From your Dominican Republic program staff:

First Letter

To our life long friends,

The Dominican Republic was new for us, which was particularly a treat because it was new for most of you guys too. Now, here we are months later with only pictures and memories of our 2015 summer in the DR. It is so weird how we meet eachother, have to be 24 hours together, learn from eachother, really get to know one another, do such awesome stuff for the communities, and time passes so fast…and we go back to our reality at home as if it was a distant memory or dream.

There were three 21 day groups. Every single group had a unique energy to them. From the first day we met everyone at the airport, to the last day when we hugged everyone going back to the airport, we had a connection. You all have such a great heart. To be honest, you made us better. You taught us so much. You inspired us to continue down our path, too. So thank you for that. Thank you for supporting us. You have no idea how much of an impact you have made. You guys took such a big step to do a program like this with GLA and challenged yourself to the fullest. We feel so lucky to be a part of that.

So yes, time passes so fast. That is life. We will always have our individual memories. We will always have a connection with every single one of you guys and we will never forget our talks about life. We remember telling you guys not to lose your passion for volunteerism. Dont. Get involved. Read about the world. Make people smile. Protect nature and animals. Take care of yourselves. Educate others. Let go of your ego. Help others. Put down the phone. Learn from others. Laugh. And most importantly,

• LIVE WHAT YOU LOVE.
• Team sea glass necklace.
• Personalized sea shells.
• Early morning runs.
• Nights with the stars.
• Pyramid attempts by waterfall.
• Life juice.
• Digging holes.
• Maggots turn into flies.
• Workout with Georgio at 9pm.
• Buying puppies.
• The best leadership with Sarah.
• Pushing Crystal in a pool. You have guts.
• Laughing…so much laughing!

“We are able to live the way we live back home because others sacrifice here and they don’t even know it.”

 -Katherine

Always in our thoughts,

Crys and Shay]

Second Letter

It was such an amazing, challenging, tiring, fun, endless summer for the boys and girls participating to the Building a Sustainable World service-learning program in the DR. I bet no one will ever forget all the emotions, feelings and thrills of the 21 days spent in the Indalo Lodge and in the many communities of the Dominican north coast. For sure I will never forget the usual screaming at night, time of light off, coming from any girls bungalow when a giant armless spider or a microscopic fly were founded hanging from the roof or upon the mosquito net! Or the loud, super loud, too much loud volume of youngster American music in the bus!! The guys learned a lot of interesting and useful things, such as dancing Dominican reggaeton, jumping from a zip-line hanging 30ft upon a clear, cristaline tropical lagoon, the name of Dominican Republic first lady, eating “tostones” and “guandules”, drinking coconut water and the precise ratio of sand and cement to be mixed to build up a wall.

Talking seriously, I think it was such an important moment in the life of our students. They could experience the struggles and difficulties of the everyday life in a third world country. They touched by hand what living in a forgotten and poor Haitian “Batey” means. What kind of difficulties and challenges kids like them are facing day after day in places like La Union, La Grua, Caraballo and other communities were they could work. It was nice seeing them scared and suspicious, confused and overwhelmed at the beginning and then, after a couple of days of hard work in a village, holding two or three Dominican babies on the shoulders, dancing hand in hand with Haitian kids, playing football with them such as they always knew each other… and discover that human feelings, dreams and expectations are the same in New York as in Las Canas, in the US as in the third world.

I know there was some difficult or hard moment: not every single day was just fun and enjoyment… the students worked hard, mixed cement, cutted playwood, painted walls, pulledl heavy wheelbarrows. In some moment the sun was really hot… sometime there were a lot of mosquitoes around the houses in the villages… Strange new food, new people to deal with, waking up early in the morning… hiking a steep hill under the tropical sun… But I’m sure any of this moments contributed to the process of student’s personal growth and in creating a strong team spirit… I remember many crying guys on the last day… they became like a family, sharing fun and hard moments and, most important, sharing life changing experiences that are hard to believe and understand if you didn’t tried it! They came to DR like young scared students and went back home like older and more experienced young-adults, filled by once in a life time experiences.
Students had also the opportunity to understand and discuss many issues about human security and development. They could face new perspectives and points of view about their lifestyle and about their life at home and its effects on the rest of the world. That was, for many of them, useful to understand to be on the right path and to continue to be engaged for making the world a better place. At the opposite some of them were shocked by some new issue about poverty, world economy, environment or some founded hard to believe some topic about the world and the cause-effect chain of the elements of human security and to find out that life is not what it looks like from a Tv show.

Finally, I don’t want to forget all the incredible results we scored together during summer 2015: thanks to the students hard work, we completely renewed, rebuilt and painted the Joba Arriba communal water tank; we started building the plastic bottle clinic in La Gra completing it by 80% (the community is working on it at the moment to finish it before Christmas!); we worked hard to renew the La Veredita community center, providing the community a safe place where to have their meetings and store medicines; we built three new greenhouses for the Arroyo Blanco cocoa farmers, improving their ability to produce new plants; and we cemented more than 25 houses floors in La Union… a super important project to improve the health security of this very poor neighborhood: Mercedes and the other women of La Union want me to say thanks to any student that worked so hard and well in their village last summer! A big hug from the girls and boys of La Union! And also a big hug from Jony, the bee farmer of Cano Dulce, that now can improve the production of honey thanks to the new bee houses built and painted by our students. A very important successful project to improve the poor economy of that little village.

Last but not least… A respectful and sincereTHANK YOU to any student that shared his efforts with us last summer trying to improve the quality of life of many people and the human security of a small part of the world… Acting locally we can change the entire world and together we made the difference! Thanks again and believe me, we miss you all!
Recollection

[1] The delicious campo lunch at Doña Máxima’s house in Brisón and the refreshing ice cream on the top of the mountain after two hours of very hard hiking.
[2] The “What are the Odds” game!
[3] Watching the bruised, yet smiling students step of the bus after a day of zip­lining at Dudú.
[4] Kicking around the soccer ball with the kids in La Union.
[5] Bonfire ans Stargazing on the beach
[6] Slapping cement on the walls of the bottle building with the local kids in Caraballo.
[7] The night in Jarabacoa with the lunch prepared by our mentors.
[8] Hanging around In Santo Domingo by night
[9] Jumping from the scariest waterfall in Damajagua 27 Charcos
[10] Sharing time with friends under the porch at night at the lodge… so many laughs and memories!!!

Giorgio Piracci, International Director

Some extra photos just for you!

Letter to you all from International Directory Cameron Addison

Dear Beachside Service at DR,

Bert, Ernie and Oscar miss you guys! The lodge feels so empty without everyone walking around. It is heartbreaking when you have to leave after just 10 short days of getting to know each and every one of you and your stories. This was my 5th summer with GLA and it simply gets better year after year. So on a more serious note… who has mixed cement since they’ve been home? Fortunately I have not had to since the summer finished, but just thinking about it makes me miss all of you! Working in the hot sun is perhaps the perfect environment for bonding time, right?

From snakes on the roof to surviving the game of Odds, this was an exceptional summer that I will never forget. It was an honor to work with all of you as we reached new milestones with our projects and goals. The rain has finally arrived, so the local community members in Brison and other locations have planted all of our chinola (passion fruit) and cacao (chocolate) seeds in the bags that we so diligently worked on this summer. That means over 12,000 trees have been planted from your hard work! The Caraballo and La Grua bottle community centers are also nearly completed, so we will likely be exercising our development strategy by moving into other communities with a different set of unique needs after April.

It is my hope that all of you remember that lack of human security and social justice is very real and everywhere. Everything we taught in the duration of the program was to develop your leadership skills to ready you to go back home, become an engaged leader in your community and solve eminent problems. I challenge all of you to follow up on what you’ve learned here and do just that; take your lollipop moments and translate that into building a more empathic civilization.

You all deserve praise for how you handled yourself in a new learning environment away from home and creature comforts. It is not an easy experience dealing with culture shock and using muscles you’ve likely never used before. You were able to live like a Dominican for 10 days, and the impact you have made here is incredible. The locals in all of our communities cannot stop talking you guys up. You are all standouts among your peers for deciding to join this program and finishing it. Your futures look bright and I hope that your experience here helped influence the person that you will become.

ADIOS AND I BETTER SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER!!!

P.S. Who wants the internet password? No, just kidding.
P.S.S. Am I allowed to say this? Hey Session 2 (La Reina and company)… remember the discussion about spirit animals on Brison? Let’s talk about lollipop moments. One of the teachers said that my spirit animal was a River Otter. I ended up getting that as a tattoo on my shoulder.

Your Favorite Director,
Cameron Addison

 

Letters to You from Your GLA Staff Members

June 24 – July 14, 2015

Hola Initiative for Children Amigos!

Guys! I hope that this letter finds you all well, happy, healthy and rocking it out in the new school year. I cannot believe the summer is over, can you?  I miss you all so much, and think of you each day in some way. From the lessons you taught me, to the conversations we had, to all of the hard work we put into beautifying Nosara and the schools, know that you are with me always, and that you definitely impacted the community in Nosara.

After you left, we had a few days of rest before the next group came, and it was sad to be in Hotel Playa Garza without all of you lovelies around. One of my favorite memories from our time was simply spending time in the hotel together. The energy you all brought to Costa Rica was palpable. I loved how hard this group was willing to work, and how much you supported one another each and every day.  Can you believe all of the amazing service work we were able to complete in the short time we were there?! From the Nosara Animal Care house and trail, to the amazing mural in the center of town, to the beautiful play structure. I hope you know that the next group had the opportunity to see our work, and were so impressed. I am so proud of each of you for how you showed up to service. We talked so much about not making yourselves small in life, and I have confidence that all of you will go out into the world and make it a brighter place, just by being you. Always remember how deeply we believe in you, and believe in yourself with the same fierce conviction!

So, I can’t really talk about the service work if I don’t mention the adventures we had! From surfing to SUPing, ziplining to white-water rafting. You all did such an incredible job soaking in every moment that you could. I remember the first adventure weekend we had, how excited and happy everyone felt after that memorable day. Sitting on the beach at Playa Guiones with you all, taking photos, and sharing stories from the day was one of my favorite memories, and something I will never forget.  I think beach time with this crew made me the happiest of all. On one of our last day, I sat on Playa Pelada, watching you all take photos together, frolicking in the ocean waves and thought to myself, “ this is really what it’s all about. Look at how happy they are, and what we all got to be a part of!”. I knew in that moment, how truly special GLA would be to me, to you all , and that I would never forget you. How could I? !

Last and certainly not least, I really hope that you all felt the shift and change within you, in the same way that I did. I believe that the seeds we all sprouted together will only grow- more wildly, and beautiful as the years pass. I wish you all the best in everything, everything you choose to do, and wish I could be along for the ride. Know that you are riding along in my heart… always.

I hope to hear from you all as the year continues, as your adventures unfold, and maybe we can even meet up someday. Until then… keep pura vida alive.

Love love,

Karolina

 

July 18 – August 7, 2015

Greetings GLA Nosara Alumni,

I hope all of you are having a great year and that the adjustment back from “Tico time” wasn’t too bad.  As I am writing this I am feeling a bit nostalgic because I just finished unpacking my boxes in my new apartment in Seattle and I am reflecting on the amazing experiences that I had with you all this summer.  As we all discussed, our time in Nosara was an opportunity for us to take a step back and reevaluate our lives in order to become fully realized representations of ourselves.  I am so glad that we were able to experience this trip together because all of your courage, compassion, and resilience definitely encouraged me to persevere through any moments of doubt that I had in my ability to embark on this journey.

As I prepare for the next step in my life (grad school…arrrgh!) I find myself coming back to conversations that we had about self-care in the face of a society that compels us to sacrifice so much of what makes us human for the promise of success.  I am definitely approaching my experience here in Seattle with one foot in the classroom and the other in the sand…well, I guess trail would be more accurate here.  My intention isn’t to slack off, by any means, but I am going to be sure that I take time for myself and find a balance that makes me appreciate both my work and my leisure time that much more.  I hope you are all remembering to do that as well as you head into final years in high school.  Life is way too short not to have a little fun:)  Speaking of fun, to all of my fellow early morning beach runners (don’t think I forgot about you): I signed up for a marathon in November!! I thought running 26.2 miles through Seattle would be a nice way to do a little sightseeing and to get to know the city that I now call home.  I think I was inspired by how much of a challenge that a few of you gave me during our little jogs to step up my game.

In closing, I just want to say that I am so proud of all of you! We did some pretty amazing work, didn’t we.  I hope that you stay in touch so that I can see all of the amazing work that you continue to do in the future!

Pura Vida,

0-chris

 

Some of my favorite moments of the summer:

-Beba’s story about how she ended up with high heels instead of hiking shoes in her suitcase.

-Micaela’s music at the work site: one of the only times I’ve allowed myself to go back to my country roots:) I also loved hearing the stories about your family.

-Erin and Alyssa’s impromptu comedy jam session.  Wow…just wow.

-Ellie’s self-description during the first feedback session…YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!

-Anthony’s little slip.  Just walk it off…

-Kevin speaking in his grandpa’s voice.  Gotta watch out for the chancla dude!

-Jordan singing with me 🙂

Letters for You from GLA International Director Jade

June 30 – July 9, 2015

Hey my fellow leader-friends!

I miss you all very dearly! You guys were my saving grace, the reason I made it through the summer, the standard to which I held every other group! I know you’re all having a fabulous year at school, making decisions that impact your communities in a magnificently positive way!

I loved doing the “Cool as a Cucumber” activity with you guys because you really used the information to be awesome Leaders-of-the-Day! And I’m sure everyone remembers our one “Driver,” Hiatt – you really stepped into your role buddy! I think all of you will grow to be well-rounded leaders because no matter what your strongest qualities are, “Architects and Analysts,” “Spontaneous Motivators,” or “Relationship Masters,” you all knew what you needed to work on personally. That’s the first step of becoming the best leader you can be. You also relied on and trusted each other to help out where needed. You were the definition of teamwork!

Speaking of teamwork, of course we can’t forget all the sports we played! I’m amazed at how talented you all are, especially playing soccer against the Division 1 team in Coco…we won for sure! We also had the best designated cheerleader, Scott! And kudos to super tough Zoe who played so passionately against the girls’ soccer team in Sardinal that we had to take her to the emergency room to get stitches after she played! And, as if that wasn’t enough, you even played sports during Tuanis Time: inventing pool games like the one where someone throws the football up in the air into a group of people and the one who catches it gets to throw the next one. Nicole and Luca kicked butt if I recall correctly.

I think my favorite thing about spending those 10 short days with all of you is the fact that you were all genuinely and fully engaged in everything we did. You got excited about everything! “We’re making tortillas?! Woohoo! Can I grind the corn? Can I make another one?” “Show us some more dance moves!” “When can we go play soccer on the beach? Who wants to play?” I hope you all continue to put that same passion into everything that you do! I challenge you to start a new program in your community to raise cultural awareness and spark the fire of someone else’s passion! You certainly resparked my passion this summer! And always surround yourselves with people who support your passion and who help you become an even better you!

Lastly, I will never ever forget the wonderfully thoughtful birthday poster you made me on the day that you left. That made it even harder to say goodbye at the airport, tears flowing from everyone’s eyes! I truly hope to see you all again some day or at least hear about the amazing things you’re doing in the world! Until next time my friends…

Pura vida!
Your International Director, Jade

P.S. I think I would have been friends with every single one of you if I were in high school right now! Haha  Here are some of my favorite memories with you!

Favorite Memories!
• Learning how to do the whip and the nae nae by the side of the pool. Emma knew the entire song and dance by heart! Yeah girl!
• Max always having some tunes blaring, resident DJ! Even though we had to skip a few songs here and there 😉
• The creative ukulele songs that were sometimes played waaaay past lights out…Nina…haha 
• Figuring out that there was bioluminescence in the ocean during the bonfire! So pretty! Did anyone catch it in their hands?
• Watching you all tubing (and shivering) down the rapids in the freezing water!
• Oh…and Max wiping out on the biggest rapid and gripping onto that yellow rope for dear life…arms were burning after that weren’t they, Max?!
• Having Mentor Groups at the beach, sharing some powerful stories and emotions
• #GLApablo #squademala #myGLA #everythingwasafavoritememory

 

July 24 – August 2, 2015

Hi my wonderful leader-friends!

Can we all go back to Coco together?! I had a lot of fun with all of you and would love to relive that jam-packed experience! From the moment I saw “big Ian” and thought he was here for the wrong program, to the moment we dropped you all off at the airport, I learned so much with you!

I loved watching you all get so pumped to play sports since sports are such a big passion in my life. Your soccer skills amazed me, and I wish I had just a little bit of your talent! And we can’t forget our volleyball and basketball players. Ian and Celia rocked it on the volleyball court while Jack, Colin, and Adam showed us their basketball hustle, even though they risked slipping the minute they stepped onto the court. (Don’t tell anyone I fell as soon as I subbed in!) Not everyone has the blessing of being such great athletes, so I hope you can find a way to incorporate those wonderful skills into a way to help your community. Start a youth league for underprivileged kids, help out at the local YMCA, convince someone to play a sport this season who could benefit from a little structure and teammate camaraderie.

Now, let’s be honest, you were some of my favorite students all summer and yet the most challenging. In the end, this makes your session one of the most rewarding. I learned how to balance following plans with being spontaneous, using a little sarcasm with being compassionately serious, and being competitive with including everyone no matter their skill level. My hope for you is that you learned something about yourselves this summer too. If you haven’t thought about it, take a second to reminisce. Then, I invite you to make a change, large or small, to become a better you!

Pura vida amigos!
Your International Director, Jade

P.S. I just want you to know, I still have our last group picture, on the steps by the pool, on my phone and remember each one of you by name! Here are just a few of my favorite memories! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Favorite Memories!
• Sam’s dance moves, Luke’s splits and handstands, and the sweet choreography at Obandito!
• The budding summer loves…you know who you are 😉
• Cesar falling asleep in any number of uncomfortable positions on the bus.
• The girls kicking butt against the local soccer team in Sardinal! Woohoo!!!
• The guys hanging in there for the pickup basketball game in Sardinal haha. I think Jack gets MVP for that game!
• Staying up late to play soccer in Coco, after a slow start and no lights on the field!
• Trying to figure out what elegant animal Xenia looks like when she runs; we came up with a few, but I think it was a cross between a gazelle and an ostrich…
• Playing “What are the odds?” for the first time and losing ‘cause I got nervous…and then having to sit in the back of the van the whole way to Guachipelin!!!
• My yellow sunglasses acquired from Ryan 
• Jack dressing up like the ultimate tourist with his loafers, Hawaiian shirt, bucket hat, fanny pack, iPhone, and bug spray in hand!

Letters from your International Director & Mentor

June 6 – June 26, 2015

To our fabulous first GLA group-

This summer has been such an amazing one and for its success, we have each and every one of you to thank! Looking back on all of your hard work, it was truly your group that helped pave the way (literally paved J) for the groups behind you and we feel so lucky that we got to get to know you!

Looking back on our time together, it is truly amazing the shear amount of hard work that you all put in!   From helping to terrace Gerardos coffee farm (time getting blisters and dodging snakes at the same time), to making a ridiculous amount of eco bricks, you guys truly did so much work for the town of Providencia and played a major role in the transition of many conventional farms to organic. Gerardo informed me before I left that he has been slowly transitioning his farm over to organic over the years, but this coming year he wants to make his entire farm organic! Your group was also there when Pepe decided to become one of Green Communities organic farms, and it is so exciting to see that in the coming year, Jonathan and Carlos are getting even closer to their goal of 100 farmers!

Some of our other favorite memories come from the awesome trips that we were able to go on.   From one entire raft jumping into the Paquare river (giving Emma a heart attack), to taking in the sunset at Manuel Antonio (and then getting attacked by bugs) we were truly able to live the Pura Vida lifestyle in and out of Providencia. To everyone reading this letter, thank you all so much for being part of these amazing times we shared and for being so open minded, accepting, and being ready for every adventure.

A few other memories we don´t want you to forget:

-Hannah´s love for the lunch ladies in town(BFFs)

-Juan and Marcial giving Jay the new nickname of “el mono blanco”.

-Seeing the giant tarantula while clearing trails for spider monkey research.

-Being the very first group to stay in Tami J

-How cold the water of the Savegre river was when you jumped in.

-Genevieves´ awesome permanent marker tattoos that looked so realistic!

-All of the names of our many puppies: Canela, Campeon , Oddie, and Charlie to name a few.

-Don´t forget: Be the Change

We know you guys are probably so busy, and are up to amazing things, but please wherever you guys are and whatever you are all doing, please send us an email, facebook message or even a handwritten letter! Three weeks together was nowhere near long enough and we want to hear all about your exciting lives.

Love and pura vida!

Emma and Chris

 

June 15 – July 5, 2015
To our amazing leaders!

Can you believe how long it’s been since our trip?! I hope you all remember the moment that we sat down and laughed and cried about this list at the end of the program. I miss all of your happy faces and think of you all often! I hope these memories bring smiles and laughter into your lives. :]

-At Zapotal, Emina decided to pick up a 3-month-old beagle puppy which peed all over her!
-Watching Mario and Carlos wrestle on the raft in Turriaba
-Jen and her Siracha
-Manuel’s emotional reaction to seeing a Quetzal for the 1st time.
-Amy and Dennis bonding over both being named after TV reporters during my mentor session.
-Singing Semilla song and seeing the joy on the student’s faces reflect in the faces of the community members.
-Connor’s lip singing version of Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA”
-Watching Sandra pick up the baby in San Bernardo when she was walking near the cement. Also learning about her baby infatuation.
-Partaking in a typical Costa Rican tradition of egging Dennis on his birthday at the beach
-Belly laughing while watching Mario hide/run from Dennis when he was covered in birthday egg yolk.
-Eating sugar cane, which was freshly cut by Edwardo, Nacho, and Javier.
-Watching the girls swoon over Nacho and Javier.
-The giant spider near Amy’s hand at the waterfall in Turrialba.
-The talent show and the community involvement.
-When Abby said that everyone knew about Scottsdale when no one did.
-Jen’s happiness while slacklining and doing cartwheels with her Spanish teacher
-That one time that Jamie tackled Amy during a friendly game of “Electricidad” during Spanish class.
-Cala eating all of Samson’s food during the talent show
-Belting “Fireball” on the bus!
-When Lilly’s longhair got stuck in Dennis’ armpit on the bus
-Watching Dennis and Manuel jam out on the guitar together.
-Learning about the aggression of the 2 toed sloth and having Hailey run around grabbing us with her “sloth-claw” in Manuel Antonio
-Sarah’s crazy dance in Zapotal after eating lunch
-Jen’s unwillingness to stop working in San Bernardo
-Dennis screaming “Ride Me!!” during Princess, Cowboy, Fountain, Superstar, Family Car
-Playing “rocks” with Jen, Leo, Kaylyn, Meghan, and Dennis
-When Abby buried the squirrel that Cala was carrying around.
-Leo teaching the students how to slackline
-Hiking to the waterfall in Turrialba
-Sandra trying to take stealthy pictures of Nacho
-Tour guide from Guyabo National Monument “You hear that” (in reference to the volcano) “It’s just a car”
-“Does anyone have any other musical talents?” Emina: “… I can whistle”
-Jamie was walking towards the slackline and I said “Jamie, you look so beautiful” then Jamie slid down the hill with Sandra’s evil laugh in the background.
-Jamie’s tears over Kermit the frog song
-Sandra’s desire to be an old lady… Sandra: “Ohhhh yeahhhh”
-Hailey attacked a spider with her shoe at hotel in Turrialba with a dead gecko on the nightstand
-When Hailey fell on the hill on the last night in her blanket and sat there by herself
-Hailey was holding a small child on her back then Manuel kicked a soccer ball and it accidentally hit her sternum
-When the Spanish class was on the national TV show “Mochilero”
-When Olivia missed the ball and layed in the middle of the field
-On Nacho’s farm in San Bernardo: Manuel: “I’m so hot” Meghan: “You should take that flannel off, its hot” Manuel: “I shouldn’t do that, Nacho should do he’s in better shape” Olivia: punch line “No questions asked” –Manuel translates to Nacho and everyone points at Olivia
-In bus on way to get Pedialite for Jamie the whole bus chanted for a couple that was making out
-Hailey was staring at Memo as she was pouring her juice- she completely missed her cup and poured juice all over the counter.
-When I thought that the rinse water for the sugar spoon was a special type of sugar.
-When Mario’s girlfriend got on the bus and everyone had a synchronized “hola” wave
-When the people of Zapotal asked Sandra where she was from and she responded…”AMERICA”
-When Sandra stopped the thief from pick pocketing Jen with just a look
-When Meghan woke up the students on the first day with music
-Connor making the students wake up with “verbal confirmation”
-When Lilly and Olivia were both showering in separate cabins and screaming about how they both had shampoo in their hair
-Amy’s favorite memory is Brutus’ constant barking at 2am
-Hailey finding a giant cockroach in her boot after wearing it for 20 minutes
-When Amy, Hailey, & Arturo were yelling at the neighboring farm for using pesticides
-When Dennis whipped to cut his cake
-7:47 daily departure

Thank you for all the amazing laughs and memories,
Kaylyn

 

June 30 – July 20, 2015

Hey y’all!

You guys were, what can I say, the bomb! When I think back to our time together, I have nothing but positive memories of our experience. You guys were so eager to work, to explore, and to learn.

The contributions you made to Providencia were invaluable. Because of you, Providencia now has a longer stretch or road that makes travel not just possible, but safer. Jonathan’s dream of converting 100 coffees farms to organic ones is much more of a reality. Scientific research about migrating monkey populations is now possible because of your impressive shoveling skills.

And let’s not just focus on your contributions to the community in terms of your hard work-you have also left a lasting impact on its members. Juan didn’t lie when he said that you guys were a special group. Even a month after you guys left, we found ourselves always together about how awesome you guys were. You really integrated yourselves into our small family. Your constant positivity was infectious!

Here our some of my favorite memories of you guys:

1. My night-watch duties being replaced with super fun convos
2. Ruby being Emma and I’s child J
3. Me cleaning clogged sinks
4. Y’all “returning” food and beverage to the earth, and minutes later grabbing a shovel, ready to work
5. Hearing Tara from a mile away
6. Jonathan teaching David how to play the Ukulele
7. William’s going-to-the-bathroom impression
8. Hot sauce competitions
9. Not finding Big Foot, but having sightings of a second Aja

Thank you guys for making my summer so amazing. I was inspired but your willingness to do any and everything with such grace and positivity. I hope you take this experience with you for the rest of your lives. Don’t forget to hold on strong to those commitments and affect change in your houses, schools, communities, and beyond!

 

Un fuerte abrazo,

Chris

 

July 9 – July 29, 2015

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed the rest of the summer after returning from your Spanish Service Adventure. You definitely left a mark on the people of Costa Rica. Memo, Nacho, and Ale often asked about you after you left.
In other Cedrela news, it was clear that the days after you left and I was the only one at home base that Esperanza needs constant human love and would not do well during the off season when no groups would be at Cedrela to shower her with affection. A friend of ours helped get the word out and she was adopted by a super-loving family in Heredia. A picture is below and you can see that she is being well taken care of, with her own bed and blankets and she’s allowed to sleep inside, so she won’t get cold at night!

I’m sure you are all wondering about San Pedro and Zapotal. Arturo is continuing his work with Alvaro and the people of San Pedro. There is a non-GLA group there now, working in bocachi and cementing the sidewalk. We worked in Zapotal again with the last GLA group. With the eco-bricks that you all made and the new ones that we spend 4 days making, we were able to make a second bench at the soccer field. We also continued working on the sidewalk and we almost made it all the way to the tienda!

I will always remember how much your group loved to sing and dance, whether during the human iPod, Zumba class, or the talent show. I hope you are all doing well.

Pura Vida,
Meghan

 

July 25 – August 14, 2015

Dear Spanish Service Adventurers!

The last few days of warm weather are being replaced by crisp autumn air as the days roll one by one away from our time in Costa Rica. I still keep my windows open at night, hoping to catch the sounds of nature like we had in Providencia, but nothing compares to the sound of the river and the birds in the morning from our tents in Tami Lodge. And those comfortable beds! After all the hard work you guys put in during community service, everyone deserved a fabulous night’s sleep in those amazing beds. I feel honored to have met such a dedicated, hard-working group of students who made such a positive impact on the community. The mornings spent mixing Bokashi and lugging goat manure up that hill (Go Crap Crew!!) and dumping Brosa and Friendly Fungi on coffee plants were such a huge help to the local farmers who expressed their gratitude for our many hands making light work. What we did in a few hours would have taken them weeks without our help! For those who purchased bags of Green Communities coffee, it is such a great piece of Providencia to take home and share not only a cup of coffee, but also to be able to say you were a part of making the dream of organic coffee farming come true.

I loved seeing everyone challenge themselves in new ways and take on leadership roles and really step up to be the amazing leaders that each one of you holds within. Your reflections and ideas mixed with a desire to learn about yourselves and the world around you make this group truly inspiring! Since I’ve been home, I’ve implemented some of the changes we talked about in activities and discussions, for instance taking shorter showers, checking food labels to buy locally-made products, and picking back up being Pescatarian (kind of like a vegetarian, except I’ll eat fish every once in a while). How are your goals going? Have you made any other changes above and beyond the promises you set out to keep?

As I reflect back on the weeks we shared together, I’ve been thinking about how being a part of GLA isn’t just about what we take home, but what we leave behind. Your time there left memories and positive impacts on everyone you came in contact with – from the organic coffee farmers and Green Communities and Juan’s family, to your Adopt-a-Gringo host families and your Spanish instructors, to the local and international staff here at GLA. These memories and experiences will be remembered for years to come. There are also concrete things left behind…you guys literally built a road! What’s more, the road was built using recycled materials from the plastic bottles and trash used to make Eco-Bricks. Maybe it wasn’t the most exciting job in the world, but so many creative games and songs were made up to keep it fun, and it turned out to be a great opportunity to talk and share and learn more about someone who arrived a stranger and left as a friend.

I hope everyone’s transition back into the swing of things went smoothly! I am so proud to have met each of you, and am excited to see where your next adventure takes you!

¡Pura Vida!

Erica

My favorite memories:

• Riding in the back of Jonathon’s truck
• White water rafting (Go Tigres Rapidos!)
• Trying salt on my watermelon and pineapple
• Costa Rican cookies…Chiky & Yipy deliciousness
• Our very detailed tour in Manual Antonio (so much wildlife to discuss)
• Multiple celebrations of Anna’s birthday – “Happy Birthday, Anna!”
• The Egg Race in the swimming pool
• The Quetzal guide who was really a waiter
• Singing along to ‘Uptown Funk’ and ‘Shut Up and Dance’
• All the cute dogs and puppies
• “Pizza, pizza. Pizza, pizza, pizza”

 

August 2 – August 22, 2015

Hola Todos!

It’s funny how sometimes I look back on our time in Costa Rica and it seems like it just happened and other times I feel like it was so long ago. Kaylyn and I both felt so sad when we returned to the Best Western after taking Shekinah to the airport. It was so quiet here! Luckily we both have so many fond memories of this group that we were laughing so hard thinking about some of them:

-Andre bringing that huge moth downstairs on our first night at Cedrela

-Ben putting tortillas in his toes and feeding the fish during rafting

-Karol’s class spelling out LOVE with their bodies when Esperanza left

-dip dip dip, dippidy dippidy dip

-It’s stupid ninja time

-5:45

-David’s laugh

-Give me an L. Give me an I. Give me an A. Give me an N.

-I lost the game

-Canastas

-Memo’s hot chocolate

-Team Nacho and Team Javier

-My new perfume, Bocachi for Her

-A very competitive game of musical chairs

-Contact

-Canela, the dog, and her epic chase of our van as we left Provedencia

-The ghost(s) of Cedrela

-and although I never ever said it during the trip: that’s what she said

You all made such a big impact in San Bernardo and Zapotal and were an absolute pleasure to work with. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to finish off the summer with or a better way to close out my own GLA experience. I wish all of you nothing but the very best in the future and encourage you to keep exploring both at home and abroad.

Until our paths cross again…

Pura Vida,

Meghan