Headed Home!

All students have departed safely and are making their way home!

Farewell to Ecuador!

We toured Old Town Quito yesterday morning and were able to visit the national cathedral, the presidential palace among other historic sites.  We also learned all about how chocolate is made and were able to sample to locally-made Ecuadorian chocolate – Delicious!

Ready, Set, Explore

A Treasure Trove of Photos

On Top of a Mountain

On Monday we started work at our new site on top of a mountain. Our work was definitely more challenging than the other days, but we got through it. We pulled invasive species out so they could be replaced with plants that would help the environment. After a long hike through mud and rocks we ate lunch back at the place we are staying. We headed to the harbor for snorkeling, which was an amazing experience. We saw everything from sea lions to sea turtles (and even caught a few glimpses of marine iguanas!). Then, as all great days should wrap up, we had some free time in town to get some ice cream and shop.

On Tuesday, we continued our work on the side of the mountain. We cleared the area we started working on yesterday and planted endemic plants.

Today’s work was a lot easier than yesterday and very rewarding. We took the same hike through mud and rocks again to our home base. After lunch we headed to a beach where we had the opportunity to snorkel. Some chose to tan instead, so we all had the freedom to choose what we wanted to do with our small bit of free time. We followed that up with our group activity, and of course another excursion into town before the day was over.

– Courtney

Goodbye Isabella Island

Today was our last morning in Isabella so we had to say goodbye to the island. The boat trip to the next island, Floreana, totaled two hours so most of us napped the whole way. Floreana was really beautiful and we learned a lot about the turtle population and the history of the island. We also saw the caves where the first colonists lived and heard a ghost story. The next boat ride was another 3 hours and by the time we reached the island we had a limited amount of time to explore the shops in the boardwalk. After that, we arrived at our new hotel in San Cristobal. 

San Cristobal Project

Hi parents and friends.

Today we started to work on a new site in the project here on San Cristobal. We are cleaning out introduced species like blackberry bushes to give space for an endemic plant called Meconia. Everybody seems to enjoy working part with machetes and part by hand and with shovels.

For the afternoon we keep our fingers crossed for some sealions, frigattebirds, and sea turtles while snorkeling at Las Tijiretas.

Best
Hakan

Tortoise Breeding & Lava Fields

Yesterday, we visited the tortoise breeding centre where we were able to see a four month old tortoise. We also ventured on a lovely 10 mile hike. Crazy you say? It was!

However, our stunning view of the lava fields and – of course – the company, made it all worthwhile. We saw a beautiful land iguana and a plethora of colorful birds. At the end of our hike we stopped by a little shop where we were greeted with the comforting smells of sweet empanadas. Those fried treats made us forget the aches and sunburns we had squired from the hike.

Today was our last day of working on Isabella Island. We helped dig a trench for a small lagoon for the tortoises. Then a few of us picked papayas, passion fruit and oranges to make our own marmalade. Everyone pitched in whether it was stirring or juicing. We cooked the marmalade over a bonfire and it ended up tasting delicious! A few of us played a rousing game of soccer where there wasn’t a determined winner. Some people went to see biologists and learn about what they were studying here in the Galapagos.  Then we had a large amount of free time followed by an exciting scavenger hunt. At the moment, we are attempting to cook our own dinner, wish us luck!

– Emma

Building a Lagoon

Today we worked at the tortoise center again and started building a lagoon, pulling out more invasive plants. After that, some of us played soccer and then we headed back to the hotel for lunch. Later on, we went snorkeling and kayaking at the harbor and had tons of fun. We saw giant rays, puffer fish, sea turtles, penguins, an octopus, and a shark. We finished the day with a game of ninja and a hearty meal for our hike up the Sierra Negra volcano tomorrow.

– Kristian and Cori

For the Tortoises

Today was our first full day in the Galapagos Islands. We started our first day of service work at a giant tortoise nursery.  Our guides told us about some of the work we will be doing and why it is extremely important to do for the tortoises. We learned that there are many introduced plants that are taking over the area where the tortoises’ food source grows. We started out by removing the invasive plants and cutting down branches that block sunlight. There are many orange trees that grow there, and we enjoyed eating them while working. After we finished up our service work, we played a very fun game of football (soccer) against each other.

After we enjoyed our lunch at the hotel, we headed out to the old prison called the Wall of Tears. We learned about the history of the prison and saw some very scenic views. We made some pit stops and we were able to take some pictures of the wildlife we saw, such as iguanas, tortoises, frigate birds, blue footed boobies, and even some flying flamingos!  At one of our pit stops we hiked through a mangrove and we swam out to the ocean from a small river. This was one of my favorite activities that we did today. We then walked the beach and went swimming in the ocean afterwards. Overall it was a fantastic day in the Galapagos and many more to come.

– Becca

Another World

-Abby

Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed

Here’s a photo of us, bright and early this morning, getting ready to board our plane to the Galapagos Islands!

Crossing Over the Line

Hello family and friends! I know you are wondering what your kids are up to. So far it has been eye opening day! Last night we arrived in Quito. As we landed, we saw how large and beautiful this town is sitting along the mountains. Today, we all had fun when we went to the equator this morning!  The locals call it Mitad Del Mundo (the middle of the world). The tour guide gave us lots of information and demonstrations on the actual equator. We learned what the equator is and how it impacts our lives. We all walked on the equator line with both hemispheres pulling at us in both directions as if we could not control our movement. Some of us were even able to balance an egg on a nail head on the equator. It was amazing.

Later we went to an open area where we did many leadership activities together and had the opportunity to do some shopping, too. Finally, we went into the tall monument which was a museum and we all learned about the different groups of people who live in Ecuador. So far the food is good and the weather is treating us well.  Tonight may be the last night we have cell service for a while, because we will be leaving to the Galapagos tomorrow morning! We will have limited internet service there and we will blog every night for you. We are very excited to see what are next adventure is in the Galapagos! On behalf of all of us here in Ecuador, we want to say we love it here and wish we had done a longer service! We miss you.

-Scott

Arrival to Isabella Island

Headed Home

All students have headed home after an amazing program!

Last Sunday on Barefoot

Our last Sunday on Barefoot Island was spent relaxing and making the most of the sunshine. Students spent the downtime in the morning taking some well deserved ‘self-care’ time, including reading, washing, sunbathing, and snorkelling; a few of us even decided to take a hike up to the island’s most scenic route. After lunch, we went on kayak adventure to a new beach and new snorkelling site. The aquatic life was out of this world! We are all looking forward to our last day of service tomorrow where we will be working in Kese Village on the community garden.

Soso Village

The day started off with an adrenaline rush as the group arrived at Soso Village ready to hike the mountainous trails leading to Kese Village. The sweat and fatigue were well worth the absolutely breathtaking views seen from the peak. The hike ended in Kese Village where Koroi’s wife, Vika, prepared fresh lemonade, coconuts, and papaya. The group treated themselves to a relaxing afternoon and felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Last Day at Yasawa

After a successful day in the villages, students returned to Yasawa High School one last time. As a sign of gratitude for looking after us and sharing their culture too, the group transformed one of school’s bare concrete water tanks into a vibrant mural! It was wonderful to see such effortless collaboration amongst the group; a true testament to the progress we have made over the past two weeks. The school was visited by Fiji Princess Yacht passengers and students had the opportunity to explain their service program with Vinaka Fiji to the guests and the ways in which we have helped the communities. The guests were blown away!

Malevu Village

The day was spent at Malevu Village where we divided up and joined our host families for the day. The families were more than welcoming and generous in making us feel comfortable and at home. Students had opportunities to explore the village, visit the local farm, and continue to learn more about the Fijian culture and lifestyle. Baskets were weaved, dialogue was exchanged, and new cultural foods were tasted, At the end of the day, we made our way to the boat holding the hands of the Fijian children. A great day of cultural exchange and continuing our life learning journey.

Adventures!

Today was a physical adventure. At service the group planted eggplant, tomato and cabbage seedlings and placed them into the newly developed greenhouse which GLA students constructed in earlier programs. A few of us helped peel the bark off the vivi branches used for constructing the greenhouse’s shelves. When we returned back to base, the group treated themselves to some delicious smoothies. Yum. The evening wrapped up with Eddie’s presentation on the power of positivity and ‘rad’ role models. The take away message… “don’t lose sight of the gorilla!” (please ask your son or daughter)

Yasawa High School

We made our way back to Yasawa High School today where the students had the opportunity to spend time with and get to know their Fijian peers and their culture. Students were surprised by some of their discoveries in Fijian high school and had the opportunity to reflect on these in their mentor session with Heather in the evening. There was a greater appreciation for the educational opportunities and the education system more generally that we have back home. An important lesson for us all to learn, and it’s never too late to learn it!

Kayaking

Another relaxing day on Barefoot Island. Tema gave a Fijian language lesson in the morning and was very happy with how all the students engaged. With some down time before lunch students enjoyed the hammocks and each others company and the general calmness of the island. Lunch was had with the whole group together sat at the ‘Sunset deck’. We managed to get our first group photo together it seems this whole trip! After lunch we put the ‘Adventure’ in GLA, as we all kayaked together around the whole island. It was beautiful, and enabled us to establish just how small the island is, whilst discovering that we hadn’t yet seen much it! A calm and still sea enabled us to appreciate more fully the reef surrounding it and the ‘scariness’ of the reef shelf where the bottom suddenly disappears into the depths. A top weekend and we’re ready for a good week of service.

Weekend!

It has been a busy, fun and relaxing Saturday here in Fiji. The weekend kicked off with Friday evening seeing some ‘old school neighbourhood games’. Our Local Director, Tema, joined in with a fierce game of Sword and the Stone, or Noodle and the Coral as we like to play here, which was a lot of fun.

Saturday morning we took it easy in island style. After a slightly later breakfast we we all took some time in making items of coconut jewellery with help from one of our local staff Koroi. We all made rings from coconuts, sounds simple enough but there is A LOT of sanding involved! A great opportunity to chill and chat whilst learning something new.

After lunch we had our briefing on the Manta Ray snorkelling which we are hoping to do tomorrow. Then it was Lovo time, a traditional Fijian cooking method of cooking with buried food and fire. The students learned to flesh the coconuts before squeezing the meat for milk, sorted the Taro leaves which would be cooked in the coconut milk with onion, and learned to weave their own coconut leaf plates.

There was still time to chill and later play some volley ball, before a spontaneous sunset swim together to end the day. After a big feast on the foods we helped prepare, it’s movie time, and time to rest.

–Vinaka

Week One Done!

First week of service was completed in style this afternoon with a students taking part in fierce game of volleyball! We had our first Marine Service day today as well and the students were involved in a variety or conservation aimed activities.

The morning began with a visit to a nearby by somewhat out of sight beach, where we discovered that not every beach in Fiji is a white sand paradise. Lots of wind blown litter gathers on the non-resort beaches and the team did a great job at bagging as much as possible.

Crown of Thorns Sea Star removal was the next job. We worked together along with the dive team to carefully scout out any of the invasive marine species. We removed 18, collected the data on them for the dive team and saw them buried under the sand, never to harm the reef again!

The afternoon saw the team divide into two groups, Kimmee, Shara, Ross and Maddie collected and replanted mangrove embryos for habitat and marine land conservation. Meanwhile Matt, Sienna and Sabrina made ‘coral cookies’, which we will use to plant new pieces of coral in the next Marine Service day.

A great end to a busy and successful first week. We welcome the weekend!

Another Day in Paradise

Today was another day in paradise. We spent the morning learning how to properly open a coconut and remove the flesh. In total, we carved out ten coconuts which made for a nutritious snack. After lunch, the group cut down timber to use for the shelving units in the greenhouse. The service day ended with a beautiful hike up to lookout of Barefoot Island. We are all eager to get into the ocean tomorrow and explore the coral reefs with our local marine biologist.

One Week In!

Today officially marks the one week point! Time has been flying by as the group continues to grow and friendships deepen. This morning we worked along side Koroj and Lamecki on the school farm building shelves for the greenhouse. Collecting wood, digging holes, and drilling were among the many tasks completed today. Contrasting the strenuous morning, the group spent their evening relaxing after a rich discussion in mentor sessions. As always, we are looking forward to a new day tomorrow.

Naviti Primary School

Today was another successful of service day at Naviti Primary School. Matt, Ross, Sienna, and Sara worked as teaching assistants while Kimmy, Maddie, and Sabrina tutored students in the reading recovery program. When arriving back from service, a few of us decided to get a workout in while other’s sipped on iced coffees while watching the sun go down. Before dinner, we made our own personal mailboxes out of coconuts and then decorated them with different colors of paint. After dinner, the group watched the documentary “Crash Reel” before heading to bed. We are looking forward to working hard tomorrow as we begin the construction of a greenhouse at the school!

We’ve Arrived on Barefoot!

An early start for the group saw us arriving at the port ready for departure. The three hour boat journey was spectacular giving us a scenic overview of the Yasawa Island chain. Sabrina found it a little bumpy and so was happy to finally arrive on the island. Matt discovered the viewing platform at the front of the boat and took Eddie down to join him in flying in the wind! Upon arrival, the group went out for our first snorkel and were able to witness the tropical fish flourishing in the coral reefs. During our mentor session, the group was challenged to unravel their human knot. After a delicious dinner, we met the local staff and learned more about the service work we will be completing this session. We are all very eager to meet the Fijian students and work in the primary school tomorrow!

Nadi

This morning was spent exploring the shops of downtown Nadi. Fijian sarongs, trinkets, jewelry, and henna were a few items purchased on the trip. The group treated themselves to delicious mango and papa smoothies in a nearby cafe. Yum! The authentic food continued as we returned from town. We all had the opportunity to learn about the cultural foods of the Indian community by partaking in an Indian cooking class! Kimmy had the chance to try chicken curry and roti wraps for the first time in her life! The night ended with a Fijian history talk and fire dance!

Bula!

BULA to everyone!

We have the whole crew here and we’ve got off to a great start. Ross arrived with us this morning fresh and ready to rock and all students had a good rest after their red-eyed flights to Fiji.

After a stroll down to the beach today to play some team bonding games the team were off exploring the orchid gardens of the Sleeping Giant mountain. We found a place to sit together and appreciate the peacefulness of the new space. Excitement for the mud pool soon kicked in though so after some very tasty juice we were on our way.

The mud pool cemented our team bond further and to top it all we relaxed in the hot springs looking out towards the mountain. A fantastic start to an exciting program ahead.

-Vinaka

Last Day of Service

We woke up to howling winds again this morning, but thankfully we were able to make it out to our last day of service. Despite a very wet boat ride over there we were all thrilled to finally be able to go back to the school. Eddie and Ash’s group spent the morning rehearsing an authentic Fijian dance taught to us by Tema to perform to the high school in the afternoon. With the help of some of the Yasawa students singing along we managed to pull together a really special performance. After we performed our Fijian dance, we showed off some “American” moves with the ChaCha slide- much to the students delight. Of course they blew us away with their phenomenal singing skills once again when they performed for us one last time. Some of the male students gave a thrilling dance performance and Henry took advantage of the opportunity to join in in which he described as “unexpected and exhilarating”. The girls put on another dance for us before all of us were called upon to join in and dance together as a group. The program ended with a final goodbye song from all the students and a delicious lovo with fish and chicken cooked by kids at the school. Heathers group spent the afternoon painting a water tank at the school and saying their final goodbyes to the kids before returning to the island.

Going with the Flow

Due to the windy weather, GLA students unfortunately were not able to go to service in the neighboring villages today. Despite this challenge, we still accomplished many service tasks on Barefoot Island. One group of students participated in marine service, working with the Dive Shop, to plant coral in the nearby waters. Elisabetta Pittarelli spotted Crown of Thorns Seastars (COTS), which are extremely harmful to the coral reefs, so that they can safely be removed.

Other students painted signs for the chicken coop, which was created by the first GLA session in Fiji. After our morning tasks, when the winds weren’t as bad, we took a short boat ride to Backyard Beach for some trash collection. As a team, we managed to fill ten garbage bags full with plastic bottles and other items that are harmful to the environment.

Before dinner, Joelle Gordon and Nathan Huang played a game of beach volleyball with local staff members including our boat driver Lemeki. We look forward to our daily mentor sessions in which we gather together to talk about our days and important life lessons.

-Sarah Lashovitz and Jennie Shaw

Marine Life

Today, students started their day learning all about the marine life surrounding the Fiji islands. After an educational presentation from Dan, a member of the Dive Shop, everyone went out for yet another fascinating snorkel adventure.

Then, we continued with the activities from yesterday. Kayaking, abseiling, and making jewelry out of coconuts, we were able to experience it all. Madison Henry fearlessly lowered herself over the edge of a 70 foot tall cliff while Zahkiniah Maynard paddled diligently through the crystal clear waters.

Unlike our strictly busy weekdays, our weekends give us a bit more free time. Using this time to their advantage, Samantha Faden and Rachel Esham washed their dirty clothes in the sink, knowing full well that they will likely become dirty once again when we return to service for the upcoming week.

Last night, some of the students enjoyed a late night screening of the movie Zombieland. Perhaps after a sandy game of beach volleyball, we will be able to unwind before sleeping. We are all very excited to get back to service tomorrow.

-Sarah Lashovitz and Jennie Shaw

Lots of Adventures!

After a long but rewarding week of service the weekend kicked off with a bang this morning. We started the day with an authentic Fijian dancing lesson taught by Tema where Dylan, Zac, Henry, and Nathan took advantage of the Fijian costume wear available consisting of grass skirts and expressive face paint. We split up into three groups to do different activities on the island including coconut jewelry making, kayaking, and abseiling. Conquering their fears of heights, Alex Cline, Melanie and Nathan did an exceptional job of abseiling down a rocky cliff by the ocean- and Alyssa loved the experience so much she even went down a second time. During kayaking Emma caught a gnarly wave which rocked their boat. Two of the three groups spent time making bracelets and rings out of coconut shells and some students even used their free time later in the day to finish up on their work. The rest of the group spent time catching up on much needed showers and laying out on the beach. Tonight we’ll be enjoying another traditional Fijian lovo which was prepared earlier today.
Moce!

-Sarah S. and Lexi

Kese Village

Today, Heather and Eddie’s Group had an opportunity to shadow Fijian families in Kese Village. After being greeted by a warm welcome, the families taught us how to cook, clean, and live the day in the life of a Fijian. We learned how to weave bracelets, cook cassava, and herd chickens. The experience was eye opening and life changing. Ash’s group continued their service by having the chance to shadow the Yasawa High School students. We learned how classes and course content differ from our home countries. It was interesting to compare and contrast the education system of the two cultures. It was a sour ending to the day as we found out that our amazing friend Maddie Alexander is heading home because she has been sick for the past week and never got to experience service in the village. We will all miss her so much and hope she gets better soon.

Exhausting, but Rewarding!

If there’s one thing that GLA students have learned this week, it’s that service work is exhausting. But more importantly, we’ve learned that it’s immensely rewarding. And even so, after a long day of hard work, we were able to come back to Barefoot Island yesterday for an unbelievable night of stargazing with Ash, one of our mentors.

Today, the focus shifted gears as each group of students was able to participate in a new and exciting activity. Tifannie Lamb, for example, bonded with kids in Year Two at the primary school while working as a teacher’s assistant. Singing, coloring pictures, and playing with blocks was a great way to get to know these kids. Other students, like Nathan Huang, worked in the farm by not only hauling wheelbarrows full of sand to and from the worksite but also impressing his fellow peers with his machete skills. Alexandra Cline volunteered with some older students by joining in on their English and Arts & Crafts classes. All of us have been very tired from these past few days, but the satisfying feeling we gain each day pushes us to continue the hard work.

-Sarah Lashovitz and Jennie Shaw

Successful Day of Service

Today was another successful day of service for all three mentor groups. Eddie’s group worked on finishing up construction of the greenhouse for Yasawa High School with the help of some of the students. Rachel Esham, Tiffany Lamb, Suwei Liew, Adrianna Sanchez, and Mia Sutherland spent time picking coriander to sell back to the island, which helps bring in profit for the high school. With the help of some music from Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift we managed to finish construction just in time to watch and cheer on some of the primary school rugby games.

Ash’s group spent the day educating themselves on threats to the reef, such as Crown of Thornes, then went on a snorkeling expedition to spot and remove these creatures which cause damage to coral in the reef when overpopulated. Isabel Shepard and Emma Peltzer showed tons of enthusiasm for the sea cucumber count during their snorkel. Heathers group spent the day building a foundation for a water tank which will be used to collect rain water for the students to use. Alyssa Huang showed a really positive attitude about her work and encouraged the group to get the job done. The afternoon was spent chilling out on the beach and relaxing before mentor sessions and evening activities. Shoutout to the mentors for being resourceful by sharing clothes to expand their wardrobes.

Moce – Sarah Shutt and Lexi Stravato

Another great day!

Lots of very positive feelings after a top day at service. We came away from today feeling like we’d all been very productive. Ash’s group working with Koroi on the greenhouse did an unbelievable job working so well as a team. With some inspirational tunes they were able to get toward the end of their project. The frame is done and looking solid. Just the netting to go. Grace rocked her hat whilst Adzra led the group like a pro!

Eddie’s group continued to build their new found friendships with the high school students. Lots of new perspectives gained and lessons learned from their experiences and captured in their journals. These friendships will continue as we visit Yasawa High School throughout our service days with opportunities to join in games and social activities. Sewei and Sarah in particular were barely seen through the day spending all their time with their year group and choosing to spend break times with them too. Truly positive cultural exchanges.

Heather’s group arrived with great spirits and high energy levels to take on the tremendously excitable and ever ready Yasawa Primary School students. Lizzie, Joelle and Alissa did a top job with the one on one reading program whilst the rest of the group took on the daunting task of working with whole classes! A very busy and productive day for the students at both ends. Congratulations team!

We all walked to Kese Village in the afternoon for a local market run by the women of Kese Village. Koroi told us stories of his growing up and walking the route and showed us where the old palm tree line once stood before raising sea levels which have caused them to retreat. The market was held in a community hall with mothers and their young children selling hand made and other found objects. Nothing like some retail therapy, and the enormous tree at the centre or the village, standing wide and tall outside, added something extra to the occasion.

A new day tomorrow and new service projects for us all. Exciting prospects! Over and out.

More Service

Today was the day we started doing service on the neighboring island. We broke up into our three mentor groups and each group took on a different task. It was a great challenge to wake up at 6:30am in order to leave the island by 7:45am. Ash’s group did not leave until 9:30 because their service started later. Heather and Eddie’s groups worked with students, while Ash’s group was working on constructing a green house. It was a hot and sunny day when we arrived, Ash’s team was struggling to keep up because of the heat, but it all got better when it started raining. Melanie and the rest of her group were hard at work, they had to dig 9 holes and plant posts in order to build the foundation for the greenhouse. It was intense manual labor, but they all had a great time because they accomplished a lot after very few hours. Heather’s group worked as teachers’ assistants and as reading helpers in the primary school. Sarah L. worked with the students of year 2 (6-7yrs) as a teacher’s assistant and helped the kids draw pictures. Joelle worked with students who needed reading help and chatted with those students. Lastly, Eddie’s group shadowed high school students through their classes. We all got back at around 3:30pm and we had a fee hours of downtime before Mentor groups started. It was overall a tiring but very productive day.

One Week Down

Bula! After yesterday’s fun filled and educational activities, GLA students enjoyed a relaxing movie night. We gathered together on the sand, nestled between Palm trees for a viewing of the popular comedy “I Love You, Man”. Many were not able to stay awake through the entire showing, but needless to say, we all slept very well.

Waking up to loud drums and shouts of “MANTA RAY!”, we ran to the northeast beach with flippers and snorkels in hand. Following employees from Barefoot Island’s Dive Shop, we swam with manta rays measuring up to four and a half meters long. It was a spectacular experience and we were so lucky to be able to participate in an activity as beautiful as this.

After some free time, where students such as Lindsay Chevlin were tanning on Sunrise Beach, everyone joined around for a Fijian language lesson from Tema, one of our local staff. Henry Liu, among others, nailed the accent almost immediately. Though not everyone caught on as quickly, we all learned the phrases “Na yacaqu ko…” and “Au domini iko” which translate to “My name is…” and “I love you,” respectively.

We spent the afternoon participating in Beach Olympics, with an intense competition between the “Young Wild and Free” and the “Oldies”. With games including tug of war and hermit crab races, Dylan Macy carried the team of older students to victory.

While we’ve been here in Fiji for six days already, we finally get to start our service projects tomorrow. We look forward to another two weeks in paradise!

-Sarah Lashovitz and Jennie Shaw

Arrival to Barefoot Island!

Yesterday, after a three hour boat ride, we finally arrived at our new home for the next 2 weeks, Barefoot Island. With a view of crystal clear waters all around us, we were greeted by the GLA island staff standing on the shores of Manta Ray beach. We spent the afternoon settling in and snorkeling above vibrant coral reefs and schools of tropical fish. However, today the real festivities began with a scavenger hunt to help us get acquainted with the island. Caroline Franz helped lead her team to find clues around the island, and during an epic rap battle Alyssa Huang wowed the crowd with a backflip. Then we moved on to a Fijian cooking lesson where we shelled coconuts and prepared spinach leaves for an authentic Fijian Lovo. We used the coconuts to make coconut shavings and cream- where Mia Sutherland took the opportunity to give herself a facial with the leftover shavings. We even had to weave our own plates out of palm leaves. The day finished with down time by the beach with the option to go snorkeling again followed by a much needed movie night. Moce! 

Bula!

Hello from Paradise! We are so happy to have session 2 with us here at our mainland home base! All students have arrived safe and sound. Yesterday we played some fun games on the beach followed by an afternoon outing to the sleeping giant botanical garden, and to the famous Fijian mud bath. This was a great bonding experience for everyone. We are so excited for this group of students. Please stay tuned and follow our adventures in Fiji!

– Ashley Link

International Program Director

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived safely in country and are ready for an amazing program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!

Bula friends and family! 

Nim Bula!

Our Leaders of the Day, Jack Gillott and Kyle Vanesko, both reflected that Lemeki and Karoy, local, Fijian staff members, motivated us to work our hardest and embrace the culture at Yasawa. This motivation allowed our group to further immerse ourselves in Fijian life.

Finally, we returned to Barefoot Island for a peaceful and relaxing evening.

Moce,

Michaela O’Connor and Lizzie Wilson

Hi Family and Friends!

We have had a relaxing weekend here on the island. On Saturday, we spent the afternoon at Mermaid Beach swimming, playing some rugby, snorkeling, and tanning. For dinner, we collaborated with the local staff members to cook traditional Fijian food called lovo. Lovo is made by cooking vegetables, starch, and meats in an underground oven. We also learned how to weave our own dinner plates and baskets out of leaves as well as how to break open coconuts and harvest the meat out from the insides.

After dinner, we watched Blackfish, a documentary about the sad realities involving the mistreatment of orca whales spending their entire lives in captivity. It was an excellent film for kick-starting a group discussion on difficult topics that are so important to talk about.

On Sunday, we jumped right into the fun with a scavenger hunt around the island. We split up into two teams to write songs, raps, and participate in the most hilarious relay race ever, ending in multiple people falling into the water from dizziness, and with Johnny getting chased by a dog.

In the afternoon, we got a Fijian language lesson from Tema, one of our local leaders, in which we learned some common phrases and vocabulary. The teams from the scavenger hunt played some friendly games of volleyball and then hit the beach to cool off in the beautiful water. After dinner, we watched educational videos on trash and pollution, bottled water, and the South Pacific, which were again intriguing entry points for future discussions. Then, we all headed to bed early to get a good night’s rest in preparation to start our second week of community service in the morning!

Peace and Chow,

Anna and Casey

Fiji in Photos

Strong Winds & Snorkeling

Bula!

Due to some rough waves and strong winds, our group was unable to attend our community service today. Even so, we still managed to help out our local Fijian community. Together, we planted coconut trees, vegetable seeds, flowers, and mangroves in order to help provide more sustainable food sources. In addition, we aided Barefoot Island’s Marine Biology Center by cleaning four of its beaches. All of this was topped of by a wonderful and exploratory group snorkel session.

Although there were many sudden schedule changes, our team was able to adapt easily with positive attitudes. We took the storm as a way to connect with the locals and further explore our new island home. The locals expressed their gratitude for the entire GLA program’s hard work and efforts throughout the day, and especially, our Leaders of the Day: Lauren Goldfarb and Jake Linfesty.

Though we had success today and made the most of our experience, our group is looking forward to returning to community service at Yasawa High School on Monday.

Moce (goodnight in Fijian),

– Michaela O’Connor and Elizabeth Wilson

Bula!

Today the group went to Yasawa High School and began their first day of service. We divided into two groups, one working directly in the classroom with the kids, and the other group building a house in the village.

The GLA students who worked in the classroom were assigned different types of tasks. Some worked one-on-one with sixth grade students and their English language skills. Others taught entire third grade classes. “Mr. Jack (CA)” drew an incredibly accurate and educatioaln rendition of the White House and American Flag for the students. The GLA students who worked on construction spent the day sandpapering and priming the house, replacing the home of a teacher whose house was destroyed in a 2011 cyclone.

After reflecting on our service day, we all headed back to our home, Barefoot Island for a little relaxing by the beach. As a group we discussed differences between the Fijian and American cultures, specifically talking about the “culture of fear.” We enjoyed a lovely meal and then created our ground rules by signing a full-body contract, created by the students, that outlines rules on positive and negative behaviors that we want to enforce on our new island home. We closed the night with an unsuccessful game of human knot, ending in a domino effect of crashing students! We all look forward to going back to service tomorrow and getting to know the villagers and Fijian students better.

Forever Fiji,

Casey A. and Anna K.

First Sunlight

Greetings for the first country to receive sunlight each morning, Fiji!

Today is our last day in Nadi.  As a group we visited the local beach to help clean up trash, which turned into a friendly competition. A special thanks to Johnny Colbert from Chicago for keeping up the competitive spirit during the beach clean up and for raising morale.  We ended up collecting four big bags in total!

At lunch we learned how to cook traditional Indian meal together consisting of roti and curry. Our leaders of the day were Claire Coughlin from Denver, and Lada Marsavin from Los Angeles. They reflected on the woman who helped teach us about Indian cuisine, noticing they were extremely nice and deserved great thanks! Our leaders also said they were proud of our group’s ability to welcome the women and make them feel comfortable regardless of language barriers.

Then during some down time, our staff offered a fulfilling work out session as well as a helpful snorkeling training. Both thoroughly enjoyed!  After a short break we were on the road again to visit the city for an afternoon of shopping. Traveling in small groups we manage to keep ourselves together and responsibly take care of each other.

Even though we have had little time together, our group still manages to support one another no matter the activity at hand is.  With this in mind we look forward to the new adventures at Barefoot Island that will start tomorrow!

– Micheala O’Connor and Lizzy Wilson

Update 6/19:  Today was our first day on Barefoot Island.  The day consisted of snorkeling, learning about Manta Rays, cultural orientation. and (of course) settling in.  Our group begins community service tomorrow!

The Fiji Lifestyle

Having some fun and getting to know one another on Day 2 in Fiji!

Welcome to Paradise

All students have arrived safe and sound in Fiji and are already having an amazing time! We’ll update you with detailed blog posts soon, but for now, check out these photos of this fun-loving group!

Snorkeling/Sosua – Last Day

Today we had to wake up at 8am, but most of us decided to wake up at 6 to go to the beach and watch the sunrise, something alot of us wanted to do before leaving, so the last day was the perfect time. After taking multiple pictures and walking along the beach, we went back to home base and waited for breakfast to be served at 8:30. We enjoyed the usual eggs, sausage, and toast. After breakfast we loaded onto the bus and headed to Sosua.

We pulled into the parking lot of the beach and walked onto the perfectly soft sands and crystal clear waters. We all hoped onto a boat and head out to the snorkeling site. Once we arrived, we all put on our flippers and goggles and jumped into the water to see all the colorful fishes and beautiful coral reefs. After spending about 2 hours swimming,snorkeling, and doing, flips off the boat, we went back to shore and spent about an hour and half looking at all the cool shops around the beach, at 12:30 we got back on the bus and headed to Cabarete for lunch.

We had lunch at Gordito’s, a mexican restaurant which specialized in burritos. Once we all finished our excellent burritos we went to the Lazy Dog, the usual place we go to hang out, enjoy virgin pina coladas, and use wifi, conveniently located right on the beach. We spent the time buying gifts for our families and just hanging out.

We went back to the homebase at 4, and relaxed until dinner at 6. Once we finished dinner, one of our mentors, Scott, talked to us about his time in the peace core and we learned about the returnees program if we chose to come back next year. We then had to go fill out evaluations on our overall thoughts on the whole GLA experience, once everyone finished that we went to the beach for a bonfire.

We got to the beach to the sight of a huge pile of burning wood. After taking a bunch of squad pics in front of the fire, we got out the flashlights and started a dance party with the dominicans. It was so much fun, and a great way to wrap up the last night, by laughing and dancing with all the friends we had made over these 21 days.

– RJ Estrada

Dajabon

Today was by far the most impactful of all, the day that we would see poverty at its worse. The people here have always been friendly, but today the air here was filled with an intensity we hadn’t yet experienced. For those who do not know, Dajabon is a town located right on the Haitian-Dominican boarder that opens every Monday and Friday. The Haitians will gather everything they possibly could sell and bring it to the market place to sell and trade for food from the Domincans. After four long hours on the bus we reached Dajabon, ate, and then went to the border to see the river in between and Haiti. Fact: While Rafael Trujillo was dictator of the Dominican he started a campaign to get rid of all Haitians in the Dominican Republic. Close to 30,000 Haitans were chased and murdered in the spot where we stood. Surreal.

After this, we split into two groups to walk through the market place. Walking through was one of the best and one of the worst experiences of my life. You can see the “face of desperation” in any non-profit add or documentary, but I’ve never looked at desperation and had it stare back at me. The intensity from earlier, thickened, it polluted the air. Thousands of people crowded into this area and their sales of that day would dictate weather they and their family at home got to eat for the rest of the week. I’ve never seen so many people in my life. Imagine five people and a motorcycle all trying to step in the same spot. A frustrating thing was seeing what the people of Haiti had to sell. Everything there was from NGO’s. Like: bottles of lotion, plastic sand shovels, coasters, baby strollers and name brand purses. I’m sure that the donators of these products had really good intentions but helping people in 3rd world countries requires so more attention and consideration than a simple donation. It makes me wonder how many times people actually ask a community, “What do you need?”

The “What do you need?” concept is something that I want to carry with me for the rest of my life. Before this trip I felt like I had my life planned out and I knew all I needed to know. Not. I still want to pursue a serving career but there’s so much more than just getting up and going. I’ve been a very impulsive person, and sometimes talking things through and educating yourself could make a huge difference on the difference that one makes. If you’re going to put so much effort into helping a community, why not do it right? One person cannot change the world, but someone has to make a step. Let’s put our best foot forward.

-Alicia Root (Conard)

Caraballo Continued…

We headed out of the home base early today to begin our last day working on the bottle school at Caraballo. This also marked our last day of service on the trip. It was exciting to see how much progress our group had made in the few weeks we have been here. On our last day, we split into groups to finish the last couple of classrooms. It was a bitter sweet ending saying goodbye to all the children and locals we have been working with over the last few weeks. I wish we were able to see the finished project, but I am very excited to see pictures in the near future.

After putting in our last bottles, we headed back to Cabarete to have delicious burritos at a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we returned to the home base. We rested for an hour in preparation for a game of kick-ball in the hot sun with the locals. Thankfully, the beach provided a perfect breeze and it was a super fun experience. Everyone had a good time. The game got a little competitive, with the GLA team winning 14-4. However, the locals have a running lead of winning 4 games against previous GLA groups. After the game, we headed back home to do the final preparations on our projects and eat another delicious dinner.

Following dinner, we had a leadership session. We watched a Ted Talk about a teenage girl who managed to take a huge stand against child soldiers, despite her young age. We related this back to our group, and how we are able to take a stand for what we believe in no matter what your age, race, or education level is. After leadership, we began our presentations. We started with the Keystone Pipeline, then Mining in Bonao, Farming in Constanza, and the Drought in California. Each group had very informative and interesting presentations pertaining to each problem and how they relate to the 7 elements of human security. It was a great ending to the day, and gave me a lot to think about and bring back home.

– Robyn Burnside

Caraballo

Today offered a very nice look into a community I had only seen the outside. The group started the day by waking up at 7:00 am and having breakfast. I’m pretty sure I’ve become a psychic, because I’ve figured out what we have for breakfast every day. The menu goes Eggs, bread, fruit, meat, and mashed potatoes. Not to insult the food or anything, it’s fantastic. After we had breakfast, we got on the bus and headed to Caraballo.

We were originally going to Caraballo to paint the inside of the bottle school we were working on there. However after we got there, Dave told us that instead, we would be picking up trash around & inside the bottle school. But before we did that, Dave took us on a 30 minute tour of the community. Caraballo is a town that has received a good amount of attention from different NGO’s, resulting in things such as schools, basketball courts. I saw three different basketball courts but no one was playing on them. But as Dave mentioned, a lot of these facilities won’t really help if a child is too sick to attend schools or play sports, which is the case a good amount of the time.

As we walked through Caraballo, I saw a lot of stores along the way, which struck me as weird because in an impoverished town like Caraballo, putting a store here would be a terrible idea. But then Dave told the group that the stores are really dependent on NGO’s coming in and buying their items. The dependency that the people have developed is a direct result of the constant attention NGO’s give them without a good exit plan, something I remember Dave saying earlier during the course.

After the tour, we spent an hour cleaning up around the bottle school. After that, we went to Cabarete where we had a good lunch and relaxed on the beach for a couple of hours. We left for the home base at 4:00 PM and after we got there, we had research time to finish up our projects followed by a delicious dinner. We capped off the night with a lecture by Dave and an interesting documentary called Food Inc. Overall today was a very interesting eye opening experience, because I got to see the conditions some of the people were living and understand the reason behind this. It’s one of those experiences that’ll just stick with you forever.

– Yusuf Ali-Halane

Las Canas

The alarm going off at 7:30 early in the morning would mark the beginning of an extremely significant day. At 8:30 we loaded up into the bus and headed out to the clinic back in Las Canas for the final preparations of the official completion. I was excited to be the group present for the completion of the project. The clinic was cleaned and decorations and paint were applied. Personally, I worked on taking the plastic off the doors, cleaning the walls, and removing excess construction materials lying around.

Shortly after finishing the clinic, the local children lead the group on a tour through Las Canas. I noticed how friendly everyone was while we reminded them that the clinic would open at one in the afternoon and that there would be a gathering. After the tour we headed back to the clinic and had lunch with the locals. When it was time to cut the ribbons, everyone gathered around. To be a part of laying a foundation and changing the future of others was certainly a proud honor.

Back at home base, we went to the beach to cool off and then went on to research our individual projects until dinner. After eating, we played some volleyball and proceeded to listen to a lecture on economics and development. Then we watched Ted Talks. The speaker disclosed information on the power of why, what inspires us, and why people buy into passion and beliefs. Overall, it turned out to be a day of great significance.

-Adam Lor

Puerto Plata: Cable car – Amber Museum

Today we woke up at eight and ate a delicious fulfilling breakfast consisting of eggs, sausage, and fruit. After breakfast we packed our bags, piled into the bus and started off to Puerto Plata. Once we arrived in Puerto Plata we boarded a cable car and ascended up a big mountain to a big statue of Jesus. While exploring Big Jesus’ mountain top we discovered a gift shop, a lagoon, a cave, and many more beautiful sights of nature.

After the cable cars we drove to the Amber Museum and learned about the ancient tree sap and its many varieties and qualities. In many pieces there are bugs and leaves fossilized and frozen in time for thousands of years. We also learned that amber floats in salt water which is the way they can tell the real pieces from the fake pieces. After the museum tour we walked through the gift shop on the bottom floor which was twice the size of the actual museum.

Once we got home we all went to the beach to enjoy the suns warm glow and the oceans refreshing waves. After our excursion to the beach we hopped in the pool at home base to talk and relax. After lounging in the pool we were challenged to a volleyball game by the ten day group. Volleyball has been an important activity to strengthen friendships and practice our teamwork since the beginning of the trip.

-Luke Torchin

Cano Dulce

Day 14 in GLA started like any other day wake up at 8 o’clock, breakfast at 8:30 and get on the bus at 9. The bus ride was about 10 minutes. Cano Dulce is not that far from home base. When we arrived at Cano Dulce we had a mini tour around the place. It was incredible to see the first bottle school completely finished. If you take a look at the beautiful peach school you wouldn’t believe it was made out of bottles. I was also amazed by the beautiful image of “El Mapa Del Mundo.” (The Map of the World) When I saw this bottle school I could only picture how beautiful the bottle school in Caraballo will turn out to be. After that we had to cross a bridge that was pretty scary. The bridge led to the place where Johnny processes his honey. Johnny sells his honey to make money to support his family. We have about 200 bottles of his delicious honey.

After the tour we were divided into our teams. There are 4 teams and each of the teams had different task to do. For instance, team one had to work on building the bridge, team two was focus on planting the trees from the reforestation project, team three worked on cementing the platform for the bridge, and lastly team four was working on cement for the kitchen walls. I was part of team two so my job was to plant trees. Planting trees might not seem much compare to the other teams, but trust me it was heavy work. First, we had to find an open area and take out all the weed and trash. Then we had to dig up a hole to place the tree. Since the dirt was dry and hard it was difficult to dig up. We finally placed the tree to its new home and water it.

We had lunch at noon and after that we went back to work. We went back to home base at 3 o’clock. Most of us were really exhausted. Some of us dipped our feet into the pool and enjoyed each other’s company. We then had dinner and after that we watched one ted talk and after that Dave introduced us to some of the returnee’s that are still here. The returnee’s spoke a little bit of themselves and of the projects they are working on. It was amazing how some of these returnees were younger or the same age as me and they already had great projects to help the community here. Afterwards, we watch three more incredible ted talks. Even though two ted talks were about 5 minutes long they manage to impact my life. I will always remember those two amazing ted talks that made me think about having guts to stand out. It was the perfect way to end my day.

-Melissa Flores

27 Charcos

Today we woke up at eight am and prepared for an exciting day of adventuring. We had the privilege of going to visit an ecotourism site named 27 Charcos which is a site filled with beautiful waterfalls and land made slides. Once arriving to the site we hiked up into the waterfall sites for about thirty minutes and once arriving to the first slide we realized how low the water levels were, it was sad to see such a beautiful spot so dried out. Yet we were all able to enjoy the first slide and begin our journey out through the park.
As we ran through all the slides they increased in size and velocity. Personally I tend to act tough but once I’m confronted with the act I get afraid and back out. On this trip I told myself that I would do everything so that I wouldn’t regret anything, and I was faced with an obstacle as we faced a waterfall from which we could either slide down or jump from a small cliff. I put my big girl pants on and walked onto the small platform to jump of, and I froze! I looked down it was only a ten foot drop yet it looked like a forty foot drop. I was too scared so I decided I would only slide down. But I heard all my group members cheering for me so I got up and jumped! It was awesome! We then ran through a few more and were finished with our tour.

After our big day at 27 Charcos we came home and had a mellow afternoon which then lead into dinner and leadership. Our leadership focused on the privileges that we have in the United States and the privileges that the Dominicans have here. It was great to discuss the cultural differences and privileges that we share. Overall the day was full of adventure and intellectual discussion which makes our group who we are.

-Cynthia Olivares

Las Canas

Today, I woke up at 7:00 am. Though I dread waking up at any hour before 8, I became accustomed to waking up this early and started the morning off by taking a shower and having a good breakfast. After, I went right to work with my group and we drove to Las Canas where we continued with our project on the clinic that provides not only a decent placement of health service, but also a good educational system for the children in the area who have almost to no education. I focusued mainly on putting up “trim” on the walls of the clinic to create a good structure for the place meticulously hammering down nails on the wood. After, even the kids tried to help by painting the wood red. Being in that clinic honestly made me reflect back on my experience in high school. My high school wasn’t the best nor did it do a good job on making the kids from low run inner city ghetttos profesional young adults. I imagined how the kids must have felt when they have never gone to school, so I felt content when I did my part in finishing the project for the health clinic.

-Aaronn Brown

Dudu

Today was a very fun-filled, adrenaline rushing day in the DR. We started out the day by waking up at 8 a.m., eating breakfast, and heading out to Dudu Lagoon. There was something for everyone at Dudu. Whether it was zip lining (and dropping 35 feet) into the lagoon, throwing yourself off an almost equally high cliff into the lagoon, exploring the underwater caves, playing volleyball and soccer, or just swimming around in the crystal clear water, I think it’s safe to say that everyone had a blast enjoying (or fearing for their lives) this break day. After eating lunch and waiting for the last minute decision makers to jump off the cliff, we left the beautiful waters of Dudu around 3 p.m. and made our way back to the home base.

We enjoyed our dinner of rice, beans, potato salad, ham (not chicken!), and fruit and waited for our guest speaker to arrive. In the evening, Dr. Kerolle, a local physician, came to talk to us about health care in the Dominican Republic. He explained to us the importance of giving proper medical attention to those who either can’t afford it, have no access to it, or both. He told us how him and some of his fellow physicians work with five communities at a time and strive to help those communities get up to par in terms of the overall health of that community. Many of the patients Dr. Kerolle treats suffer from one or more water-borne illnesses, which are very common in the Dominican Republic due to the contaminated water that we’ve been learning more about, along with water filters, throughout this trip.

After Dr. Kerolle’s presentation, we ended our day with watching a documentary called “The Dark Side of Chocolate”, which disclosed the horrors of child trafficking in the cocoa industry, mainly taking place in Africa. The documentary uncovered the selfishness of the owners of some major chocolate companies that choose to ignore the illegal ways in which their products are manufactured. It’s so important to raise awareness about things like this that go on in the world because it’s too often that people are blind to crimes that take place in other countries, yet affect so many people, in this case, innocent children.

-Marissa O’Donnell

Cabarete – Leadership – Teams research

First of all, I am tired and apologize for any typos that will most likely occur. Today was 100% amazing, probably because we got to hang out all day…like literally ALL day! We got to sleep in until 8. This might not seem great but it is much better than 6:30. After double coating ourselves in sunscreen, we headed to Cabarete: home of a beautiful beach as well as aggressive vendors. No matter how many times you tell them “NO gracias” they always find their way back and practically demand that you buy something. I’m not gonna lie, I have a hard time telling people to back the heck up so I got ripped off quite a few times. You learn from your mistakes (so they say).

The night before we were split up into four teams of 4-5 people. Each team has a project that we will present on near the end of the trip. Using Cabarete wifi, each team was able to begin its research on their topic. We worked until lunch, which was pizza, and then had the rest of the day to ourselves. A group of us played volleyball in the ocean with a few relatives for over an hour and then everyone split up to do their own thing: swimming, tanning, shopping, or being typical “gringos” on their iPhones.

As crazy as it sounds, 5 hours passes really quickly in DR time and by the time we knew it, we were headed back to home base. All of the men enjoy time at home base because we have volleyball tournaments were tensions are high and prides are at stake. I’m sure you will here plenty of stories about this. To close the activities of the day we watched Ted Talks on Global Priorities, Globalization and Countries that do good, a throughout discussion with Director Bea followed. All in all, I speak for all of us when I say this: everyone here has something different to bring to the table and all of us share a friendship that will last forever. I believe it is fate that brought this group together and I am cherishing every moment. Who knew that there were goofballs throughout the US just like me?

-Aaron Darden

Las Canas / The Roots of Division

When I woke up this morning, I was a little bit upset because we were told we were going to wake up at 8 o’clock but the mentors woke us 30 minutes early. So I had to rush to take a shower so I could be on time for breakfast. Today we were spilt up into 2 groups. One group stayed at the home base to help with the reforestation project and the other group went to Las Canas to help finish building the clinic/school. I really wanted to go to Las Canas so I could see how much work was done so far and see what I could to do to help and make it better and I also felt like staying at home base was the easy way out and if I wanted the easy way out I just would’ve stayed home back in Philadelphia.

We arrive at Las Canas 10 minutes after we left home base because Las Canas is not that far from here. The first job I did was paint the dark spots on the walls, so the walls could look perfect. Then my next job of the day was putting cement on the walls so the walls could be smooth. I was doing that job for at least an hour and I think I did a great job puttying. I was very tired afterwards. But I really appreciated the little kids in Las Canas helping us today.

We came back to the home base around 3’oclock and I was extremely exhausted. I jumped right in the pool with my clothes on, and I felt so much better. After I got out the pool, I had to do research with my group for our project. I’m really excited to see the final results for our project. I’m learning so much as I go through this beautiful journey.

After a delicious dinner we had a leadership activity, we needed to line up in silence in groups from younger to oldest and it was a challenge, some teams cheated but we all learned a good lesson. We end up our day watching a moving documentary called The Roots of Division, we learned about the history of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It was a very insightful movie that taught me a lot about the differences between the people on this island and that Haiti was the first independent nation in the Americas created by former African slaves.

-Sarah Kone

Caraballo/Social Justice/E-waste documentary

Today the group woke up at 7:00 and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of eggs, fresh fruit, and juice before heading to Caraballo where we continued working on the bottle school. The school, so far, is turning out beautifully and I still manage to be amazed at how much can be accomplished in such a short period. We all worked together with the locals to fill the walls with empty water bottles, cake them with cement, and let the structure come to life. Many of us really got to know the children, who excitedly helped out and spent time with us. After a delicious lunch made by the locals –rice, chicken, and fruit- we stayed working for a little longer before we hopped back on the bus and headed back to home base.

Exhausted from a long day of work, we arrived back at home base at around 4:00 and we immediately headed to the beach. The cool waves were amazing to cool off with, and we definitely stayed as long as we all could before thunder clouds started rolling in. Later in the day we had a great virtual conversation via Skype with Ric Murry, who spoke to us about social justice. He made some very eye opening points, and I’m sure we all left with lingering thoughts in our heads.

To end a great day, we watched a documentary on electronic waste, which I personally hadn’t known very much about, and it makes me want to be more cautious about where my trash is really going. We’re all going to bed with new information, mindsets, and excitement for the upcoming days of the trip.

-Sarah Kosian

La Grua

Today started much the same by waking at 7. We ate breakfast at 7:30 and were out the door by 8. The drive took an hour and a half and was very worth it. I remember the first thing I saw as I woke from my nap was a small pile of very dirty bottles and wrappers. This type of thing is non-existent in my hometown of around three thousand people. When I see these things it is very depressing, but just makes me work harder. It makes me want to help more and more and give back to those in need.
After we met the people of La Grua who were very welcoming, we helped clean up massive amounts of trash along the river. This trash was thrown there by the people of La Grua because they need to put their trash somewhere, by have nowhere to store it. Our goal today was to give them a cleaner river and to get the trash as contained as possible and to gain the villagers’ trust. They are later going to separate the trash into different bins that we provided as well. After it is all separated, they will sell the plastic bottles and have a source of income into the community.

Today was our attempt to gain the trust of a village never in contact with an NGO before. The village was a mix of Haitians and Dominicans which to me was a cause of concern. Haitians and Dominicans generally don’t get along, and my concern going into the village was that if I started playing with a Haitian, I’d lose a Dominican’s trust or vice versa. I did not see any of this which was wonderful to see.

This experience will make me think twice when I complain about small stuff. I never realized how bad people had it until I had to live like them. These people can find happiness with nothing but a deflated soccer ball and for the most part I have a lot of stress from the things that are supposed to be fun such as videogames. My experiences have also made me think less about my own life and more about others around me and be willing to help whenever people are in need.

We headed back to homebase and worked on our team’s project, we had time to do research and also enjoyed a insightful presentation on Human Security by Josh Skwarczyk, a graduate from Indiana University working as intern with 7e developing a model that will help NGO’s survey the communities they serve.

The leadership activity led by Andrea teach us how to find our true colors, a personality test that shed some light on the different strengths, weaknesses and values people posses.

-Ryan Andreoletti

Las Canas

Today’s adventure started with my alarm blasting, waking me up at 7:00 on the dot. Here follow a strict schedule: wake up, wait half an hour, eat breakfast, and get ready to leave on the bus for a quick five minute drive through Las Canas to another bottle school. Unlike that at Caraballo, this bottle school was almost completely finished all we had to do was clean up the walls and outside and add some more cement. My day consisted of shoveling broken pieces of cement into a barrel, carrying pieces of wood, measuring walls and taking an occasional water break, because if there is one thing I have learned here it is that water is IMPORTANT to drink and hydration is key. For lunch we walked down a hill to a house and were blessed with delicious rice and chicken. Who knew that food cooked over a fire held up by only three stones could be better than anything I’ve ordered at a restaurant. After walking back up to the hill to the bottle, we put on our gloves, grabbed a shovel and got back to work. We worked hard only until we became distracted by passing around a rock with our shovels. However, we got back to work and packed everything up before leaving around 3:00.

After arriving back at home base we only had a few minutes to relax before going to the beach. They say everything runs a little slower here with “Dominican time”, but we seem to be running from place to place. The waves at the beach were huge as usual, perfect for body surfing and wiping out. After getting out of the water and drying off we walked back to home base to relax and play some volleyball. Later, we were called over by Dave to sit down and talk about the seven elements of human security and how they could be applied to the communities we have seen here and how they could also be applied back home. After we had finished discussing we learned more about leadership skills and the importance of understanding your own values as a leader. At the end of the night I start to write this blog entry, others play cards and some of go to bed, but we are all ready and excited for tomorrow’s adventures.

-Antonio Mestre

Falcondo – Moca – back to homebase

Today we woke up at 6:30am at the Primavera Hostel in Santo Domingo. We ate breakfast sandwiches and left the hostel by 7:30am. We rode on the bus for an hour and a half to Falcondo, which is a mining company and worksite. Falcondo employees presented a power point in which we learned about the mining safety, the process of extracting metal, and the process of reforestation. After enjoying a snack we all put on safety vests and hats in order to take a tour of Falcondo. We were able to see the areas where the reforestation was taking place. Lunch was provided at Falcondo, then we continued our trip to Aqua Pure. This company makes water filters which are used by people who do not have access to clean water. On the tour we learned that the filters are actually made from a combination of sawdust and other materials, then molded and put into a kiln. We headed back to the home base for dinner and ended a successful day with a group discussion.

–Grace Marino

Journey to Santo Domingo – Jarabacoa – Constanza

Today, we started our journey to the capital of the Dominic Republic, Santo Domingo. We began our day at 7 am. We had breakfast that consisted of bread, eggs, ham and LOTS of fruit. After breakfast, we packed up the car and like all the times before we go anywhere, Dave yells “Vamonos” to let everyone know that it’s time to go. Before we left, Andrea suggested to Dave that the group sing “Row, Row Your Boat” like we had done in Brison but, since we weren’t all that good then, he decided we wouldn’t do that. There wasn’t much to do on the ride there but to listen to Ivan’s horrible taste in music. We were going up and down mountains that at one point I thought people would begin to throw up. We finally go to a town named Constanza , where most of the Dominicans and Haitians food is produced. We were able to smell all of the pesticides that was used on the crops by just passing by the town. After passing through that town, we continued the very long journey to Santo Domingo.

When arriving in Santo Domingo, we saw so many people! We drove through the very busy city until we got to the Primavera Hostel, where everybody was excited about getting Wi-Fi. After an hour at the hostel, we headed to a local Chinese restaurant, where we sat down and had dinner. After dinner, we began a long tour of the city. We were able to see the Colonial District. In the Colonial District we saw where Christopher Columbus first arrived in the “New World.” We saw the First Hospital, First Street, First Church and the First Home that Christopher Columbus had when he arrived in the New World. After touring the city for about an hour and a half, we headed back to the hostel where everyone went their separate ways to end the day.

– Nancy Corral

Caraballo – Cabarete – Threats and vulnerability / 11th hour

Today we started working on the bottle school in Caraballo. The students worked hard to fill the walls with plastic bottles that were held together by chicken wire. The friendly residents of the nearby villages helped with the workload. Students hammered in the chicken wire and tied everything together. We enjoyed a delicious meal. After a short break we returned to work and put cement on the walls. When we were done, we got on the bus and headed to Cabarete where the students relaxed on the beach and enjoyed smoothies at Lazy Dog. We returned to the home base where we discussed our day. The documentary, the 11th hour was watched, and discussed throughout the group. In my opinion, the documentary was extrememly eye opening and interesting. Most agreed that we we can each slowly change the environmental situation that we are in.

-Fernanda Alvarado

Brison Mountain – Las Canas Beach

Today we hiked mount Brison. We started our day early at 6 to arrive at the mountain before the sun became too hot. After our one and a half hour bus ride we arrived at the foot of the mountain. We then began our trek up the 3 miles of steep rocky road. When we arrived at the top we were greated by friendly locals who greeted us with a warm meal and smiling faces and we were treated to some refreshing popsicles after lunch. After coming back down the mountain and returning to basecamp we enjoyed a refreshing swim in the ocean.

After battling the waves in the ocean we were greeted with a meal of fish,beans,chicken,eggplant and fresh fruit. After dinner found different ways to spend our free time whether it was play volleyball or relax in our rooms. We were then called to an assembly in the restaurant where we discussed the seven elements of human security and leadership. We will all surely sleep well tonight after a long physically tiring day.

-Nelson Pereira

We’ve Arrived!

We had a warm reception in DR, we are safe and sound in our beautiful home for the next 21 days. We visited the beach a block from homebase and after a delicious home made dinner we jump started our program with orientation and leadership activities to set goals and get to know each other.

We’re a lil tired but happy to be here.

Let’s get our summer abroad started!!!

The 19 participants 🙂