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Thursday July 12, 2018

Bula from Fiji!

Early this morning we arrived and got a traditional Kava greeting ceremony on the deck of our hotel. We then hung out and made friendship bracelets by the pool until our rooms were ready. We had orientation rotation and a tasty lunch! We had time to rest before we walked to the beach to do more introduction and name game activities. When we got back from the beach we had a few hours to rest and some people went swimming. After that, we had dinner which was a delicious salmon, chicken, salad, and spring roles. For dessert we had ice cream! Fiji has been an amazing place so far and we are very excited to explore even more of the gorgeous island. We had an earlier night because we were jet lagged. 🙂

-Madeleine and Sammy!

Friday July 13, 2018

Bula!!! From your kid in FIJI!!!! 😁 today we had a wonderful breakfast to start out our adventure for the day. We first learned how to tie sulus (aka sarongs) the correct way! We had a blast. We learned about three different way to tie them. We then hopped onto the bus and sped away to the stunning Indian community. Half of the islands of Fiji are made up of Indofijians. We made homemade authentic Indian food from scratch. It was delicious. We also got to try lemon juice with pure cane sugar. It was very refreshing. We then went to Nadi town and shopped around and in an open air market where they had amazing fruits. Then we went to Jack’s which is a souvenir shop. Then we went to the hotel and had a fantastic dinner. We then met with our mentor groups for the first time. Now we are currently sleeping. Thanks!!!! From Madeleine and Ainsley!!!!!!

Saturday July 14, 2018

Bula! Today was an awesome day. First, we woke up and had breakfast and afterwards we made a social contract for the duration of the trip, we also watched a ted talk about how to be leaders. After that, we played a couple fun games until it was time to leave for lunch and the rest of our day. For lunch we went to “The best fish and chips place in Fiji!” according to our mentors. From there, we went to the sleeping giant gardens and a short hike with an amazing view while we were there.

After we finished the hike, we were given some delicious “Guava Lava” juice. Then we went to the mud pools and hot springs and spent a lot of time there, some people even got massages! We came back to the hotel and had some wifi and chill time before dinner. After dinner we are preparing for our journey to the Yasawa Islands tomorrow morning. Mothe!! (This means good night in Fijian)

-By Brooke and Sammy

Sunday July 15, 2018

Bula!

As we departed from Nadi, we left behind a city of smiles and waves, only to be greeted by more of the same. Though the three hour boat ride to the Yasawa islands was nauseating, the first touch of the sand made us feel at home. The clear water reminded us of our intention we set for the day, service, as we are continuing to have an open mind about our new daily life at Botaira. After snorkeling among different corals and fish, and finding our spirit animal, we all found ourselves exhausted from the long, eventful day. We were then introduced to our Fijian support staff — Jim, Ross, and Tema. After meeting the Fijian staff, we broke into our service groups, where we met our service leaders. We look forward to spending a day of service at Gunu, beginning with an introductory ceremony from the village.
Moce! (Goodnight!).

-by Bryce and Caroline

Monday July 16, 2018

Bula!

Our names are Isabelle and Kate and We are the leaders of the day for July 16, 2018!

We started the day by traveling to the Gunu Village to meet the local villagers and children. We traveled via water taxi that took about 30 minutes.

When we arrived, we met the elders and the chief of the village, and the welcoming ceremony commenced! All students were given the option to drink kava, a root-based drink used during a welcome ceremony.

After the welcoming ceremony, we met the children of the school and were greeted with smiles and practiced dances and songs. The children were overly excited to meet us, as we were to them. The GLA students also gave a common known cheer to show our gratitude to our welcome.

The women and villagers prepared a yummy lunch for us to show their thanks. After lunch, the GLA students split into their service groups and discussed their future projects for the next coming days.

After, we left the island and returned to our home base. We spent our afternoon in the ocean snorkeling and exploring.

Overall, we had a very eventful and exciting day with promises of service to come. Fiji has been treating us very well and we can’t wait to start our service tomorrow! Mothé or goodnight!

Kate- shoutout to My family: love you all!

Isabelle- shoutout to my family and my dogs: I miss you all so much! (Especially Stewey)

Tuesday July 17, 2018

Bula beautiful people!😊

Today was full of breathtaking scenery as well as hard work and perseverance. Kate M. And I (Kaylee) started the day early, picking up fallen flowers to decorate the breakfast tables:)! Then we grabbed our lunch and headed off to the village! The sustainability group spent 5 hours working hard to begin making water filters.

The education group were introduced to children grades 1-4, and were able to hang out with some of the elder students as well. We assessed where the students were in their learning journey and taught them a little song. All of them were super exited and held my hands as we walked around the village. (Also like 3 kids asked if I was Taylor Swift)

Before Chow circle, we ended off the long day with an incredible hike and were blessed with a once in a lifetime view of the Fijian sunset and the islands surrounding.

P.s. I love you lots Mom, dad, Gavin, Edan, Bella, Beau, and my lil Olly boy ❤ -KCM

Hey mom and dad!! Love you!
Sup Prestonian:)
❤Katherineeeeeeee

-Kaylee Caitlyn Meyer and Kate the Great

Wednesday July 18, 2018

Bula! Waking up to paradise once again! Excited to get back into the community we prepared for another day of service. In agriculture we got down and dirty, expanding the new garden by adding our baby tomato plants and cabbage seeds. Education continued their work with the amazing kids in the school. Sustainability mixed cement and made the base for the rain catcher. They also added in the gutter system that will catch rain water running down the roof.

Once again the women of the village treated us to the most delicious lunch. After returning to home base we greatly enjoyed some free time. Some got back out in the ocean to do some snorkeling. Others relaxed on the beach, read their books, or dabbled in some beautiful henna! We then had another awesome curry dinner. We finished our day with a great Ted Talk from Tyler and reflecting on our time here in our mentor groups.

Love Kelly and Nick
P.S. Love and miss my family back home😘

Thursday July 19, 2018

Bula! Here’s Tilly and Megan recapping the day! We woke up at 6:45 and headed to breakfast. At our service groups, sustainability finished our rainwater tank and worked on beach cleanup. In agriculture we finished planting the tomatoes, built them shelter with palm tree leaves, and even planted a few banana trees! In education they said their goodbyes to their kids because today’s their last day in these service groups. At lunch all of the groups got to play games with the kids which was a lot of fun! After a rocky boat ride back to base we played soccer, volleyball and got together for a round of mafia before dinner. For dinner we had chicken and fish and soup! After dinner we discussed our smart goals and how to set them. In our mentor groups we used them to begin thinking about our capstone projects. And now we’re off to bed, moce!

Ps love you and miss you mom dad and sienna (and nova and lincoln)❤
Mom, dad, Annabel + Elsie i love and miss you guys SO much😚 having a great time here:)

Friday July 20, 2018

Today we started our new service tasks. It was neat to see another project and why it was important. There was also a funeral in the village today’s After we came back from Gunu village we had free time from 4pm to 6:40pm. During our free time some played volleyball and some others tanned on the beach and swam. We then had chow circle and talked about our highlights of the day and how we liked our new jobs. For dinner we had delicious fish and spinach. Afterwards, Tyler lead a slam poetry workshop that was a lot of fun. Overall, today was another great day in Fiji.

Written by the leaders of the day, Love and Mia

Saturday July 21, 2018

Bula!! Olivia and Payton here starting the weekend off right with lots of fun activities! Both of us were separate groups.

(Olivia) My group left at 9:30 to start the trek up and over a mountain to the village of Kese. After a short boat ride, we found ourselves on a seashell littered beach. Our trusty guide, Ros*, led us to a narrow path winding into the Fijian jungle. The hike proved to be more of a climb as the incline of the trail increased with every step. Blasting music as encouragement, we reached the top of the mountain. After wiping the sweat from our eyes, we took in an amazing view of the beach we had come from and the bright blue ocean below. We made our descent down the other side of the mountain while trying to keep our eyes off the ocean view and on the tricky path below. We hiked for about and hour before finally emerging at our destination – Kese. All of the sweat and scratches were worth it because we were going to get to make VIRGIN COCONUT OIL!! The wonderful women’s club of Kese helped us husk, scrape, and do everything needed to make coconut oil before taking our very own bottles back to homebase with us. Thankfully, we took the boat back and had a relaxing rest of the day

(Payton) Today was a very relaxing day. After Oliva’s group left at 9:30 we had Fijian lessons from our local director Tema. Then after free time, we learned how to wash our undergarments with buckets because our clothes were washed by the ladies at our service village. We also wove bracelets and also had a dance off by the deck and enjoyed sunset with tea time. Later that night we had dinner and celebrated a good friend of ours Isabell 18th birthday. We finished the night off with more dancing and a movie.

Sunday July 22, 2018

Vaka cava?

Today we began early, when a few brave souls awoke at 5:15 to see the beautiful Fijian sunrise atop a mountain peak. We returned to breakfast, after which we divided into two groups — one that planted coral, and another that weaved bracelets. Just before noon, the former group boated twenty minutes away for some snorkeling. What an amazing sight! We swam amongst three manta rays and other ocean life. Upon returning, Tema taught a Fijian lesson, teaching us how to say our name, age, and where we are from. Another groups made bracelets from coconuts. As we close our night, we relax and play some games.

Moce!
Bryce and Jo

Monday July 23, 2018

Bula! We started our day with a delicious breakfast at 7 am! Soon after, we set off to the village for service on an exciting boat ride. We split into our previously established service groups and spent the day completing and enjoying our service tasks, being agriculture, education and sustainability. Education had the honor to participate in the Gunu school’s ECE ceremony and marched with the students. After enjoying a feast prepared by the women at lunch, we set off back to home base where we played local Fijian games lead by the Fijian staff. We then l for dinner while taking part in the traditional chow circle to briefly summarize everyone’s day. This was followed by a yummy meal and took part in a model UN type activity called stretching your lens.

-By Sigal and Cloud

Tuesday July 24, 2018

Bula from behind the postcard!!

We all started the day quite tired, but were quickly woken up by a breezy and bumpy boat ride to Gunu for our last day of service in the second cycle. Sustainability rolled the water tank from the beach to the house where we were building it and placed it on top of the foundation. Agriculture wrapped up their day by watering all the plants and planting some cabbage and banana trees. Education had a busy day wrapping up with the kids. Once we came back, we thought more about our capstone projects where we try to influence our communities and the greater areas.

After an inspirational spoken word on humanity’s influence on the environment we broke out into mentor groups where we imagined our favorite place in nature. Then we were asked to think about how we would feel if that place was destroyed. From there we thought of how we could make a positive impact on the environment. Overall it was an eye opening day.

-Moce (goodnight) from Ains and Torcat

Wednesday July 25, 2018

Bula!

The day started off with a mad rush for toast. Then we headed off to our final rotation of service at Nunu Village. The education group taught year 1 and 2 by reading books and giving spelling tests. The agriculture group planted the food of gods aka yams and tilled soil to get ready to plant cabbage tomorrow.

The sustainability group accidentally did twice the amount of work because they got the wrong gravel to mix cement. We had a wet boat ride back to home base where we enjoyed tea time and free time. We kicked off dinner with a friendly dancing competition brought to you by your amazing leaders of the day Brookie Cookie and Nycky C! We ended the night with an identity workshop. Overall another amazing day in paradise.

Love the best leaders of them all,
Brooke and Nyck

Thursday July 26, 2018

Bula! Our names are Isabelle and Caroline and we are the leaders of the day for Day 15 in Fiji! This is our second time being leaders on the trip. We started our day leaving for Gunu village and starting our work for our third and final service project.

Isabelle: In Agriculture, we planted a big set of Yams and had a local villager cut coconuts and make us coconut water drinks. After lunch we went on a small hike to collect saw dust and planted more seeds!

Caroline: Today in education, we met with our first, second and third year students. Most of us got to meet with the children we had the day before, we also got a new group of kiddies from third year. My group of kiddos all read a book of their choice to me (all amazing readers btw), they then told me the days of the week and how to spell them. Most children can speak English but some do struggle with little words. Being with the children has taught me more than I have taught them and I will forever be grateful for their acceptance and patience with me. (If I come home with six Fijian children I promise I don’t know how they got there..)

Today in sustainability, the group made concrete out of the gravel, sand and water that were all collected in the village, Gunu. (It’s pretty amazing that the island naturally has all of these items to where they spend no money.) Once the concrete was made, we filled the area where the water tank is going to be located. We then placed gutters on the house where the water tank is going to be located so that the water tank gets water!:)

Once we got back from service, us girls (Caroline and Isabelle had a little event planned for the whole group. We wanted to have a fun surprise for the group so before chow circle we played dancing musical chairs!! We turned the music all the way up, put on our competitive pants on and got ready to win musical chairs!!! In first place… TILLY!!!🥇Second place… NYCK!!!🥈Third place… SIGAL!!! 🥉 Tonight was curry night for dinner and it was so so good!! After dinner, we had a goodbye gift for Ross, the agriculture director, some tears were shed but we are so extremely grateful for his knowledge and kindness. Ross was our dad away from home and we are going to miss him so much!:( We then had an activity that involved Fijian lollipops!! We told one person from the group how they have had an impact big or small on our lives here in Fiji.❤

We have six days left in Fiji and as we’re winding down the days, we grow stronger and prouder of our accomplishments! We’re all so sad to leave such an incredible place, but we are all so excited to see our friends and family! This trip has been an amazing opportunity and we can’t wait to tell everyone about it!

Isabelle: shoutout to my family! I can’t wait to come home and see my dogs!! (Miss you Stewey!!)

Caroline: I miss and love you mom and dad!!! Thank you for being my heart & soul❤ I can’t wait to be home and talk your ears off!! (I miss you Carson & my fur babies & crab babies) friends & family I’m alive but having no connection to post has been very relaxing! Miss you all very much.

Friday July 27, 2018

We started off the day with a delicious breakfast where we were treated to Fijian donuts. Sustainability did some final touches with the water tank and saw a spider attack a millipede. Agriculture planted red and green lettuces. Education saw a ceremony and the kids danced and sang. Then we played games with them and ate cake all afternoon.

Tonight we have a fun activity planned- a bonfire on the beach!! Also… Tomorrows the weekend! So we get a relaxing day with sleeping in. All in all, great week. However, it was sad today cause we had to say goodbye to the kids- last day of service 😞
-Kate M and Tori

Hi mother and father I love you!! And hi little brother ❤❤❤❤❤miss you guys so much!

Sunday July 29, 2018

Bula from Fiji!

Today was another amazing relaxing day by the beach and snorkeling. We split up into two groups and half of us chilled at home base all day and the other half of us went snorkeling and saw 7 manta rays! One group learned how to sing a goodbye song in the Fijian language while the other group created coconut jewelry! We then got to have a picnic lunch wherever we wanted to eat. Then we had free time and we swam and snorkeled while others of us chilled out in our bures and on hammocks. It was a very nice relaxing day so we got to regroup and we are so excited to continue our adventure tomorrow with our final day in the village! Lots of love from Fiji!

❤ Madeleine and Love

Monday July 30, 2018

Today we went back to Gunu village for the ceremony. When we got there we helped decorate and prepare the food. Then, we went into the Fijians houses and helped them with daily chores, cooking & weaving. After, we went to town hall and drank kava and introduced ourselves in Fijian. Next, we ate all the food that the women had prepared for us and shopped at a market where the woman were selling jewelry and souvenirs. After a sad goodbye, we returned to Botaira where we had free time before mentor groups. Then after dinner, we had the talent show and everyone laughed and danced. Now we’re off to bed for our last night at the resort :,(

Love you and miss you mom dad Annabel and Elsie can’t wait to see you!! -tilly

See you in a few Deb and Paul -Mia

Tuesday July 31, 2018

Isa Lei! Today we said goodbye to Botaira:( The staff sang us a beautiful song and many- MANY – tears were shed. After a 3 hour ferry ride, we arrived in Nadi and settled in Nadi Bay Hotel one last time. We had lots of free time after a delicious dinner and around 9, we went to the conference room and watched a slideshow of our experience in Fiji. This a life changing opportunity and we are all so grateful and humbled because of it. Moce Fiji!!

Can’t wait to see you mom, dad, and Preston ❤

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Monday June 18, 2018

BULA! GREETINGS FROM FIJI!

ALTHOUGH TODAY MAY OF FELT LIKE THE LONGEST DAY EVER, IT WAS WORTH EVERY TIRING SECOND OF IT. MOST OF US LANDED IN THE COUNTRY AT 5:35 THIS MORNING COMING FROM LAX, SOME LANDED FROM SAN FRANCISCO, AND ONE CAME FROM AUSTRALIA. WE WERE ALL DRAGGING SO THE STAFF BLESSED US WITH BREAKFAST. FOR BREAKFAST, WE HAD FRUIT, EGGS, BEANS, SAUSAGE, AND MUCH MORE. LUCKILY, AFTER BREAKFAST WE ALL HAD ABOUT TWO HOURS OF FREE TIME TO GET SITUATED AND RELAX. THROUGHOUT THE DAY WE DID A LOT OF NAME GAMES AND ICE BREAKERS TO GET EVERYONE COMFORTABLE WITH EACH OTHER. EVERYONE WAS EXCITED BECAUSE WE KNEW THAT LATER ON WE WOULD BE WALKING 15 MINUTES TO WAILOALOA BEACH. WHEN WE WERE THERE, WE MADE SKITS ABOUT THE CODE OF CONDUCT AND LEARNED HOW TO HAVE A SAFE BUT FUN TRIP! LATER, WE GOT TO LISTEN TO A PAST GLA STUDENT’S STORY ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT THIS EXACT FIJI TRIP HAD ON HER. WE LEARNED THAT SHE WAS SO INSPIRED FROM HER SERVICE WORK THAT SHE ACTUALLY CAME BACK THIS YEAR ALL BY HERSELF FOR 6 WEEKS WORKING AS A TEACHER IN THE SAME SCHOOL THAT SHE TAUGHT IN. WE WERE ALL AMAZED TO FIND OUT THAT SHE WAS THE SAME AGE AS MOST OF US. (17) AFTER OUR GUEST SPEAKER, WE HAD CHOW CIRCLE WHICH IS A PLACE WHERE OUR GROUP JUST CONNECTS FOR ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES ABOUT THINGS THAT HAPPENED DURING THE DAY AND WHAT WILL BE HAPPENING THE FOLLOWING DAY. LASTLY, WE ARE ALL SITTING AT DINNER LISTENING TO A MEKE CELEBATION TAKING VIDEOS AND ENJOYING THE MUSIC OF THE FIJIAN PEOPLE. WE ARE ALL SO EXCITED TO SLEEP AFTER THIS THRILLING YET NEVER ENDING DAY. MOST OF US WILL FALL ASLEEP THE MINUTE OUR HEADS HIT THE PILLOW!!! JUST WHEN WE ALL THOUGHT THAT WE LOST OUR ENERGY, THE FIJIANS ENTICED EVERYONE TO GET UP AND DANCE WITH THEM. THIS TURNED INTO EVERYONE DOING A SNAKE DANCE AROUND THE POOL LAUGHING AND SCREAMING BULA. THIS WAS THE PERFECT FIRST DAY THAT DEFINITELY BROUGHT EVERYONE TO DEVELOP STRONG RELATIONSHIPS.

BY: BRIANNA GARRISON

Tuesday June 19, 2018

Bula! It’s our second day in Fiji and we’re having so much fun! Today we visited an Indian community where we cooked our own lunch, which consisted of coconut chutney, roti, pumpkin soup, and rice. The Indian church is the only community in Fiji to fully practice their Indian culture. Next, we visited several markets and stores in Nadi. We perused fresh produce in an open-air market. We stocked up on sulus (sarongs) at a local souvenir shop called Jack’s. We finished our long, exciting day with a yummy Asian Fusion dinner and chocolate cake!

As they say here in Fiji, “Moce”, which means goodnight!

~Daniel and Faith

Wednesday June 20, 2018

Just keep swimming-Dory! After breakfast, we had a Leadership workshop with Lisa. Then we had some free time before we discussed Fijian culture with Bruce. We went to a fish n’ chips restaurant, ate some ice cream, and took scenic photos. From there we went to the Sleeping Giant Gardens and Hiking Trail. Our guide, Howard explained the Fijian culture and the story behind the sleeping giants. There were hammocks on the were relaxing and enjoyable. After the hike, we all sat down with some mango fruit punch. From there we traveled to the hot springs. We then enjoyed the “soso” mud baths and the 2 other hot springs. We also participated in friendly competitions of sack race, egg toss and over under. We came back to the resort and winded down with some wifi and free time. Some of us enjoyed the pool while others relaxed in their rooms. We all got to experience a beautiful, breath-taking sunset. We had chow circle and discussed how the day went. From there we enjoyed some Indian food for dinner and prepared ourselves for the big trip tomorrow to Naviti island where we will be for the rest of the program.

-By Ellie & Preston

Thursday June 21, 2018

This morning we had breakfast at 6am because we had to catch a bus that left at 7. We got our luggage together and got on a boat for three hours until we arrived at the Yasawa Islands. We will be staying here for the next sixteen days. Upon arrival, we were given fresh coconuts, flowers and a warm Fijian welcome. We met the local staff that will be helping us through our service days.

After a delicious lunch, or “kana vinaka” in Fijian, we took a swim test to a dock about 20 yards away from the beach. There, we snorkeled above beautiful reefs with lots of fish, and jumped off the high dive on the dock.

At night, we had an activity that taught us about stereotypes and respect with the local Fijians. Funny enough, our word of the day was respect which is “vilomani” in Fijian. We are all looking forward for the great adventures that await us tomorrow. Vinaka vaka levu for reading and we all say moce here in the Yasawa Islands as we fall asleep to the sounds of waves!

Friday June 22, 2018

Today we woke up and had breakfast at 7am. We had our first boat ride to the Gunu village. The two boats we go to service in are usually used as school boats for Fijian children! They are pretty small and a little hot, but fun. The boat rides ride had beautiful sights of the sea. Students figured out how to wear the life jackets and noted the importance of them. When we arrived at the village we saw an extremely different way of living from our own. We introduced ourselves to the school children and talked about where we are from. They performed a traditional Fijian welcome ceremony and entertainment. We then departed for the Somosomo village which will be our service site for the coming projects.

In Somosomo, we were introduced to our service projects and learned about the impact we will have. We ate lunch together and saw Fijian wildlife and domesticated pet animals. Students loved seeing the dogs, cats, and chickens. Students were in their designated groups to learn about their first specific project. The three groups included education, sustainability, and agriculture. The boat ride back to the home base was long and everyone was tired. We had a short break prior to our tea time and team building exercises. During team building exercises we learned how to work together and how communication leads to success.

Team building was facilitated and lead by student leaders of the day, Lauren H. and Robert. After our fun activities students had free time and were able to snorkel, play volleyball, or just chill with their friends. We had a short debrief before going to dinner at 7:30 pm. At 8 we split into mentor groups and talked about various things. Students were then dismissed to their bures before bed time at 10 o’clock.

Saturday June 23, 2018

Today was day 6 of our trip of a lifetime and since there was no school because it’s the weekend we engaged in day long activities that helped us grow both individually and together as a team. We were BLESSED with an extra hour of sleep in the morning before beginning our scheduled activity groups, which included Fijian language lessons, a hands on craft session, and a hike across a mountain to the Kese village. Activity groups either did the Fijian language lessons and crafts or just the hike. In the Fijian language lessons we learned a lot of basics about the language and also how to introduce ourselves in Fijian, which will be very beneficial in communicating with Fijians in the villages. Next the groups participated in a hands on craft session and handmade bracelets made out of leaves of a tree that are native to Fiji . The last group participated in a two hour hike over a mountain to a village.

It began with a steep walk up the mountain, of which we had to take multiple breaks in order to catch our breath. When we eventually reached the top, we were overwhelmed with the gorgeous views of the island and the sea surrounding it. We then continued our trek down the mountain to the village. During this time we were challenged with crossing over mud as well as maintaining our balance and making sure we would not fall off the steep decline. Finally, we reached the village where we were welcomed into a Fijian home and given orange juice. Soon after, we were guided into the homes of the local residents to take showers before creating virgin coconut oil. We are all very appreciative of the locals for inviting us into their homes.

When we learned how to make the virgin coconut oil, we were taught step-by-step of how the coconuts from a tree become the luxurious product. After this, we left the village after a warm goodbye and went back to our home base via boat. Immediately, we were immersed in the fun activities of spear throwing and Fijian bowling. We competed in our activity groups and had a great time. After this, we enjoyed dinner and were surprised with a viewing of the movie Moana. Overall, today was a great day as we enjoyed numerous activities with our newfound best friends.

Sunday June 24, 2018

Today, we woke up to a nice breakfast consisting of oatmeal, eggs, toast, cereal, and fruit. Afterwards, we split up into three groups and went snorkeling, sung Fijian songs and danced, and art. After having a delicious and nutritious lunch, we switched groups. Then we enjoyed some free time during which we chilled on the beach, showered, washed our undergarments, and played volleyball. After free time we got ready for dinner and Jonah and Anika lead us in chow circle in which we reflected on our day and gave positive shout outs to one another, then we sat down and the leaders (Jonah & Anika) lead us in a game of trivia to see who got to get dinner first. We then had a service debrief on what we would be doing the following day.

Thats all folks 😊

Monday June 25, 2018

Children of the South Pacific Session 1 Day 8: Bula! Everyone started their service projects today, with 3 groups each focusing on education, sustainability and agriculture.

The agriculture group started off with learning what tools to use for certain scenarios. Then we gathered soil to plant tomato seeds. After planting ths seeds we set off Somosomo village to plant tomato plants. When we arrived at the farm after a short hike we started diging holes to plant the tomatoes. Once we planted the tomatoes we put fertilizer around the plant to help stop weeds from affecting the plant growth. Then we started to create a patch of soil to be ready for when we plant the cabbage.

The sustainability group is putting a water tank in place and attaching gutters to a house, so the first thing that we did was collect sand and gravel to make the concrete base for the tank. At lunch, the ladies in the village made us an amazing lunch consisting of roti with curry potatoes, sea grapes, fried rice and types of Fijian potatoes, all of which were really fresh and tasted amazing. After lunch we got to work preparing the wooden frame to put the concrete in and levelled out the ground to make it flat.

The education group arrived to the local village school a poster telling us that this week is drug abuse and illicit trafficking awareness week. After our Local Director Tema gave a speech about personal health to the kids we got to play with them during recess and then we got to tutoring. We got to spend about 30 minutes with each kid during which they read to us while we helped them with pronunciation, spelling, and grammar. All the kids were so enthusiastic to learn and tutoring them was so much fun.

After we got back we had tea time and then Lisa led a talk about SMART goal setting and we began to discuss capstone projects. We then had dinner and afterwards Tyler led an activity on slam poetry. A few kids shared their poems and everyone had a great time.
Moce! (Goodnight)

– Sofia and Michael

Wednesday June 27, 2018

Today was the last day for education in my service group. We all had established great relationships with the kids the previous two days. Today we mostly read books with each others usual but, had a little more time to say goodbye and play games. For me, I had a kid named Samuela. On top of being a very good reader and writer which surpassed my expectations we talked about way activities we enjoy and really connected. He wanted to be in the NFL but clearly understood that it takes work and he told me he always tried 100% everyday in school. I’m glad we were able to establish a friendship but unfortunately that would be the last time I would probably ever see him. I would end up getting a photo with him and I ended up making it one of my screensavers. Education is great opportunity to help kids that are willing to work to improve in whatever they struggle with. It is very worthwhile to get to know these kids. Doing this impacted me and gave me more confidence in myself.

-by Triston

Saturday June 30, 2018

Today was Saturday which means the GLA team did not have service. Half of the students went on a hike on the mountain to the village Kese. After a bit of huffing and puffing the students descended down to the village. When they arrived they were greeted by locals. They participated in learning how to make virgin coconut oil.

The other half of the students started the day off by taking a Fijian music and dance class. They also participated in a weaving lesson where they made rings and bracelets.

When the hikers returned, we all had our daily tea and then gathered together for an activity. In this activity we debated about how the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics impacted Brazil as a whole as well as the locals. After dinner, the students discussed ways to take actions sustainable environment.

Overall all it was an amazing day and lots of fun.
From Paola and Hannah 🙂

Sunday July 1, 2018

Today was a very relaxing day with a lot of free time. Before free time started some people did a weaving activity with Solo and he helped us make rings out of leaves and finish making our coconut rings. I really enjoyed it and I thought it was cool that the coconuts we used were found on the ground on the island.

The other people went into groups and learned two Fijian songs and a Fijian dance. One was a farewell song that is going to be sang to us when we leave Fiji.

Another group went snorkeling, and saw amazing coral and sea life.

After our groups finished, we got free time, lunch, and then dinner. During free time some people went snorkeling out to the floating pontoon and some people relaxed on the beach while the sun was still out. Once it got a little colder people were playing soccer with Fijian staff before everyone got ready for dinner.

After dinner, we were able to choose whether we wanted to star gaze or play cards and games. Then we all went to sleep.

Today was a relaxed day, and we all had a lot of free time to enjoy ourselves and relax before continuing our last few days of service.

– Lauren D & Hannah G 🙂

Monday July 2, 2018

Bula from Fiji! Today was our final day of the second rotation. Speaking towards education, we specifically worked one on one with 4th through 8th graders teaching them reading and writing skills. We watched them grow socially and academically in the past couple of days and had a heart felt depart from our new best friends. On the way back from the village, we experienced a little more than slight turbulence. Even though we were soaked, our spirits weren’t dampened. The rest of the day was full of relaxation. Our activity following dinner was lollipop moments where we shared appreciation for kind moments we had with one another.

Goodbye and goodnight. See ya on the flip side.

-Ginger and Liv

Tuesday July 3, 2018

We woke up and had breakfast at 7 as usual. It was the last rotation of service projects. In the morning, education and sustainability departed.

Agriculture had a briefing on the deck with Ross, created a plant nursery, and then had lunch. Afterwards, we departed on the boat for Somosomo. In Somosomo, we picked out the baby banana trees that were growing too close to others so that they didn’t have to share a food source. We replanted them deeper in the woods so they could grow stronger. Then, we thinned a patch of dirt to prepare for the cabbage patch we were planting the next day. Then we departed and came home.

Education met their students and started to tutor them. They were able to grasp a feel for where each student is at. They met with 5 students for the day ranging from year 4 through 8.
Sustainability departed at the same time as education. They gathered materials for their project. They created a frame and wheel barreled dirt, gravel, and sand. The women of Somosomo village made them a traditional, gourmet meal and it was delicious.

Once everyone got back at 5:15, we left for our sunset hike. We saw an amazing view and hiked along the ridge of the beautiful mountain. We had quite a few stumbles on the way down, but all made it safely back down to the home base. Once we got back to the home base, we had a late dinner that included an amazing chicken stir fry and rice. After dinner, we had a leadership workshop involving the ways we identified ourselves and others. Hi mom, thanks for reading!:)

Love,
Rubie and Robert

Wednesday July 4, 2018

This morning we woke up and had breakfast and shortly after, sustainability and education left and agriculture had a meeting and had lunch before departure to SomoSomo village. Agriculture planted over 2,000 cabbage seads and around 30 watermelons. Sustainability made the base of the water tank during which they mixed sand, gravel and powdered cement to made a firm concrete platform. Education continues teach the children of the South Pacific how to read, write and speak English.

After a long, hard, get fun day of community service work our leaders of the day whom names are Anika and Jonah (littasdayphotography) lead us in a game of Capture the flag where team 2 CHEATED and took the dub. After a delicious dinner of burgers and fries we sang the national anthem and had a bonfire to celebrate our most patriotic and hottest days aka 4th OF JULY! The fantastic leaders of the day responsibly sent all the kids to bed so they could have an amazing night sleep where they dream of MERICA.

Happy 4th!

WRITEN BY – JONAH KORNBLUH & ANIKA MANDAVILLI

Thursday July 5, 2018

Started with a bit of toast n’ eggs Breakfast. Departure. Sustainability finished up the water tanks. Ate a beautifully prepared meal by the women in the village. Agriculture Finished building a nursery for the plants. Left to finish some watering plants at the farm in Somo Somo. Education had a great day, they enjoyed a nice lunch and had finished up with some multiplication problems. Then we had all come back and relaxed. After a long shift of service we had eaten dinner and done a gratitude circle. This was time for all of us to reflect on our time here and how it impacted us.

Saturday July 7, 2018

Bula!

Today was Saturday and our last day in the beautiful resort Botaira.
We started the morning early with an optional sunrise hike. Despite the early start it was definitely worth it when we reached the top of the mountain and saw the amazing view.
Today was a travel day. After breakfast we packed and prepared for home. We learnt a fun Fijian group dance and then said our goodbyes. We will miss everyone at Botaira Resort. Soon after, we traveled via ferry back to Nadi. Our last event of the day was a slideshow showcasing our adventures in Fiji. Thank you to all the friends we made in Fiji.

Thanks,
Hannah and Danny 🙂

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Thursday July 5, 2018

Hello friends and family!

This is Cate M., Gray S., and Emily G. and all of us have made it in one piece and are happy to say hello from the Dominican Republic!

To say the least we are all exhausted.

Some of us have been flying since the night before, but thankfully most of us flew in a little later the following morning. We had a relaxing day overall, just hanging out and getting to know each other. After dinner we all sat down for Charla (a group discussion), and all of us went over house and safety rules by acting out skits. We had so much fun laughing and bonding watching our fellow students embarrass themselves. Overall it was an awesome start.

We are so excited for the coming weeks!

-Cate M., Gray S., and Emily G.

Friday July 6, 2018

Today was jam packed with adventure and exhaustion. We hiked through the community of Brison and had a taste of the local culture. Although the hike up was difficult, both physically and mentally, we managed to make it to the top and take in the gorgeous view. After some rest time with the locals, we headed back down the mountain.

Today’s Charla discussed the 7 elements of human security: Personal, community, political, environmental, economic, health, and food. We talked about how the lack of any of these elements can affect a community.

The day wrapped up with a birthday celebration on the beach for Oscar and some cake by the ocean. Overall, it was a great day, and we will definitely feel the seven mile hike tomorrow!

-Emily G. and Abby R.

Saturday July 7, 2018

Life is a Disco. If you can’t go to the disco, bring the disco to you. -Mark

We had our first real community project, in which we spent several hours picking up trash in the river, and were surprised to find the locals leaving their houses to join us in cleaning the river. All together, we picked up thirty-five bags of trash! It was incredible to see the community come together and the wide range of ages and backgrounds coming to join us. After our hard work by the river, we headed back to the school with a majority of the children who were helping us earlier.

There, we spoke to Chloe, a peace corps volunteer who has lived in that community for the past year, asking her numerous questions about her role in the community and what more needs to be done. While waiting for the food to arrive, we spent time with the children playing games and learning more about their lives. It was interesting to see how, despite our language barrier, it did not stop us from having a good time. We then ate a delicious lunch before heading back to the home base. On the way back, we stopped at a supermarket where we picked up traditional snacks, specific to the Dominican Republic.

We wrapped up the day with swim tests, good food and thought provoking discussions based upon prevalent issues based upon the 7 Elements, in which we covered yesterday. Our first day of work left us excited for what’s to come.

-Meg and Tamara

Sunday July 8, 2018

Day 4 was a day of rest and learning. This morning we slept and ate breakfast later followed by a couple hours at the beach. After this, we had a delicious lunch of Yellow rice and chicken. Later, we explored Las Canas, the town we are currently located in. We talked to local community leaders about their everyday lives and the challenges that face the community. In addition to talking with local leaders, we visited the school and played with the children who attend. After some free time we had a fantastic dinner of chicken, french fries, and broccoli. To finish off a great day, we did an activity with another GLA group on leadership and looking past first impressions.

– Por Amelia y Frĺtz

Monday July 9, 2018

Today we visited an NGO in Puerto Plata called IDDI. It is run by volunteers from the Dominican Republic and focus on a variety of projects. They gave us a tour of a few projects they implement in a local community. They talked about youth empowerment, education and how it can be used to improve the community.

At a local site we met some of the children in the community who benefited from the organization. We then headed to a local restaurant for a taste of traditional cuisine, where we also learned an insightful lesson about how to make sure we are respectful of the cultural norms. We ended the day with a discussion about cultural ethics and NGOs. All in all it was a great day, despite the rain!

 

Tuesday July 10, 2018

Today we experienced the contrast between life in a Haitian Batey and a Dominican community just around the corner from one another. To begin the day, we met up with Melvin, the local Junto De Vecino, who taught us how to mix cement. We worked together as a team to provide the resources for local masons to cement the floors of a local family’s home. Once finished with our project, Melvin answered our many questions regarding life in La Grua. This discussion led to a shift in how we viewed the communities and the social differences between them. Then took us around the corner from the Dominican side of the community to the Haitian side.

There we saw a great difference in people’s socio economic status and living conditions. He discussed the impact that 7e has had on the community through providing a crucial resource to the people, easier access to water. To end the day, we had a discussion about racial differences between Haitian and Dominican people led by our local director, Junior. His insight into this very pervasive issue lead to a long thought provoking and intense discussion. Overall, we’re excited to see more of the local culture!

Wednesday July 11, 2018

Today we visited the 27 charcos ear Puerto Plata. We hiked 3 quarters of a mile or 5 dominican minutes to our first jump. The first one was 12 feet high and the water was ice cold. The second jump was the highest one we did today, which was an 8 meter drop. The waterfalls or charcos tody was an amazing adventure and I’m glad we did it. After we stopped at Playa Puerto Plata to stick our feet in the water and cool off before heading to the lodge. We all relaxed before dinner and after, our charla was about immigration issues around the world. We had a really thoughtful discussion about the issues and what we can do as young leaders to address them. We finished with some free time before bed.

Thursday July 12, 2018

Today we went to Cano Dulce and worked with local masons to build septic tanks for two houses. The day was filled with mixing rough and smooth cement. The smooth cement was different because the sand had to be sifted so that it was especially fine and smooth when used.

To get the water for the cementing, we had to crawl under a fence to get to a nearby river, collect the water in large paint buckets and bring them back. When walking to the river we had to walk across a field that was clearly being used as a bathroom when the latrines were full. While we were working, the families were sitting outside their houses and we could see who we were directly affecting.

We came back to the lodge and swam in the pool. After our traditional dinner of sancoch we had our nightly charla and free time after.

Friday July 13, 2018

Hello to everyone back home!

Waking up to day 9 was a bright and sunny day. Breakfast was at 8:00am. Everyday mornings are a bit different, but we all agree that the later the breakfast the better it is. Around 8:30 it was time to gather the buckets and shovels and head out on the gua gua. After a 40 minute drive we arived in Nuevo York Chiquito. From 9:00 untill 11:30 we hand mixed cement and plastered it on the wall on the community center bottle house.

By coincidence lunch was not the usual rice, chicken and beans, but was rather nachos and salad. As a reward all of us went to a beach called Playa Calleton. The water was so clear that you could see the bottom. Most of us ordered drinks in Pinapples and Coconuts, which was refreshing. Soon after laying in the sun and drinking virgin Pina Collatas we got back on the gua gua and headed home.

Most of us took showers to get off the cement, but it’s always nice to take a dip in the pool. As of dinner we shared our space with a group from West Chicago. For charla the founder of 7 elements, Dave, came and talked to us about his perspective on the Dominican Republic.

Cheers, Cate.

Saturday July 15, 2018

Hello parents!

My name is Alex and I am the Program Director for the International Development Program. We had a pretty packed day today with our activities and preparing to leave for Santo Domingo tomorrow morning, so I decided to give the kiddos a break and write today’s blog.

We started today off with a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs and an assortment of fruits. We then headed to Cano Dulce, a longstanding partner of 7 Elements/GLA. We did community interviews with some of the beneficiaries of our past projects and took a look at what they are currently working on with our local partner and GLA. We ended our community visit a nice pick up game of basketball with the locals.

We returned to the lodge for lunch and had some free time. Later we broke into our mentor groups and did some research about Santo Domingo and the organizations we will be visiting. After dinner, our mentor groups gave a small presentation of their findings and we then watched a a very interesting documentary called Poverty Inc. We had a brief discussion about the NGO space and headed to bed.

We are excited to see what Santo Domingo has in store for us!

Sunday July 15, 2018

Hi again from Alex!

The day flew by today and was very busy. We left the lodge this morning and headed for Santo Domingo. We stopped a couple times along the way for snacks and money exchange and ate lunch in a little restaurant about an hour or so outside of the city.

Upon arrival, we went to Tres Ojos, a beautiful national park. We saw some beautiful, naturally formed caves and walked around the park a bit. We then made our way to the hotel to get settled in for the next few days. We had a later dinner and finished the evening with a discussion about the program so far and what we hope to learn from our trip in Santo Domingo.

We are excited to visit some organizations tomorrow and explore the Colonial Zone! I will resume with the students writing blog entries tomorrow 🙂 Thanks for being a part of our adventure!

Monday July 16, 2018

Hello readers, today was full of learning. We started with breakfast at our hotel and made our way to UNA-DR where we spoke with youth volunteers about programs they are doing in line with the United Nations. Following that we spoke with a special guest, Clement, who currently works for the United Nations in the DR. We talked about current DR initiatives and the UN’s 2030 agenda.

For lunch we mixed it up and had la bandera with an Asian zing. Afterwards we sat down with members of OXFAM DR who told us about their branch in the DR and organization as a whole. They even gave us complimentary coffee from a local farmer and some to take home with us!

We finished the night with hamburgers and fries and a walk to the local store with our mentors. Stay tuned foe tomorrow!

Tuesday July 17, 2018

Hola from Alex again!

Today started off early with a fresh breakfast. We had a nice drive out of the city and through the country side to a place called Monte Plata. Here we visited an organization called Batey Releif Alliance. We learned about their medical initiatives in the DR and the students asked a lot of great questions. After, we visited a community that BRA works in. It was a learning experience for the students who did not like the way this community visit was done by BRA. You should all ask them about this when they come home because it’s an experience they won’t forget. We have challenged them to think critically throughout this trip and to always consider ethics when talking about international development. I was very proud of the way the students used what they have learned to be critical as well as see everything as an opportunity to learn. I’m rambling about how cool they are because they are a very special and brilliant bunch of young adults.

We returned to the hotel, had some chill time and then made our way to the Colonial Zone where we saw down awesome historical monuments, did some shopping and munched on some pizza. It was great to give them time to relax and explore a new place.

Wednesday July 18, 2018

Hi there!

Today marked 2 full weeks of this 21 day trip and our last day in Santo Domingo. We spent the day in a community called Haina working on a joint project between USAID and local NGOs in the area. With the help of volunteers in the community and partnering NGOs, our group helped paint a mural in the center of of the community to celebrate the 6 year partnership of Haina and international organizations as well as grassroot NGOs.

We painted, ate tacos, learned traditonal dances and had the pleasure of speaking with the mayor of Haina and Director of the local school. They were very proud to host us and this event and invited us all back next year!

We returned to the city, ate some sandwiches and headed to the malecón to see the ocean and another part of the city. It was a fulfilling and jam packed day!

Thursday July 19, 2018

Today we headed back to the lodge from Santo Domingo. The drive was long but we broke it up with a tour for Wine To Water, a local NGO fighting the water crisis in different parts of the world. In the DR they do this by distributing ceramic water filters made in their local factory. These are made to purify the water and are sent to different parts of the world.

We learned the process start to finish and were able to all make a filter. We learned the story behind the org and had lunch with them. We then finished our drive to Las canas where we were welcomed back to the lodge. We had dinner and finished with our nightly discussion on the beach.

Friday July 20, 2018

It was 6:05 on a cool, brisk morning. Frederick Holzgrefe awoke with a jolt to the sounds of nature greeting the Dominican Republic. Although the conscious mind of Mr. Holzgrefe had the intention to wake up mere moments before the 9 am breakfast, his body seeked revenge for his recent poor diet of icecream, popsicles, and toast, and lack of sufficient exercise. Fritz, an avid sportsman and intellectual, decided to use this extra time to read and workout. After his physical and mental exertion, he went to a delicious breakfast that consisted of toast, ham, eggs, fruit, and fried cheese. Due to recent long hours of work in Santo Domingo, the counselors decided it was best for Fritz and the group as a whole to have an easy day. Fritz, unlike his fellow companions, felt the desire to further his studies in the areas of english and sociology with this well-earned extra time.

After a productive two hours of intellectual advancement, Fritz had a satisfying lunch at noon consisting of chicken and rice. Following this congregation, Fritz and his companions went to a beach ten minutes thrice over away. Accompanying the beach was a stunning scenic view, cool water, and stronger bonds of friendship between Mr. Holzgrefe and his companions. After an empowering 2-3 hour excursion to the beach, Fritz and the group went back the lodge and had a fulfilling supper as the sun was setting upon our western shoulder. Today, Fritz will tell you that he stands a better and stronger man than he was yesterday due to GLA and 7Elements’ fine judgement in rewarding Fritz with an easy, relaxing day.

Tonight, Frederick John August Holzgrefe IV goes to bed a man of hopes, dreams, and anticipation for tomorrow’s work.

Saturday July 21, 2018

Hello again from the DR!

Today began with a bright and early breakfast at 7 A.M. After snacking on some delicious toast and eggs we drove to Chocolala, a chocolate factory owned by a group of women in Puerto Plata. They built their business from the ground up 40 years ago and have maintained it ever since. We got the chance to go on a tour of the factory and even got to purchase some sweet snacks for friends and family back home!

After lunch we stopped by a supermarket to stock up on food for the last few days of our stay. Once we got back to the lodge we had some free time to work on our capstone project in our groups.

Charla tonight consisted of breaking up into teams of seven and creating a worldwide campaign about different human and environmental issues. We’ll be presenting these tomorrow so stay tuned for the results.

Adios!

-Emily G.

Sunday July 22, 2018

Hello!

Today we had our second to last organization visit with Live Different, an organization started in Canada. They focus on sustainable housing in the DR. Our host Jamie talked about the organization and current efforts in La Union, the Dominican-Haitian community that we visited. He then introduced their partner from Cups of Cold water that focuses on medical issues in the community. After we toured the project sites and met some of the community partners and current students that they are hosting.

We then ate a packed lunch at a cute little restaurant and debriefed our experiences at all the organizations we have visited. We went back to the lodge, did group presentations on our assigned human rights campaigns and made a jaunt to the beach to collect fire wood for our beach bonfire later that night. We finished the evening with a celebration of the current 7e/GLA staff that are returning to Haiti to finish their global health programs. It was a good day!

Monday July 23, 2018

Today was a busy but fun day. We visited a small community in Sosua that relies on the river and ocean for their livlihood. The people that live here fish every day to make money and provide food. We worked with a local fisherman coalition in replanting mangrove trees along the river. This helps clean and nurture the river and ocean and keeps fish healthy and thriving. They hope in coming years to bring visitors to see the mangroves. On the way home we stopped and met a local beekeeper Jonny who showed us his bees and talked about the importance of this species. He even let us try the honey!

We returned to the lodge, ate dinner and presented our Capstone projects. The assignment was to split into groups and over the last week, come up with an NGO or social Enterprise to address a current world issue. Our director, Alex, teared up at the end because she was so proud of all the hard work we put into the projects. We finished the night with free time.

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Saturday July 21, 2018

Saludos!

Lots of students have been up since 5am. We had students flying from west to east coast to be all together at once…finally! It always feels right once the whole group is together. Some students flew in and made it to the lodge early. We did some swim tests, walked on the beach and played Spoons. Students that were around for lecture time were able to sit in on a discussion about their leadership style which is a great way to get the program started.

We were excited for Sydney, Sami and Acadia to arrive from the long drive from Santiago. Their high spirits and energy levels were unbelievable but I think it was the adrenaline and excitement kicking in from finally making it to home base. We had some dinner saved for them while the other students that arrived earlier sat around to get to know each other. Tomorrow I look forward to giving the students a morning orientation that will also lead them into a surf lesson and baseball game with the locals.

It was a successful day and I am so excited for what this experience will bring to these students in just two weeks. My favorite word in the Spanish language is vivencia which is an unique and self-defining experience whose import is wholly shaped by the time and place where it occurs. It is much more than an experience that no one else can live or understand; the specific vivencia builds on to the individual’s character and molds them anew.

I think the most profound vivencias are the ones that are abroad. And I am more than thrilled to share my passion for international education with students that are ready to see the world from another perspective. We will surf, we will play sports, we will eat chicken and rice, we will spend time on the beach, we will serve, and we will share our vivencias. Join us for daily updates written by the leaders of the day.

Sending peace and light from the Caribbean!

– JoLyn (GLA International Director)

Sunday July 22, 2018

Hola Padres,

Oscar, first leader of the day here. There is a dog named Oscar at the lodge, so we got a picture together! We started the day with freshly prepared pancakes, eggs. and fruit. We then after jumped into orientation and learned about our surrounding area. Soon after that we received our first surf lessons from our instructor Pedro, a local surf teacher from Venezuela. He teaches year-round a surf school along the coast. We surfed until it was time for lunch.

After our lunch we met up with some of the local people for a game of Baseball. That later led into a dance session and we all learned the Bachata and created new friendships. We look forward to what is in store the next couple of days.

Adios,
Oscar

Monday July 23, 2018

Hola,

Today was another wonderful day full of learning and fun! Last night we had our first lecture about the 7 elements of human security. We also learned about the history of bateys to prepare us for our first day at the service site. We woke up (on time woohoo!!) to a yummy breakfast of toast, eggs, bacon, coco-puffs, and fresh fruits. After we finished our meal, we got ready for the day and climbed in the van for a ride to La Grua, where we are building a basketball court from scratch. When we arrived we had to lay out string and measure the space. With the help of the locals, we completed the first step of digging a base for the court. When our work for the day was done, we went to a very nice (and air-conditioned!) supermarket to get snacks. Now we are getting ready to head to the beach before dinner and our nightly lecture!

-Acadia, Leader of the Day:)

Tuesday July 24, 2018

Hola Padres!

This is Havi, the leader of the day for day four. Today was such an awesome, yet tiring day for the group (now known as the Elite 8). We had our second work day today and I am able to say with full confidence that our group is putting our all into our project. We mixed cement, which to our surprise does not consist of stirring it cleanly in a bucket, rather of mixing it in a giant pile of dirt with pick axes and shovels. It was super draining and we are all in need of massages but are all super proud of our job and excited to continue it on Sunday! We made our workday fly by with our acapella singing of “Let’s Get Down to Business” from the Mulan movie, which apparently gave Beau a headache! OOPS!! Throughout the work day we were able to play basketball and soccer with the kids, give piggyback rides to them, and Martin even helped a local woman read a book in English!

We were all able to create great bonds with the local kids and were sad to leave them at the end of the day, despite our tiredness. On our way home from the work site we stopped to watch some kite-surfing which made us so excited to start our kite-surfing lessons tomorrow! We arrived home (the lodge is now referred to as that- sorry parents!) and ate a great dinner and had an inspiring activity about poverty led by JoLyn (Jo). We finished the night with our ritual of going over our rose/thorn activity where we each say what was our “rose” or highlight and our “thorn” downer for the day; the rose comes easily for all of us, while the thorn is much harder to come up with! Muy bien! Overall, today was amazing and we are all so excited to continue our daily adventures with the Elite 8. As Loubens, our local director, would say, “I LOVE MY TEAM!!”

Adios padres!
Havi

Wednesday July 25 and Thursday July 26, 2018

Sami: Bienvenidos a nuestro programa de entrevistas!
Sydney: Welcome to our talk show!
Sami: Today we will be reviewing our past 2 days here in the DR!
Sydney: We started off day 5 strong with surf lessons from the one and only, Pedro!
Sami: Our lessons began with Pedro’s one minute meditation – very relaxing:)
Sydney: Although we most definitely did not succeed the first, second, or third time, we all had so much fun and made so much surfing progress! Some would even refer to this experience as “educational and thrilling” quoted by the brilliant Beau
Sami: We then embarked on our journey back to the lodge (a hard .01 mile walk) and enjoyed a classic Dominican lunch including rice, chicken, salad, veggies, and fruit (duh).
Sydney: Jo then forced us all onto a large white van and told us she had a “surprise” in store for us.
Sami: But don’t worry! It was just an ice cream run, where we all (minus Sydney’s lactose free stomach) enjoyed some refreshing ice cream!
Sydney: After our ice cream adventure, we headed over to the beach for our first kite surfing lesson!
Sami: iT wAs So EaSy … psych! We definitely struggled, even flying our kite into locals on the beach… oops.
Sydney: “Ouch” said a local on beach; “only room for improvement” promised the instructor
Sami: After kitesurfing we chilled by the pool, reading, tanning, and swimming and then ate another healthy dinner.
Sydney: “Let’s go have a dance party on the beach” proposed Loubens … and so we did.
Sami: Picture this: 10 people on the beach, an almost full moon, jamming to music and listening to the waves.
Sydney: Next we got our necessary 10 hours of sleep (no joke, we’re ready for bed at 9:30).
Sami: Annnd now we’re at day 6! We began the day with the famous one minute ~eyes closed~ meditation and surfing.
Sydney: Lunch and then we were off to play basketball with locals at Cano Dulce.
Sami: We played hard… especially Oscar and Martin.
Sydney: “I am sweating a lot”, said Oscar as he wrung out the sweat from his shirt; “I prefer baseball” chimed in Martin
Sami: And that wraps up our day thus far.
Sydney: Signing off.
Sami: I’m Sami.
Sydney: I’m Sydney.
Sami and Sydney: See you next week!

Friday July 27, 2018

Hola Padres,

Today(Friday) we woke up at 6:45 for a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, bread, cereal, and fruit at 7:00 AM. At 8:00 AM we got in the bus to head to Mount Brison. After the early morning bus ride we finally arrived. As we started our hike up the trail we stopped at a few places. First, we stopped at a house with chickens, and trees with fruit on them. We learned that the key to survival in some places is to be self sufficient. The next stop we made was to the first – fifth grade school along the trail. The school only has two rooms for five grades. We also learned that the Dominican is lowly rated on education in Latin America which led us to talk about the why. The next stop we took was at a woman’s house where she sold homemade bread, bracelets, and rugs. She also had some interesting fruit called limoncillos.

After a long hike up we got to our destination. Once we arrived, Maxima had food prepared for us to eat. Our delicious lunch consisted of chicken, rice, beans, fruit, and salad. The food tasted so much better knowing that we worked hard for it. As we were eating we learned about the cock fighting that is common in the Dominican Republic. This came up because of the man at the house where we ate lunch was training a chicken for fighting. We thought that the man was going to kill the chicken but luckily he did not.

After lunch we walked down the trail for around an hour. We finally got to the bottom of the trail and felt very tired as we had our bus ride back to the lodge. The day was filled with ups and downs but it felt very rewarding.

Adios,
Beau

Saturday July 28, 2018

Hola Familias,

It’s Alexa, leader of the day, here to give you guys a brief overview of day eight. We started our day with an early breakfast, and were then greeted by our surfing instructor, Pedro, who we all love. We headed down to the beach where we began our lesson with the traditional one minute meditation. Starting our morning like this is always super rejuvenating and relaxing! We surfed, swam and even went looking for shells. After surfing we headed back to the lodge where we ate lunch and had some down time before heading out for another planned activity.

We then made the trip to the well-anticipated Dudu Lagoon. I know many of our expectations were definitely exceeded. There were two lagoons, one with a zip line and 35 foot drop (don’t worry! We were all fine!), and one for swimming and hanging out. All members of the Elite Eight were brave, and took those daunting steps off the ledge and made the drop into the lagoon. It didn’t come as a surprise that it definitely was not the most comfortable experience, and many were not feeling a second round (Yikes)! We then moved on and enjoyed the second lagoon which was full of beautiful clear blue water. Everyone had so much fun jumping into the water and swimming in the lagoon. It was for sure an experience that we will all remember. The place even had a beach volleyball court which we took full advantage of (how could we not, we’re the sports group)! The game was full of lots of laughs, missed balls and serves, and both teams were even joined by other people visiting the lagoon. It got pretty intense, and it was surely one of the highlights of the trip so far. All and all, today was so much fun, and I know we are all looking forward to the adventures that are to come in the next few days! That’s it for now, adios.

-Alexa

Sunday July 29, 2018

Hola
Martin here as your last solo leader of the day. After today, we will double up with leader of the days to finish the program! After an intriguing lecture last night where our local directer, Loubens, taught us about Haitian and Dominican relationships. It was really interesting to learn about the history of the island and Louben’s experience as a Haitian in the Dominican Republic. This led us to a discussion where we learned that the last sports group started a go-fund me page to support Loubens in his education to be a nurse. This started a conversation about being the change. If you would like to donate to Loubens’ education, please contribute at the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/loubens-sine

We woke to find ourselves in the van once again for our third trip down to La Grua. While at La Grua we finally got to use a cement mixer which sped up the process of making the cement drastically. Since the locals had filled up much of the space already we could start by just flattening the ground out. Once the ground was mostly flat we could start the painful (just kidding) process of shoveling the cement into the wheelbarrow and emptying the wheelbarrow onto what will become the basketball court. This process left us all looking like we had stood underneath one of the humongous buckets of water at a water park that unexpectedly dumps on you…. only to find out it was filled with cement and splattered all over us. After that wonderful news, now seems like a good time to tell you that it is Beau’s 16th birthday which means wee all get cake later so, yay! Well it’s about time for dinner so I better wrap it up (no pun intended).

Adios!
Martin

Tuesday July 31, 2018

Hola Padres!

This is Sydney and Havi, the leaders of the day on day 11. Three more days until we see you all! Craziness! We are having a great time here, but are all excited to see our padres soon (but will be so sad to leave each other, as well as JoLyn and Loubens). Today was a pretty chill day, which was much needed after these busy two weeks. We had our last surf day with our instructor Pedro. Then, we had lunch with just our group, which is our preference for sure! Elite 8 > everyone else! Then, we had a baseball game with the locals which we all enjoyed.

We got to witness one of our Dominican friends, Alex, that we met last week at the baseball game climb up a tree and throw us down coconuts! Then, we came back to the lodge and had some free-time before dinner. After dinner, we had a fun debate about mega sporting events followed by a few games of Mafia on the beach! We stayed on the beach until the sun set and then took the short walk home in the moonlight. I bet you all are jealous now! Overall, today was a great day and we are sad to realize that there are only two more days of adventure left in the Domincan! Talk tomorrow padres!

Wednesday August 1, 2018

Hola Padres,

This morning we woke up to a tasty breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and fresh fruit. After we ate, we piled into the van to head to the beach to snorkel. Once we arrived we grabbed our snorkeling equipment and went to the beach where a boat was waiting to take us to a reef. We strapped on our gear and jumped into the crystal clear water. We saw lots of colorful fish. After snorkeling for a little while we took off our snorkels, and life jackets and free dove. The water was nice and refreshing. After being in the water for about an hour we hopped back into the boat and went back to the beach for pizza.

The pizza took a while to get to the beach, so we decided to look around, and shopped. Many of us had to bargain the prices down because they jack up the prices for tourists. For example, a store owner asked for me (Beau) to pay ten dollars for a small wooden turtle but I ended up getting it for five dollars. When it was finally time for lunch, we all enjoyed our pizza and the pretty view of the beach with a mountain in the distance.After lunch, a lot of us had our hair pulled and yanked by a couple sweet dominican women to get cornrows. We then ran through the burning hot sand and into the cool water. What an amazing way to end our trip! Tonight will be filled with activities, packing and lots of goodbyes but Elite 8 will stay strong 🙂

See you all soon,
Beau and Acadia

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Thursday July 5, 2018

Saludos!!!

Flying from the states and internationally, we finally made it! There were 8 students that flew in from Puerto Plata and the 3 more in Santiago. I went to the Puerto Plata airport with my Local Director, Loubens to greet the students. When we got to the lodge in the afternoon, the group of 8 took a two minute walk from the lodge to the beach. We tossed around the volleyball, dipped our feet in the waves, and took our first beach photo. Unfortunately, it’s not complete without Chloe and Emily who will get here tomorrow and Lewis, Shane, and Sam that arrived to the lodge later this evening. We look forward to reuniting as a whole team tomorrow with many more group beach photos to come. The students were sleepy from a long day of travel although we will be ready to surf and play some baseball tomorrow.

I am excited for what this experience will bring to these students in just two weeks. My favorite word in the Spanish language is vivencia which is an unique and self-defining experience whose import is wholly shaped by the time and place where it occurs. It is much more than an experience that no one else can live or understand; the specific vivencia builds on to the individual’s character and molds them anew. I think the most profound vivencias are the ones that are abroad. And I am more than thrilled to share my passion for international education with students that are ready to see the world from another perspective. We will surf, we will play sports, we will eat chicken and rice, we will spend time on the beach, we will serve, and we will share our vivencias. Join us for daily updates co-written by the leaders of the day.

Sending positive vibes from the caribbean!!

A la orden,

JoLyn

Friday July 6, 2018

Hey parents,

It’s Abi and Nick, the leaders of the day. Today we woke up and ate a delicious breakfast of bread, eggs, bacon, sausage and fresh fruit. We spent the morning with our surf instructor Sarah, who taught us how to balance and get up on a surf board. After 3 hours of attempting this, with few successes, we were very hungry and came back to the base for lunch. After fueling up we went to a local park to play baseball, soccer, volleyball. Everyone had a blast collaborating with each other and navigating through the language barrier while playing sports. In the afternoon, we welcomed Emily and Chloe! We will be taking a group photo with them tomorrow. Tonight we are going to learn about the 7 elements of human security and tomorrow we will start our service project.

Hasta mañana
Abi and Nick

Saturday July 7, 2018

Hola padres,

Today was our first day of service at La Grua. Our project is to build a baseball field for the community. Although it was extremely hot, we were able to make an outline of the field which will make our jobs much easier for later in the week. A highlight was definitely playing soccer with the local children during our breaks. On the way back we stopped at a grocery store with air conditioning and got some snacks for our rooms. We look forward to being able to finish this project and make a difference in the community.

From,
Olivia & Alex

Sunday July 8, 2018

Hi Parents,

Today we continued our service project in La Grua and had a similar day to yesterday. We woke up to a breakfast of toast, bacon, eggs, and fruit, and then left to continue our construction of the baseball field! After a few hours of work on the field, we took a short drive to eat a lunch of chicken, mashed potatoes, and fruit. After lunch, we returned to the site and took a tour of the small Haitian community of La Grua. We were able to interact with many locals, and some children even followed us back to the field to help us work. After working a bit longer, we decided to take a break and play soccer with some of the children.

After saying goodbye, we hopped back on the bus and went swimming in the pool at the lodge. We are looking forward to a lecture about poverty tonight, as well as a dinner of tacos. Last night, instead of our usual lecture, we had a debate about megasporting events and their impacts on the economy. We then further debated questions posed to us by our “Leaders of the day”. We are excited to go surfing tomorrow and continue learning more about the Dominican Republic.

Adios,
Amanda and Blake

Monday July 9, 2018

Today was our 5th day in the Dominican Republic. We went surfing for the second time, but the waves were much bigger than last time which made it more challenging. Also we learned how to kite surf. We didn’t do it in the water yet because we had to learn the basics of controlling the kite first. After we went to a field and played kickball and cards until it was time to go back to the lodge. Overall today was a fun but tiring day.

-By Emily and Louis

Tuesday July 10, 2018

Hi parents,

It’s Day 6 here and we got the chance to go surfing in the morning. Unfortunately it rained the night before which caused the waves to be a bit larger, so we stayed closer to shore. But surfing went great and was really fun for everyone. Then we had extra time so as a group, we all watched a surfing documentary that was very interesting. It was about how veterans that come back from the war learn how to surf and use it as natural medicine to cope with PTSD. We had a discussion about how sports can be used as an outlet to build a sense of community, connection and purpose. We had a great lunch and then went to a nearby community to play basketball and volleyball with the locals. All the kids we met had so much fun and it made us happy to see them! We are excited for the rest of the days to come!

-Chloe and Garrett

Wednesday July 11, 2018

Hello parents,

Today we woke up early to hike Mount Brison. The hike was four miles long and had difficult terrain but the view and food at the top made it worth it. On the way up we made several stops, including one where we bought homemade bread and jewelry. Another stop was the school, where many students made the same hike we did to attend it.

We also met a local woman named Maxima, who has lived there her whole life. She told us about her daily life on Mount Brison and we got a group picture with her. The rest of the day was relaxing and we made a much appreciated stop at a store. Tonight we will watch a short documentary about the history of Dominican and Haitian relations followed by discussion with Loubens, our local director that is from Haiti.

– Sam and Mia

Thursday July 12, 2018

Hola parents,

Last night we had our daily lecture, this one was very important because we discussed Haitian and Dominican relations. We learned a lot about the history of discrimination against Haitians and problems they face today in the D.R. Today we woke up early for laundry day and then went out on the water to surf. After a while of swimming and surfing, we came back to eat lunch and then boarded the bus preparing for an hour ride to Dudu Lagoon. At Dudu we played beach volleyball, zip lined over a clear-water lagoon. We swam for some time and then headed back to the lodge for free time before dinner and another nightly lecture.

-by Shane and Abi

Friday July 13, 2018

Dear parents,

It´s day 9 here in the Dominican and we had a service day today. We got so much work done because we all worked very hard and together as a group. We completed the lanes of the baseball field by filling them with the sand that will be used for the community to run on. Due to our hard work, we got ice cream from a local ice cream shop called Bon´s. The ice cream was very good and refreshing for all of us, since we had a long day of hard work. We are so excited to go to 27 charcos tomorrow for a fun day.

-by Chloe and Nicolas

Saturday July 14, 2018

Hola Padres!

Last night we had a lecture about Social Justice and it was really interesting. We learned about wage gaps and inequality between genders and races that exists in countries all around the world. The lecture left us thinking about how we have no idea what someone else is going through until we are willing to listen and learn about their perspective.

Today, we went to 27 charcos which is about a 2 hour drive away from the lodge. At 27 charcos we were able to jump or slide down 10 to 15 waterfalls. Although the water was cold we still had a blast! After completing the amount of waterfalls included with the tour we then went to a restaurant to eat lunch. The lunch was buffet style with choices of different kinds of rices and chicken. After the yummy lunch we headed back on the van and concluded the day with free time and dinner.

Hasta Mañana,

-Alex and Amanda

Sunday July 15, 2018

Hi parents,

Today we woke up to an amazing breakfast of pancakes, fruit, fried cheese, granola, and cereal. After finishing up breakfast, we went surfing with our instructor Sarah. It was our last day with her and we really enjoyed having her as our teacher! After surfing, we ate a lunch of fish, rice, and potato salad. With help from JoLyn, we were able to stream the world cup on a laptop, and Louis who is from France, was thrilled that France won the final. After watching the world cup, we had our second kitesurfing lesson on the beach.

Over the course of the past few days, Blake and Alex have been working on a GoFundMe campaign for our local director Loubens. Loubens has had an extremely positive impact on all members of GLA summer programs. During our lecture about Haitian and Dominican history, he explained some of his struggles as a Haitian in the Dominican Republic. He also explained his aspirations of becoming a nurse, finishing his college education, and working in the Dominican Republic in future years. Funds raised on this page will go towards paying for his Dominican visa and education in the coming years. Feel free to donate using the link below:

https://www.gofundme.com/loubens-sine

-Blake and Mia

 

Monday July 16, 2018

Dear padres,

Today was our last day of service in La Grua. We finally finished our baseball field and we were able to play on it with local kids. We were done early and cleaned the area to make the field look nicer. On our way back from service, we stopped at one of the most famous kite surfing beaches in the world and watched kite surfers in the ocean. It was interesting to watch as we were never able to get into the water during our lessons. It is difficult to learn how to control the kite on land and takes a lot of time and practice to get in the water to do it. We can’t believe that tomorrow is our last full day together! As our time comes to end, we look forward to sharing with you all our incredible experience in person.

Olivia & Louis

Tuesday July 17, 2018

Dear Parents,

Our last day, we went to Rio San Juan to swim and snorkel. We also explored a small cave and had lunch at the beach. It was raining on and off during our time there. We also drank some virgin piña coladas and some of us got our hair braided. It was a good last day to relax and spend time together. We are happy to go home tomorrow but we will miss each other and the adventures we have had! Thanks for following us through our time here in the last two weeks. We have enjoyed sharing our experiences together and we are excited to share more in person our unforgettable memories.

-by Emily and Sam