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June 5, 2017 by James Egan

BALI – Land of Discovery – June 22 – July 12, 2017

June 22, 2017

Today the GLA Bali team eagerly awaited the blue “Be the Change” shirts that were due to arrive in the Denpasar airport.

In blue waves from 11 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. the students of GLA’s Bali: Land of Discovery trip arrived for their exciting, enriching 21 days to come!  We were driven to our lovely home base in Ubud, ate some local Indonesian cuisine together, and quickly saw how special and incredible this group of teens is.

It is seen as a blessing in Bali when the rains come at certain timing, and today the skies only opened up as the last students walked in to the home base, giving us auspicious beginnings as the weather waited to commence until we were all together.

We are so excited to continue discovering with our group in the days to come!

Below are photos of our team, and we excitedly await the arrival of Gabriella in two days to complete the team.

Om shanti shanti shanti om from Bali,

The GLA Bali Team

Written by Eva Bednar

June 24, 2017

Today GLA dove headfirst into the Balinese culture exploring the aspects of entertainment, history, royalty, and everyday activities. As our first cultural immersion, we split off into groups into the bale banjar and were overwhelmed by new experiences. At one station we made our own individual offerings for the gods. With leaves and bamboo sewn together, it took a couple of tries before successfully making an offering that didn’t fall apart or one that looked like it was already run over. It was fascinating to see how fast and effortlessly the Balinese could make their offerings in a matter of minutes without actually thinking about it. The next activity was learning to play traditional Balinese music. With instruments that looked like drums and xylophones together we learned simple tunes that once put altogether sounded beautiful, even with the slight ringing left in our ears. Moving on we had the challenging woodcarving station where each person had a stunningly crafted wooden plate with their name engraved on it. It was our mission to finish carving our name with the given tools and shave off the excess wood. Needless to say, for the most part, the part of our names that was carved by the instructors was much, much better than ours. Lastly, we were all able to strut and bust a move  in our intricate sarongs on the dance floor as we were taught moves from the traditional legong dance of Bali. This part may have been the hardest of all as the dance is no simple Macarena. With its precise hand poses and exact eye movements, it was fun to learn and a memory none of us will forget. From the banjar we walked to the Peliatan Palace and were in awe of the architecture and history of the palace and its royal family. Speaking of royal family we all had the utmost pleasure of meeting the prince. He was the epitome of kind and friendly, and not exactly what we had expected. He was more than willing to take countless selfies, learn all of our names, and answer any of the questions we had. Following our introduction, we were able to feast like royalty, quite literally. We had a little appetizer, main course, dessert and a hot drink to wash it all down. Without a doubt, it was a meal for the books. To finish the day we had the honor to watch the pro legong dancers of Bali hit the stage and amaze us. Their dance showed us numerous stories of war and love with music constructed throughout the piece. It was breathtaking. As one can see, today was filled with cultural shocks and immersion. It was a wonderful day for learning and new experiences.

 Dylan, AJ, Margaret (Maggie) F
 

June 25, 2017

Today was a packed filled adventure. Our day started with an early rise and we headed off to the Ubud Market to go sample some foods for breakfast. We tried many foods, ranging from fried bananas to snake fruits. After our festive breakfast, we made our way to little shops where we bargained for goods. Once we stocked up on baggy elephant pants and bracelets, we had a chance to visit the Laplapan Rice Paddies farm and enjoy a small snack before moving up the mountain to visit the Tirta Empul Temple. The Temple was beautiful and we were able to participate in a prayer service and learn a formal Balinese prayer. Afterwards, we were starting to get hungry, so we continued up the mountain to Kintamani, a place to have lunch and view the Batur Mountain and Lake Batur, the largest lake in Bali. Lunch was an enormous and delicious buffet — everyone went back for seconds. We were so exhausted after visiting such amazing places, we made our way back to our homestay for some free time and community activities. Some of our community activities included setting our expectations for our group for the rest of the trip and finishing off the day with fun games that made us all laugh. Overall, today was fun filled and we were able to all connect more as a diverse group.

By Mia Davila, Megan Deschapelles, Hattie Ferridge

 

June 26, 2017

Today we got a late start at 10am as we headed out on our 3-hour drive from Ubud to our second home base in Singaraja (North Bali). On the way, we stopped at a buffet style restaurant near the banks of Lake Beratan. Lots of us were excited because we had western-style pasta for the first time since we left the States. We then drove a few minutes down the road in order to reach the Ulun Danu Temple, one of the considerably better known sights to see in Bali. Unfortunately, about 10 minutes into our visit, it began pouring down with rain and every single one of us ended up soaked!

 We then continued our travels down the Balinese mountains and made our way to our new home base in Singaraja. The building is usually used as dorms for college students in the area, but during the summer it’s all ours! After taking a walk around the block of our home base, seeing a great sunset, and meeting some locals, we began lesson prep for our volunteering that starts tomorrow. We made plans for games, art activities, and classroom lessons about colors and numbers for the Balinese children who will be attending our english camp. All of us are very excited to get started with the kids!
Written by: Kate G. Harry B. and Hannah D.

Today marked our first day of working with the Balinese children. We taught them the colors and numbers through fun games and activities. The kids were thrilled to see us and super excited to learn! The school day was separated through three fifty minute periods in which the kids went from outdoor games, arts and crafts, to classroom learning. By the end of the school day everyone felt exhausted and accomplished! As the children left they all shook our hands and placed them to their forehead, which in Bali represents wisdom being passed down from the elders to the children.

After an exciting day of working with the kids we then headed back to our homestay and prepped another lesson for tomorrow. We then all got some time to relax and hangout before heading to Lovina beach. There we all got on “spider boats,” which are similar to a long canoe, to watch the sunset. We went out into the Indian Ocean and swam in the perfectly clear water. We saw beautiful coral, tiny fish, and starfish. Then we all got back into the boats and sailed into the sunset. Coming back to the shore we had a delicious dinner made by close friends of our local staff. Everyones favorite part was the french fries. After the wonderful dinner we had a bonfire on the beach with fireworks. We ended our day with songs around the fire and Ryan’s wonderful dance moves.

Good Night!
GLA Bali
P.S.  Meredith says, “I love you Mommy!”

Written by: Meaghan Brown( I love you mom and dad), Nicole Kaiser (Hi mom and dad 🙂 <3), Isabelle “Izzie” Lifton ( What up Jim and Michelle I miss you )​

June 28, 2017

Todays GLA session was about learning more of our leadership characteristics. We had three different rotations in which we had different roles. One activity we did was the leadership compass that talks about our personality and different types of leadership. The second activity was more of a teamwork activity. There was an obstacle course with one person being blindfolded while the other was watching the obstacle course. The person watching the course couldn’t speak, they could only give directions to the blindfolded person. There was then another team member that could speak, but couldn’t see the course. The whole team had to work together, each with their own restriction, to get the blindfolded person dressed up in funny outfits and acting out silly charades. All while not being able to see! The last activity was a competition of making the tallest pyramid, but each member of the group had a role. One member of the team could only use their left hand and others couldn’t speak but could use both hands. These activities were fun, but frustrating at times. It helped us develop leadership skills and better understand our strengths and weaknesses. We also learned that in a team it is very important to communicate.

By: Maria Garcia

How To: Go With the Flow
When teaching kids, it’s impossible to schedule everything. That’s the best thing about teaching kids – they create their own fun and it’s impossible to schedule. Today’s topic – animals – lead to lots of exciting situations, undiscovered artists, and especially excited animal noises. With their homemade masks, the second rotation of kids were non-stop giggling, “rawr-ing”, “meow-ing”, and “oink-ing” until Jake delivered his show-stopping rendition of a monkey that was incredibly accurate and especailly amusing for both us and the kids. Certianly none of that excitement was planned, but even so, it was the best part of the day. You can never anticipate exactly what will happen in a classroom full of adorably rowdy kids ready to learn, but I am thankful that we can always safely assume that we, and the kids, will have tons of fun if we simply go with the flow.
Shout out to my amazing teaching group for being so fun and easy-going 🙂
By: Lauren Ness
We can learn so much more from these children than they could learn from us. They show us how to find the silver lining in every situation. Having only taught them for two days I can speak for every GLA student when I say that I am going to be so sad to leave these kids. Their genuine laughter and happiness reflects the qualities they are taught in their homes by their family. Everyone you meet in Bali greets you with a sincere smile and makes you feel welcome immediately. The close-knit communities here watch out for each other and treat others, including us foreigners, with the utmost respect. Everything we see here, in school or on the streets, we can and should take back home with us. I hope the children appreciate us teaching them because I know I appreciate working with them!
By: Nancy Kirkman

 

June 29, 2017

Very special video vlog update for you all!!!

Beautifully edited by Josh Ferris , Sydney Francis and Megan Burnside

June 30, 2017

Another one!!

After our usual day of volunteering at the english camp, we had two hours to relax.  When those hours were up, we headed to Narayan Seva Children’s Home.  Upon our arrival we were given a detailed story about the founding of the home and the values that the children live by.  Here we also learned all about the orphans and their daily schedule in Bali.  We broke off into groups and were given tours by the eldest kids that live there.  We then watched the kids perform acro-yoga that they practice everyday.  After, we went into their meditation room and experienced their pre-dinner meditation routine.  We then gathered for dinner and the kids were welcoming as they shared their space with us.  Our dinner consisted of vegetarian foods that the children eat everyday.  Overall, today was an eye-opening day that makes us even more grateful for the lives we live at home.

Created by Maddy K, Chloe W and Ellie!

 

July 1, 2017

Today we spent the day at the beach resort in Pemuteran in Northwest Bali and went snorkeling!  We got the opportunity to learn about the coral restoration project. After a mass amount of bad fishing practices, careless acts of divers and global warming, the coral is unable to survive and the large reef was destroyed.  Structures are now being built with an electrical charge running throughout to allow the coral to remain strong and grow faster.  We were able to snorkel over these structures and witness the restoration process.

We also made a video!

Made and edited by Stella, Mia R. and Anna.  Hi Mom and Dad!

 

July 2, 2017 

We went and played indoor soccer this evening, highlights in the video below 🙂

Created by Meredith Power, Maggie Sebastian, Madeline Coats

July 3, 2017
Our morning started at 7:45 when we left our home base and set out for our three different volunteer locations. After a fun second to last day of service, we made our way to a giant three story supermarket to stock up on food, clothes, souvenirs, and other miscellaneous nick-knacks. After we completed our shopping, many members of the group chose to purchase mo-chi ice cream balls to cool off in the heat. Next we drove back to our home base where many napped, and some took a quick walk to the beach before dinner. After dinner we had mentor groups where we discussed our dreams and aspirations, and talked about things that make us happy. With each discussion our group grows closer and closer together as we learn to work more as a unit and less as individuals. For the evening activity, we had an epic group lip sync battle that included both mentors and students. Some of the songs included “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” “That’s What I Like,” “Fantastic Baby (K-Pop),” “Summer Lovin’,” and the finale of Pitch Perfect. After that we all got ready for bed and prepared for our busy day tomorrow.
The video included is of some of the students completing the GLA Bali cheer that is performed every day before and after service.
Written by Megan Samuels, Sarah Saltzberg, and Renata Aldrete

July 4, 2017

Today was our last day volunteering at the schools. There were many smiles, hugs, and tears. After we said our goodbyes we drove to Bali Mandara Boarding School. We watched a choir performance, toured the school, and played games with students. Then, we went to Lovina beach for a celebratory Fourth of July dinner- a bonfire, a firework show, and live music. We then headed back to Edutel Resident Halls to celebrate Hattie’s 16th birthday! #happybirthdayhattie #balibirthdaysforthewin

LOVE CELESTE, MADISON C, AND SPENCER K

 

July 5, 2017

We are headed to East Bali Immersion EcoCamp for an overnight!

Video by Meaghan B., Kate

 

July 6, 2017

Sunrise hike and East Bali Cashews!

Video by Gabby, Celeste, Spencer D.

 

July 7, 2017

After waking up to the delightful sunrise and the sound of the waves crashing on the sand, we gathered in our beachfront bungalows. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast then left in groups to travel to a dive resort. Here, we learned the basics of scuba diving in the resort’s 12 foot deep pool and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. We then put our learning to the test and completed our first dive into the ocean. We were all shocked and excited to see the ocean from a new perspective. We saw schools of fish, an underwater temple, coral, and more.

While most of us were new to diving, 5 of us had some previous experience. These certified divers travelled 40 minutes away to a shipwreck 70 feet below the surface. They also completed a second dive where they experienced the vibrant fish and coral reefs that the other 34 students witnessed in their introductory dive. We were all in awe of the charm of the town of Amed, especially when we received friendly smiles from the locals.

After our dive, we returned back to our bungalows and were treated to a delicious western dinner– pizza! Many of us also enjoyed ordering our own food from the restaurant adjacent to our bungalows, from tropical fruit plates to whole coconuts to fried pineapple. We ended the night with a group game (where we learned just how bad we are at counting), and some relaxing in our hammocks.
While we were all excited to enjoy another scuba adventure tomorrow, it is undeniable that all of us are sad to end our short stay here in Amed– it has truly felt like paradise! Off to Ubud tomorrow!

– Spencer Knutson, Zoe Peach-Riley, Madison Cook

 

July 8

 

Today we left around 8am and took a 45 minute drive to an elephant sanctuary. 27 of the elephants were saved from Sumatra and 4 were born naturally in the sanctuary. While there we got to wash the elephants using a hose and a brush to scrub their skin. Then we were able to feed them bamboo and corn and take our pictures with them; one really likes to hug you with its trunk. We also saw a talent show, one could kick a soccer ball, another could spin a hoola-hoop on its trunk, and one could walk across a log beam. Many students did not watch the talent show because of their opinion on the training of the animals and weather or not it was ethically right. We chose to wash them instead of ride them because of many opinions that the training is cruel and that riding the elephant is painful to the elephant. We had a lot of fun with the one on one time we were able to spend with the creatures. We later took an hour drive from the home base and made our way to Tanah Lot Temple. It had a very large shopping area where we were all able to go and get the majority of gifts for family and friends along with things for themselves. After a full afternoon at the temple and watching the sunset we ended our long day with a car ride back to our homestay in Peliatan.

Hannah Dillon and Josh Ferris

 

 

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July 11

Here is our final video from the last full day in Bali.  We went surfing in South Bali!
Video by Anna & Bella

 

July 12

Last morning to see the students off at the airport. We had such an amazing time with all of you and hope you have safe travels home!

Love,
Your Staff

Filed Under: Programs, Uncategorized

June 5, 2017 by James Egan

BALI – Global Health Initiative – August 4 – August 17, 2017

Introduction

GLA’s Global Health Initiative program is a primer for studying medicine or public health in the developing world. A university-level program, it’s designed to give a progressive experience— challenging preconceptions of health with new experiences, and guidance from attending medical and public health professionals working in the field.

Global Health Initiative Itinerary

Please note: Activities may happen on different days due to weather or community needs. This is a tentative itinerary.

Day Program Activities
1 Arrival Day – GLA Students Arrive in Bali
2 *
3 *
4 *
5 *
6 *
7 *
8 *
9 *
10 *
11 *
12 *
13 *
14 Departure Day – GLA Students Depart from Bali

—

Blog Updates

All students made it safely and excited for the journey ahead! About to embark on their first village walk and discover the sights and sounds of Bali by doing a fun scavenger hunt. And they are off!

 

 

Swastiastu!

What a great first day in Bali! Today was a day of adjustment (from 20+ hours of traveling) and bonding. Everyone bonded over a delicious meal and morning activities of name games and orientation. During the afternoon we separated into groups and started to explore the village of Ubud. We saw all different forms of culture ranging from wood carving to playing soccer with the locals! Of course all of the adorable Bali dogs grabbed everyone’s attention as well. Everyone here looks forward to the adventures to come, and we are all beyond grateful to have been given this opportunity.

Much love!

(written and photographed-Ally A.)

Wednesday August 9th

Today we did our third day of service! Our service for today was working at an open clinic for the elders of the village at the local banjar; the elders chose to come to get these health check ups. We tested blood pressure, height, weight, blood glucose, and more. The STIKA students taught us how to work everything, so we were able to do lots of it ourselves—then the students would tell the elders what was good/bad about their results, and what they could do to be healthier. After lunch, we continued doing the same thing. Personally, this was my favorite day of service by far! I loved practicing my Bahasa with the elders, and learning from the STIKA students. I spent an hour talking to one of the students and learned so incredibly much about Balinese culture, and told her about the US. 

After a well deserved break, we all glammed up and put on our sarongs to meet the prince.  Our palace visit started with a tour.  At every corner there was another beautiful sculpture or piece of artwork.  Everything was so intricate and clean compared to the other homes we had seen.  After the tour, we finally got to meet the prince.  For someone with so much power, he was incredibly humble.  So full of knowledge, we had discussions over dinner about anything from motorcycles to the value of life experience vs money.  He even gave us his restaurant’s Instagram page!  The evening closed with a private showing of a traditional Balinese dance.  The performance was full of beautifully dressed woman, intricate costumes, and live music.  So much color and movement, it was truly magical.  A perfect end to a perfect day.

– Sammy, Maya L. 

August 8 
Our second day of service started at a different Banjar, a little farther away from home base. Together we successfully continued our home visits, meeting a variety of people, such as an old man whose age could have been over 100 years old (120 according to him…). The GLA students bonded with their STIKES students in their shared goal of bettering the health of the village people, and their love for social interactions with locals.
After a long day of service, everyone set out to a local indoor turf soccer field for some friendly competition. We were divided into 4 teams associated with a color and a country. The winning team was Iceland which included Chloe, Lucie, J’lynn, Easton, Maya B, and Ryan! Some great games took place and everyone was having so much fun, even the ones with little to no skill 🙂
Diana, Alex and Erica

 

August 10

We had such an eventful day today! This morning we visited a natural birth clinic where we had the pleasure of meeting Robin Lim of the Bumi Sehat Clinic. We were able to discuss the benefits of natural births, the different techniques used to clam the mother and babies during labor, and the flaws of giving birth in the U.S. Watching water birth videos allowed is to appreciate Robbin’s work and take a peek into the midwifery world. As much as we learned we also traveled. We took a road trip to the beaches of Ahmed and arrived in time for a quick swim and a sunset dinner on the beach. As the night approaches, we are getting ready to throw on our flippers and snorkels for a morning of swimming around a forgotten Shipwreck!
J’lynn Carolyn and Emma
August 14th
We wanted to share a couple of videos with you from our students:
  • One video by Maya B.
  • And another by Easton

Filed Under: Programs

June 5, 2017 by James Egan

BALI – Global Health Initiative – July 18 – July 31, 2017

Introduction

GLA’s Global Health Initiative program is a primer for studying medicine or public health in the developing world. A university-level program, it’s designed to give a progressive experience— challenging preconceptions of health with new experiences, and guidance from attending medical and public health professionals working in the field.

Global Health Initiative Itinerary

Please note: Activities may happen on different days due to weather or community needs. This is a tentative itinerary.

Day Program Activities
1 Arrival Day – GLA Students Arrive in Bali
2 *
3 *
4 *
5 *
6 *
7 *
8 *
9 *
10 *
11 *
12 *
13 *
14 Departure Day – GLA Students Depart from Bali

—

Blog Updates

All the kiddos have arrived! Ready for some adventures!

 

Today, Thursday 7/20/17, we started the day at 7:30 am and ate a healthy breakfast. We took the bus to the rice paddies and then to Tirta Empul water temple. Once there we put on our sarongs and entered the temple. We cleansed ourselves with healing waters. We also gave offerings and were led through a rejuvenating prayer session. After, we drove to lunch at a buffet with a beautiful view of the volcano called Kintamani. We took tons of pictures, We returned to home base for a while and then headed to the medical school to meet the med students we will be working with for the next few days. We went over our duties and took a tour of their lab. We came back and ate a delicious dinner which was accompanied by amazing singing from a local Balinese man. That quickly turned into a fun session of karaoke and dancing, We ended the night, came back to home base and went over the day with the group. We are excited to start service tomorrow and hang out with the Balinese med students.
Fun things from today: Marshall fell into a ditch when stepping off the bus (Don’t worry Mom he is okay!)
– Sophia and Vicky sang karaoke to Despacito even though they don’t speak Spanish
– Everyone sang the Pitch Perfect soundtrack on the bus
 -We went to the market and bought fun Balinese souvenirs
written by Ethan and Sophia
 

July 21, 2017
Hey it’s your favorite bloggers Anjuli and Fran! Today was a very eventful and educational day. Starting with a great and nutritious breakfast we divided into groups of four before meeting with the Stikes students. Two Stikes students went with each of the groups and we went to the Satria Banjar to take blood pressures and fill out some health questions for each family. After learning a lot about the Balinese culture and their health patterns, we then paused for lunch and regeneration at 12:00. Selamat siang – happy mid day!
We then returned to the Satria Banjar to continue the home visits. At some houses we taught the family members how to wash their hands properly which we did by demonstrating with hand sanitizer. When we got back to the Kaya guest house we had a group debrief about the day where we discussed the limitations to the survey presented to families and how we could improve it. Eventually we narrowed the improvements down to three questions which concerned smoking habits, heart attack medical history and respiratory problems. Dinner was quick and by 7 we went through a brief language course for some essential Indonesian phrases. Our group learned a good morning song which was helpful to remember the language! The evening activity was rather serious: each of us had to write 3-5 things that came to mind about groups that have stereotypes associated with them like different ethnicities or gender. To lighten the mood and relax the mind we then held a student-led meditation and yoga session. It was a fun day and very educational, too! Selamat malam – good night!

July 23, 2017
Miles and Marshall checking in!
Today was an eventful and productive day of service! We all woke up to a nice breakfast and went straight to our service work with the STIKES students. Our service today consisted of setting up health stations for the elderly at two different Banjars (like a neighborhood) We measured height/weight, blood pressure and blood sugar tests. After that, we went back to home base and had a couple of activities that showed us the first follower is just as important as the leader and how to deal with social norms of different cultures that may make people uncomfortable. We then had dinner and a presentation about global health and how illness spreads with Erik. After that we met with mentor groups and went to bed early for white water rafting tomorrow. Today was really productive but tomorrow is the beginning of the fun!
Some stories from today:
Ethan met some new Balinese children friends
Marshall lost feeling in his arms after he carried the water jug from home base to the Banjar
We ate lunch out of banana leaves!
July 24, 2017
We got an early start to the day waking up at 6. We left to go white water rafting in a valley and many of us were nervous because we had never done it before. We rated for 2 hours and made it to the end where 300 stairs were waiting to take us to lunch. We ate lunch in a restaurant overlooking the valley then made our way back to home base. We had some free time before we drove to the Bumi Sehat clinic for neonatal/maternal care. Robin Lim gave an inspirational talk, emphasizing the differences between USA and the clinics treatments. Robin has been named 2011 CNN Hero of the Year and is regarded internationally for her work. Overall we had an amazing day full of adventure and inspiration. Lots of students bought t-shirts and were moved by Robin’s speech to donate to the cause.
-Eliana & Abby
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Filed Under: Programs

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