6/8/2015

The day to my first GLA trip has started!! Arrived at the compound and it is absolutely beautiful. Beautiful ocean, fantastic food, all kinds of good stuff. “Rustic”, made of wood, idyllic, most definitely the lap of luxury.  Can’t wait for tomorrow as this definitely going to be a great trip. We went straight to the ocean. The water was refreshing and we stayed there until it was time for dinner. Afterwards, we had chicken rice and beans oh my – and it was delicious. We also had fresh squeezed tamarind juice that was really good. Next we did a few icebreakers before it got dark. I feel like I know most of the people already. Then we had an orientation that told us the schedule and rules for while we are here by our Director and mentors. Looking forward to waking up early to start the next day. Go GLA Dominican Republic!

6/9/2015

This morning we woke up at 7 o’clock and started to get ready for the day.  Breakfast came quick, at 7:30, where we ate fresh fruit, eggs, hot chocolate, toast and ham.  After packing our sunscreen, bug spray, snacks and towels we headed out on the GuaGua (the local busses) and rode for 40 minutes until we reached a small trail. Eager and excited we headed out on 40 minute hike through a small village. We reached a small house where we collected the necessary tools to build the greenhouses. Upon arrival to our work site, which was within the village, we were assigned tasks to clear out the area where we were going to build the two greenhouses. Some of us started filling 3,000 small black bags with soil that the locals dug us for us so that we could plant cacao seeds in, to put in the greenhouse, while others were starting on clearing out the area.  Within the area that we were working there were a lot of local chickens, and there was a pig pen with piglets, which found to be a distraction for some of us.

While we were bagging the soil, a twelve year old local girl named Madeline came to join us, and she didn’t speak English so some of us who could speak Spanish communicated with her. While we were bagging the soil with Madeline, others were starting to work on the greenhouse structure by nailing holes through PVC pipelines.  After hours of working, two greenhouses that store 15,000 seedlings, and bunches of bug bites later, we all went to a local’s house to sit in shade and eat our lunch.  We had pasta, and of course, fruit!  After cooling off and re-fueling, we headed down to the waterfall that we passed on the hike up.

When we were hiking back down we passed many villagers and homes that were the size of my bedroom, and made me extremely thankful for everything I’ve been blessed with, and even more eager to help.  When we got to the waterfall there were already a lot of villagers there sitting in the large creek and they were really amused at our excitement to jump into the water. We all took turns jumping off of the 20 foot rock into the water, and were extremely refreshed and thankful that we could cool ourselves off. (It’s SO hot!) After many of pictures and laughs later, we dried off and headed back on the hike to the Gua Gua. On the way back, many of us took time to nap and replenish ourselves with snacks.  We got back to the lodge and some of us decided to go to the beach, which was beautiful.  After being tossed around in the waves and being covered in sand, we all decided to go swim in the pool to rinse off. We were all pretty exhausted and went our own separate ways by napping and showering.

Dinner was at 6, and we were all excited to eat the fish, french fries, and our favorite, FRUIT!  After feeling full we started leadership, where we did a personality test and figured out what “color” we were.  Most of us were orange, which means that you’re outgoing, adventurous, and spontaneous. We all got in our color groups, answered questions about ourselves and then Giorgio (the 21 day program director) talked to us about Human Security, which is a new approach in order to give everyone the same rights and safe environment that they deserve.  I got a lot out of this talk and learned that there are different threats to everyone, in each country, and that there are ways to prevent these threats.  After his talk Sophia and I sat down to write this blog, which I hope you all enjoy! Tomorrow we will be building a bottle school in a Haitian batey, and we can’t wait!

6/10/2015

Today, we had breakfast at 7:30 a.m., which consisted of mash potatoes, friend eggs, and toast. Our group then departed at 8 a.m for Caraballo, which is a Haitian-Dominican community, where we had the job of contributing to the biggest bottle school in the world. We started by carrying the bags of cement, then mixed it with sand, and added water at the end. The cement we created was put in buckets to then be put in the walls inside or outside the school. For those who do not know what a bottle school is, it is a school that is created with chicken wire, water bottles, and cement. The chicken wire and water bottles are the base of the walls in the school. After all the bottles are put inside the chicken wire, cement is placed on top to create a strong foundation. This bottle school was on the 8th stage of its creation, so we only worked on creating the cement walls and digging to create a huge hole for the septic tank.

We had lunch around 12 which was egg salad, lentils, and fruit. We finished up our work around 2 p.m. and said goodbye to our new Haitian and Dominican friends. On the bus, we reflected about the tour we were given. Throughout our work, our mentor James took groups on tours around the community. We saw how happy everyone was with how little they had. The highlight of the tours was the children coming up to us and jumping on our backs. Once we returned back to home base, we went to the beach and the pool. Dinner was a pasta feast and after we had leadership. Tonight, Sarah helped us figure out our four core beliefs. It was interesting because everyone had a different four beliefs, and we got to see other people’s perspectives on what beliefs are most important. After, we had Giorgio come in a talk about environmental human safety. We learned how much water is used to wash our close, a trash island in the Pacific Ocean, and the impact of Oil in Alaska. Another great day in the Dominican!

6/11/2015

Today we woke up at 7:00 AM and had a nice restful sleep because the air has been a bit cooler lately. For breakfast we had delicious french toast that we had not had before as well as the usual fruit, eggs, and homemade hot chocolate. When breakfast was done, we packed up, and headed onto the bus for a long car ride inland to a village called La Grua. La Grua is occupied by both Dominicans and Haitians, but is ruled by Dominican leaders. There homes are endangered due to soil erosion and their town is affected severely by poverty. We were astonished by the sense of respect and hesitance towards us because we are the first non-profit organization to help their community. Although the bus ride was long, it fascinated all of us to catch more of a glimpse into a lot of the Dominican life. Different shops, homes, and people showed all of us just how different life is here than back where we live. But, we did realize that they have such a sense of community and bonding between them, which is one of the coolest things to see and experience.

Our job in La Grua was to start beginning the process of putting bottles in the wall frames of their new community center/school. Bottle schools are innovative and smart service projects that are popping up all over the world. Bottles are made of plastic and incredibly wasteful in our world today. The idea is, by using bottles in between cement walls, light and airy but still strong buildings can be built, but using recyclable materials. First, we hammered the chicken wire to both side of the frames, so the bottles had a set area in between the cement that would be put on later. Once the chicken wire was in place, the bottle process began. We took hundreds of bottles that the community had collected for us and placed them in two rows in each frame of the wall. It was a slow process, but in the end we knew this building would benefit the locals in a way nothing else has before. This community center will host classes for adult literacy, technology usage, and water safety.

During the work process, in small groups we took tours around the town and conversed with the locals. We learned that flooding their river is causing danger to their homes and churches and of their small town is polluted with trash. Never the less, the kids were nothing but cheerful. After plenty of pictures and selfies, we said our good byes and headed out of La Grua. When we arrived home, we made our daily trip to the salty ocean waters of the Dominican to cool off.

Dinner was served at 6:00. The main dish was pork with their specialty sauce and rice on the side with the usual fruit and salad. At our nightly leadership discussion, we had a fascinating talk about food security, both on the hunger and obese side. We learned some crazy facts about how many children are affected by malnutrition, and how many people in general are considered obese. For leadership, we did some partner activities and discovered that if you give anyone a chance, you will always find things in common. Overall, today we had amazing experiences of a lifetime building relationships with locals and helping them to have a better community and life in their impoverished city. We can’t wait for the next day where we’ll travel to Dudu, a lagoon that is going to be a ton of fun!

6/12/2015

Today, we got to wake up an hour later than usual. We went to Dudu. At Dudu, there are two lagoons that you can swim in and one has a zip line above it. It was one of our fun days, and we all had a blast. We got to challenge ourselves with heights and conquering fears. Also, it was a great time to bond with our peers. The heights of the cliffs were as high as 35 feet. Some people preferred to jump off the cliff while others preferred the zip line. We also got to interact with ostriches and chickens. We got many cool photos jumping into the clear waters of the lagoon. After an exhausting morning, we settled down to have lunch. For lunch, we had rice with corn and peppers and chicken wings. Many of the students loved the ice cream sold at the restaurant we were at. Then, after eating, we continued to lay out in the sun and go into lagoons. We left Dudu 3 hours later and headed back to base. When we got back, we had a Mexican fiesta and watched a funny movie. It was a great day!

6/13/2015

Today we took the bus ride back to La Grua to work on the bottle school project that we had started on day 4, and even though the ride was long, it was definitely worth it because we accomplished so much in just a short period of time! We already knew the drill so we quickly jumped into the construction by cutting chicken wire and vigorously hammering it up to keep it in place. When we first got there the other half of the group that did not go on the day 4 tour went on the tour of the surrounding villages of both the Dominican people and the Haitian people. Back at the school bottles were quickly filling up the walls, and, thanks to Caroline’s great idea, the letters GLA were even creatively embedded into the wall using different colored water bottles. We have all become so close and this shines through when we work because we are all able to work together efficiently and cooperatively. Between the two days we spent in La Grua we were able to finish the first layer of bottle on 2 walls of the school which is incredible! It is so cool to be able to see the immediate reaction of the children from these villages on the worksite, and they are constantly eager to help us. The kids remembered us from Day 4 and welcomed us back with hugs and photos as we started the day. After lunch before we started working again, one of the Dominican boys played some Dominican music and taught us some traditional dancing which was really fun! It is sad to think that we are more than halfway through our trip but knowing that we left our mark and are able to see all the progress we have made is such a rewarding experience. Even though we will not be returning to La Grua, the other GLA groups later in the summer will work on the bottle school until the project is finished, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out!

6/15/2015

Today we woke up at 7:30 and had our usual breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, ham cheese and an array of fruit. The weather in the morning was slightly overcast which we were all excited about so we could get some time out of the sun. At 8:00 sharp we headed out on an hour drive to our worksite with our Dominican masons along to help. Catching up on some sleep the bus ride was mostly filled of sleeping teenagers. When we arrived at our worksite, La Union, we were happily greeted by the community leader, who allowed us to use her house as a resting ground. The community leader was so excited to have us there working, she was overwhelmed with joy and sent us out with a prayer. We split into two groups at the beginning as we were under pressure to get the job done. One group cleared out a house in order to pour concrete on the floor, while the other group began mixing the cement for the kitchen of the community leader’s home. Once the house was cleared the group leveled the floor out to prepare for the cement. After everything was finished in the house both groups worked together to mix the cement for the floors. The Dominican Masons that came with us were in charge of pouring the cement onto the floors of both houses so we could ensure that they turned out well. Mixing bags and bags of cement was hard work for us, as we did it all day long but we knew it was well needed. Most of the houses in La Union have dirt floors. Imagine that! You could never take off your shoes in our own house because the floor was dirty. The dirt floors cause lots of heath problems for the residents because when the rain comes it floods the houses with dirty black water that carry many diseases. Playing with the kids for most of the day we established good relationships with the community that had not yet been established because our group was the first ever group to go into this community and help. Similarly to the other communities we worked in, the kids were not the least bit shy, they climbed all over us and helped us to improve our Spanish. We finished a long but successful day of work around 3:15 and headed home. Our drive home today was slightly more eventful, as we had to make our way through a Dominican Political rally, which was pretty much just a bunch of Dominicans partying in the streets. We made our way back to the Lodge where half of us went down to the beach, and the other half got ready for Leadership, which entailed some team building exercises . We are so excited for tomorrow’s big hike up Brison!

6/17/2015

All students have cleared customs and are on their way home after an awesome program!

6/11/2015

The first Protecting the Pacific Global Leaders and Adventurers are finally here in Costa Rica! Everyone is happy, safe, and ready to get started! We are so excited to have Ana, Maisy, David, Luke, Katherine, Lily, Sydney S., Olivia, Claire, Zoey, Grace, Jessica, Hannah, Sydney M., Sabrena, Reed, and Caitlyn with us for the next two weeks! Mentors Bridget and Jose Pablo are amazing souls and we are all so excited to begin our journey together as an empowered group of individual and collective positive change-makers. Y lo sabes!

Abrazos desde Costa Rica!

– Emi
Protecting the Pacific International Director

6/11/2015

Hola a todos! After a long, bumpy, four hour bus ride from Alajuela, we have finally made it to Bahia Ballena! After we took a short stop to grab lunch on the way there, our group walked down to a bridge, and saw around thirty one crocodiles, just casually lounging around in the sun. Upon arriving to the beautiful Bahia Ballena, our wonderful local director Pilar gave us an introduction to Costa Rica, and to the service work we will be doing over these next two weeks. Not only did she warmly greet us, but so did the rainforest, by sending a TON of rain our way, making way for a very fun rainy tour around the compound. When we aren’t playing games, eating delicious rice and beans, or learning more about the wonderful country we are currently in, my favorite thing to do is to sit and take in the amazing biodiversity and beauty that I am surrounded by. The other GLA-ers are great, but I sure do love my new roommates’ here- the geckos!

– Grace Kirk

6/12/2015

Hola mi gente! Today started roughly around 5 am when we woke up to hear the distinct sound of what Sydney says to be a “monkey bird” outside our rooms, but I think it was just a bird. About 3 hours later, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of the amazing fruit that Costa Rica has to offer as well as rice and scrambled eggs — yum. Also, I don’t know what it is about the bananas here but they are SO good. Anyway, after breakfast we went to the neighborhood school called “Forjando Alas” and had the opportunity to interact with the kids and plant what are called hanging gardens using just recycled bottles and rope. Afterwards, we had some more fresh fruit and read with the children. Mory and Violeta were two little girls, both age 4, who sat with some of the GLA-ers to read The Hungry Caterpillar and I think genuinely enjoyed our company.

After reading, we walked about a block down the dirt road and went to the community salon to play several different games with the kids such as Duck Duck Goose and a Spanish game called Tierra, Aire, Agua. After these games, we went back to our home base and had lunch as well as siesta hour where you could find all of us either taking a swim in our pool, lying in the hammocks with a good read or journaling, or even just back in our rooms napping like a true Costa Rican. Soon after, Travis joined us to take us on a community walk around Bahia and allowed us to really enjoy Costa Rica the way the people here do. Everywhere we go, we greet the people with a smile and an occasional “Pura Vida”. We got to take a short trip to the beach where we will be at tomorrow and enjoy the mangroves and beautiful biodiversity that Costa Rica has to offer. AJ, a professor at Skidmore College, accompanied us all day as part of his research while he is in Costa Rica. We visited the local supermarket and got some snacks and headed back to the home base where Travis showed us a documentary on Costa Rican tourism and how it’s affecting the environment and the people of this country. I think it really opened all our eyes and made us think about something we never really had before.

After the video, we enjoyed a break of playing cards together, dinner, and then time for some more journaling as JP played the guitar for us. And here we are! Time to head back to our rooms and enjoy a cold shower, pura vida! 🙂

– Ana and Sydney S.

6/13/2015

Hola familia y amigos! Upon our fourth day in Bahia Ballena we woke up for a delicious breakfast of fruit, eggs, and toast ( by the way the bananas are STILL AMAZING). Soon after we ate our fill our two taxis arrived and almost all of us piled into one while trying to get comfortable as we bumped our way there. It was well worth the discomfort. We arrived at Playa Colonia to begin our surf and service. The group was split into two and half of us began with surf while the other half started service. For our service Travis and other community members talked to us about the coastal erosion problems the locals have seen due to rising tides along the beach. To combat this we helped to cleared trash and moved debris back to open up the road and build a partial sea wall. When our surfing lessons began most of us were a mixture of nerves and excitement but the instructors at the Bodhi Surf School helped us conquer the waves. Almost everyone was able to get up (though many of us ate some serious waves) and we feel very proud of ourselves for the effort and accomplishment (though we will be sore). After both groups finished we again piled back into our taxi and headed to home base for almuerzo. Some free time followed lunch but soon after we got to listen to a presentation by Geoporter, a not for profit group in Costa Rica working to promote the responsible collection and disposal of trash in order to keep the marine ecosystem pristine. The presentation followed with us learning how to use the Geoporter GPS and GIS technology that allows you to track and map patterns in the community. Again following we had free time which went well spent to hammocks and the pool. Before dinner we played an interesting and creative game of Costa Rican phase charades (thanks JP!) Dinner was delicious as usual thanks to the amazing kitchen staff, and afterwords we reflected on our time surfing and our work with the beach. Another great day in the happiest country, until tomorrow, chao y pura vida!

– Caitlyn and Katherine

6/14/2015

With some extra time to sleep in today, we were all well rested and ready for an exhausting morning of kayaking through the mangroves. On the 45 minute bus ride to our destination, we all enjoyed playing word games and telling stories. Kayaking through the mangroves proved to be a complicated obstacle course of branches full of various bugs and occasionally crabs. Once we managed to get over the initial fear of the multitude of large creepy-crawlers, we were able to enjoy the incredible awesomeness that lies within the ecosystem. We saw squirrel monkeys, capuchins, and some people saw a sloth. The plants also helped to provide an interesting adventure thanks to all of the information and cool facts provided by our guide supplemented by Bridget’s extensive knowledge of bamboo. As we reached the end of the journey, everyone was exhausted and ready for the fruit, Costa Rican “donut cakes”, and refreshing drinks that were waiting for us on land. On the bus ride home we ate cheese sandwiches and cookies to tie us over until lunch back at the hotel. After a quick rest and shower time, the group met back up for a presentation/activity by Travis about the importance of the mangrove ecosystems and we prepared our own public service announcements in groups to be filmed later. Finally we had a dinner of pupusas, and then relaxed before an early bedtime in preparation for an early wake up time tomorrow.

6/15/2016

Happy Costa Rican Tree Day! The day started bright and early this morning with breakfast starting at 6:15 (which means a majority of us woke up before six). We got a special breakfast of pancakes and by 7:00 we were headed to the Colonia beach for surfing and service. Service consisted of picking up trash as well as tracking trash using Geoporter’s GPS units which will eventually track patterns of where trash is located. While some of the group picked up the beach others were surfing with the instructors in the water. Before we headed back to home-base for lunch we were all able to plant coconut trees on the beach in honor of Costa Rican Tree Day! After lunch and a quick break we headed back to Forjando Alas to continue the bottle garden projects and play soccer with the kids. After a long day of service we headed back to home-base for dinner, free time and a movie about plastics in the Pacific Ocean (please recycle). Beautiful day, beautiful people on a beautiful planet.

–  Sabrena Dodd and Reed Smith

6/16/2015

After another great breakfast of pancakes, today we all packed up and walked down to La Flor de Bahia in Bahia Ballena community for more exciting service work. The school allowed for all the students to come out and play some games with us on the soccer field. There were so many kids and the whole group had a lot of fun! Travis showed us around the school and explained the various projects we would be helping out with. One project was scraping the old paint off the walls of the school so they can be repainted. We also artistically painted blue barrels that serve as new recycling bins for the school. They were beautiful! For lunch we had an amazing meal of fried egg, rice, beans, steak, and a tortilla all wrapped up in a banana leaf. It was defintely my favorite meal here, so far. After service, we walked down to the National Park’s beach in hopes of going down to the end of the whale tail, but the tide was too high and it was pouring rain. Instead, we were all taught the proper way to crack a coconut, eat the meat and drink from it. A bunch of the group even went for a swim in all their rain gear! To wrap up our long day of activities, we were all able to watch the sunset on the beach. Enjoy the pictures!

– Zoey

6/17/2015

Hola familia y amigas!

As we woke up bright and early this morning for a 6 am breakfast, we were greeted with the normal morning sounds of Coast Rica- including the monkey bird. After a short, but delicious breakfast of watermelon, apples, eggs, and toast, we hit the road at 6:20 and walked to the headquarters of Bahia Aventura. Here we were fitted for lifejackets and flippers to prepare us for an adventure to come- snorkeling! After walking to the Parque Nacional Marino Bahia Ballena, we embarked the boats and started our journey. On the boats, we enjoyed a trip through the ocean to the Osa Peninsula, arriving at Parque Nacional Corcovado. Here, we enjoyed a hike through the park, highlighted by sightings of Scarlett Macaws, young Black Hawks, Howler and White-faced Cappuchin Monkey, and we were even able to taste termites! We learned all about the biodiversity living in the parks while enjoying the beauty of the park.

After an incredible lunch of rice, beans, salad, sandwiches, and the best avocados I have ever tasted, we got back on the boats and sailed to Isla del Cano where we began to snorkel. The snorkeling was incredible. We saw the beautiful coral reefs, many many times of fish and even a reef shark! The experience was truly amazing and unforgettable. On the ride home from snorkeling, we came upon two different pods of Pantropical Spotted dolphins. I loved watching the dolphins playfully swim around our boat and jump out of the water to greet us.

Once we were back on dry land, we walked back to our beautiful hotel to watch the Costa Rica women’s team play Brazil in the women’s FIFA world cup! This was EXTRA special because one of the teammate Melissa Herrera is from Bahia Ballena. Yesterday we got to meet her mother at the school where we were volunteering and took a picture with her (shown below). Although they did not win, we cheered hard for the girls and had fun while doing it.

After the game, we ate another delicious meal of rice and beans with palm hearts, chicken and beef and a salad. This day was an incredible and fun-filled, but tiring day for all of us! Below we have included pictures from the hike and the picture with Melissa’s mother!

– Lily

6/18/2015

Pancakes for breakfast before several hours of painting at Flor de Bahia to help to school earn the blue flag for sustainability. This blue flag is  a proud banner of sound ecological practices, community efforts, and coastal protections. The trash cans were creative and for the most part did not look like little kids painted them. The humidity and heat were intense and there was much sweating although the painting was not active. The ice-cream break with traditional Costa Rican ice-cream in the middle was much appreciated. Although we complain about the work, we are very proud of our work at the school and hope that the people at the school and the community enjoy and appreciate what we have done. Lunch today consisted of a torta (egg and potato), palatines, and rice once we returned to Canto de Ballenas. We had a couple of hours to relax before a mejanaja (a pickup game of soccer) that we played with members of the community. The game was intense, and many GLA people were done at halftime. After halftime, many more people of all ages joined making the game more interesting and fun. The game ended with a 2-3 score. After the game, we went to the supermarket, which is much smaller than the ones in the States, to get ice-cream and drinks. We returned to Canto de Ballenas to play cards, shower, etc. before dinner. The dinner had the typical plantain chips, lettuce with an amazing sauce, and tacos. After dinner was ocean hour where we learned about forest ecology and the different types of forests and had consumed Costa Rican chocolates.

-Luke

6/19/2015

Hola familia y amigos!

Today we woke up and enjoyed another delicious breakfast at Canto de Ballenas. We celebrated the birthday of one of our cooks, Yeri, and then we piled into the taxis and headed for the canopy tour. After 45 minutes, we arrived to meet our guides, and ascended a steep journey in the back of their pickup trucks towards the ziplines. We did nine different ziplines, climbed across two rope bridges (that was terrifying), and did two different repels down from the treetops. Most of us were pretty nervous but we endured, and ended up having a lot of fun (some of us even went upside down)! After we had completed the main course, the guides laid out an array of fruit for us. They also had a ¨Tarzán Swing¨ which involved stepping off on a platform and swinging back and forth to gain a beautiful view of the landscape. We piled back into the trucks and made the return trip back to home base. Most of us relaxed in the pool, but Pilar and Travis arrived to hear our skits on conservation the mangroves. We headed into in town at 5pm. The town was having a celebration for the return of Fifa player Melissa Herrera. We played football with the locals and attempted to learn some dances before heading back to the home base for dinner. Another great day in Bahia Ballena!
Pura vida!

– Katherine and Caitlyn

6/20/2015

After a hearty breakfast of toast, eggs, peanut butter, and jelly two taxis arrived to take us to the Uvita waterfall. After a short walk down to the waterfall, we were already sweating, as usual in Costa Rica, so a jump into the refreshing water felt amazing. After a couple of hours of jumping into and swimming in the waterfall we hiked back to the waterfall entrance for fresh smoothies.

During the walk back to the hotel we tried sugar cane before stopping at two souvenir shops, and internet café, and coffee shop. The rest of the walk to Hotel Canto de Ballena was tiring but we were soon rewarded with delicious lunch of fried fish, rice, beans, and yet another wonderful salad from the hotel garden. Just when we were finishing our meal, we received an awesome surprise in our hotel: Costa Rica women’s soccer teammate Melissa Herrera showed up to visit us! She spent some minutes with us and shared her experience during the FIFA Women’s world cup in Canada. It was a great moment for all of us knowing she grew up in this little community and now she has been offered the opportunity to study in USA thanks to her effort and discipline.

After lunch we participted in a focus group run by a professor at Skidmore College on the subject of the trip. We enjoyed a short amount of free time before watching two videos about water importance in Costa Rica. Then we played a riveting game of trivia about the small details we had learned over our time in Bahia Ballena.

We finally got to participate in cooking the yummy food that we are always so excited to eat. Luckily we were all good chefs because the empanadas and refried beans were great. After our meal, we divided into our mentor groups to discuss the passions we gained on this trip and find ways to continue expressing them at home.

Buenas Noches!
– Sydney M. and Maisy

6/21/2015

Hola fellow family members!
Even though our trip is coming to an end, we had a great day. We had a very relaxed morning because we woke up later than usual. We ate fruit and pancakes this morning and we went to the beach to do service. We did four hours of service filled of singing and hard work! We cleared out the pathway so people and cars would have an easier access to the beach. We also transplanted some mangrove trees and coconut trees. The service work was done to combat coastal soil erosion in Bahia Ballena. After service, we went swimming at the beach and cooled off with raspados (snow cones). It did not only have shaved ice and syrup, it had condensed milk and milk powder.
After lunch, a huge storm of heavy rain, lightning and thunder came. Pilar was going to instruct a yoga class for us, but it was cancelled because of lightning hazards. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon until dinner. Some of us swam at the pool (until the lightning forced us indoors), played cars, or slept before dressing up and having a fantastic pizza dinner at La Fogata. After dinner, we walked back, played fun games, and sang karaoke to High School Musical songs.
We will miss Canto de Ballena cooperative hotel, the amazing food, the relaxing home environment, and living the Pura Vida!

Happy Father’s Day!

– David and Jessica

6/22/2015

Today we had a late start. Pancakes at 8am! We learned about Geoporter and how to use GIS (Global Information System)… valuable skills for life man. JP ate rice and beans and we boarded the bus at 12.30 sharp. We had such a fun bus ride all of us bonding and joking around. We arrived at Alajuela at 4:15pm, checked into the hotel and settled down for a bit. All of the campers filled out a servey reflecting on their GLA experience and how it could be improved. Shortly after we saw an amazing rainbow. Then Bridget kindly took us in groups of six to walk down to Alajuela´s local supermarket to get some treats. We walked back and got ready for our last dinner as a group. J.P walked us to a resteraunt called Coffee Dream´s. We all enjoyed, chicken quesadillas, lasagna, salads and dessert. It was amazing in everyone´s opinion. Overall, the past two weeks have taught us a lot, but we are all ready to sleep in our own beds again. Its not over yet, we will carry GLA´s message back to our home and make a change!

– Olivia P. and Claire G.

6/23/2015

Everyone has departed safely after a successful program!

6/6/2015

First morning in Costa Rica after a fun night of getting to know each other and lots of sleep. ?

6/10/2015

Today, June 10, 2015, ERCA (Empowering Rainforest Communities, Group A) planted 192 trees located near home base in a short time of two and a half hours. We came up with the idea to split up into three groups: planters, diggers, and plant placers. We found that by dividing the work up, we finished the task faster than expected. We then headed “home” for lunch, Ana, the cook, prepared for us beef, rice, beans, rice pudding, and fruit juice. We then had time for ourselves to reflect on the day until we were distracted by Freddy, our nature guide, with a giant army (safari) truck. The truck was called the “beast” and it was our ride to the beach where we would stay overnight. After an hour of a “Costa Rican safari” on bumpy roads we arrived at the Iguanita Beach Reserve. We paddle boarded, kayaked, and scuba dived on the beach that we enjoyed all to ourselves. After a week of Costa Rican food, we enjoyed a classic American dinner of burgers and fries. Later we settled into our tents and listened to the waves as we fell asleep.

– Emily Axtell and Annabel Parker

6/11/2015

The morning started off slightly bumpy as we awoke in our tents on the beach in Iguanitas feeling sticky, sandy and bug bit-ridden. We enjoyed our breakfast of cereal and watermelon on the beach and proceeded to venture on a brief hike with our favorite comrade Freddy. He enthusiastically showed us the local flora and fauna within the salt and fresh water ecosystems. It was a bittersweet moment to have our final adventure with Costa Rica’s best nature guide/encyclopedia.

We then spent a few blissful hours on the beach relaxing, paddle boarding and learning new synchronized swimming skills. We left the beach eager to take a refreshing shower to cool off our brand new sunburns. Driving home in the menacing “Green Beast” was a rocky but exhilarating drive.

After mentor circles we engaged in a calming group meditation led by Elizabeth, one of our leaders of the day.
Later in the afternoon, we watched an intriguing presentation on deforestation and forest fires from ACG. At the end we were surprised by a human-sized pizote (coati), the forest fire mascot in Costa Rica.
After the presentation, we enjoyed a cookout of grilled meats, guacamole, salsa and grilled pineapple. Soon after eating we were surprised yet again with a Cimarrona (a local Liberian band). A vibrant dance party quickly ensued with the addition of the limbo added to our groovy dance moves.

Overall, a day we expected to be relatively mellow turned into yet another fantastic, eventful Costa Rican adventure, brimming with surprises.

– Elizabeth Tipton and Kaila Neuenschwander

6/12/2015

We started off the day by packing our stuff to go to Bromelias, the rainforest. Before we left, we played and activity for team bonding. It taught us that the goals we have in life are difficult but possible to reach.

On our drive to Bromelias, everyone was happy to finally see civilization as we went to a souvenir shop and bought many shirts and bracelets. In need of more snacks, we went to the super market and bought “healthy snacks” The trip took us through bright green fields filled with trees and wildlife which was a dramatic change in scenery compared to the dry forest.

After enjoying a great spaghetti meal, we took a trip to one of the schools that we would be helping out with in the week. They surprised us with amazing performances by the students and a big fiesta which included lots and lots of dancing. It was a great way to introduce ourselves to the community. Coming back all sweaty and tired we decided to take a nice cold shower before bed.

After an eventful day; we are looking forward to a fun service day tomorrow.

– Ari Alpert and Katie Bossert

6/13/2015

After today, we may resemble body builders. We started the day with a nice bicep workout: mixing cement, moving cinder blocks and laying large ceramic tiles. These represent the two service work of the day at the local elementary schools. Both projects pushed our limits and defined our bulging biceps.

We continued our workout with a casual stroll through the treacherous rainforest. We battled steep hills, questionable bridges and roaring rapids. This hike to our destination, a waterfall, toned our glutes more than ever. We sacrificed our shoes and powered through the current of a small river to arrive at the beautiful waterfall. Even though it was a break meant to chill our muscles, treading water in hiking boots and wool socks, turned out to be a workout in itself. Our hike back consisted of slooshing boots and another leg workout.

Later on, we tested our voice strengths by screaming over the pouring rain on the tin roof during a discussion on how social media and technology affects our lives. Our composure was also tested when a lightning bolt that hit just yards away. It was quite exciting.

To finish strong, we completed our full body workout with a dance class from a local expert. We learned how to move our feet and sway our hips to the merengue, bachata, cumbia and salsa.

– Josie Meyer and Kylie Bossert

6-15-2015

We started off our day with a 4 hour hike through the rainforest in the pouring rain. We observed many new plants and animals native to the Costa Rican rainforest and bonded along the way. After a long day, we had free time until dinner which we spent getting to know each other on a deeper level.

After dinner we sat together in our pjs and blankets to watch the movie Into the Wild. We ended the night early in preparation for tomorrow’s service.

– Lexi Axtell and Amy Brahler

6-16-2015

This morning we woke up and headed to service where we saw many children with smiles on their faces. Service consisted of working on a garden at one school and at the other school, grouting tiles of the lunchroom floor. Along with service, we had wonderful time interacting with the young ticos at school.

We returned to “home” to a surprising lunch of…rice and beans.

Guess what we did after lunch? Milked some cows! Then, we used our muscles to grind sugar cane. Delicious snacks were provided as part of this community visit.

After dinner we watched an inspirational TED Talk about an 18 year old girl with a motivation to accomplish her dream.
Mighty Oscar “Mapache” (our rainforest host) lead us one dark, itchy night hike. Bugs were found in places where they should not be found.

At the end the day, we were blessed with a few second of hot water in our showers. When we walked into our rooms, we entered a war zone of bugs. We came out of the battle with many exotic bites but we survived.

Buenos noches!!!

– Emily Axtell and Lydia Barnes

Day 1:

All students have arrived safely! Stay tuned for updates and photos!

Day 2:

On the first day of the GLA Dominican Republic trip, the students traveled to Cane Dulce to assist a local honey farmer in adding concrete to the floor of his home. Through a mixture of sweat, cement, sand, and river water, the floor, and a primitive staircase leading to his bathroom were completed with the help of a professional stonemason. When they returned to the GLA home base, they discussed the necessity of human security in world projected to grow to a population of 11 billion people, and the role the economic portion plays. The conclusion that they reached was sometimes a lack of education in proper financing causes several issues that can lead people like the honey farmer to invest in things like a car and cable TV instead of a proper floor for his home. This pressing social issue pervades society on a global scale, but can be improved upon by increasing the availability of proper education and opportunities for people in communities like Cane Dulce.

Day 3:

On the second day of the GLA Dominican Republic trip, the students traveled to Caraballo. Caraballo is a bateye, a former sugarcane plantation, where students helped to help build a community center for the Haitian community living there. The community center is made of recycled plastic bottles encased in cement, mixed with the hard work of the GLA students. While working on the community center, the students were able to interact with the local children. While not completely finished, the center is already being used as a monthly medical clinic. To wrap up the work day, the students took a tour to compare the Dominican community with the Haitian community, two halves in a very different world, separated by only a few feet of water. The students discussed how both the Dominican Republic and Haiti have struggled.

Day 4

The students took a day off to recharge, and bask in the tropical Dominican sunshine and crystalline waters. The day was filled with relaxation and exhilaration, as the students took turns jumping from a zip-line some thirty feet above the water, and then plunging into the roughly eighty five feet deep blue waters of the Dudu lagoon. Throughout the day the students visited both the larger, and the smaller lagoons, connected by an underwater cave tunnel. They also visited a small cave, and in attempts to soak in as much Caribbean sunshine, attempted both a game of volley ball, and a haphazard game of soccer. To finish off the day they watched a documentary “the world according to Monsanto” where scientist revealed the truth behind the commonly used yet deadly pesticide Roundup.

Day 5

On the fourth day of the GLA Dominican Republic trip, the students returned to Cano Dulce to build bee boxers for a local family. Once there, the students realized how hard wood can be and how far you have to drive in a nail to make an impact. The surprising resilience and springiness of the wood shocked the students, which led to several difficulties in the making of the boxes. As time passed, the students realized that the more they hammered the wood, the softer it became, making it much easier to hack and shape the wood with machetes and various other hand tools. All in all, it was a very productive and educational day for the students. It was a day full of constructing things, allowing the students to enter a world they had never experienced before. Well done GLA!

Day 6

On the sixth day of the Dominican Republic trip, the students climbed the mountain of Brison. The students visited a local school where kids in k-8 go to learn and a local’s house where they saw how the locals cook their food using homemade charcoal and firewood instead of stoves and burners. After a tiring three mile hike to the top, the students visited the local watershed which is purified by old coral. Afterwards we helped the local people plant coffee saplings in their backyard so they can have some stable income. The students finally made their way to the bottom of the mountain and when they returned to the home base they discussed how hard it must be for the local children to climb down the mountain every day to attend school, and then back up to return home. The students finished off the day by watching the documentary Food Inc. and discussing how certain factors in today’s supermarkets are kept secret from the buyers.

Day 7

WOW! It is our last day in the Dominican Republic! Today, we went snorkeling in Sosua and explored the coral reefs. The coral reefs were for the most part bleached with small amounts of fish. Afterwards, we discussed the reasoning for coral bleaching and the recent decline in fish, as well as the stress it puts on communities that rely on fish for their main sources of protein. After a week of exploring different parts of the island we are ready to take all that we have learned back to our communities. As a team we have worked together in hopes of at least making a small impact in these areas. Now, everyone in our group has gained new perspectives and understanding of what it means to live in a developing country. For example; while hiking up Brison, we were drained of energy and struggling to making it up the mountain-but soon realized that in order to go to school the kids make the trip up and down the mountain every day. Although, we have yet to make even the slight dent in the problems of this island, we are all going home with a sense of achievement. Till next time!

Adios!

*We hope to receive photos and will update you when we receive them. Thank you for your patience.