2017

Hey readers,

Today we had another beautiful day on Caye Caulker. We started our day with a yummy breakfast at a cute café in town. Some of us got waffles with nutella and fruit on them while others got sandwiches. Then we did some swimming and shopping… The water was so clear and blue! Then we all re-grouped and sat down for a yummy lunch of chicken and rice on the beach. After we all stuffed ourselves full, we got onto the ferry for a ride back to Belize City and a bus ride back to the TEC. We were all very tired after 3 days of fun on the island, so we took a nap before dinner. The island was so beautiful and peaceful, a place all of us want to return to in the future! It was a perfect closing trip to our wonderful adventure in Belize! Dinner was mashed potatoes, chicken and roasted veggies and salad. For dessert we had homemade banana bread! We then ended the night with activities and discussions with the mentor groups. All and all a great day, but very tiring! J

-Hope Adler

July 26, 2017

Today was a pretty relaxing day compared to everything else we have been doing these past two weeks. We split into our two mentor groups – half of us went cave tubing while the other half stayed behind, packed for our trip to Caye Caulker and did a scavenger hunt. I was in the first group to go cave tubing so we had breakfast and headed to the cave tubing spot. We put on helmets and life jackets and carried our tubes for about one hour until we reached the mouth of the cave. We jumped into the water and floated into the cave. The current carried us for most of the way so we just got to sit back and relax. Some of us jumped into the water and swam for part of the way. We floated all the way down the river until we made it back to our starting point so we did not have to hike anymore. We put our equipment back and climbed on the bus. Then we got back, had lunch and then it was onto our next activity. We packed our day bags because tomorrow we are leaving for our weekend trip to the island of Caye Caulker. After we finished packing we split into teams and did a scavenger hunt. Some of the items included learning the chorus of the Belizean national anthem, taking a picture of an iguana, and writing thank you letters to our driver and the kitchen staff at the TEC. After that we had some break time, did the leader of the day activity and then had dinner. Besides hiking to the cave, the whole day was pretty calm. Everyone is super excited to head to Caye Caulker tomorrow. We are going to be snorkeling and shopping around the island which will be a nice change of pace. I am super excited to experience the island life!

-Abigail Botschka

July 26, 2017

Hello friends! We woke up today and had yummy banana muffins with oatmeal and fruit. We all eat a ton and then from 9-12 we finished up all of our packing and did our final evaluations of the whole GLA program. It’s amazing how much this place feels like home after living here for 3 weeks, which made packing really hard. We then all went to lunch and had pasta salad and meatballs with fresh watermelon. After lunch we drove to a beautiful gift store called The Art Box which had so much of everything. It was nice to go to one last place to get last minute gifts and one last ice cream stop. Almost all of us came out of the store with beautiful gifts for our family and friends! Then, we played beach volleyball while blasting music and dancing. We all played until dinner was ready which was an awesome surprise of home made pizza and ice cream for dessert!! It was definitely an awesome last day, which lots of time to reflect on the trip (we did an activity about reverse culture shock) and its many adventures. We ended the night with a very unique and upbeat drumming performance by natives, while we all danced and laughed around the fire. There are definitely mixed emotions among us all as we prepare to leave beautiful Belize tomorrow. We miss family and friends back home, but we will all be crying at the airport as we say our final goodbyes. It is safe to say all 24 of us had some of the BEST weeks of our lives!

– Carmen Boll

Day 1 – July 7, 2017

Woohoo! 28 of our students arrived today excited and already making new friends. They arrived to a beautiful Belizean day after a nice lunch from the home base (Alecia’s fabulous homemade empanadas) we headed down the road to where we will make our home for the next two weeks. We stopped at “the mall” in the capital city of Belize, Belmopan for some essential snacks and any toiletries that may have been forgotten. After of dinner and a safety talk we called an early night to let the students get settled into their cabins and get some much needed rest after a long day of traveling.

Keri Ewing

Day 2 – July 8, 2017

This morning we slept in a bit and for breakfast we had fruit and eggs and meat. After breakfast we went on a hike, with a bush guide named Will, around TREES. On the hike Will talked about the Mayan civilization and along with some of the group snacked on some live termites. We cooled off in the swimming hole with lunch waiting for us back at the dining hall. For lunch we had pizza and cabbage coleslaw and fruit punch. After lunch we had time to hang out around the base before we split into mentor groups. In our mentor groups we got to know each other and took some time to journal. Then a Belizean woman came and spoke to us about culture and her life’s work. It was a very interesting and motivational speech and she was very nice. For dinner we had noodles and garlic bread with brownies for dessert. Following dinner we played some bonding games and worked on prayer flags. It was an amazing full first day here in Belize at TREES.

Alexis and Addie

Day 3 – July 9, 2017

This morning we started off the day at 8, and ate a yummy breakfast of waffles and fruit. Then we embarked on a journey to Blue Hole National Park where we hiked into some neat caves. We did some exploring in there and then we took a short bus ride to another part of the park where we swam in a swimming hole titled the “blue hole” even though it was a bit green. Then we went back to home base for lunch, black bean soup and cabbage salad. After lunch, we met with the lovely Dr. Minerva who went over the curriculum at the school with us. Then we took a short bus ride to the beautiful school where we set up our classrooms and got to meet the principal and some local littles. We then returned home to a yummy dinner of chicken and beans and rice. We ended the day with some planning for our upcoming week with the kids and a lively game of Belize jeopardy. We are excited for the week to come!
Belizean vibes,

Adia and Georgia 🙂

July 10

Today we woke up around 7 and it was hard because we did so much yesterday that we’re all EXHAUSTED!! But we woke up and went to breakfast and ate fry jacks,beans, and eggs. We left around 8 to go to the school and we were all so excited to meet the kids and help out. It was really awesome to see how determined they were to learn and they had so much fun it really made all of us hopeful for a life changing week. They weren’t all English speaking so there was a language barrier but nothing that couldn’t be overcome. We left the school around 12:30 and had lunch. We ate keesh (they call it egg pie here) and cabbage slaw. After, half of the group went off to tour the chocolate factory and the other half stayed back and helped Alicia (aka the BEST COOK EVER) make dinner for everyone. For dinner we had coconut rice😍, salad, pork stew, and really delicious fried plantains (I made them.) For dessert we had lime pie and brownies. We discussed our plans for tomorrow after dinner and had group therapy. Now we are all headed to bed and ready to see what tomorrow brings! (Ps: we love u Melton and Halmy families)

– Love from Belize,
Sophia and Mattie

July 11, 2017

This morning we woke up at 7 and made our way up to breakfast at 7:30. We had a delicious breakfast of tortillas, beans, eggs, and lots of fruit. (THANKS ALICIA!!) After breakfast, we headed to the school to prepare for our second day of service. It was amazing to see how many more kids showed up and all were excited to learn. After a hard, yet rewarding day of teaching, we had a packed lunch and headed off to the Belize Zoo. At the Zoo, we saw a variety of animals, all whom were rescued and are native to Belize. Some of us even held a boa constrictor as is poured rain. After the zoo, we headed to a local store to stock up on pop tarts and bug spray since, all of us have countless bug bites. During the stop we also got to watch Keri attempt to run across the street in flip flops 😂.Then we went back to the base and had dinner. For dinner we had rice, pork, salad, and fried plantains. After dinner, we played a game called “ha” and then discussed our teaching plans for tomorrow. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings, and how many new bug bites we all get! 💙🇧🇿 (PS: We love you Bressler and Madison families!)

With love from Belize- Sydney and Paige

7/12/17

We woke up bright and early to the fresh Belizean jungle at 7:00 for a 7:30 feast. Alicia served us fresh tortillas, beans, eggs, fruit, and juice. We left at 8 for our 3rd day of service with 82 enthusiastic kids. The number of kids continues to grow each day. They excelled in both Hangman and freeze dance. 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 We stopped at the local market for more treats to cool us down (it feels like you’re melting before 9 am here 😪🤒.) Then, we hopped back on the party bus and returned to home base for a quick and delicious lunch that consisted of taquitos (?) with homemade salsa and salad. Then after a little bit of down time we headed back over to the school for a little renovation of the school playground. We painted the wood structure with blue, red and yellow paint to brighten up the school yard. Little did we know, we had more paint on us than on the structure. We all left a small impression on the structure to make it our own. Some of the local kids even came over to assist us and add a youthful flare. On the way home it was a race to get to the showers and wash off the rainbow remains. Even after a hose shower, a chemical shower, and regular shower there is still paint stuck to our bodies. We had dinner at 6:30 (30 minutes later than normal so everyone could shower). We had chicken, beans, rice, and steamed vegetables. It poured rain while we played a game of charades. After dinner we watched a compelling Ted Talk that provoked a meaningful conversation. Finally, we planned for day 4 of service and activities. Now, we are sitting in the pouring rain thinking about our lovely families, the Roberts and the Johnston’s. We miss you both A TON!

Xoxo,
Clara & Myah

7/13/17

This morning we started our day with the most amazing French toast breakfast made by our most amazing cook, Alecia. We arrived at the school at 8:00 and were greeted by some our wonderful students, it’s amazing to see how many children arrive earlier than they are supposed to- they are so eager to learn! Today was another hot and humid day, but we all enjoyed teaching, playing and swinging with the students. After our work at the camp we headed back to home base for a lunch of split pea tortillas, chips and salsa and fried Belizean pretzels. At 2:00 our group split again; evens staying at home base for a cooking class and odds headed to the chocolate factory. The chocolate factory was very interesting as well as the people who worked there. We learned a lot about the Mayan culture and the art and history of chocolate making! After the odds got back we had the leader of the day activity where we all wrote nice things about one another of pieces of paper. Once we all finished everyone had a piece of paper that had a nice message from every GLA member! For dinner, the evens had prepared a delicious meal of fried fish, plantain balls, coconut soup and coconut rice! Today was Alexis’ 16th birthday so we finished our day with birthday cake! Just another amazing day in Belize!! ( we send extra love to the family members of Sarah M. And Briana G.)

Love,
Sarah Mackowski and Briana Garrison❤️

July 14, 2017

The day started at 7:30 with fried jacks, beans, salami, and fresh fruit. All prepared by the well appreciated Alecia. Then we hopped on the bus and arrived at the school for service. Some of the children were gone because of a field trip, so it was a more of a relaxed day. This allowed us to have some one on one time with the kids. They also got a lot of free time outside for activities, and seem to be opening up more to us. We made a brief ice cream stop on the way back to home base. The ice cream was locally made and tasted amazing. At lunch, we had a tortilla filled with mild chicken and cheese, and purple cabbage slaw, and plantain chips. We took a 45 minute bus ride to a local hot sauce factory, founded by a women named Marie Sharp. Her sauces are shipped worldwide, found in the U.S, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, and other countries around the world. We were able to see the process of making the hot sauce and packaging it, and some of us even watched a film about Marie Sharp’s company. We got to sample many bottles, and most of us bought some to bring home. Afterwards, we headed back for dinner at home base. We had pasta with a delicious meat veggie sauce, lettuce salad, and garlic bread. We finished the day with a fun interactive group activity where we shared stories (made up or real experiences), which let us get to know each other better. Excited to visit the local markets tomorrow, but sad we can’t sleep in (lots of love to our favorite Canadian moms- Karina and Yannie) miss u tons!

xoxo,

Luna Li and Jackie Riddell

Today we started with a 7:30 breakfast of Johnny cakes, fried salami, eggs, fruit and melon juice. Afterwards we got on the bus and headed to the San Ignacio to go to the market and the iguana sanctuary. The market had stands that sold local hand made items and foods. At the sanctuary, we got to hold and feed iguanas🦎 that were rescued and rehabilitated. For lunch, we went to Benny’s Kitchen and had some local Belizean foods ( some of us also ordered a side of fries). After lunch we got on the bus once again and headed for the Mayan ruins. To end the day we went to Western Dairy’s, also known as the biggest ice cream factory in Belize! We got back to T.R.E.E.S a little after 7 and had Lap for dinner. Lap is white rice with chicken, lime, fried onions, and cilantro. Also for dinner was salad and fresh orange juice. Tune in tomorrow’s blog for a day full of snorkeling and volleyball!! Shoutout to the Moys and Sharps, we miss you tons️️️!!!

Caroline and Phoenix🦎

July 20, 2017

With new flight regulations starting in Belize the day before departure day. This great group proved once again that they were up for the challenge. We had a really early breakfast at 6:15am. Alecia got us going with some Jonny cakes, fried sausage and fresh fruit. Then we were off for one more fun filled bus ride with Mr. Windell. With watery eyes and the promise of the thousands of mosquitos bites finally disappearing from their legs the resilient, wonderful group of students headed through security and off to their homes. You will be missed. Thank you for a great two weeks!

DAY 1

GLA Belize is off and running yet again!  And what a great start!

GLA Staff eagerly anticipated the arrival of the 31 students from all over the USA today.  As soon as students grabbed their bags and made their way out of the Belize International Airport, we were well on our way to TREES.  It is one of the most unique home bases with an absolutely beautiful backdrop of the Maya Mountains.

We arrived to TREES and all of the students got settled into their new homes for the next two weeks.  Their colorful cabins were named after local animals sights:  Jacamar, Tree Frog, Blue Morpho, Fern, Gecko, Katydid, etc.!

We had a very common Belizean meal consisting of chicken, rice and beans, slaw, and fresh orange juice.  We made sure to priority our discussion on safety and dove into a round of fun introductions.  Everyone in the group shared their various anticipations:  snorkeling, meeting the Belize children, meeting new friends on the program, Mayan temples, and trying new things!  It was a really positive way to bring the busy arrival day to a close!

Tomorrow has a lot of fun in store:  orientation activities, a visit to the school site to meet the Principal, teachers, and students, and meaningful discussions on service.  We look forward to sharing all that the program and Belize have to offer with the students!

Gratefully,

The Belize Team

Kelli, Nichole, Laura, and Keri

June 22, 2017

This morning we woke up for breakfast at 8am (some earlier than others!) which was delicious eggs and fry jacks, a special bread specific to Central America. We spent a lot of the day getting to know each other and playing orientation games, and all of us have already made tons of friends! The whole day was filled with sharing stories and laughing. We also took a tour of our home base which consisted of a tiring, uphill hike!

After a lunch of bean and cheese taquitos, we traveled to the local children’s school, St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic School. The kids were so welcoming and generous and showed us their favorite games to play during recess. It was very shocking to see the conditions the kid’s lived in, and it was inspiring to see their positivity even in their situation. After meeting the kids we headed back to home base, and a lot of us hiked to the swimming hole, a small natural river that is safe to swim in. It was very refreshing in the humidity of Belize.

At dinner time we spent more time getting to know each other, and shared our life stories with small mentor groups. It was amazing to see how many people have similar hobbies and passions with someone who lives across the country! Dinner was some great spaghetti and salad.

At the end of the night, we put on skits in small groups as a fun way to go over the GLA trip guidelines. Overall, it was a very humid, yet exciting day, and we’re all eager for tomorrow!

-Jamie

June 23, 2017

Hello everyone!

Today, we started our morning off with a yummy breakfast. Half of the group went to a chocolate factory, and the other half stayed at home base and made lunch through a cooking class. We got to see how chocolate is made here in Belize! The group that made lunch did an awesome job! It was yummy! After lunch, we went to the school to paint the playground. Local kids even came to help us paint on their off day! We all got covered in paint, but it was worth it! After some hard work, we came back to home base. Some of us went to the swimming hole, while others stayed to relax. As the leaders of the day (Taylor and Lucy), we led a group activity to get to know each other better! We then ate dinner and a guest speaker came to talk to us. Emily is a well-rounded community leader who represents the people of her country. She inspired us to set high goals and be the best person that you can be!

Love ya’ll!

Lucy and TayTay

June 24, 2017

Today we woke up and had a great breakfast at 8 am. Then we got on the bus and drove about an hour and a half to San Ignacio, where we split into two groups. One group went to the local market, while the other group headed down to the Iguana Project. After an hour we switched and then met up for lunch at Benny’s Kitchen. Everyone ordered a chocolate milkshake and had a meal of stew chicken. Afterwards, we got back on the bus and drove to the Maya temples. Here, we followed a tour guide as he showed us all around the site. We climbed up the temples and walked through tunnels, trying our best not to slip on the wet stone. Then we made our way back to the bus and rode all the way back to home base and had a great dinner of rice and pork. After that we played an exciting game of Belizean Jeopardy and talked about the highs and lows of the trip.

Now we are getting ready for bed, and looking for a great day tomorrow!

Emily and Erin

June 25, 2017

Hola from Belize! Today we woke up and ate fry jacks and eggs for breakfast. Then we hopped on the bus to Blue Hole National Park with our bush guide, Will. We trekked to the most amazing cave filled with a river, calcium carbonate stones, and even a vampire bat! Then we took a dip in the Blue Hole, although it should’ve been called the “Brown Hole” due to the heavy rainfall yesterday.

After cooling off, we came back to home base to enjoy another one of Alecia’s delicious meals, which included nachos. We then broke off into teams to compete in a scavenger hunt around home base, which concluded in a dance-off to break the tie.

Then we retreated to our cabins for a little downtime before the leader of the day activity right before dinner. We played Entertain Us Until We Clap and the Hand Squeezing Game. We finished the night off with a scrumdiddiliumptious dinner and a mentor group meeting.

As the Belizeans say in Creole, THAT WICKED!!!!

Love, Jesika and Ava.

June 26, 2017

This mornings breakfast was pancakes, hard boiled eggs with fresh papaya, watermelon, bananas and pineapple. After breakfast we split into our groups from day 3 and did the opposite activity. Half did cooking with the amazing Alecia and the other went to Lamanai Chocolate. We went on a tour and saw the chocolate being made first hand. We sampled dark chocolate, the shells off the beans, cinnamon chocolate tea and cohune tree oil (the oil is used in Rolex watches and is really good in salad dressings). We even got to try our hand at crushing the chocolate beans ourselves. We explored a cave with a friendly scorpion and learned about how the mayas make houses. We then went back to TREES and had lunch which the other group had prepared for us. They made papusas, cowl slaw, and fried plantations. The fried plantations tasted like steak fries and some of us even dipped them in ketchup. After finishing lunch we drove to Marie Sharps, a 400 acre farm and hot sauce factory. We toured the factory,  saw the hot sauce being made, bought some for ourselves and even met Marie. Instead of going straight back to TREES we stopped at Country Barn for ice cream. Dinner was mashed plantain, coconut broth, and fried fish. To close the night Minerva, who helped create the curriculum, spoke to us about what we will be teaching at St. Augustine. We are excited to work with the kids tomorrow!

-Danika and Cameron

June 27, 2017

Today was our first day of classroom service at St. Augustine. We got to the school and broke up into our assigned grade level. When the kids came back from lunch, we got to meet the kids and work in small groups on the summer booklet. All the kids were so excited to learn and for us to be their teachers! Throughout the day we got to bond with our kids and learn more about them and their daily life. During “brain breaks” we got to play educational games and go outside and play the kids favorite games. The kids were extremely happy the whole time and super excited to come back the next day to learn more! It has only been one day but leaving our kids at the end was already hard and we wanted to take them with us! We came back to home base and played games and had a delicious dinner. We cannot wait to continue to teach and bond with the students of Belize!

-Chase & Ashley

June 28, 2017

Today we first woke up to a birthday surprise for Erin with the dinning area all decorated. We then went for a full day of teaching at the school. All of us connected with all the kids and created more bonds with the students. Once we got back to TREES we had dinner a little earlier and had a cake for Erin! We went to a poetry slam at a local library, which was amazing. The locals were amazing with their poems and songs. Even some of our own GLA students preformed! They even went around and gave question to answer. Sophie had a question on what she would change about her life

June 29, 2017

Today was another full day of school. We arrived at school after a hearty breakfast and got to our classes. Today T.R.E.E.S. was able to come into the school and give the kids a presentation on herpetology. The kids really enjoyed it and so did we! Working with the kids and seeing how happy and open they are motivates and inspires all of us on this trip. After school got out, we visited a great ice cream shop and took a little trip to Belmopan. It was a great outing that loosened all of us up. We came back and ate dinner, which was followed by a dance party. Seeing the rich amazing culture of Belize makes you question what you are doing worrying about nail color and new clothes. The kids who have so little are so happy, and so are we!

Dannie and Chloe

June 30, 2017

This morning we woke up for breakfast and ate delicious Johnny Cakes (biscuits), fried beans, eggs and fresh fruit, and headed out to St. Augustine, where we continued our service for the first half of the day. After a fun-filled morning of service, which included working in our workbooks, playing large games of soccer and taking one big group photo, we came back to TREES to enjoy a delicious Belizean Pizza. We then headed back onto the bus to make a quick stop at a local ice cream parlor, where we enjoyed multiple scoops of our favorite flavors of ice cream. We then came back to home base and broke off into our mentor groups to debrief our service so far. We discussed how we have grown as leaders during our time here and how we can apply our new leadership skills back home. We then had some down time which resulted in large games of ultimate frisbee, volleyball and soccer. Right before dinner, our leaders of the day (Dannie and Chloe, and Isabella and Abby H) led us in two fun group activities: behind the green glass door and a rock paper scissors tournament (which got very heated).  We then enjoyed some more of Alicia’s delicious cooking, which included white rice, stew chicken and mashed potatoes. Finally, we all headed over to the yoga platform to take part in “Step In, Step Out”, which resulted in us having an emotional discussion where we were all free to share what was on our minds in a safe environment. To lighten things up, we received a surprise performance from Fern Frog, a two person GLA band which was formed last night J.

Isabella and Abby

July 1, 2017

Hey blog!!!

Today we woke up and left on the bus for snorkeling. We had a long bus ride to Dangriga and then loaded up boats to go to Tobacco Island. Before getting to the island we stopped at Bird Island where there were TONS of native birds. As we were leaving the island it began thundering and started pouring (the captain of our boat told us that the rain was giving us a “beat down”.) The rain continued until we reached Tobacco Island but after that it cleared up and turned out to be a beautiful day.

As soon as we got off the boats we all were amazed by the beautiful collection of conch shells that were lying around on the beach. We walked on shore and around the island trying to find the perfect shell to take back with us. After exploring for about a half hour, we split into two groups. The first group collected their goggles, fins, and life vests and headed out into the water. The second group waited on the island for the first group to get back and then they went out.

While snorkeling we saw an abundance of fish such as blue tangs, angel fish, barracudas, needle fish, and flounder. We also saw some stingrays which was extremely exciting. We snorkeled near the coral reef and then we went to the sea grass where we saw more shells and learned about the two different types of sea grass.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, tanning, drinking milkshakes, and collecting more shells. Before lunchtime, the rain began again but soon finished. After it ended, we ate an amazing lunch cooked by Alecia and then spent the rest of the day jumping off the dock and swimming around with friends.

By the time we came home we were all exhausted from a fun day spent laughing and having fun in the sun. The rest of the night, we did activities as a group and tried to stay dry from the rain.

Later, there was a scorpion found in one of the cabins which was scary. The girls in that cabin moved into different cabins. Having new roommates was fun and exciting.

Overall, this day was definitely one of the most memorable days on the trip!!!

Love,

Emilia and Kenz

July 2, 2017

This morning we had breakfast then at eight left for the Belize Zoo. There, we saw a variety of animals such as tapirs, jaguars, boas, pumas, and toucans. Not only did we get to see these beautiful animals of Belize, but we also got to feed some of them! It was a rainy but good time for all of us. Upon returning to TREES, we had lunch, met with our mentor groups for group activities, and relaxed before dinner. We then exchanged letters to our peers regarding how much we appreciate their company. Tomorrow is our last day of service before we leave but we are all excited to see the kids one last time.

Pam & Mackenzie

July 18, 2017

Today we had our first global citizen workshop after a great breakfast of French toast and fruit. We talked about what it means to be a global citizen and the characteristics/values that go with it. After lunch we went to the local Banjar and rotated between four stations where we learned unique skills. We learned Legong dance which is a native Balinese dance, how to create offerings from leaves and sticks, wood carving, and gamelan which is a xylophone-like instrument.  After our workshop we walked to the palace for a tour and dinner with the prince of Peliatan. After dinner there was a performance consisting of dancing and playing music, including the gamelan. Overall, today was really fun and I’m having a great time immersing myself in Bali.

July 19, 2017

We started our day early, waking up at 6:30 for a morning market visit. We tried exotic fruits and learned to haggle, over our harem pants and sarongs, with the locals. Afterwards, we got back in our taxis for a visit to the Balinese rice paddies. Traditional breakfast cones filled with rice, noodles, and chicken were enjoyed by all as we overlooked the picturesque farms and learned about the degradation of the farming culture within Bali. Next, we all donned our sarongs and sashes for a temple visit. Our offerings from yesterday came in handy whilst learning the prayer practices followed by the Balinese and we followed the ceremony including priests delivering us with holy water, flowers being spread on our hair, incense burning, and even rice being placed on our foreheads-the most important part of the body for the locals. We enjoyed a meal with a view as our lunch destination overlooked an active volcano. After heading back to our home base, we took time to relax and some students even visited a local market for snacks. Finally, we discussed in our mentor groups our goals and initiatives for choosing this trip and reflected upon all we are looking forward to.

July 20th, 2017

Today we left our first home base in Ubud for where our service will be done, Singaraga! We traveled for about two hours making two stops; temple, and lunch! The temple had such beautiful views and luckily we went at a time where there weren’t many tourists. There were shops, animals, and buildings (pictures were great). Our next destination was 30 seconds down the road where we enjoyed another buffet! After completing these two stops it was time to make our way to the Edutel (education hotel) where we have our dorms. The ride was about an hour where we witnessed just few of Bali’s many views. The winding roads, beautiful culture, and city life all make the bus rides a highlight of the trip. Upon arrival, we settled in and prepped for our first day of service. Night time is where the fun began, as we set off on sunset boat ride and swam in the coral reefs. The sun was neon pink and honestly breath taking. Following the sunset, we ate a delicious meal prepared by Ryan’s friends. To end the night, we had a bonfire with some locals and sang traditional balinese songs. Yet another tiring day for us, but an amazing one!

-Audrey, Lexi, & Anna

July 21st, 2017

July 22nd, 2017

July 23rd

Today we went to Pemuteran and had a blast on the resort beach. First we learned about the coral restoration project, a project that aims to restore the reef, which has been damaged from coral bleaching and global warming. They restore the reef by putting electrically powered structures on the ocean floor that encourage limestone growth that the coral attaches to. We snorkeled for an hour and saw beautiful fish and the coral structures that we had just learned about. After hard work and planning for service, it was relaxing to take a day off and enjoy the ocean. Another awesome part of the day was getting to eat a taste of home with pizza, fries, pasta, burgers, cake, and mocktails. For our evening activity we had a lip sync battle between all of the groups, and the mentors stole the show with the song “What does the fox say?”.

Om swastiastu from Bali! – Jillian, Analise, and Xandra

July 24, 2017

Selmat Pagi!

July 25, 2017

July 28th, 2017

(feat. Rebecca Black)

“8 am waking up in the morning, gotta get dressed gotta go downstairs. Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal.” Waking up this morning thinking that everything was going to be just like a regular day, we were disturbed by the horrid waves of humidity as it clung to our skin like sand to a wet towel. This was just a start to our long last emotional day in Singaraja. By 9 am we were in full work mode, developing our final lesson plans for our enthusiastic students.  After spending so much time being absorbed into the world of vocabulary, worksheets and markers; lunch was right around the corner. We ate until our tummies were full and our eyes were heavy. It was nap time. 

“1.5 hours later,”  we hustled through the heat to our cars pumping cold air on high. After crazy driving, honking horns and motorbikes we’d finally arrived at SD2 in one piece greeted by a mass of screaming 6-12 year olds. The next three hours flew by, leaving us in a daze  of sadness and exhaustion our final fleeting moments with the kids were fading faster than we thought. After tears were shed and hugs exchanged we were back in the cars by 5 rollin out to Lovina for our last supper after service. With a little taste of America, we were burgered and french fried out as we said our goodbyes to Singaraja around the bonfire closing this chapter of our Bali Book tuning out with Leaving on a Jet Plane. 

Signing off 

Nat Yoder, Quin Buisch, Eliott Plumley

July 29, 2017

This morning we packed all our bags in Singaraja and headed to East Bali Immersion. When we arrived, we found teepees waiting for us with ice cold drinks. There were many hammocks for us to relax in since it was the hottest it’s been in Bali so far. The group was treated with excellent food, including an amazing salad dressing (balsamic vinegar, honey, chopped garlic, onions, mint, olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper). After cooling off a bit, we wanted to learn more about East Bali Cashew Company. We hung out with the preschool kids and had a dance party. Then we went through the factory and learned how each cashew is processed. To finish our tour we bought lots of snacks in the gift shop. At the end of the night, we had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. The stars were gorgeous with the meteor showers and many of us fell asleep under the stars. Just another wonderful day in paradise.

Mollie Rutz & Nikki Bailowitz

Rise and Shine! Today the students and GLA Bali staff woke up bright and early for a sunrise hike up Puncak Mangu hills, which is close to Mount Agung – the highest volcano mountain in Bali. Waking up at 4:30 a.m and hiking 5 miles all seemed worth it after a view of a fascinating volcano on one side and a mesmerizing sunset on the other. After eating delicious pancakes and fruit for breakfast, we experienced the hard labor local workers at the cashew factory do everyday. We peeled and shelled cashews for 2 hours and learned about the great impacts of the cashew factory on the economy, education, and culture immersion. To end the day, we had a scenic drive to Amed and settled into our amazing beach bungalows for a great dinner and swim in the water. 

Mariya, Cat, and Ruqaiyah —

 

Hello friends and family,

A lot has occurred since our last blog.  After our overnight visit to an eco-camp learning about Cashews and Balinese economics, we traveled East to the town of Amed, a beautiful beachfront town. There we enjoyed clear blue water and banana smoothies. Our home base consisted of beach bungalows and waterfront views. For our adventure in Amed we all tried our hands at scuba diving. Some of us were filled with excitement; While others were slightly nervous. Nevertheless, we all prevailed and successfully completed a pool training session and two dives. We were able to see sea turtles, sharks, and stingrays to name a few underwater gems. On our off time we enjoyed laying on the beach and snacking on chicken nuggets and fries. After completing our final dive, we hopped into vans and made our way back to Ubud to enjoy our last days in this beautiful place.

Much Love,

Madison and Jen 

August 2, 2017

 

Our story starts with a rainy day and an early breakfast at 6:30 am. Everyone bursting with excitement, ready to go to the elephant sanctuary to be one with these magnificent mammals. Little did we know that this was not a sanctuary but what seemed to be a prison for the elephants and an entertainment center for the human eyes. You could tell by the look in our eyes, our hearts were saddened with sorrow. For these magnificent creatures should be out running wild and free but instead are rode and chained for nothing but entertainment. Coming from this experience we learned that we as a whole do not support the fact that this was a place called a “sanctuary” when after the fact this was a place using these animals for income. Support for proper animal care in Bali and around the world touched our hearts and made us learn to see to believe. What seemed to be one of the best parts of the trip just became one of the many hardest memories of our adventure. 

After our time at the “Sanctuary” we the travelers were relieved to hear that the GLA Bali trip will not be incorporating the elephants in the future years of Bali adventures because of the wrong doing that is coming to these animals. By 12 we spent the rest of the afternoon (after another amazing lunch from Mama) at the market and temple, trying to forget our sorrow filled morning by indulging our time and thoughts into spending what little money we had left for our loved ones back home. 

Abbi H. and Nat Y.