Click here to jump down to the new posts!

Tuesday July 10, 2018

Welcome Session III of GLA’s Beachside Service Adventure! We are so excited to have finally settled in to our new home for the next nine days here in Junquillal, Guanacaste! Yesterday, we were greeted with the traditional Costa Rican dinner known as the Casada – literally “marriage” in English, which is a dish always comprised of beans, rice, salad, and a protein.

We had a long day at the airport, but today after a much needed sleep, we are ready for a fun day of team building activities and getting to know one another at orientation. After trying gallo pinto st breakfast – you guessed it, rice and beans – we started the day with staff introductions, service project information, and GLA policies.

After, we met our “buddies” for the next 9 days, a way to meet new people and a safety measure to make sure everyone is accounted for. Half the students took off one of their shoes, while the other half received one and had to find their buddy and learn the story of where that shoe had taken their buddy.

Today students will complete activities like the team building exercise“bucket of dreams,” a leadership seminar, and skits and tours to learn the rules of the eco resort. We will also find out what mentor group and service project we will be in!

From all of us here at Junquillal, we are so happy that you all have chosen to eat, sleep, learn and grow alongside of us mentors in the gorgeous country of Costa Rica. Stay tuned for more to come!

Wednesday July 11, 2018

Hola!

Today was the first day of divided service! Our courageous peers in the two Marbella service groups started off the day 30 minutes earlier than everyone else to get to their service sites. There, one group spent the morning at a small farm helping to reforest by transporting and watering the trees in the dry forest. Our other Marbella group spent the morning at a local school cleaning the area to prepare it for painting!

The Verda Azul service group began their first project of building a fence around the sea turtle hatchery and coming up with games to teach local children about sea turtles. Paraiso worked at a different school to help garden, build a playground, and paint murals. ROW planted plants in order for grass to grow to increase rainfall to help the water supply increase. Huerta vida y salud went to another local farm and became very in touch with nature as they took off their shoes and learned about organic growing and education.

After all of the groups returned and ate lunch, we went to Playa Blanca beach! Students enjoyed the waves, sun, and each other! After this trip, Silvia, a Guanacaste local, came and taught us about the history of Costa Rica! Everyone enjoyed learning new facts about the country and about Silvia’s life as a Costa Rican! Today’s dinner circle’s theme was courage, and students got the chance to “shout out” other students who were courageous throughout the day.

We are looking forward to continuing our service tomorrow, stay tuned!

Thursday July 12, 2018

This morning we continued our work at our various service sights. The Verdi Azul group dug holes and put wood logs into them to make a fence to protect the beautiful Costa Rican beaches and sea turtles from cars driving into them. ROW painted and cleaned bins then planted flowers. The Marbella school played with the kids and painted more of the school. They offered us lemonade and fresh oranges. It was hot and sunny but we kept good attitudes and used our Spanish to get to know the kids.

The Paraíso school group finished painting a mural and the garden box and moved it outside and filled it with dirt. After they painted tires for the playground being built. The Huerta Vida y Salud group learned about organic farming and weeded to help prepare for the new crops being planted. After our service projects, we came back together as a big group and went to the Ecomuseum and learned about local pottery techniques used by the descendants of the Chorotega indigenous tribe. We got to try our hand at shaping the clay as well! We returned to homebase for dinner and finished up the night in mentor groups talking about Interpersonal Leadership and how we interact with other people in challenging situations.

Friday July 13, 2018

Today was another busy day of service!

The ROW group put tree saplings in bags to be transferred to places that they can be planted to increase the firmness of the soil. They also prepared seeds to be planted which will grow to further the reduction of the receding landmass of Costa Rica’s shores. Many Costa Rican’s and others are worried about this recession and the effects it may have on Costa Rica and are grateful for the help volunteers give.

The Puerta Vida y Salud group pulled weeds to prepare Roberto’s farm for planting, with the weeds being allowed to grow in order to soften the soil. The volunteers have done this for one day prior to this also but should be receiving a change of pace tomorrow.

The Marbella School group continued with their work from yesterday, painting the walls with designs to appeal to children and welcome them to the school, as well as provide a fun learning environment. This will allow all of the children of the Marbella School to enjoy learning and making them feel safe in the building and with the staff.

Today VerdiAzul broke a GLA record! They dug 43 holes which is the most holes ever dug in GLA history. After this amazing record they painted some coconuts for the kids they were working with. They put turtle backs on the shells of the coconuts for a small demonstration.

The Marbella beach clean up group had another successful day of cleaning! They cleaned up a beach called cocos. The rocks on the beach were called frijoles because they looked like beans and in Spanish beans is frijoles. They started on one side of the beach and cleaned all the way to the other. Then they took a break and took a dip in the ocean.

For the fifth day of service the volunteers at Paraiso school split into two groups for service. One group painted tires at the school for decorations. The other group worked in the garden and planted seeds. After a hard day of service all the groups went to the beach!

First all the groups went to the Blanca Beach but since the tide was so high everyone had to go back to a different beach. We then tried a beach by home base where it was safe to swim. The waves were super fun to swim in and the water was nice and warm. After the fun at the beach we had a guest speaker, Matt Rosensteele. He was in the Peace Corps from 2008-2010. He told everyone about his time there and how important making connections with people is. He taught everyone very important lessons about community service.

Saturday July 14, 2018

Today we started our day early as usual and had a special breakfast like burritos, fruit, potatoes, rice and beans. Then, Carajillos had a debate about different voices of people about economic problems and social problems around the World Cup in Brazil. We learned to come together with an agreement which was difficult. After, we were split into two groups that were Guillas and Carajillos. Carajillos did zip lining that was extraordinary to look at the view up high and landscapes. Guillas did snorkeling in Playa Flamingo and had food on the boat. In the afternoon, we had tacos and did our community service.

Marbella still painted the school and we are almost finished with it. Another service group went the Coco beach, they picked up trash in a dumpster and saw a guy surf. Other service groups like Row and Verdizul combined groups and painted coconuts with the local kids. Paraiso’s service group dug holes for tires to go in, watered plants, put tires in the car they built for the playground, took care of plants, painted steering wheels and chairs. Finally, the service group, Huerta Organic Farm went to an organic market in a town called Tamarindo that shopped for food and organic products. Overall, the day was two groups doing different adventures and doing service.

Sunday July 15, 2018

We had such an eventful day at GLA. Although we didn’t get to do any service today we were out all day doing adventures and cultural activities! We began off the day with an early start with a 6:15 wake up to go tubing in the rapids. There were some mixed feelings about this, some students were scared whilst some were excited however at the end of the adventure through many people getting stuck and many falls, everyone had a positive experience and enjoyed it to the fullest.

Our eventful day continued when we stopped at a community event to try the chopping wood contest and to play soccer with the locals. A lot of girls even got to play a soccer match with the women’s soccer team which was so much fun for everyone involved. Meanwhile the boys and the rest of the girls (later joined by the soccer players) learned a traditional Guanacaste dance. After a very full day we filled up on chicken and mash potatoes, learned about critical thinking and enjoyed a well deserved rest.

Monday July 16, 2018

Today was a beautiful day, it’s been super warm here in Costa Rica since we first started our journey and thankfully we’ve been in the veranito (tiny summer) and haven’t had any rain in the day other than when we are asleep.

We started off our morning today at 7am with breakfast and everyone was off to their service sites before 8am. The Huerta group (Organic farm) continued with their weeding and managed to finish off the full half of the Mandala, which was quite an accomplishment for everyone under the hot sun. They also had a tour of Rodolfos bees that continue to stay on his property year after year which goes to show the biodiversity of his farm.

The Marbella beach cleanup group watered plants due to the drought that comes with the veranito, and they had their fun day where they swam in Loris pool and some of them witnessed a mother monkey with her baby! ROW went to a local school where they painted and cleaned the trash and recycle bins, as well as painted signs. The Verdiazul group painted signs and played a game to find sea turtle eggs located on the beach.

We all headed back to the resort around 12 noon to have a lunch that consisted of rice with chicken, as well as salad with some yummy homemade dressings! We left at 1:30pm to go to the rally where we split into 3 groups and rotated between 3 activities. We played soccer with the local kids (who were all amazing and kicked our butts!), then we had a game session where we watched a guy perform a fire act who also taught us skills such as juggling, balancing, and baton twirling.

The final activity was a cooking lesson with Doña Yolanda, where we made tortillas from scratch. We husked corn and then after boiling the kernels mixed it with water and ash to grind. We then mixed and formed our tortillas and cooked them in a pan over the fire. We got to taste them with homemade cheese and sour cream, it was delicious! We got back around 5:30pm and headed off to dinner circle and had a delicious meal. Mentor groups were from 7-8 and everyone is ready for bed after a long but amazing day.

Click here to jump down to the recent posts! 

Thursday June 28, 2018

Welcome to Session 2 at Beachside Service Adventure with GLA! Students arrived yesterday, June 27th at Playa Junquillal in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. After learning the ground rules and safety measures here at Playa Junquillal Eco Resort, the students who arrived earlier in the day caught a glimpse of the breathtaking sunset down on the beach, while getting to know the face of Beachside Adventure… Pablo! (Our director’s dog!) Later, students were treated to a traditional Costa Rican meal known as casado, a dish comprised of beans, rice, plantains, salad and a protein.

After dinner, students continued to settle in to their new home for the next 10 days and even enjoyed a night walk on the beach illuminated by a full moon! Then it was lights out at 10 o’clock sharp to rest up for team building activities the following day at orientation, all except for our last group of students who arrived to homebase close to 11pm.

Today is orientation day, and we are busy getting to know each other and diving into what it means to be a leader in a global context. Stay tuned for more updates!

Pura Vida!

Friday June 29, 2018

Today marks the first service day of the second session of Costa Rica Beachside Service Adventure 2018! It has been an eventful day for all of us. Yesterday was an orientation day, where we went over rules and grounds boundaries and other important information, like emergency preparedness. Today we woke up bright and early, had breakfast, and headed off, each to their own service group, which was assigned to us yesterday. There are five: ROW, VerdiAzul, Paraiso School, Playa Avellanas, and Vida y Salud Organic Farm. Many pictures were taken today at each of the service sites, and a lot of fun and hard work was had, too! Here is what we all did today:

Today at ROW, GLA students painted signs and recycling bins at a nearby school so the kids there would more easily learn to dispose of their trash effectively and not litter. Just walking alongside the road here in Costa Rica, one can see plastic bottles and bags laying here. It’s very important here to get rid of trash the right way, and teaching that helps connect the Costa Rican students and us. The students also learned about the history of Costa Rica and water issues surrounding the country. They taught about the water cycle and the importance of preserving trees to the students in the school. As one of the students says, “The kids were so excited and they were all waving when we left. The students in the school were really excited when we got there, too.”

VerdiAzul tells a completely different story today. VerdiAzul is an organization focused on sea turtles, beachside reforestation, and cleanliness of nature, much like ROW. Today the students helped clear out an area for future turtle eggs. They passed buckets of sand down to a pile and dumped them out to let the ocean take the sand back. It was hard work under the sun and in such heat and humidity, but it was all worth it when they got to witness baby sea turtles being released into the ocean. One of the students said, “All the baby turtles were so adorable and tiny, and it was awesome to see them being released!” The students also started planning a future school lesson about the importance of nature. They said it felt great to wash off all the sand accumulated during the day back at home base after the work was over.

One portion of the GLA students worked in and around a local school named Paraiso. Students worked hard in the humidity building gardens and painting murals for the children. Because it was Paraiso’s last day of school, the children were roaming around and interacting with the GLA students. Additionally, another portion of the students worked diligently in the mangroves of Guanacaste. They walked deep into the swampy, dense trees and came across an abandoned house. The house was filled with carbon, all kinds of trash, and they cleaned every little piece out of it. The students also worked tediously to sort the waste into recyclables and mixed trash and were able to dispose of it properly. Lastly, another group working to improve the life and health of the Costa Rican’s learned to create composts. The GLA students took grains, cow poop, corn flower, water, molasses, and mixed it together to create the compost support. Students came to the home base tired yet excited for the next day to continue their services and continue in the direction to make a difference around Costa Rica.

When we got back to home base, lunch was wolfed down and we got into our bathing suits…. And then it started raining. No, not raining. Pouring! Pouring doesn’t even begin to describe it! The skies unloaded rainwater for hours, and we had to cancel a trip to the beach. We played a story game, took a few hours of break, and then listened to a native woman named Silvia speak about Costa Rican geography and important events. She had an interesting story to tell, and pictures to show. After that, we went into a “chow circle” before dinner, where we went over the schedule and gave shoutouts! We had a delicious dinner, and celebrated international director Callie’s birthday by cracking an egg filled with flour on her head and dancing. We had some cake for Callie, too! After a bunch of dancing fun, we went into our mentor groups and talked about our values and stories of self. Before the night was over, we danced some more and ate some cheesecake. Then, sleep. And boy, did we sleep 🙂

Saturday June 30, 2018

Today was a great day at GLA Costa Rica beachside service adventure. In the morning we split off into service groups in did many meaningful service projects and learned lots of interesting things about Costa Rica and culture.

In verdi azul, the group watched baby turtles hatch and they helped by hauling sand around the beach.

In the playa Avellanas group they picked up trash along the beach and sanded boards to make signs on the next service day.

In the vida y salud organic farming group, they picked up leaves for fertilizer and helped by picking up many weeds.

In the ROW group they got the chance to meet some local high school students and although the communication was tough they were able to speak to each other and have a great time.

In the Paraiso group they finished making murals and helped out in the orchard.

After service we all came back to the home base and had some tasty tacos for lunch.

After lunch we went to the beach until it started to rain. When we came back we did a banquet activity about people from different cultures. Then we learned how to dance bachata and salsa, and everyone had a great time. While we were salsa dancing there was a torrential rainstorm going on outside but that didn’t dampen our spirits.

For dinner we had some delicious noodles with vegetables and a dessert of a chocolate sundae.

After dinner we split off into our mentor groups and took a closer look at leadership in terms of interacting with people who have different values than us.

Everyone is excited to go tubing tomorrow!

Sunday July 1, 2018

Today was the halfway point for the GLA Costa Rica Beachside Service Adventure. We had our first adventure, which was river tubing about 2 hours inland. Everyone was super excited to have our first adventure after two hard days of service out in the sun. River tubing was done solo, there were calm rapids and waterfalls combined to make 3.5 miles of flying down the river. Of course to the parents concerned, we were wearing helmets & lifejackets!

Then after our relaxing free time we had a guest speaker, Matt Rosensteele, who informed us about his Peace Corps experiences in La Florida, Costa Rica. We shared laughs with Rosensteele about his horse pinto and their adventures as “Indiana Jones”. We ended the night with a great meal and a Ted Talk about assumptions. Sending love to our families from our home base!

Monday July 2, 2018

The students who were willing woke up extra early today for a 6:00am Zumba class with Michael and had so much fun!! After enjoying an early breakfast, our students loaded the buses to go to their service sights.

Today at ROW, our students learned all about Vetiver grass, which is a grass whose deep roots hold soil in place to prevent soil erosion and also hold in water. After learning about the plant, the students then worked to dig up existing Vetiver grass in order to plant even more!! In about two years, tall thriving Vetiver grass will be seen in the area all because of our students and mentors who planted the grass today! After working in the hot sun, the students rewarded themselves with refreshing lemonade at a local restaurant.

Students shoveled sand out from the contaminated area in the turtle hatchery and painted signs in the Verdi Azul site.

In the Organic farm they Picked weeds around Yuca plants.

Meanwhile, students at Playa Avenallos painted signs in order to label the recycling. Their goal was to go encourage the people to take trash off the beaches.

Across town, students working at Paraiso School began to sketch out ideas for their murals. They worked hard to pull out weeds and they also finished the garden!

After hard work under the sun, the students returned to home base to enjoy a delicious lunch of fried chicken and pasta salad! They had a bit of free time to spend with each other, and then headed out to the Ecomuseum of Pottery. At the Ecomuseum, everyone got to learn about the history and culture of the Chorotega people, indigenous inhabitants of Guanacaste before the Spanish arrived, and witness a demonstration of the pottery being made completely by hand from all natural ingredients, even the paints!

After returning from pottery, students gathered for chow circle and a delicious dinner! They then enjoyed a documentary about poverty and how to make a positive impact, and learned a lot. They then met for a quick meeting with their mentor groups, and headed to their cabins to get some sleep for our next exciting day tomorrow!!

Tuesday July 3, 2018

Today was our 7th day in Costa Rica!

We started the day with yoga on the beach, and a good breakfast.

Next, the groups set out for service where they each did a variety of activities. ROW and VERDIAZUL prepared for tomorrow’s community day, setting up activities for the children in the town. Along with setup ROW planted trees and spread leaves, while VERDIAZUL dug a hole for turtles.

Playa Avelllanas picked up trash along the coast and the forest. They ended their service with a quick dip in the ocean.

The organic farm picked weeds to clean out gardens and support the environment.

Paraíso started painting an “under the sea” mural in one of the local schools.

After service, we headed into a local community where we held a community rally. The students played soccer with locals, games with instructor Lucas, and visited the house of Doña Yolanda to learn about local cuisine. After our rally, we headed back to HB and watched a beautiful sunset. After a quick dinner circle and delicious dinner, we headed to mentor groups where we talked about responsible service and the perspectives we use to tell peoples’ stories before lights out!

Wednesday July 4, 2018

Today was another adventure day at GLA Beachside Service Adventure 2018, which occurred in two groups, Guilas and Carajillos.

Guilas took a boat to a beautiful beach after breakfast where they snorkeled, kayaked and saw many species that lived in the ocean. Many students conquered their fear of being in open water. It was a great experience overall! The carajillos went ziplining across the green Costa Rican terrain. There was a delicious lunch at home base and the last day of service for everyone. All the service groups went to different sites.

Playa Avellanas continued to work on cleaning the beach and planting trees, Paraiso school saved their mural from the rain, Huerta Vida y Salud finished some last work at the farm, and Row and VerdiAzul led activities for children in a nearby community to pass along the knowledge they have been learning through their 20 hours of service.

At night, we had our dinner circle and a wonderful dinner. To end the night, we discussed our futures in our mentor groups and heard an inspiring talk by our mentor, Carlitos from Lima, Peru about following our dreams and putting what we learned about GLA into practice.

What a great time had by all and a very happy Independence Day from Costa Rica to those of our families back home who are in the U.S!

Click here to jump down to the new posts!

Saturday June 16, 2018

Session 1 of Beachside Service Adventure has begun! Students arrived last night and enjoyed an outdoor, traditional Costa Rican dinner that was catered and explained by Chef Mike, who is eager to share the many diverse flavors of the country. After trying new food, students got to know who they will be spending their time with during the duration of the program through our buddy system, designed to make sure everyone is accounted for and to meet new friends.

Each student received one name of a classic duo such as, but no limited to, “peanut butter and jelly.” Students went around and met every student until they found their complementary partner, (in this example, peanut butter found jelly!). After meeting their new buddy, everyone settled in and promptly went to bed at 10 to get ready for today, orientation! Students will be sorted into their service groups and engage in team building activities to facilitate a fun and effective learning environment. And mostly importantly, students learned the concept of “Pura Vida,” the motto of Costa Rica and useful phrase to say hello and that all is well. We are so excited to have our students, and will have them updating as we go. 🙂

Sunday June 17, 2018

​Today was adventure day!!! All forty GLA members got split up into two groups (20 Carajillos and 20 Güilas), the Carajillos went ziplining in a forest 15 minutes away from home base while the Güilas drove an hour to go on a catamaran in Playa del Flamingo!

The Carajillos arrived at their destination 15 minutes away from home base on Playa Junquillal and were immediately dressed in harnesses and helmets. All 19 students then went on a trailer that took them up the winding roads through the rainforest, and up the hills until the top of the mountain where the first platform was. An instructor introduced us to the staff and gave us directions on what to do on the way down and how to use the handbrake as well. There were 11 different zip lines of different lengths, one (line #9) being a bit over a half a mile long. Each zip line took you over a beautiful valley where you could see the surrounding mountains and distant farmland; a perfect way to get a first glance at the country of Costa Rica! After plenty of hiking down trails to different platforms and overcoming each new line, we all eventually met at the bottom and made our way to the juice bar at the top of the building. Here, we enjoyed a lovely fruit plate, cooled off, and socialized with each other until we loaded the bus and headed back to home base.

For the Guilas, they took an hour trip down to Playa Flamingo!! On the bus ride, they listened to popular/well known Spanish music, evening learning a song or two!!! Upon arrival, they were all greeted by smiling faces, a blazing hot sun, and exquisite views. Having time to take a few photos, every member took as many as they could, all with their new friends to establish the everlasting memories of this life-changing experience!!! When on the boat, everyone was able to relax up front on trampoline-like floors and take in some sun rays, (or go in the cabin and stay in the shade). All bonding and taking time to play some games, catch some shut-eye, or just relax before the exciting sights ahead of them!!! About 30 minutes after departure, the boat docked on a bay by a beautiful, unique island, FILLED with exotic wildlife! Everyone had the option of snorkeling, swimming, or kayaking (with a life jacket of course)! All went snorkeling with a leader with experience and got to see amazing things. For starters, their leader picked up a pufferfish and showed it to them all, then grabbed a starfish and let everyone hold it, then found a baby octopus!! The sight searching lasted for an hour, by then everyone’s stomachs were well ready for lunch! Everyone was served some fruit, turkey subs, chips, and cookies!!!! With all you can drink water, it was the perfect day for all to enjoy!

Back at home base we enjoyed a dance class, ate traditional Arroz con Pollo for dinner, and then finished the evening in our mentor groups reflecting on how our values impact our behavior and therefore our leadership. Tomorrow is the first day of service! We are excited to jump into our projects in the community!

Monday June 18, 2018

We were all so excited to jump into our service projects today!!! The four groups (Playa Aveanas, Restoring our Watershed, Escuela Paraiso, and Verde Azul) were scattered around the area working hard with the Costa Rican community:

• Playa Avellanas picked up trash around a school and painted signs for a nearby beach to help prevent littering.
• ROW started the process of transplanting trees. They learned how to effectively transplant and the importance of the moringa.
• Escuela Paraiso were received warmly by the school kids, who were eager to learn more about the project. The group began work on a painted mural and started beautifying the garden.
• Verdiazul worked diligently, transferring logs around the beach. They used teamwork to problem solve and move the logs more efficiently.

After our busy morning of hard work, we relaxed a little and enjoyed listening to a guest speaker. A detailed account of his time in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica inspired us all to look for the “open doors” in our lives and learn from our experiences. He emphasized the importance of reflecting and learning from your service, rather than living with the mindset that you are the hero.

We spent the rest of our afternoon at a nearby beach, swimming in the crashing waves and taking time to relax after a long day of service. We had an insightful activity and dinner circle at the beach, then headed back to home base for a delicious chicken dinner. It wasn’t complete without a birthday cake and song for Ana! (Happy birthday!!!!!) We closed the night with mentor groups where we reflected on our values and conflict resolution skills, and talked about service plans for tomorrow.

The first day of service was fulfilling and exciting, and we can’t wait to work again tomorrow!

-Presley Mohler & Sydney McFadden

 

Tuesday June 19, 2018

Today we began our day with the second day of service!! Everyone was so eager to return to their projects and continue their hard work.

• Playa Avellanas group painted signs to raise awareness of beach cleanup. They then followed their works of art and scoured the beach for any trash or waste.
• ROW group assisted the local farmers today by packing bags of soil to plant cashews. They then visited the watershed and gained insight about biodiversity and how crops are strategically placed to prevent erosion and water runoff.
• Verdiazul group continued with a second day of challenging work. Because of the constant damage of biodiversity due to vehicles driving into the vegetation, today was focused on utilizing the logs collected yesterday to create a fence. Digging and placing the logs prevents damage to the important ecosystem.
• Escuela Paraiso group continued to work on their murals and garden preparation. They sawed wood and created boxes to house new crops, and also sketched murals on the side of the school. Topics of these murals include forests, farms, and sustainability. Relationships with the students at the school were strengthened through games of soccer and other activities.

Everyone met together and ate some delicious lunch before another leadership activity. This leadership activity focused on the effect of major economic decisions on children. A debate simulation was formed in the setting of the 2014 World Cup set in Brazil. FIFA, the Brazilian Government, the Brazilian Community, and a nonprofit organization were represented through different groups of students for the debate. After an intense discussion, students left with a newfound view on the impact of mega sporting events on children, as well as the economy.

After the debate, students all jumped into the buses and traveled through the forest to the organic farm, Huerta Vida y Salud. At this secluded farm, the local farmer explained the importance of natural farming, for both human health and nature itself. The farmer emphasized the respect that organic farming deserved, as it not only strengthens the health of a person, but also preserves necessities for future generations.

Everyone came back to home base to enjoy another amazingly prepared dinner. Following the dinner, the mentor groups all joined together on the topic of the negative impact assumptions have within the world. After placing themselves in a position of judgement, students placed themselves as victims of assumptions. The TED Talk Danger of a Single Story was then shown. Chimamanda Adiche, a Nigerian author, explained the dangers of making assumptions and forming stereotypes based on one side of a story. Students then split apart into their own mentor groups, where each discussed how these single stories are present in life, how they can be avoided, and how to protect others from the same damaging actions.

The final actions taken by the students tonight included a “Pulse Check,” which was a survey asking the students about their experience. Halfway through the program, everyone is ready for a good night’s rest and to continue with service in the morning!

-Emma Luchetti and Olivia Hoeing

Wednesday June 20, 2018

We’re on our third day of service and every group is making great progress!

ROW- The group gathered plants and supplies to go to the school in la Florida. When they went to the school where they cleaned, sanded, and painted barrels for trash and recycling. Others sanded wood for signs about recycling in both Spanish and English. Finally they picked up trash around the school grounds.

Verdi Azul – The group continued building a fence and started painting signs to protect the beach. They are working on the beach right in front of our Home Base.

Esquela – They continued working on the murals at the Paraiso school. We also had a fun day of interacting with the kids and dancing bachata.

Avellanas – Kids from the local school joined the volunteers in cleaning up trash at the beach.

After a delicious lunch everyone went to playa Blanca for a swim. Back at home base a guest speaker came to tell us about Costa Rica and it’s rich history. We ended the night with mentor discussions.

Thursday June 21, 2018

ROW group traveled to a nearby farm to plant trees. Before they started planting they saw and pet cows. A couple of them milked a cow. They then planted several trees throughout the farm.

School group prepared a fiesta based on sustainability. The kids also helped paint murals for sustainability. They then finished building a flower garden.

Verde Azul group finished painting signs. They also prepped for teaching the kids on Friday.
Playa group painted signs to educate the public. They then took a walk and picked up trash along the beach.

After service, we had rally day with a cooking class, a soccer match, and some fun games. To end the night, mentor groups discussed perspectives in service and how we can promote dignity for the people we work with. We can’t believe our time here is almost over! Friday will be our final day of service. Stay tuned!

 

Friday June 22, 2018

Today was definitely one of the best days yet! First we split up into our two adventure groups: Guilas went zip lining and Carajillos went on the catamaran.

Carajillos enjoyed an hour long bus ride filled with lots of spanish music to jam out to. When we arrived at the beach we rode a smaller boat to the Lazy Lizard Catamaran. The ride to the snorkeling spot was extremely relaxing, as we lied out on the boat, watching the beautiful view and sipping cool refreshments. At the snorkeling spot, our guide took us on a little tour of the area and even went down to catch a pufferfish, starfish, and octopus for us to touch! Finally, on the ride back to the bus we tanned while eating yummy sandwiches and chips.

Guilas had an amazing time zip lining at Pura Aventura. As soon as we got to Pura Aventura we were immediately helped with our gear. When everyone had their gear on, we got into a truck that took us to where the first zip line was. We got to see monkeys on our ride to the first zip line. There were 11 zip lines! Some of us even had the chance to ride the zip lines upside down!

ROW and Verdiazul got to collaborate today and combine their skills to teach and play games with the local children in La Florida- a mountain village. Some of our games included a race to plant a tree and a recycling relay. We also had fun arts and crafts to teach the kids about trees! Afterwards, some of us played soccer while others taught the kids how to play duck duck goose (“pato pato gonzo”)

Escuela Paraiso got to finish up their murals for the kids during the first two hours of service. After their murals were done, they got to play soccer with the kids of the school!

Playa Avellanas had the opportunity to get a surf lesson in the beach thanks to Frank (our community helper). After the surf lesson, they went to a small beach restaurant where people from the community prepared them drinks and danced to salsa music! After our afternoon service, we ate dinner and had good conversations in our mentor groups!

-by Mariela Jacinto and Layla Sumilang

Sunday June 24, 2018

The final day here at GLA started off bittersweet as several of us students woke up early to watch the picture-perfect sunrise, knowing it would be the last one we would see on this trip. We didn’t let that thought dampen our mood though because we still had a full day of adventure ahead, and we were going river tubing!!! This adventure was definitely worth the two-hour drive because the lush greenery and unique rock features made the excursion so scenic and serene. The many rapids also made the experience a lot more exciting! Everyone was starving by the time we got back to camp and were thrilled to be greeted with the most delicious lunch created by chef Mike. That gave us all enough energy to start packing for departure the next day, but we were all really excited for the market, which we had been waiting for all week. There were a variety of local vendors that came who created products ranging from anklets to crochet tops using sustainable resources.

All of the items were so full of color and they reflected the fun and caring lifestyle of Costa Rica. Before the final dinner all of us went to the beach where we took pictures and watched the sunset, which was so bright and full of color that it didn’t seem real. After dinner we were all surprised with a mesmerizing fire show and we celebrated together with salsa dancing for the very last time. All of us had grown so close over the 10 days we had been together and had become a little GLA family. The mentors and directors were all so much fun and they put so much thought into both the planning and execution of all of the activities we did together. Their eagerness for us to learn was apparent throughout the entire time we were here and every student was left with memories and experiences that they will never forget.

We, the students of GLA will continue to live our lives the PURA VIDA way.

Muchas gracias para todo,

Emma LaValley

Click here to jump down to the new posts! 

Thursday July 12, 2018

The day has finally come! Session 2 of 21-day Animal Rescue project has started and our students have arrived for what will be a fun and fulfilling 3 weeks!

We arrived little-by-little to the airport and met our new GLA family as we arrived to La Juela Hostel. The owner, Laura, welcomed us with open arms and cooked us a delicious lunch and dinner that included local specialties, like Casado for lunch and Patacones for dinner. Once we were (almost) all there, we took a walk around the area, stopping at a local museum and a park. Then we played a friendly competition to learn some local slang. Que chiva, mae!!

That was enough action for arrival day, but we are looking forward to a busy Day 2. Our orientation begins with a swim test and GLA policies. Then we’ll play a name-game, reminding us how we are all connected and here to support each other. Finally, we have our Vida orientation, where we will learn about our responsibilities while working with the travelling veterinarian clinic.

It’s a big day and we can’t wait. We have an amazing group of students that are already bonding and ready for this giant adventure!

Stay tuned for more updates! Pura Vida!!

Saturday July 14, 2018

We started off our third day with a delicious breakfast of eggs, plantains, and, the Costa Rican traditional breakfast dish, gallo pinto. This fueled us for our day of visiting the locals to discuss the meaning of animal welfare with them. The day was hot and humid, but everyone stayed in great spirits and had a fun time! Each student was able to learn and reflect on the drastic differences in the culture and treatment of the animals. Through the help of veterinarians, we suggested ways to improve the quality of life for the animals.

After this trip through the town, we headed back to our hotel, Wilson. On the way, our bus driver spotted a sloth in a tree! We were able to huddle beneath the tree and take pictures for our families to see! We also made a slight detour to the beach. The ocean was beautiful with rolling waves. Perfect for a picture!

By the time we made it back to the hotel, everyone was ready for lunch. Arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), beans and a salad. After our meal, we spent time doing group activities to learn each other’s hopes, fears, and boundaries. Everyone wants to make sure that no one feels disrespected or uncomfortable. To commemorate our aggreements, we joined the locals on a playground and played games in the hotel! Finally, dinner came! After the eventful day, everyone enjoyed hamburgers and fries, or noodles with veggies.

Our amazing student leader of the day, Ava, ended our fantastic day with a fun game of “Ninja”. But unfortunately, the day had to come to an end. Everyone went to bed with the thoughts of our upcoming first “clinic day”!!

-by Sarah C. and Kaya G.

Sunday July 15, 2018

The day started off bright and early at six in the morning. After a filling, delicious breakfast we headed to the bus and made it to the clinic in Parrita.

To begin we established three stations: surgery, intake, and recovery. After the set up we split up into five groups, which consisted of about four to five students who each participated in each station. During intake, the groups were to do a physical examination of basic information such as weight, responsiveness, temperature, and heart rate. We prepared medication for surgery, administered prescription medications for the patient, and then injected the anesthesia into the animal’s muscles. We shaved off the belly to perform the neutering and shaved the wrist to place the catheter.

Subsequently, we placed the animal on the surgery table, while the surgeons place gloves on and get to work on removing the reproductive parts whereas the an-esthetician take the parameters during surgery to ensure there is no abnormal heart rate, capillary refill, or respiratory rate. Once the surgery is completed, we took the patient to recovery and continued taking parameters as well as petting them and ensuring they are comfortable and stable enough to return home.

We finished volunteering at the clinic and headed back to our hotel where we ate lunch, which included veggie wraps, rice, chicken, and salad. After our hard work and constant participation, we earned a break where we could shower, take a nap, or just hangout with friends. Soon our break was over and we headed across the street to play chief and Indians, the activity chosen by leader of the day, mentor groups where we discussed our needs, feelings, and overall well-being. During this time, one of our mentors, Michael, led a Zumba class in the park. It was a fun way to get some exercise in during our busy day.

After a quick break, we met at the bus for dinner. We drove all the way to the next city over: Jaco. After a great dinner we walked next door for good ice cream and milkshakes, then headed back to home base and got ready for a good nights sleep.

-by Ellie M. and Lena B.

Monday July 16, 2018

¡Hola!

Today we started our 5th day bright and early at 6am. It was our second clinic day and we were all very excited. We ate a traditional breakfast of eggs and gallo pinto. After a fast set up in the clinic we were ready to start the intake process. Most groups were able to do one surgery while some groups were able to do two. With the help of the vets and vet techs we got seven surgeries done, which was one more than our previous day. Go us!

After a long day at the clinic, we were served a nice lunch of pasta and salad. Once we had our siesta we went into town for a bit and we were able to buy smoothies, clothes, and any toiletries we needed or forgot. Our next group activity was to get into our mentor groups and do a workshop on our self stories. A self story is how you got to where you are and the events or just one event that has shaped you or your values. These stories will be shared in the mentor groups over the next couple of days. These help us get to know each other better. Our leader of the day, Jedidiah, gave great instructions throughout the day and kept us informed on all of our activities. He made sure everyone knew what was happening and when. He also made sure that any questions we had were answered. Lights out tonight at 9:45 so that we can be well rested for our school visit tomorrow!

-by Ava and Anneliese

Tuesday July 17, 2018

We started off the day with a wake up at six fifteen. We had a breakfast with eggs, bread and gallo pinto (rice and beans). We packed and got on the bus at seven thirty with all of our luggage and headed to a primary school in the heart of Parrita.

We used the morning to educate second and third graders on Animal Welfare. We rotated through four stations. Station one was drawing wild animals. Station two was talking about the anatomy of a dog and a fun game of hokey pokey. Station three was talking about what foods dogs can and can’t eat. Station four was the importance of spaying and neutering dogs. At first we thought the language barrier was going to be a challenge but the kids and the GLA family all had a great time.

After we visited the school, we got on the bus and drove about an hour to lunch. The four choices were pizza, pasta, nachos and salad. Although we enjoy rice and beans, it was nice to have a taste of home. After a nice lunch we headed to our next home base in Liberia.

After unpacking a bit we had dinner at the hotel. Then we went into mentor groups to reflect on the day share our stories of self. After mentor groups we had almost 3 hours of chill time until lights out at ten, looking forward to our upcoming beach day!

-Kaya

Wednesday July 18, 2018

As a reward for our hard work yesterday at the school visits, we slept in until 7:30. We ate the normal breakfast of gallo pinto, eggs, plantains and fresh fruit. Following that, piña, our bus driver, took us on a 45 minute ride to the beach.

We were given the option to either paddle board or surf. The group of surfers were taken on a boat ride to a secluded part of the coast to catch better waves and paddle boarders immediately took off from where the bus originally stopped. The surf instructors gave a brief demo of the proper technique, and then we were off to catch some waves. Surfing was a load of fun and the water temperature was perfect. The clear waters helped us beware of the stingrays in the water. The beach also held other activities such as playing soccer, volleyball and tanning.

After eating lunch at the beach, we left in the afternoon and along the way we stopped for some fresh coconuts and some refreshing popsicles. Then we came home for a quick shower and piña took us to the pipe, a traditional Costa Rican restaurant. We were each given five delicious options: chicken, beef, pork, fish, or veggie. Many of us enjoyed some popsicles and cake, and then we came home for some down time and headed to bed early to prepare for our last clinic day.

-Liv and Jacy

Thursday July 19, 2018

Today appeared to be a ruff day since we had to wake up at 5:30am. However, the day became brighter when we arrived at our last location with the traveling clinic and were greeted by 7 little puppies, who stayed to comfort us through a long day. After completing 7 surgeries, we were sadly forced to part from the adorable puppies and more importantly, the vets from Vida that we all came to know and admire.

After a little siesta, we wandered around town to do a bit of shopping and stopped in the park for a group activity. Upon getting back to the hotel, we had some dinner and packed up to get ready for our big upcoming travel day. Next stop is Orosí, our beautiful home base, where we will spend the next 11 days working in an animal shelter.

-Jedidiah and Ruben

Saturday July 21, 2018

Hola!

Today was our first day of service at the puppy rescue, which is run by Antonio and his mother. We split into groups of five and each group did various tasks like painting the kennels, chipping the paint on the walls, and fixing wood.

We returned to the hotel around 11 and had a siesta, then ate lunch. We went to a viewpoint called Mirador, that had stunning views of the valley of Orosi and the river that runs through it. After, we explored the town where some of us got smoothies or chocolate bananas (and had a dance party in the van as we waited)

When we returned we did a “bookend activity” to debate the topic “should whaling be legal/ what restrictions should there be?”. Each group represented a different organization: Greenpeace, an aboriginal group, a conservation group, and IWC.

We had another siesta and then enjoyed an hour of (long awaited) wifi.

Bye for now!

-Eileen and Jackie

Sunday July 22, 2018

Today we started early, ready to help some doggies. At the shelter we helped chip paint off the walls (so that we can soon paint a new coat), walked some dogs, painted the cages, and collected rocks for a garden. With the dogs there to keep us company, the time flew by.

After service we went back to the hotel for lunch and got ready to go to the nearby hot spring! It was super beautiful and the water was really hot, it’s geothermaly heated! Everyone had a blast relaxing and enjoying the view. We ended the night with a fun game our leader of the day, Riley, taught us called categories. Everyone got competitive and it made it even more fun. Sibelle and Rachel had to kill their first roach. They did not handle it well. We were all tired and ready for bed by the end of the day. So excited for tomorrow.

-Sibelle & Rachel

Monday July 23, 2018

We started off the days waking up at 6:30am with breakfast following at 7am. After a short delay due to the rain, we headed out to the local shelter at 8:20am. After getting there, students continued the projects that they had been working on for the past two service days. We chipped paint, painted the dog cages, helped plant a garden in a few tires we had previously painted, and walked dogs. One special little dog whose back legs don’t quite work finally got his wheelchair and was able to go out on a walk!

Following the morning of service, we came back to the hotel and had an hour to relax before lunch. After lunch, we split into two groups to do two important leadership activities. During “What is Leadership?” we learned about the three different styles of being a leader: direct, relational, and following. For “Bucket of Dreams” we implemented those styles, and had to work as a team to complete a very difficult challenge.

We were rewarded with an afternoon “cafecito”, a quick coffee break with some costa rican snacks. Our guest speaker/dance instructor brought fresh coffee made by a local organic farmer.

Immediately following students participated in a costa rican dance class. We learned the basic steps and how to turn to salsa and bachata, finishing the class with a silly costa rican version of the “Macarena.”

Later that evening, our student leader Nova, led us in two games of “manhunt” around the hotel. It was loads of fun for everyone. After a long day student had lights out at 10pm so the could prepare for the activities the next day.

-Jen and Hannah

Tuesday July 24, 2018

The day started off bright and early with a 6:00 am wake-up call from our leader of the day. The first ziplining group departed from Hotel Tapanti around 7:00 am, while the second group stayed back to enjoy some relaxing movie time until their excursion.

After a mixture of walking and taking a shuttle up the road, we arrived at our starting point, where we geared up and began the short hike out to the first ziplining platform. The rainforest floor was slick with mud and leaves, but we all made it out in one piece! One by one, we made our way through the network of ziplining cables in the canopy. We looked down at the forest beneath us and the gorgeous, expansive views beyond the trees. It was a truly breathtaking experience! Along the way we told riddles and all worked hard to solve them, which provided a fun activity while we waited for our turns. The last three ziplines were the longest of the group, and the rides were indescribably fun! We passed over dense trees and open fields while flying through the air. This was a completely unforgettable adventure for all of us.

Once we all reconvened at the hotel, we enjoyed lunch around 2:00 pm before embarking on an afternoon trip to Cartago, a city about twenty minutes from Orosi. There, we visited the Basilica de Los Angeles, which is a very important religious destination throughout Costa Rica, as well as in other places around the world. We observed beautiful architecture and art, as well as learned about the history behind the basilica and looked at offerings brought to the site. We also enjoyed some delicious food in our time in Cartago, including fresh churros and smoothies. Lastly, we visited a marketplace, where we put our bargaining skills to use by purchasing souvenirs.

We returned to the hotel around 6:00 and ate dinner soon after. We wrapped our our restful day by meeting in our mentor groups and participating in various fun activities, such as board games and card games. We headed back to our rooms for bed later on, refreshed and ready for our next day of service.

-Casey & Lena

Wednesday July 25 and Thursday July 26, 2018

On Wednesday the 25th (which is a very big holiday in Costa Rica that celebrates when Althea northern part of the country joined Costa Rica from Nicaragua) we started the day off with service! After that we had a quick lunch and headed to the botanical garden! The plants and flowers were beautiful. In the evening, we played a ridiculous game where we made fun of each other and learned some more Costa Rican slang words.

The next day we got up at our regular 6:30 am and after breakfast we went for an amazing hike. The trail would eventually lead us to a waterfall called “monte sky.” This waterfall is said to be magically and can even heal sickness. Some of us went under the water although it was freezing! The half way point of the hike was marked by an big old white house.

Our guide, Marvin JR (who is also the son of the owner of our hotel), told us that the house was made by a man who’s wife had cancer and wanted her last moments to be lived in the mountains surrounded by the magical water. After lunch we had a tour of a coffee farm. The guide, Ernie, told us the everything about coffee, from the fungi they need to be careful of to the process of making coffee. When we were done, we sampled the coffee. It was delicious and some students were converted to coffee drinkers! In the evening, we went on a sunset walk.

-Ava

Friday July 27, 2018

We started off the day with a delicious breakfast then made our way down to service.. we painted, sawed wood, walked dogs and started the painting we are going do on their walls (paw prints, dog bones, and a dog house). After we were done we made our way back for lunch then went to the “cow hotel”. It’s going to be a new hotel by the owner of the one we’re staying in. It’s a farm on the first floor and a hotel above! The cows were very cute. Some of us milked them and they loved to suck on our fingers! We got to name them as well!! After that we had a cooking class and made bean and cheese empanadas and a dessert made with plantains, cheese and condensed milk!! After dinner, we watched the Ted Talk “Danger of a Single Story” and discussed in our mentor groups how to come home to our country and share more then a “single story” of Costa Rica and Central America.

Well that was our day! We will keep you updated on the rest of our adventures throughout our journey of dogs!

-Riley and Nova

Sunday July 29, 2018

Today we drove to San José to go to Zoo Ave, a national animal rescue facility. We saw turtles, birds, ocelots, sloths, peacocks, monkeys and more! There were also lots of spiders hanging around. We had lunch in a nearby park and went to to an artisanal market to shop for souvenirs. Everyone loved looking around and shopping for themselves and friends. There were so many things to look at we spent two hours there! We then drove back to the hotel where we rested for an hour and then gathered for an activity where we reflected on what we hold most dear. After dinner we played hide and seek and then gathered for our last mentor groups.

-Rachel

Tuesday July 31, 2018

Today was our last day in Costa Rica, but it was certainly one to remember! We started the day early with a traditional breakfast of gallo pinto. At nine a.m. we left for whitewater rafting! After receiving directions, we started our adventure. We worked together to navigate through a series of super exciting rapids, enjoying the gorgeous weather and amazing views of the lush mountains along the way. The cool water was very refreshing as today was surprisingly sunny! We returned for lunch and then began our activities for the afternoon. First we did our last group activity, which was called the Appreciation Circle. This activity allowed us to show other people what they meant to us and was very heartwarming; it made us all feel very happy to know how we have affected and been affected by others in the three weeks we have spent here.

Afterwards, we took a survey to provide feedback on our experience, checked in for our flights home, and wrote thank you cards to all of the people who have helped us to have the best possible time here. It was great to reflect on our journey over the past several weeks and be able to thank all of the people who helped us to be comfortable and happy here. We then went back to our rooms to pack up before having a simple yet tasty dinner of rice, beans, and pasta. We had a good amount of relaxation and quiet time before lights out at nine o’clock; we needed to rest up before departing for San José at two in the morning! We are all so thankful for the service we have been able to do, adventures we have been able to have, and friendships we’ve made. It will be so hard to say goodbye, but we will always keep the memories of this trip close to our hearts.

Casey and Ellie

 

Click here to jump down to the most recent post! 

Monday June 18, 2018

We are so excited to kickoff the Costa Rica Animal Project 21 Day this summer! Today we met our students at the airport in San Jose. We took them to our beautiful home base in Orosi where we will be starting our adventure. The students who arrived earlier in the day got to explore the home base area which is so peaceful and serene. After a delicious dinner, the students winded down with games and icebreakers. The students are already so excited and engaged. We are ready to have an awesome summer!

Wednesday June 20, 2018

Hello, and welcome to the first blog post of GLA 21-Day Animal Rescue 2018! These blog posts will be updated frequently, so you can see what your child is up to day to day! I, Zoe, have volunteered to be the first blogger. In blogs, you can expect events that the group has experienced and their thoughts and feelings about them.

Since this is the first blog, let me tell you what has happened the past three days!

On the 19th, which was the first day ((technically, the first day was the 18th, but the group wasn’t all at Orosi yet!)), we were introduced to how GLA works, their rules, and the rest of the “non-fun” stuff. So, the first day altogether was pretty chill. The next day, the 20th, was our first day at the shelter! In total, there are 37 dogs that live at this shelter. Even though the dogs have a roof over their heads, they still have problems that they face on a day to day life.

Antonio, one of the staff at GLA, and his mother desperately need help around the shelter, and that’s where we come in! Some tasks that the students did were scraping off old paint, walking the dogs, and replacing the old, rotten wooden cages with stable metal ones. Even with our help, there are still important aspects that are needed for the dogs, especially for their health. There are no veterinarians that care for wounds on the dogs and they barely have enough food.

The dogs also don’t have a comfortable place to sleep, they sleep on the tile floor, and they don’t have any toys for them to play with. So, the students in this rescue group all separated into small subgroups to help with these problems! We are hosting a fundraiser so Antonio and his mother can pay for the aid kits, food, and other accessories [information about the Gofundme page we are creating will be shared soon], and also creating toys for them, posting flyers, so others know about the shelter, and much more!

GLA has been an amazing experience for me so far, the exotic food and beautiful landscapes are breath-taking. Costa Rica is such an amazing and wonderful place, and I’m grateful that I have this opportunity!

-Zoe

[first photo: all of the students attending this project, second photo: me with Perla, one of the dogs! third photo: Caca, one of my favorite dogs.]

Thursday June 21, 2018

Hey it’s Bryn checking in from GLA. Today we took a break from our service at the shelter to go horseback riding! Everyone was matched with a horse based on their experience level on the horses. My horse was named Pinto because he looks like a Pinto bean. We took a nice two hour ride, and other than a couple of frustrated horses and sore butts, it seemed that everyone had fun. We ate lunch at the horse farm before heading back to Orosi for some R & R.

In the afternoon, we decided to go for a hike up to the Tapanti owners house. Marvin Jr. (the owner’s son) decided to show us some of their “shortcuts” up the mountain. On the way up, we cut through the jungle, walking through lots of shrubbery. At the top, we met Nutella, a one year old happy Beagle. Nutella gave everyone lots of love and kisses before we left to return to the hotel. On the way down, we took the “best” shortcut according to Marvin Jr., which ended up being more slip and slide than train. For all that went down the hill, it was a very memorable experience, full of laughs and falls. We ended the night with some meditation and card games. It was an exciting day!

Friday June 22, 2018

Today was another day of volunteering at the shelter. We got plenty of things done today. For example, today I painted the new metal cages red so that they could last longer without getting ruined. Some people were painting the walls inside the shelter yellow and other people continued peeling paint off of the walls both inside and outside of the shelter. Our volunteering is making obvious progress in the shelter and the shelter is looking better everyday. While working we’re allowed to have some breaks during which we’re allowed to go walk a dog from the shelter which improves the dog’s mood.

After lunch today we left on a trip to Monte Sky and went on an hour hike to a waterfall which is said to have healing factors. When we reached the waterfall some people chose to get into the water. Reaching the waterfall felt like an accomplishment for everyone.

After the hike Marvin Jr. (son of the owners of the hotel) took us to his fathers new cow hotel in which we were able to see various animals. We were able to pet the calves and we were able to name some of them. Some of the names were: Venus, Cowdi B, and I named one of them Bambi. Some people also chose to milk the cows. Overall today was an eventful day which ended up being a very pleasant day for everyone.

Saturday June 23, 2018

Hi, I’m Riley from GLA, and this is our 6th day in Orosí, Costa Rica. Today, the schedule was supposed to go as: service at the animal shelter, then lunch, then visiting the ruins of an abandoned church and visiting the oldest, still-operating church in Orosí. It didn’t quite go like that however. As Costa Rica is in its rainier season, unsurprisingly it was raining this morning, causing us to unable to go to the shelter. All of the dogs are kept outside during the day and they couldn’t go outside due to the rain, leaving us unable to work on the inside.

Although we were all a little bummed to not get the chance to see our favorite Costa Rican dogs, the blow was lightened when we were told we were going to have a “movie morning”, and took a vote and ended up watching Pirates of the Caribbean. After watching most of the movie and having lunch, GLAh left for the “Ruinas de Ujarra”. When we got there, our director mentors explained what they were exactly: the ruins of an abandoned church.

As you can see, it’s very pretty. We saw several lizards and were able to take some pictures and do a leadership activity there. It was a pretty cool place. After that, we tried Togo see the older church in Orosí, but there was a wedding taking place and we weren’t able to do that. We then decided to head back to the hotel and do some activities. We made dog collars for some of the dogs at the shelter and played soccer and kickball.

We got the collars done and then went to dinner, and of course it was really good. We ended the day with a fun game!

Sunday June 24, 2018

Hey it’s Sarah’ Today we went Zip lining and visited 2 monuments! We also got the opportunity to walk around and practice our Spanish in local shops.

While zip lining, there were a total of 11 courses, 3 of which were long courses. This was a cool experience because if you wanted to go fast you had the opportunity to shoot like a torpedo, but you always had to make sure you had your brake ready!

The first monument we visited was the church: “Bisilica de Cartago”. This was a unique church because it had an unusual backstory. There was a young girl who found a statue upon a rock and took it back to her house and the next day it reappeared on the rock, so the girl took it to the priest who locked the statue in a box. But, the next day the statue moved back to the rock and the church they had built was hit by an earthquake after they rebuilt it, so the people decided that they should build the church by the stone at which the statue kept returning to. —-The original rock is framed into the wall of the church and only some of the rock is shown for people to place a hand on and pray and leave offerings.

The second monument was similar, but more spookier than the first monument because it is supposedly haunted. The unique story that this unfinished church has is that there were two brothers both going after the same woman. One brother was a priest and the other was lazy, but loved by the city. The woman chose the lazier brother, which made the other brother (the priest) infuriated and caused him to kill him in a church. To make up for this he decided to build a church. But, the church was never able to be finished because whenever construction started on it, an earthquake would knock it down and cause construction to stop. Rumor has it that you can see the headless priest (we don’t know how he got beheaded) as he roams the insides at night.

We finished our last day in Orosí by celebrating my 16th birthday (by throwing my head into a cake) and packing up for Liberia and Perrita. Tomorrow begins our first day working with Vista!

Adiós for now and Pura Vida!

-Sarah

Monday June 25, 2018

Hi I’m Piper and I’m today’s blogger of the day. Today was a travel day! We drove two hours to San José where we met up with the new staff we would be working with during the veterinarian part of the experience. We met up with them at a Best Western hotel where we were given a presentation and then had lunch. We also utilized the fact that the facility in San José had a pool so we took our swim tests there (we all passed!).

After wrapping up, we boarded the bus that would takes us to where we will be for the next three days, Parrita! We drove three hours and along the way we stopped at a souvenir shop, a little local cafe, and we even saw some crocodiles underneath a bridge we crossed! When we arrived in Parrita, we got all settled in our rooms and finished off the night with a long awaited shower and a dinner of chicken nuggets and fries. We can’t wait to tell you more about our experiences in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned! Signing off!

– Piper Wallace

Tuesday June 26, 2018

Today was our first clinic day in Parita! I slept well for my first night here other than rolling off the bed. When we got to the clinic there were many dogs and owners waiting for us! We got into our setup groups and began transforming the room. I was in the intake group and Diana showed us how to label the medicine and organize the equipment. We began by doing a physical exam of the dog and calculating it’s medication. My dogs name was Burusca and was there to get spayed. I learned how to calculate the medication and check the dogs vitals. When we began surgery the goal was to spay the dog, however, our doctor discovered tumors in the spleen.

In addition, there was a hemorrhage which resulted in a lot of blood. During the surgery we have to check the vitals every 5 minutes. When the surgery was over we took the dog to the recovery station and I washed the instruments. In recovery we track the vitals and comfort the patient. I was so happy when I saw the owner receive their pet! When we were done at the clinic we got ice cream/popsicles and ate them on the beach! The view was breathtaking! We then arrived back at the hotel and had a siesta. At dinner we got to get to know each other better with a game and reflect on the days work. To finish off the day we are relaxing for the adventures to come!

– Alex Nelson

Wednesday June 27, 2018

Today’s the 27th and we started off the day doing home visits. I wasn’t really sure how it was going to go or what it really even was, but I was pleasantly surprised. Connecting with the community and actually really interacting with them was incredible. We had pet owners fill out a survey and gave their animals wormers and such and suggested anything they should do to help their animals. One lady really stood out to me, she was at the last home visit that my group saw.

This woman had taken in many stray dogs that where thrown in a river or abandoned by their past owners and took them in as her own. She had about 9 dogs, many cats, and baby kittens. This women was so dedicated to saving animals she had gone weeks and even months before without light and electricity just to be able to feed all her animals.

Seeing this was very inspiring to me, knowing that their are many incredible people out their doing everything they can for something they believe is right, I think other people could learn a lot from this woman. After that we went to the beach and saw a stunningly beautiful sunset, it almost looked fake. Then after that we went out to eat and celebrated Bryns 17th birthday and went back to the hotel. Overall today was a day I will never forget.

-Claudia

Thursday June 28, 2018

Hello All! Happy Thursday- the group started off our day visiting a small primary school in Parrita, Costa Rica. Split into four groups, we all got a group of kids and taught them about the importance of properly caring for pets. The activities included making lists of what dogs can and can’t eat, talking about what vets do, the importance of spaying and neutering your pets to prevent overpopulation/strays, and the difference between house pets and animals that live in the wild! In between the activities we played fútbol and jumped rope. In the afternoon we traveled to Liberia, our third and last location we will be staying! (before heading back to Orosí for another week) More clinics and fun activities to come

-by Izzy

Saturday June 30, 2018

Hi everyone! Aishah here!

Today was yet again, another amazing beach day! We made our way to Playa Hermosa in Carillo which was around an hour away at 9:00AM. The students were split into their chosen activity of either surfing or paddle boarding. When we arrived, the surfing group went on a boat to an area where there were much more waves. The paddle boarding crew stayed where they were in the calm waters. I personally did paddle boarding and the experience was amazing. Everything about it was calming and the view was even better.

Each group received an hour to an hour and a half lessons and then returned to the main beach for lunch at 1:15. We had the choice of a delicious fish or some savor full chicken with the typical Costa Rican sides.

After lunch, we were able to spend the rest of our time by the beach tanning or in the waters. Around this time, if you didn’t have any sun screen on, you definitely regretted it. In fact, I wish I applied it much more often, and I almost never burn.

Everyone went into the waters aside from a few staff members. We talked and played around and even met a a few locals. The competitive ones in the group joined in on a soccer match against the boys and it was just all a lot of fun.

At 5:30, we made our way back to home-base where we continued with our regular evening activities such as dinner, mentor groups, and briefing. Today was a really nice day, and I would say highly needed after all our hard work!

Monday July 2, 2018

Hello everyone!!

Today was our last clinic day, and our last time working with VIDA staff. We loved working with them during clinic also learned a lot from them. On our last surgery things went a little hard for one of the oldest dogs we took in today, the dog was in a really bad condition and had arritmia, which made us have some complications with the anesthesia. The dog had a low chance to survive the surgery, but if we didn’t have the surgery she wouldn’t survive. However, after facing all those challenges and a hard surgery, everything went as expected for the dog and she was delivered to her owner.

Tuesday July 3, 2018

Hi! Today was our first full day back in Orosí and we returned to finish the job at Antonio’s dog shelter and continued chipping paint chips off the walls and repainting the wall as well. Also other students were grooming and walking the dogs. During the afternoon we toured a coffee plantation and tasted some exquisite coffee and were also able to buy some as well. The coffee was only sold there and few small markets and the coffee beans are grown, roasted, and crushed there and sold as beans or ground coffee. It was a very intriguing day.

-Written by Antonio/Gustavo

We also set up a GoFundMe page to support the dog shelter here in Orosí, Costa Rica! Any donations would be greatly appreciated everyone at the Animal Rescue Project and especially the dogs!! Here is the link: Animal Rescue Project GoFundMe Page

Wednesday July 4, 2018

Happy Fourth of July!! Hope you and your family had a nice celebration. As you may know, here at Costa Rica, the locals don’t exactly know what the Fourth of July means, so we kept our celebration “private” as you may call it. Instead of traditional fireworks, we went to the hot springs in the afternoon! The location of the spring was magnificent, and completely breath taking. The students all enjoyed the perfect temperature of the water and the peace that was present as soon as we arrived. I am happy to say that this Fourth of July might’ve been the best one for me!

I would also like to note our gratitude for the donations that have been given to the Go Fund Me page we set up! Thank you so much for those who have donated! Señor Antonio is very thankful for this help that is given to him and his mother.

-Blog written by Zoe Bishop

Thursday July 5, 2018

Hey it’s Sarah! Today we went on a 2 hour bus ride to “Zoo Ave”, where it had Jaguars, monkeys, birds and HUGE iguanas. After we went to a market that was located in San José. We spent hours there looking at things to buy for friends, family and ourselves. The market had everything from bags to hammocks! After getting back on the bus we headed back to Orosí and had a siesta. Then we did a cool activity that involved learning about greetings from different cultures.

My cultures greeting involved placing a hand on the persons shoulder, dancing, and screaming “HEYYY”. (These cultures are made up and are used to show us that we need to learn about the culture and what is referred to as respectful and disrespectful). Stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog about the Cartago market and Salsa dancing!
Chao

-Sarah Bryan

Friday July 6, 2018

Hello All!

With two days left of this trip, an unfortunate downpour had to hit us on last day of shelter. We spent the morning wrapping up a bookend discussion/debate that we started at the beginning of the 21 days. Split up into 4 groups, we all had to come to a consensus. The groups were the government, the aboriginal Bequian people, Greenpeace, and Sea Shepards. The argument was if the Bequian people should be able to continue whaling. With lots of mature discussion and a little heated debate, we all came to a conclusion of yes, but with more regulations. This debate helped all of us become better at understanding opposing viewpoints and different cultures.

After that Antonio’s friend Luis, who drove all the way from Alajuela (2 hours), gave us Salsa lessons. For an hour we all danced around with our partners learning some new wonderful dance moves and a beautiful piece of Latin American culture. Pictured below is my friend Alex and I showing off our moves.

In the afternoon, we went to the mall in Cartago and immersed ourself more in ordinary, day-to-day culture of Costa Rica. We did this through a scavenger hunt. We had to talk to strangers and ask them about their community, talk to different shop owners and take selfies, and find various other things around a foreign mall. It was a lot of fun! Pictured below is my friends Bryn, Sarah, and I taking a selfie with a stranger (a person dressed in costume promoting the new Transylvania 3 movie).

Hopefully, we will have a chance to quickly stop by tomorrow to say goodbye to the shelter and all our doggy friends.

-Izzy Brusilow

Saturday July 7, 2018

Hello! It’s Aishah!

Today was such an exciting, yet sad day. We spent a good amount of the day White Water Rafting. We rode class lll rapids. At first, many of us thought the rapids wouldn’t be as fun because many of us have experienced class IV and V, but we were wrong! We ended up having a blast and making some unforgettable memories!

Afterwards, we came back, had lunch, and did a few closing activities. Soon after this, the time went by way too fast. We said our good-byes to our four- legged friends and Alejandra at asociación voz and before we knew it, we were having our last dinner together. Yummy tacos, pizza, cookies, and fresh juice!

We then had another siesta and met up in the living room where the mentors and some staff members said a few words that were really touching… let’s just say almost everyone was in tears…

We did some dancing, some singing, a random Spanish lesson, and took a whole bunch of pictures and videos. Here we ended our amazing last night.

This day and everyday before it were ones we will never forget. GLA has shaped us all in one way or another and I know for sure it will always be a part of me. I thank everyone, students, mentors, directors, staff, and even locals, for this impactful journey. Without any of you, this trip would not have been as profound as it is. I think we could all agree this trip was a great opportunity that does not come around everyday.

So without me babbling on and bursting into tears while writing this “short” blog, I just want to thank everyone once again. Even parents for making this happen! Of course without you, this program would most likely not have even been possible.

Continue GLAing guys💗

Forever remember your crazy gal,
Aishah