We’re Coming Home!

All students have departed and are on their way home!

The Past Few Days

       

Today, one service group went to El Jobo to work on a local church. The church is in need of repairs, or else it will be closed down. In order to prevent this, we worked on refurbishing both the outside and the inside of this church. We touched up the yellow and green paint on the church exterior. Projects on the outside of the church were in the yard. We leveled out the yard so they can build the bathroom and a play area for the children. While leveling, we found a tarantula and disturbed an ant colony. Thank goodness for bug spray! It was hard work, but it was very rewarding and fun! -Kelsey Akerson

Another group also went to El Jobo to paint the garbage cans. We were able to paint unique designs on the cans! Also, the children were able to play and paint with us. It got a little crazy when one of the garbage cans was filled with cockroaches. Along with that, another service group went to work on the suspension bridge by continuing digging holes, they are getting so deep. #6feet. -Kim Hansen

Today, the group the Doce Ondas worked hard at the greenhouse and playground. We played with the energetic school children on the new playground and soccer field. We switched off painting and repairing the playground. Maria Jose, the leader of the playground project, wanted to do this project because before the GLA students came along, the schoolhouse and greenhouse was not accompanied with a playground for the kids at all. As a group we worked to make the playground as great as it could be, safe and colorfully adorned with bright paints. Many piggyback rides were given, and the kids happily played volleyball and soccer with us. Running around with the adorable children made the work extremely enjoyable because we knew that what we were doing would be worth it. -Nancy Howe

Today, the final group went to a small elementary school across from a community center and soccer field in El Jobo. Today was the children’s second day back from vacation, as they take a couple of weeks off at a time, rather than three months, like in the United States. At the elementary school, students worked hard to paint lettering reading “Orgullosos de ser Guanacaste cos” which translates to “Proud to be Guanacastan” in English. This was important to the school as the annexation anniversary of Guanacaste is coming up very soon, and the school wanted to show their pride. Another project included touching up the paint on the school buildings and playing “Pato, Pato, Gonzo” (Duck, Duck, Goose) with the elementary students. Every now and then at Home Base, we catch a few baa’s from Panchito, the resident goat. -Quincy Rose

Today in our free time, we were given the opportunity to go to El Jobo to play in a community futbol game and make recycled jewelry. During the game, it rained. This was very refreshing, considering the humidity outside. The futbol game was very fun, even though we lost 4-2.The locals were wonderful to interact with. I am glad we had the opportunity to share a game with these locals through something they love. Maria Jose, an amazing, incredibly involved tico who lives here in La Cruz, led the recycled jewelry activity. By taking old plastic soda and water bottles, cutting them up, putting in holes and attachments, and painting them, Maria taught us to make beautiful earrings and necklaces that anyone, even the most un-artsy of people, can create. –Kelsey Akerson & Quincy Rose

Continuing Service

    

Today one of the groups headed back over to the local church to continue their service. The tasks included painting the walls of the church a lovely shade of green and yellow, helping tile the floor, and digging holes for a fence to be put in. Although the work became strenuous under the blazing sun, the group enjoyed a quick break by partaking in a dance party with a local children and fan favorite, Jose.

Another one of the groups went to a local school to continue their service. The projects at the school included building and painting a playground made out of tires, working on tables for a greenhouse that will provide dark greens for the children at the school, and playing soccer and other games with the children.

Another group had the responsibility of repainting garbage cans and making them more presentable. They proceeded to provide each garbage can with a theme: earth, water, and sun. In addition to painting some of the garbage cans the group was able to play with the kids at the near by school during their recess period. When I say PURA you say VIDA….. PURA! VIDA! PURA! VIDA!

-Kate Collins, Lindsey Rae, Maggie Hayes, Kate O’ Keefe

Adventure Zone & A Volcano

Today two mentor groups traveled to Adventure Zone to experience Costa Rica through zip lining over the rainforest, horseback riding, and tubing down a river. The zip line course proved fun yet challenging activities from propelling down a cliff, rock climbing back up, and hanging upside down on the zip lines. The groups also had a chance to ride horses. Each person was able to ride their own horse- it was so much fun! The horses were sweet and comfortable to ride. They brought us to a local waterfall where we could jump off a cliff and enjoy the fresh cold water. PURA VIDA! Lastly, the groups went white water tubing, an experience that proved exhilarating yet relaxing. With a little help from our friends Fernando and Fabio, each mentor group had the time of their lives. We didn’t even fall out of our tubes!

The other three groups traveled to an exotic volcano, where the group got to see the boiling hot mud from the volcanic activity and get a peak at the wildlife throughout the hike. After hiking around the volcano, they traveled to one of Costa Rica’s natural wonders—the hot springs. After bathing in scorching hot water, they covered themselves with mud and washed it off after it dried, all meant to rejuvenate and relax. After, we went and looked around the local shops to find some Costa Rican treasures! We ate gelato which was the most delectable and stimulating experience for our taste buds. Gelato es mi amor! Thanks for reading!!!
Hope y’all are having as much fun as we are having in this truly incredible, fantastic, and captivating country. And one more time everyone…PURA VIDA!!!!!!

With love,
Lindsey Rae, Kimberly Hansen, Hannah Mercorella, Rebecca Godfrey, Lauren Edmiston, and Mariel Arnold

   

An Exhilarating Day

Hola!

With two service days behind us, today 4 family groups set off on an adventurous day; ranging from flying through the air like spiderman to cursing down speedy rapids to riding a horse through the rainforest to a beautiful waterfall. Today was such an exhilarating day. We are all tired, but ready for another exciting day tomorrow.

The other 2 family groups took a beautiful walk through the forest and saw a lot of volcanic activity. From there we headed to el Coco to do some souvenir shopping. It was fun to see a different part of Costa Rica.

-Zoey Pellowitz, Lydia Bruemmer, Sarah Marlin, Alisha Schwartz

Service

Today two service groups went to a local school and helped reorganize the interior and rebuild the playground. Afterwards they ended the day by playing a game of soccer (football) with the local kids. Another service group assisted in starting the foundation of a suspension bridge that will prevent a part of the town from being cut off during the rainy season. They worked with the locals to dig holes and interacted with the children. The third group went and participated in an adult English class in which they interacted with the students and practiced their Spanish. They helped locals with English, while the locals taught them Spanish. They were near the beach, and got to play games and soccer with the locals. One of the service groups went to a local church and painted the outside a vibrant green and yellow. Some GLA members went around and painted touchups on the outside while others were inside scraping the dried paint droplets off the tile. Some members of the group went around and placed the poles of wood in the pre-dug holes and poured the cement mixture in. Of course the most memorable part for everyone was interacting with the local children. One of them Jose, went to the neighbors house and bought us all ice-cream that was made in a plastic bag. So that was a delicious and wonderful break after a long morning of work! All of the GLA members created friendship bracelets on the church porch. While creating them we listened to the local children’s music, definitely an incredible way to finish our morning.

After service, a group took a boat ride out to a nearby island. The water was clear and blue and people either swam or collected shells on the beach. The island was a protected area for native birds and had beautiful trees and shells. Students who stayed at the hotel had the option to participate in a cooking class, in which they learned how to make empanadas, a traditional Costa Rican meal. Cooks taught students how to assemble the empanadas.

Starting Service

Today was our first day of service here in Costa Rica. Yesterday we spent the whole day at our home base, the Ecoplaya Hotel, meeting new friends from across the world and learning about the Costa Rican culture through a Spanish lesson with Fabian. Therefore, leaving home base and travelling to various service sites in the community was refreshing, rewarding, and very exciting!

Two service groups travelled to a local school to work on a playground made of recycled tires and a greenhouse. While we were there, we also had the opportunity to connect with local children through soccer and other activities. The playground is an ongoing project that will allow local children to have something more than a dirt field to play on. Our green house project was designed to give kids more much needed dark greens within their diet. Connecting with the children included some amazing soccer skills, an impromptu game of “perro, perro, gato” and some hair braiding. It was an incredible experience getting to interact with different personalities even though we don’t speak the same language.

Another group went to a local church and began our day playing some simple games with a little boy named Jose. Then we began to work. We made some touch ups on the interior and exterior paint jobs of the church, dug holes for a fence around it, and cleaned up paint from the tile floor. While we were not working on the church, we were able to interact with some little Ticos named Luna, Nathalie, and Gretchen along with Jose. We even got to treat ourselves to some ice cream in a bag! We then finished off the day with some jump rope. Although in the beginning communication was tough, we then figured out that everyone loves a simple high five and knows how to bust a move.

Lastly, one other group was building a bridge in a local community. This project is very important to the Ticos since when there is heavy rainfall the whole road floods and people are not able to go to school or work. Therefore, this bridge will ensure that their lives aren’t affected by these floods. Today we started the project by digging some holes, which will be the foundation of the suspension bridge. The best part of the service was meeting the local engineers who were really nice and funny, and meeting other locals who were excited about the project and eager to help.

-Catie Jaffe, Kelsey Akerson, Bebe Chancellor, Carolina Barrosa

Hello everyone!

Everyone arrived safe and sound! After a great nights sleep we were ready to kick off the 3rd session in a big way! Today we played a lot of get-to-know-you games and we went on a wild scavenger hunt. Every group came up with creative songs to represent their family group and presented them to the entire group. There’s lots of positive energy from Ecoplaya (our homebase) that’s sure to keep going throughout. It’s our first full day together and I can already tell it’s going to be a stellar session!!!!

-Lindsey
International Director

We’ve Arrived!

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

Service Sites & A Birthday!

   

A few different service sites we contributed to today included construction at the school green house; Spanish/English classes as the high school in La Cruz; and painting and varnishing the rest of the project at the church in El Jobo. Also, some of us played in a soccer match against a local team! Other students cheered us on and entertained local children. Over all, we deepened our cultural understanding of the Costa Rican people. And if Emily Pope’s family is reading this: the birthday girl was in good hands last night!

Adventures & Service

Today, kids from the Sports Service Group were able to practice their Spanish and teach English to other high school Ticos about their daily schedule. After that, the high school students taught us how to play handball.

Today, we mixed cement in order to fill tires for the playground. It was hard work, but we managed to fill more than half of the tires!

In our adventures today, we serviced a group of children and amazing adult leaders in the community to renovate a church in the area. The color on the walls is much cheerier and the pews are stained like new. Very strong relationships were developed with the children and also the animals there; this day was surely eye-opening and extremely fun!

On our second day of service, we continued working on the greenhouse and playground projects. Tables were built and put together for the greenhouse and tires were put in and stabilized with cement to create a really cool and interesting playground for the local kids. While working on the projects, we had the opportunity to practice our Spanish to communicate with the kids, play some soccer, and make a memorable connection with the native Ticos working with us.

La Cruz

Turtilicious- (Alex) Today we sanded pews in a church. We are helping the locals renovate their church. It was an amazing experience working with the kids in the village and seeing them so excited over something we could do for them.

Convivimos- (Anthony) Today was a day not to forget. Seeing new things along the bus ride was an eye opening experience. But playing soccer was by far the best. Getting beat by the locals (3-0) was a highlight.

Los Animales- (Shawn) Today was the first day of a week of hardwork! We did so much to the locals yet had so much fun looking at the scenery and visting the neighboring town La Cruz!

Team Money- (Dana) Today was our very first day of service! We helped fix up and contribute to the mural in La Cruz and had a lot of fun communicating with the locals. Everyone was very impressed with the art work and so glad we got to be a part of it.

Today, we went to a mural created b the town of La Cruz. It was amazing to see the incredible creation created by the teamwork of the whole community and it meant a lot ot be able to help them put the finishing touches on it.

Today we took a trip with our families to La Cruz. We explored the city and tried lots of food. We stopped at a local ice cream place, a local bakery and a super market.

Adventures

Tiffany’s Group
On this lovely day, Tiffany’s group entitled Team Money had quite the experience. We began the day by hiking the base of a volcano, and were thrilled to see volcanic activity and the beauty of Costa Rica’s rainforest. We continued to soak in hot springs located nearby, and had such a fun time painting ourselves in exfoliating mud. Most of us had the best time at a Liberian grocery store, where we joined in on the celebration when Costa Rica won a round of the World Cup against Greece. We loved seeing the culture and ways of life of the Ticos, as well as their community unity.

Kevin’s Group
Beginning reluctantly at 5:30 am, the sportside adventure team trooped to the buses, preparing for an incredible day. Rotating breathlessly through the trifecta of activities offered, we trotted through picturesque landscape on horseback, splashed screaming down whitewater rapids, and zoomed through lush forests on ziplines. Though we were exhausted after the two-hour bus drive from the day’s activities, our energy was instantly replenished enough for a raucous celebration as Costa Rica’s world cup team won the penalty shootout against Greece, giving us an opportunity to express our newfound loyalty to this wonderful country.

Emily’s Group
Today we woke up at 5:30 am and the beachside adventure group was ready to have an amazing day. First we went on a hike through the rainforest and we saw the hot springs and also the bubbling clay. Then, we went to the hot tub in the middle of the forest and after we painted each other with mud. After we cleaned off in the clean river which felt amazing after a long day in the sun. We ended the day watching Costa Rica win against Greece, so awesome!
-Alexis

Alex’s Group
5:30 AM was the start to a beautiful day in Costa Rica. With a big breakfast in our stomachs we headed off to the volcano for a beautiful hike. It was surreal how beautiful the views and surroundings were. Our group was always in amazement! The hot pools were burning hot, but amazing for our tired muscles. After we left the adventure at the mountains, we found ourselves at a supermarket in Liberia watching Costa Rica beat Greece World Cup game. The atmosphere was exhilarating and it made for an amazing day.
-Maura

Sherrilee’s Group
The day started with a 5:30 bus ride to the adventure hotel, where our group began with horseback riding. We met our beautiful horses and trotted out on the trail for a nice walk. When the trail ended, we took a bus over to the river to begin white water tubing, gliding down the river and bumping into rocks and other tubes along the way. Tubing finished with a great meal at the hotel restaurant, and we rushed over to the zip lines. After about 30 minutes of exploring the rainforest on metal wires, we watched a few minutes of the Costa Rica world cup game and then headed back to the hotel Ecoplaya where we watched the end of the very exciting game and finished out the exciting day with a great dinner.
-Niki B

Mateo’s Group
The morning started at 5:30 with a big breakfast and a two hour drive to the volcano. We hiked for two and half hours through the forest while looking at local wildlife and sulfur mud baths. After we painted out selves with mud and waded in the river to get the mud off. We later went to Liberia and shopped in a local supermarket while watching Costa Rica play Greece in the World Cup. A festive ride back to home base was a great way to end the day.
-Lauren G

Our First Few Days

In Emily’s group, we all had a great time. We went horseback riding, tubing, and on zip lines. There were animals such as monkey’s, birds, and butterflies. Some people decided to plunge and take a greater risk by going upside down. It was an experience we will never forget.

In Matt’s (Mateo’s) group, we took a nice bus ride down to Guachepelin where we had a great time horseback riding, followed by tubing down the river and zip-lining through the great outdoors. A few of the more adventurous leaders took a frightening plunge deep into the caves, landing just above the river.

In Sherilee’s group we went on a group hike through the rainforest.  We saw the beautiful hot springs and were able to take a dip into the clear water.  We then painted our bodies with mud that made our skin very soft.  We cleaned off the mud in the cool river and just relax.  It was a beautiful day with great weather!

Today was day three in Costa Rica with Global Leadership Adventures. In Tiffany’s group, we spent our time trotting through the jungle on horseback, riding the rapids on an inner tube, and finally, cruising through the beautiful scenery on zip lines. Everyone is pretty tired now from this long day, but we are all enjoying the beautiful weather, and the growing friendships!

Today in Kevin’s group (Convivimos), we went hiking at the base of a volcano and bathed in hot springs. The scenery was beautiful on the hike and there were also multiple sulfur ponds which were really cool. Also, we went to hot springs and covered ourselves in mud! Pura Vida!

The swagged-out members of Alex’s group participated in several excursions today, all of which ensured A BLAST! The turtilicious gals started off the day with a leisurely horseback ride through the exquisite Guachepelin and continued the day with an adventure-filled white-water tubing ride. We all had plenty of sunshine and lots of laughs and after our almuerzo fabulouso, we went ZIP LINING! Alex’s family definitely delved into the Pura Vida lifestyle more than ever today!

  

They’re Here!

All our students are here and have called home! They are very excited and energetic despite the long journey – and they have an incredible adventure ahead of them.

Photos and new blog posts will follow!

Hola!

Today has been a jam-packed day filled with great service projects, Latin dance lessons with Luigi, discussions about social media and technology, friendship bracelet making, and a big soccer game with the locals. We will let the pictures speak for themselves today.

 

More Pictures, More Memories

A crazy number of pictures from our Costa Rica program:

Making Memories

This morning each mentor group set off to different places for their 4th day of service work. Sherrilee’s group went to the close town of El Jobo to help some local women pick up trash on the streets and playground. Emily’s group went to the greenhouse site and helped out by setting poles in the ground for the foundation of a new greenhouse. They also moved dirt to level the ground and remove nails from old boards so they could be recycled. Emily’s group finished the day by playing soccer with the school children nearby.

Today in Alex’s group, we went to the city of La Cruz to interact with some of the high school students. There we learned about what kids our age do in Costa Rica. We also helped them with their English by talking to them in English.

With the Tico’s Gringos we worked hard on re-cementing the wall to make a smooth surface for the continuation of the mural. However this also involved finishing up the breaking down of the walk.. It was a ton of fun but hard work. After we were done we enjoyed a small soccer juggling session with one of the workers, and even a young boy. The monet was surreal, but quite picture perfect.

This morning Kevin’s family group went into the town of La Cruz. We helped put cement on the walls to prepare them to be able to paint. They are making a mural down the whole street. While working we spoke with the locals and helped them with their English.

– Claire Ballentine, Grace Nikunen, Nicholas Sarabia, Kasey Rohleder, and Natalie Cooper

A Diversity of Service

Today Sherrilee’s mentor group paired up with another group and drove to La Cruz to work on a mural. Once we got there,a group sifted through dirt to smooth the wall, another group painted, and a final group took down cement blocks with sledgehammers. We got to interact with the locals and actively see that we were making a difference by covering up graffiti and preserving the town history of La Cruz by painting a mural showing historical events in the town.

Meanwhile, Alex’s group was at the greenhouse. We started off by carrying logs and digging. Afterwards, we planted some of those logs. While the school kids were out at break we talked to them, and then as we got to know them we played soccer (and of course duck-duck-goose!). The kids were touched that we spent time with them, and after our time together we didn’t want to say goodbye.

Team Ticos Gringos traveled to a local beach in el Jobo and worked with a group of women to decorate six trashcans. Our biggest challenge throughout the day was communication, but the women were very understanding and we were able to complete the task in the end. It was a lot of fun painting designs, and hopefully, restoring the trashcans will encourage people to keep the beaches clean.

The Lufepos’ (Kevin’s mentor group) practiced speaking English with local women in La Cruz. We paired up one-on-one and conversed, learning about each other’s lives. We then presented in front of the group, Ticos in English and the rest of us in Spanish. We played a game similar to dodge ball afterwards. It was a unique opportunity to practice our Spanish and also make a personal connection with the native Costa Ricans.

Finally, #TeamAwesome (Emily’s group) went to La Cruz to help construct a mural for the community. There were mainly 3 different tasks that we had to complete: putting a primer on the wall for the concrete to bind to, sifting the dirt onto the concrete, and finally smashing down some sides of the wall with a protruding section. The locals there were so engaging as they interacted with us. They made jokes that were hilarious, and definitely helped us improve our Spanish. In the end it was another amazing, engaging, and fun-filled day.

– Helen Craig, Savannah Carson, Kayla O’Brien, Elizabeth Porter, and Maimouna Diallo

Good Vibes

The heat was intense in the beginning, but worry not! We did not let it bring us down. Our day was packed with good vibes and the atmosphere remained pleasant throughout. Some groups ventured to the beach and river to clean up countless amounts of trash, as well as painting several trashcans with plenty of style. Other groups visited a Costa Rican school and practiced their Spanish while simultaneously helping other students improve. Yet another group set up the base of a greenhouse and played soccer with many children from this beautiful country.

The World Cup series better watch for this upcoming team folks (insert snippet of the grand World Cup applause here!) After another Costa Rican lunch, we learned about ecotourism and explored a Costa Rican beach. While there, we played games in the sand mimicking the famous sea turtles we had learned about earlier in the day in a brilliant presentation. The warmer-than-usual highly salt-concentrated water was a nice cool off after the activities. We then returned to home base in anticipation of another delicious meal.

 – Nattamon Rawanghet (Patch), Gena Cohen, Addie Waskowitz, Julia Knecht, and Kenny Park

 

Challenges and Rewards

Each family group photographer captured the challenging and rewarding moments of today through a camera lens, with the help of a couple of ticos (Costa Rican locals)!

Three family groups were able to help clean up local beaches. One challenge that we faced was communication between the locals and volunteers. A reward was swimming and appreciating a clean ocean.

Another group visited a local high school, where they were greeting with smiling faces and excited students. One of the highlights of the school was watching a handball game among the students. Despite the challenging language barrier, this group has a blast hanging out with kids their age from Costa Rica.

The last group dug holes in order to begin the construction for the greenhouse at a school. A challenge was the organization of such a task. A reward was laughing with the local children.

Overall these adventures have contributed to the Costa Rican community.

-Katie Glaser, Sophia Smith, Camryn Riddle, Janay Livings, and Tia Jone

Ecoplaya Adventures

Here we are in beautiful Costa Rica enjoying the sunshine. Our morning was perfect! We got to know our home base and and our GLA community while taking in the scenery around us. The afternoon brought quite a bit of rain, but we made the best of it and took the time to reflect on our new experiences by journaling. Overall it was a great day here at Ecoplaya; filled with lots of fun activities and plenty of laughter! This is the start of an unforgettable summer!

-Lindsey, International Director

All Arrived!

With the exception of one student who missed her flight, all students have arrived safe and sound in Costa Rica! We’re already having an amazing time getting to know one another, and we will keep you posted on our progress.

Headed Home

All students have checked in the airport and are headed home!

Saying Goodbye

If there is one thing to say about the amazing past three weeks in Costa Rica, it is that it feels like anything but three weeks. Two, maybe three days ago, I was on a plane coming here. Yesterday, I was building sidewalks, making eco-bricks, rafting through a beautiful and rushing river, learning Spanish, and just hanging out with friends, somehow all at the same time. And today, as I write this, I am fully packed up, my room empty, getting ready for the last delicious meal I will ever share with this group of incredible people. Even though I can look back at the calendar, and I know that we didn’t really do everything over the course of a couple days, a part of me refuses to believe it, the same part that refuses to believe that these three weeks really have come to an end, and tomorrow I will be on another plane, this one taking me back home. Nonetheless, it is over, and now it’s time to look back, reflect, and remember all of the fantastic things these short few weeks have held.

Even though this trip was explicitly described as one of service, I don’t think I fully realized before I left how much hard work we would be doing. Although the first few days were definitely hard to get used to, looking back on all of the great work we have done is an amazing feeling. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we are all so happy for the opportunity we have been given to help out in both communities, and do not regret a single blister, sore arm, or sun-burn we have all acquired over the course of our time here. I know that I could spend the rest of this paragraph going over all of the how many bags of cement, and how many painted tires, and how much square feet of sidewalk we made, and all of that, but I won’t. Those numbers belong on a spreadsheet, and this experience will never be anything like one. Instead, I will simply say that I think we made a real difference, no matter how small, and I, like everyone else in the group, am incredibly grateful for that opportunity.

If I could, I would spend paragraphs and paragraphs talking about the amazing friendships I have made here, the adventures and excitement we have had, the incredible locals we have been guided and welcomed by, and the ways that all of us have grown, as leaders, followers, and individuals. Unfortunately, I can’t. There is too little time, too many things to talk about, and I am pretty sure the food is getting cold waiting for me to finish this blog post, so I have to end it here. I don’t think it really matters anyway, because I would never have been able to do any sort of justice to this experience, no matter how much time I had to write. The only way to really hear about this story is to hear it from one of us, and I don’t think even that will ever fully capture it. But don’t worry, because if you want to hear about this wonderful experience in person, you won’t have to wait long. We, sadly and much too quickly, will be home soon.

-Reuben Dubester

Ending Service

With this final week, we wrapped up service at San Pedro, accomplishing all the goals set for the program. Among the key tasks were the continuation of the cementing of a sidewalk, and helping in the fertilization and cleaning of various organic coffee farms in the area. Both had great advantages, and disadvantages. As regards to to the coffee farming, one of the highlights was riding in the back of a pickup truck to the farming destination, and hooting and hollering at the cement group, who returned the gestures and comments, all in the name of jest. However, the thrill of riding in the pickup truck faded with arrival at the farm, and the immediate swarming of bugs no one had ever seen before. A word from the wise: it turns out that when faced with the super bugs of Costa Rica, conventional insect repellent does not completely eliminate the number of bugs capable of mounting an attack on one’s flesh. Casualties still occurred, just on a smaller scale. As far as cementing the sidewalk went, the largest “con” was simply the amount of labor necessary. Mixing cement is difficult work, but the feeling at the end of the task, and seeing the sidewalk slowly advance was rewarding. All the service tasks at San Pedro were completed, and we finished the final day with a satisfying soccer game. The end of service proved to be bittersweet, with many valuable lessons learned along the way.

After the week of service, we had a single-day excursion at an adventure park. There were all sorts of high-flying activities (literally). They included a Tarzan swing, climbing up the inside of a ficus tree and repelling down, and many others. All had fun, many conquering their fear of heights in return for a rush of adrenaline.

As far as the program goes, I am sad to be leaving. However, it is now time to take all the memories, and return to change our lives at home.

-Catherine Gong

Excursions!

This week, I get the blog about our excursion. I plan to make the most of it.

On Monday, we traveled to the Dominical beach. As to be expected, going to ¨la playa¨ with a large group of teenagers was a crazy affair. Our group arrived around lunchtime, and after devouring the aforementioned meal, had an afternoon of free time. There was an outdoor pool at the hotel we stayed at, so some opted for that option rather than dunking themselves in the salty waters of the Pacific Ocean. Surfing lessons were provided, for a fee, and the adventurous few that took this opportunity emerged with mixed results. Some proved natural surfers, while others found the ocean to be rather disagreeable; the ¨naturals¨ comforting those that found the waves disagreeable with the words ¨All I did was stand up,¨ and receiving the response ¨I tried to do that multiple times, and failed.¨ Personally, I sympathized with the group that found the ocean less friendly.

The next day of our ¨weekend¨ (Tuesday), we went to one of the most famous national parks in Costa Rica: El Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. Before reaching the beautiful beach the park provided, we walked on a short trail through the rainforest surrounding the coast. Sloths, monkeys, bats, and various insects and bugs were sighted on the trail, showing the diversity of life in the rainforest, even though we passed through a very small, people‐congested segment of the ecosystem. Our tour guides led us to a more private beach area, and almost immediately upon arrival, people began sprinting for the water ‐ a cautious few remaining behind to secure their belongings to prevent theft by raccoon. The water was warm and extremely salty. Those that enjoyed diving through the waves did that all morning. Everyone enjoyed wonderful and relaxing atmosphere until lunchtime, when it dawned upon the group that we needed to walk all the way out of park and twenty minutes more to the restaurant in hot, sticky, and humid weather. The showers were outdoor, so many opted out of them, and the result was a salty and sandy entourage engaging in a miserable and complaint‐filled trek in which every individual was forced to dig deep inside and find the motivation to continue. Looking back on it though, it really wasn´t that bad, we were all probably just hungry. The rest of the afternoon was free‐time, and a long bus ride back to home base. The day ended with a delicious meal prepared by our chef (more like resident superhero) Memo.

In conclusion, the beach excursion this weekend was filled with entertainment and great experiences. Service is fun and chock‐full of lessons, but breaks are refreshing, and we want to enjoy all that the country of Costa Rica has to offer. The two beaches we went to were beautiful, and it is a valuable lesson to remember that we must work hard to maintain state.

-Catherine Gong

A New Week of Service

Today marked the beginning of a new week of service, and the completion our first set of service projects. We spent the last week in San Bernardo, a small town tucked away high in the Costa Rican mountains. Although we had to get up earlier to account for the long and winding drive there, we had several delicious breakfasts prepared by Memo, our chef/superhero in residence, to fortify ourselves for each days hard work.

While in San Bernardo we had three tasks: painting and extending a fence made out of recycled tires, improving the concrete driveway that connected the community center to the main road, and constructing an eco-brick wall around the local school’s garden. Constructing the tire fence first involved the incredibly hard and strenuous work of sitting down and using a paintbrush to color the tires. Although this was back breaking labor, several brave students volunteered themselves for this sacrifice. The tires were then positioned in trenches, and stacked on top of each other, resulting in a colorful and efficient barrier between the grass soccer field and the town’s hungry cows. While half the group worked on this project, the others got their first exposure to cement, and received a crash course in how heavy shovels can be. Although the work was very tiring, standing back at the end of each day and seeing the driveway slowly grow towards the road was very rewarding, and when it was finally complete, we all felt happy about what we accomplished, although that feeling could also have been the exposure to excess paint fumes from the tires.

The last service project was the helping the local school with a wall for their new garden, made out of eco-bricks. For those who don’t know, eco-bricks are recycled plastic bottles that are the filled to the brim with other plastic trash. This sounds incredibly easy, up until you finish your first eco-brick, hand it to one of the counselors, and have your dreams crushed when they squish it down and your learn you only filled up about half of the bottle. When all of the eco bricks were finished, we painted them in the colors of the Puerto Rican flag, and built up the wall itself. In the end, we were left with a smooth, beautiful, and eco-friendly wall, that was then entirely ruined by 20 GLA students signatures, along with a host of smiley faces, hearts, and the use of the phrase “2K14.”

Although we have finished our first set of projects and we still have many more to go, we will all always remember our achievements, the locals we met and befriended, and delicious food we ate while we were there. We won’t have to think to hard to remember though, because we will always be reminded of them by specks of paint that we still have on our arms, and at this point look like they are never coming off.

-Reuben Dubester

Adventures!

The past week in Costa Rica has been full of service and learning, but there has been plenty of adventure and excitement as well! After two days of hard work in San Pedro, we started off our “weekend” with a late wake up, and a fantastic breakfast. We then got on the bus, and traveled three hours to the beautiful Gauyabo National Monument, an archaeological site where we hiked through the rainforest while learning about the indigenous peoples who used to inhabit the land, and the monuments they left behind. We saw the foundations of the houses and structures they inhabited, and an aqueduct that still functions after hundreds of years! After this, we headed back to a hotel in Turrialba, where we ate a delicious dinner and relaxed to get ready for a busy day on the Pacuare River.

The next day, we hopped on another bus, and drove through the mountains, descending down to the banks of the Pacuare, where we met our guides, geared up in life jackets and helmets, and grabbed our paddles. Once we were on the river, the guides taught us the essential commands, such as “forward” and “backwards,” and then moved on to more complicated and advanced maneuvers, such as “right forward” and “left forward.” Although advanced, we quickly mastered these techniques, and set off down the river, towards the rapids. As the river got faster and the rapids got more intense, losing a couple travelers along the way (we managed to retrieve them all quickly, with no injuries other than their pride,) we ended an exhilarating and excitement fun filled morning with a delicious lunch on the banks of the river, prepared by the guides.

The afternoon rafting got on to an exciting start, when one intrepid crew of rafters became carried away with just the basic commands of “forwards” and “backwards” and decided to advance to the next level command of “upside down,” while trying to save another member of their crew who had decided to take an impromptu swim through a rapid. Fortunately, everyone responded quickly and intelligently to the situation, and soon enough we were once again forging on through the river. Everyone had a fantastic day, and our rafting adventure (or misadventure) will definitely be one of the highlights of the trip!

-Reuben Dubester

A Great Week!

Because it is really difficult for me, as a writer, to write a brilliant introduction, I won’t. It has officially been a week since the start of this Costa Rica trip, and so many events have occurred. It’s really hard to believe that this program is already, or perhaps only, a third of the way done. Personally, I’ve experienced so much, especially through the various service activities that we assist in in the area.

One of the communities that the group has been assisting is the small town of San Pedro. After arriving at the service site, there was a group discussion regarding sustainable development, which we defined as development in an area that is designed to maintain the environment, and benefit the community at the same time. To explore this, a hypothetical situation was proposed. “If Earth were to be destroyed within a week, what ten things would you take to another planet?” The only assumption to this situation being that there was no need for oxygen. We were split into groups, with some being more serious than others. After much jest, however, we realized just how much humans depend and are a part of nature (despite the reluctance of some to accept this), and how necessary it is to promote sustainable development. The various lists proposed were almost entirely composed of water, seeds, and other “natural” materials. Clearly, an X-box, no matter how entertaining, would not be helpful without other necessities coming from the Earth.

After this discussion about sustainable development, we set to work in aiding the community of San Pedro. Half of our group was assigned the duty of helping a local coffee farm in its transition to a more eco-friendly technique. The farm was located on a slope, as most are in Costa Rica. In order to slow the process of erosion in the topsoil, deep holes and trenches were dug – the former to catch dirt, and the latter to carry rainwater away. Many compared the experience to the novel and film Holes. The other group went to the local school and completed several smaller projects. Some were delegated the task of painting tires, and others were told to dig ditches in the ground for the tires, so children could run and jump on them. The last section of the group that went to the school was given the task of scrubbing a wall to clean it for a future paint job. From a personal perspective, vigorously attacking the wall and watching the clouds of dust and moss explode of the wall was far more satisfying than one could expect. For day two at San Pedro, the responsibilities were switched, and everything functioned similarly to the first day, with slight discrepancies: the freshly scrubbed wall was given a paint job, and the group at the farm planted trees in addition to digging ditches.

The second community we spent time at was San Bernardo. By the time we got here, everyone was out of the fresh energy that was plentiful at San Pedro (i.e. It was a little difficult to get everyone moving). During our first day there, half of the group was given the responsibility of moving piles of dirt near the goal of the soccer field. Later, we also began cementing a sort of driveway. The other half of the group painted tires for a fence around the soccer field. The second day, the group that painted tires continued the cementing job, and vice versa. Later, we all made eco-bricks. Eco-bricks are plastic water bottles that are stuffed with compacted plastic waste, and later painted and cemented to make a strong wall. If one ever desires to have their dreams repeatedly crushed, begin an eco-brick project. You fill the water bottle to what you think is the brim, and watch someone else mash the plastic to half of what it was.

However, despite any possible complaints, this past week of service (with a “weekend” break – see other blog post) has been an almost literal blast. Helping a community to build can be truly rewarding, in more ways then one. I never knew that I could have the liveliness to complete some of the things that I’ve accomplished. As an example, I look children running around, and wonder how they have the energy and excitement for something like that. I’ve realized, however, that the reason why adults seem to have less energy than children is because adults spend all their energy thinking, as opposed to children, who spend all their energy doing. Through the service in Costa Rica, it has become more apparent that doing is infinitely more valuable than thinking.

Starting Off

Well, it is official; the second GLA Spanish Service Adventure Mountain program is in full force. Starting with the first students arriving at 6am Thursday morning and the last one at 11:00pm, all the motivated, enthusiastic, amazing learners are here, happy and healthy! Our international staff consists of Director Andrea and Mentors MarDestinee and Carlos. I can confidently say this is an amazing team, which is only enhanced by our local collaborating partners. We all agree that we are lucky to have such a strong local Costa Rican staff running an authentic environmentally sustainable program as well as such a strong home base (GLA) in San Diego providing support.

The program is located in the South Central region of CR called Los Santos. It consists of three towns: San Pedro, Santa Maria and San Marcos. Our home base in Copey, the beautiful Cedrela (Cedar) Eco Lodge is located about three miles uphill from Santa Maria and sits around 6,000 feet. It consists of seven cabins, staff quarters and a beautiful dining hall built four months ago. The cabins and all the furniture are built using local Cypress and Oak and are nothing short of master craftsmanship woodwork. The cabins range from one to three floor units with winding staircases, balconies, and large glass windows to take in the breathtaking views of the rolling hills and valleys below. There are over 50 species of birds in this area alone and a trail that winds through the hundreds of acres of forest above and behind Cedrela where one can find all sorts of food being grown. The mornings are crisp and cool but the sun quickly warms one up. Throughout the day the clouds roll in at around the same level as our lodge. The days are hot, the afternoon rains are cooling, and we have dipped into the low 60’s in the evenings. At night we trade flip-flops for socks and shoes, t-shirts for a warm sweatshirt and cold water for a hot tea.

The students have been amazed by the property and excited about their living quarters. They have been incredibly open towards everything here. They are full of questions, eager to learn, and have been practicing their Spanish with the local staff. Today, Friday, was our first day in the community. We met the local community, who prepared us lunch and a handful of the little girls from town performed traditional dances. After lunch, we headed into Santa Maria for a coffee tour learning about the process from farm to cup ending with a taste of one of the café’s delicious specialty drinks using their award-winning coffee. The café and coffee cooperative is listed on Lonely Planet’s “The 9 Best Places to Have a Cup of Coffee Around the World!” To round out the day, the students also had their first Spanish class and mentor groups back at homebase.

True learning is taking place and we are only one full day into our program. We want to thank the parents for supporting their children on such an important journey. Through the students we see the work that has been done at home and we hope they return even more motivated to ‘become the change’ they want to see in their lives and their local communities.

-Carlos Bill

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived and are ready for their program! Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!

Headed Home

All students are on their way home after an amazing program!

“Ah-Ha” Moments

The three life changing weeks are coming to a close! Even though we are all going to miss each other we can’t deny that the people that we have met here, Costa Rican or not, have changed our lives!

In closing discussions we were talking about our “A-ha” moments! For me it is when I really had to use the bathroom (like really, really bad!) and the tour guide simply asked this woman who lived nearby and she let me…not only a stranger but a foreigner (who didn’t speak her language) into her house! I was completely amazed! No one in the states would do that! Here is a collection of “A-ha” moments from people on this life altering trip!

Marin- “seeing the school kids use the sidewalk that we created; our hard work turned into something tangible!”
Kate-” after the Costa Rican loss in the World Cup the Ticos were still so happy and gracious. People lined up on the side of the road waving flags to greet every car driving by. The sense of community even in the face of defeat was inspiring.”
Vivian-“second night when I realized I was on my way to making 23 new friends :)”
John M.-“When the plane landed and I finally realized that I was in Costa Rica”
Alec- “After a leadership session and I realized that there are so many different ways to live in the world, and that the way I was living was one of worst possible”
Nick – ” I was astounded to realize there was no connection between economic prosperity and happiness.”
Marc-“from coming to the last coffee plantation, and finishing on the last day, completing something that was never thought possible”
Josh-“I realized that I can enjoy sooooo soooo much without technology. I admit that I used my phone a couple times but I depended on it less!”
Hoyt- “When we left San Pedro and thanked the local women for all their cooking. The women were so happy to have met us!”
Koby-“you don’t need to lead a group to be a leader, you just need to show them!”
Ethan-“I was amazed when I realized that “the people who are happy are the people who have less.” I love how the Costa Ricans focus on community and friends rather than material aspirations.”
Linda-“when I came to the first lunch in San Pedro and the people welcomed us and did their traditional dances, I knew I was in Costa Rica.”
Irene-“during the soccer game everyone still had pride and welcomed us in to cheer with them! This lady even gave me a horn! And then after they lost people were still cheering because they took so much pride in their country!”

One thing that every student needs to keep in mind as we all pack up and return to our homes is “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” -Dr.Suess.

-Julianne McLay

Vamos a la Playa

Even before wake up call, we could all hear the heavy, trembling rain smashing against the hotel roof. When us students finally got up for breakfast at 8, we were all ready to have fun and explore the city of Dominical. What we weren’t ready for was the Costa Rican humidity, which was so different from the mountain climate we were used to back at home base. With sweat dripping from our foreheads, we ate our breakfast of beans, rice, and fresh fruit at the Diuwaka Hotel restaurant.

After breakfast, we explored the streets for what to do next. We came across a surf shop owned by a man named Nick. He was tan like wood with hundreds of gray hairs popping out of his chest. Nick also had an impressive beer belly, one that probably took decades to achieve. He was very helpful in letting us rent our own surfboards for the day, and even gave us a few pointers for us first-time surfers.

We then headed to the beach with our 8-foot tall boards, reaching the rocky shores of the beachfront. There were tourists all along the sandy coast with stretched out towels and sun burnt faces the color of ripe apples. We rushed into the water with surfboards and boogie boards at hand. I “surfed” for 2 hours in the lukewarm Costa Rican waves. The currents were very strong; so strong that after half an hour, the riptide drifted everyone a clear 100 yards away from where we first started. After what seemed liked the longest time, occasionally drowning under the salty waves of water, we drifted back to shore to dry off and rest.

After we showered and removed the sand from places that are best left unnamed, we ventured through the local streets to shop for souvenirs. Rummaging through the little shops, the vibrant colors and beautiful cloths drew dozens of people inside. The beaded bracelets and vintage “Pura Vida” t- shirts were plentiful and attracted buyers from every which way. As we perused through the merchandise, I could feel the stares of the shop owners making sure no brazen tourist even attempted to pull a fast one on them. Although everything was overpriced, it was fun haggling with the owners. As we negotiated the prices down, the constant protest of the shop owners and their merciless attempts to reap the biggest profit possible definitely separated the boys from the men.

When the dust settled and the money was spent, our group headed down to a local restaurant by the beach for lunch and to watch the World Cup Finals featuring Argentina v. Germany. We didn’t get to watch the entire game since it ran too long and the humidity was getting to everyone. I’m convinced that if we had been there for only ten minutes more that our clothes would have melted into our skin. Alas, we began our three-and-a-half-hour-long bus ride back to home base. When we entered the bus, the air conditioning was like a fresh breeze straight from heaven. We also stopped by a shop for food, and as expected from teenagers with no parental supervision, everyone stocked themselves with plenty of junk food. The combination of chips, chocolate, and a bumpy bus ride left some sick and nauseous.

When we returned back to home base, we were welcomed home with the embrace of our hosts and our chef, Memo, who’s food made us forget all about our tiring trip. After dinner with bellies full and people starting to nod off, we spoke as a group about our expectations for our next (and last) week of service in Costa Rica. In the end, everyone hobbled off to bed under their covers to rest up for the next day of service in San Pedro.

-Irene 

Service & Rafting!

This week we worked in the community San Bernardo. In San Bernardo we were split up into three groups. One group worked on cement the other group on Eco bricks and the last group on building a fence for the soccer field out of tires. The Eco bricks group filled empty plastic bottles with garbage and they had to be filled completely. The group building the fence had to dig a trench at a certain width and height so that the tires would fit.

Over the weekend we went white water rafting. We were divided into five groups of seven, including the guide. Our guide, Sasi, explained some commands before going into the river like paddle back, paddle front and lean. After learning the commands we went down to the river. Our group was in the back since the guide had the safety rope in case anything happened. We got in and he started telling us to paddle front or back or to lean. We got to a point where we were allowed to practice swimming across the current. All the groups stopped and started swimming to the other side. Once someone got to the other side the next person was allowed to go. Swimming to the other side was pretty easy because the current pushed you in the right direction but at a certain point you had to start swimming harder so that the current wouldn’t take you. Swimming back was harder for me personally. First you had to throw yourself off a rock and start swimming with the current hitting you. My guide had to throw the rope to help me get back.

After that, we kept going until a point where our guide told us if we wanted to go into the water, do it now, it was the perfect time. We thought he was playing around but then Irene went in and so did the rest of us. The water was so good and it wasn’t too cold. I stood near the boat holding on to it when I noticed he was helping someone to get back in. Then he helped me and I tried to help someone else. It was so much fun and time flew by really fast. We stopped at a certain location where they had food for us. It was a really nice experience especially since it was my first time doing it.

-Kathy Lopez

The Adventure Continues…

The first week of this GLA adventure is over and I can honestly say that it feels as if it has been a month. We have been able to cram so much into such a small time that I am beginning to lose track. It has all gone by so fast and yet we are not even half way done with this 3 week time slot of all our lives. The trip started with 10+ hours of flight to reach our destination, which was immediately followed by meeting our small collective of teenagers ranging from 13-17 and our three leaders, Andrea, Carlos and Mar. We then exchanged money and paid the $29 fee to leave the country. Next was a 2 hour bus ride to home base with 23 other awkward kids I’ve never met before. Once getting to home base in the mountains around the city of Copey in the Santos Region of Costa Rica, we split into cabins and slept. The second day consisted of get-to- know-yous and various ice breaker activities as we all get to know each other a little more.

The next few days quickly fell into routine and rhythm as we volunteered at the local town San Pedro and helped continue the construction of a side walk for the children to walk to school instead of walking in the road, as well as the maintenance of an eco coffee farm where natural substances are used in place of things like pesticides and growth chemicals. Throughout all of this, the group has been able to work along side and interact with the locals known as “Ticos,” allowing for rich experiences and Spanish speaking opportunities offering non- stop growth for both sides. This efficiently became the norm for the next few days until we were allowed a precious 2 day break to go on our first excursion of white water rafting. This started with a long drive with only a stop to watch the Costa Rican’s face Holland in the World Cup, and another stop to refill on snacks and other small luxuries. We then stayed in a very nice hotel for a night and woke up to the sounds of the bus horns telling us it was time to go rafting at last!

Every day has been a new experience with no single day like any before it. The experiences I have individually gained have started to make a visible impact on my person and it has only been a single week out of three. Everyday brings something new with the best part being that no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to predict exactly what will come. I look forward to the next 2 weeks in Costa Rica, making life long friends, helping the community, improving my Spanish and viviendo la PURA VIDA!

-Alec Burke

Pura Vida!

The program is called Global Leadership Adventures with a purpose of creating leaders that would spark a positive change through out the world, and that change would spread like wildfire! But to create leaders we first have to start by creating a successful team! That can be a difficult challenge when you take 24 students and 3 mentors, not knowing each other, and throw them out of their comfort zone in a different country! But we all went from not knowing one another to talking to each other like we have been next door neighbors our entire lives… and it shows!! For example in our service work we spilt into groups and in San Pedro one group was doing cement and another group was working with coffee. The coffee group was done first and the sidewalk group still had some work to do and then clean their supplies. Without hesitation the coffee group grabbed shovels and hoses and started working!! It was awesome! And the locals noticed! The locals make us lunch everyday to thank us for all the hard work that we are doing for their community, and it has been delicious!!

In this first week we had one of the most exciting things… The Costa Rican World Cup game!!! On that day… The air was different…everyone wore a jersey, and the flags were out! On our way to rafting we stopped in town so that we could watch the game!! The restaurant had a fun atmosphere and I was so excited to get my hamburger and french fries, but even that was different! The ticos all dressed up in jerseys, wigs, face paint, temporary tattoos and they brought horns and drums into the restaurant! It was so crazy!! And they welcomed us! They invited us to sit with them, taught us the chants, and gave a horn to Irene! It was so cool! It was sad when Costa Rica lost the World Cup but that did not upset the ticos. As we finished our drive to the rafting location we saw so many of them on the side of the road waving flags and cheering. It was heartwarming to see these people not lose their spirit!

A big part of this program is learning about sustainability and how we can help with simple acts. We are learning about sustainable coffee farms and helping provide labor to local farmers who couldn’t afford the labor for the Eco version of coffee farming. We have pulled weeds, loosened soil, and fertilized with organic products! It is very hard work but it is really helping the communities and teaching us about what humans do to the environment and the simple actions that we can do to change it. In the coming week we are going to build a fence by reusing tires and build benches out of “Eco-bricks” which is basically plastic bottles stuffed with plastic. What an amazing way of reusing things that would other wise end up in a landfill!

Pura Vida,
-Julianne McLay

First Days

By: Carlos Bill

Well, it is official; the GLA Spanish Service Adventure Mountain program is in full force. Starting with the first students arriving at 6am Tuesday morning and the last one at 8:30pm, all the motivated, enthusiastic, amazing learners are here, happy and healthy! Our international staff consists of Director Andrea and Mentors MarDestinee and Carlos. I can confidently say this is an amazing team, which is only enhanced by our local collaborating partners. We all agree that we are lucky to have such a strong local Costa Rican staff running an authentic environmentally sustainable program as well as such a strong home base (GLA) in San Diego providing support.

The program is located in the South Central region of CR called Los Santos. It consists of three towns: San Pedro, Santa Maria and San Marcos. Our home base in Copey, the beautiful Cedrela (Cedar) Eco Lodge is located about three miles uphill from Santa Maria and sits around 6,000 feet. It consists of seven cabins, staff quarters and a beautiful dining hall built four months ago. The cabins and all the furniture are built using local Cypress and Oak and are nothing short of master craftsmanship woodwork. The cabins range from one to three floor units with winding staircases, balconies, and large glass windows to take in the breathtaking views of the rolling hills and valleys below. There are over 50 species of birds in this area alone and a trail that winds through the hundreds of acres of forest above and behind Cedrela where one can find all sorts of food being grown. The mornings are crisp and cool but the sun quickly warms one up. Throughout the day the clouds roll in at around the same level as our lodge. The days are hot, the afternoon rains are cooling, and we have dipped into the low 60’s in the evenings. At night we trade flip-flops for socks and shoes, t-shirts for a warm sweatshirt and cold water for a hot tea.

The students have been amazed by the property and excited about their living quarters. The first wave of students, who arrived early Tuesday morning, were so pumped up they couldn’t take a nap even though they were on a red-eye flight. They spend hours helping me make signs for the program. All of the students have been incredibly open towards everything here. They are full of questions, eager to learn, and have been practicing their Spanish with the local staff. Today, Wednesday, was our first day in the community. We met the local community, who prepared us lunch. A handful of the little girls from town performed traditional dances and the students also had Spanish class.

True learning is taking place and we are only one full day into our program. We want to thank the parents for supporting their children on such an important journey. Through the students we see the work that has been done at home and we hope they return even more change’ they want to see in their lives and their local communities.

We’ve Arrived!

All students have arrived and headed to the home base yesterday. Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!