The Young Leader

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COSTA RICA – Beachside Service Adventure – August 4 – August 13, 2017

¡Hola! Hello from Parrita, Costa Rica where 55 students have arrived at Beachside Service Adventure! Students arrived from the wee hours of the morning into the wee hours of the night. We are eagerly awaiting our final student to arrive, Seoyun, to join the group after long travels. Then we forge into the week ahead – making friendships, adventuring, getting dirty at service projects, and learning about each other, the community, and ourselves.
Today began with getting to know the GLA team, home base, and enjoying the freshly prepared traditional meals. Students were able to get a swim in the pool while the sun was shining and bright. It wouldn’t be a day at Beachside without an afternoon rainstorm to provide a cooling reprieve from the hot and humid morning. Everyone is taking it in stride, getting to know their groups, spending a bit of free time relaxing in the hammocks, and dodging huge raindrops when the sky opened up.
As the week progresses there will be more activities and adventures to come, as the Beachside Service Adventurers embark on their Costa Rican journey!

¡Pura Vida!

Date: August 6th, 2017
By: Elena Dimitrov

Buenos dias! After settling in and getting to know everyone, today is the first day of adventure in Parrita, Costa Rica. The sun is shining and the air is hot and humid: the perfect day for an adventure on the beach.

We walked along the shoreline collecting pieces of garbage that wash up from the ocean and litter the beach; anything from plastic and styrofoam to old shoes. To decompress in the evening, students participated in a fun dance class during which we were taught the traditional Latin American dance styles of salsa, bachata, merengue and zumba!
Discussions between students and mentors consist of defining leadership, setting hopes and expectations for the trip, confronting fears and discussing the positive and negative impacts that our service work might have. We are becoming more and more exposed to the local way of life, “tico” culture and the values that it holds. Everyone is eager to continue learning about Costa Rican culture and to move forward in interacting with locals more. Tomorrow, each group will begin their service projects – we are beyond excited to put ourselves out there and work hard with the community!

By: Christina Lempinen Cabana
Date: August 8, 2017

Today everyone woke up very excited and a little bit nervous because today we had a full day of service ahead of us. We grabbed our packed lunches and headed towards the buses.The bus ride to the service site was full of laughter and songs.
After a few hours of working, we ate our lunches and played soccer with the school kids. The kids were full of energy and were super energetic! After these few days, we’ve gotten to know all the other kids a lot better. The mentor groups have gotten a lot closer and everyone gets along super well. Looking forward to the days to come.

By: Gracie Neirynck
Date: August 9, 2017
Hey! Our day today was split up into Adventure in the morning and then Service in the afternoon. Today I went tubing. We drove into the jungle to the river where we were going to tube. While we were waiting we sat by a beautiful waterfall and were  able to go down a rock that was similar to a slide. I tubed along a group of four other people and had a blast as we coasted down somewhat rocky and rapid currents and enjoyed the stunning view of the jungle. On one particularly fierce rapid me and my friend, fell out flipping our tubes which, despite getting wet, was perhaps the best part of tubing. We tubed for about an hour before we stopped and ate cookies and easily the best pineapple I’ve ever had and then drove back to the resort.
After lunch the next part of our day was spent doing service. The service that I am doing is for an incredible group of women with beautiful dreams and ambition. Today we went to the house of Lulu, one of the women, and assisted her by painting and helping to cut and carve signs and gifts. I enjoyed Tamales and the company of the women while we painted and attempted to talk to them and their children with my broken Spanish. When we got back we had a little time before a delicious dinner and a short video.
The video we watched was a thought provoking Ted Talk called the power of a single story (I would recommend to all of you who have not seen it). It talked about the unfinished stereotypes that infect our lives and culture and revealed to us the danger of looking at a group of people through a single lens. Although I’d actually seen this particular Ted Talk before I found in interesting to look at in relation to service. After watching the Ted Talk we talked about it with our mentor groups, discussing our impressions of the video and the different ways that stereotypes narrow our minds, especially in relation to service. Overall it was a beautiful day here in Costa Rica, full of new experiences and the incredible people who make them hard to forget.
By: Meghan Moore
August 10, 2017
As I get on the bus at the end of my last service day, drenched from another Costa Rican “shower,” I realize what an amazing opportunity I’ve been given.
Every day I’ve been here I’ve done something new whether it be white water tubing after a tropical storm, forcing myself to use a language I’m not fluent in, or even merely starting a conversation with someone I’ve never seen before. GLA and this program has given me the opportunities and the tools to go outside of my comfort zone. My service project required me to paint a mural. I haven’t painted since I was in sixth grade, yet our group of novice artists pulled together and made what I would like to think is a pretty well-done mural. Today I rode a horse at more than just a walking pace, to a beautiful waterfall. I would have never seen it if I had been too scared to get on the horse, which at the time seemed like a viable option.
This country and this trip have taught me so much about the world around me and myself. It showed me that I could paint a mural while it rains for an hour straight, and then saw wood in a dark classroom. It showed me that I could fall off my tube while white water tubing and laugh about it when I managed to get back on my tube. It has shown me that I could communicate with the locals in a language that I love but also am only barely proficient in. Most importantly, this experience has taught me to go outside my comfort zone. To paint a mural because if it turns out badly, I can always paint another one. To communicate in the native language because at least I’m trying. To get back up on my tube and laugh after I wipe out on a rock. To take a chance even if I don’t know the outcome.
Co-authored by:
Jake Angelo and Mackenzie Brennan
Date: August 12, 2017

Our day started with a wonderful last breakfast of cereal, muffins, fruit, and ham omelettes. Everyone ate and chatted until it was time to go to their adventures. Today was everyones last adventure and the mood was still full of energy. During the bus ride to Tubing Callie played loud popular Spanish music to keep everyone going. In the beginning of the week the bus would have been semi-silent with the occasional Spanish word that everyone could pick out of the music. Today everyone was chattering with new friends that they had made throughout the trip, and almost everyone was singing along. The words to the song more familiar now after three other fantastic adventures, and many days of fulfilling service.

The journey was long but pleasant. Once the adventure group got to tubing everyone was all smiles. We slipped our way down to the waterfall and splashed around while waiting for a river guide to speak to us on safety. The instructor was loud and energetic- she made everyone laugh while simultaneously showing everyone what to do if they flipped. She pulled Mackenzie and Edie out to the tube and proceeded to show what it looked like to flip over off the tube. Once they were fully wet and everyone’s stomachs hurt from laughing; they walked to the river to begin their final adventure.

The instructor helped us all get in our tubes and sent us away.  Anxiously, everyone waited to see who the first would be to flip…it was Mackenzie and Chloe.  Our tubing trip was full of adventure and surprises.  It was interrupted by a snack break which included fresh pineapple and cookies.  Our adventure also included endeavors such as getting separated and washing down the rapids, though, everyone was safe and shared a laugh at the end.

Lunch consisted of rice, chicken, and fresh salad which tasted delicious (like all the other meals).  After, everyone had packing time and time to rest.  Later, we will have our story slam which will consist of everyone’s best crafted stories from the trip and past experiences.  Also, at 9pm, we will have our salsa party and a time to say goodbye/reflect on all the great times we’ve had.  It will be hard to say goodbye to this beautiful country and the friends/memories we have made but we are excited to share our experiences with everyone else! Pura Vida y Adios!

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COSTA RICA – Beachside Service Adventure – July 23 – August 1, 2017

Hi mom, dad, and loved ones!

Pura vida!

Can you believe it? 64 of us teenagers have successfully flown in from all over the United States, Canada, Netherlands, and Brazil to gather together in Parrita, Costa Rica! Some of us came as siblings, a few of us came with a friend or two, and many of us came as solo travelers. Regardless of who we were on that airplane when we left from home, part of us each know that we won’t be that exact same student when we return in just a brief 10 days from now.

Though we might not be able to predict in what ways our minds will change, how new friendships will be established, or even what fears we currently have that we might overcome, we do know that our experiences working here in this incredible Tico Community will prepare us to be a better version of ourselves in the future. Thank you for giving us this opportunity! We can’t wait to keep you updated on all that we will encounter! Goodnight for now, tomorrow’s adventure of service in jungles and schools awaits!

With Love,

Your GLA students and staff from Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure

 

July 25, 2017

 

Waking up to a rainy, the students eagerly set off to a pancake breakfast at 7 am, excited for their first day of adventure. Leaders of the day from each mentor group (sometimes called LODs) met at 6:50 to discuss the plans for the day and to decide who had which job: the picture taker, the blogger, the morning announcements, the dinner announcements, and the thought leader (sharing a quote of the day). After a quick breakfast at about 7:30 the students packed into their busses and headed off to their first adventure of the trip.

There are four adventure groups, each one doing a different activity: tubing, horseback riding, zip lining, and relaxing around the hotel. Those staying at the hotel had the privilege of sleeping in a bit later, not being required to be at breakfast until 7:30. After these activities, everyone (starving, of course) returned for a spaghetti lunch. A beach soccer tournament was announced during lunch, with a large portion of the group deciding to participate in the games; those not participating watched. Many, sand-covered from the exhausting games, chose to dip into the pool for a little before continuing on with the day.

At four o’clock, for the celebration of La anexión del Partido de Nicoya (the celebration of Costa Rica’s annexation of the province of Guanacaste), young women from Parrita came to teach the students some dance moves. Lots of dancing and lots of sweating soon followed, with the kids learning how to dance the salsa and baccatta, for example. After a long dance session, the kids piled into the dining room for the dinner circle, where Nathalie de Leeuw – astoundingly – knew the name of every student. The young women who taught the dance moves soon came into the dining room to eat with the students.

Brayden Priebe

 

 

July 27, 2017

Today we started early morning with breakfest  from our wonderful hotel chefs. Then we began to load on the bus for our first day of service work, all groups had a lot of fun beggining to start a change in our local parrita lives. After returning from hard work we had a fun day competing in activities ( games )  with our adventure group. A local woman lulu joined us to teach us how to create corn pancakes ( amazing ) and after we got an opportunity to eat them as well, lulu brought a friend and sold some handmade braclets. After having so much fun with our new friends we started to settle down with a group circle before dinner revealing some ”  props ” to someone we felt proud of or an act of kindness. After dinner we always end with a mentor group session which consists of getting deep with our thoughts and creating open minds.

-Brittney carlos

 

 

July 27, 2017

Today we hit the half way point of the trip and I can’t believe it, even though it’s only been 5 days I feel like I’ve known most of these people my whole life. We are all united in our common goal of trying to help the community here in Parrita and these people are some of the most kind and genuine people I have ever met. Today happened to be the busiest day yet, we started off by having our breakfast all together which was made up of traditional Costa Rican food of Gallo Pinto, huevos, salchichas, tortillas and queso.
I’m usually a picky eater but I’ve found myself venturing out of my comfort zone and trying all the food served to us and I’ve actually really enjoyed the traditional Costa Rican food and have a new found love for coconut cookies and (rice and beans). Then we headed off in our individual adventure groups to go do some activities that included zip lining, horse back riding and tubing. My group went tubing and it was our first adventure of the trip which was really exciting and you could tell everyone was feeling this way since the bus ride there we were dancing and singing and just having a great time soaking up all that Costa Rica has to offer.
When we got to the tubing place we visited to a waterfall which was tricky because of the rocks and a couple people slipped including me but it was worth it because it was so incredibly beautiful. After this we headed down the river on the tubes, and it was so exhilarating apart from flipping over on the tube that was a little scary but that’s part of the experience. Abby definitely won the award for most flips in the tube. Going down the river and seeing the topography like the mountains and the lush greenery and vibrant colours was amazing especially since I come from the Netherlands and it is 100% flat, it made me feel so blessed to be there. Some people got separated but we met back up in the middle and continued down to the end of the river where we got to snack on fresh pineapple, orange and some coconut cookies. Even though we all ended up slightly sunburnt it was a great experience. After this we headed back and all met up for a short lunch before heading our seperate ways again to go to our service sites as there are 6 of them working on various projects that have to do with beautification, manual labor and environment.
My project is working on painting a mural at the school ‘Sardinal Sur’ up in the mountains with 10 other students and although my group got off to a rough start since we had a lot of dominant personalities that clashed, the minute we got to the service site this changed and we managed to work together and get everything done that we wanted to do which was to scrape off the old paint and paint the base of the wall white. Unfortunately today the rain kind of hindered what we wanted to accomplish however now the base is done we can work on drawing the design for the mural which we all agreed on and painting it. For my group this was a big win since at the beginning of the week our mentor Daya said we might not be able to finish the mural or actually paint the design however since we’ve managed to successfully work together through the leadership curriculum we have gotten farther than expected and can actually accomplish much more which made everyone in my group feel happy.
We finished up the night with watching a movie on poverty titled “poverty Inc” which was really eye opening. We had originally learnt about direct leadership and intra personal leadership and now with this film we focused on global leadership as part of the leadership curriculum within gla trips. The film was eye opening for me because I am passionate about geography and we have covered these topics in class however I got to see a new perspective on it from the point of African people and that enabled us to see the disadvantages and negative impact of aid because peoples view on poverty is not accurate and that because of this it’s hard for small businesses to operate and grow because of the unnecessary help of outsiders like celebrities and charities which push out the business and demand based on they’re need to give back to the vulnerable. This reminded me of something Patrick said at the beginning of the trip which was something along the lines of “With you being here we don’t expect the community to change, the community of Parrita will go on without you, but we do expect you to change. That is something that has stuck with me since the beginning and I can definitely see this change occurring in myself by just opening up more, broadening my horizons and putting myself out of my comfort zone. I’m definitely excited for what the rest of our Costa Rica adventure brings.
Nathalie de Leeuw, Leader of the Day.
By IZZIE Linne

Day 6! We are now one day past the halfway point and our continuing to cherish the moments in Costa Rica. Today is another busy day of adventuring in the morning, and service in the adventure. We sent 3 groups out this morning for ziplining, tubing, and horseback riding. However my group known as the “mops”, gets to have a pretty chill morning back at the hotel.

Back at Hotel la Isla, we spent our time playing a game called Starpower. We then got some free time in which everyone realxed and ordered a delicious smoothie from the bar. And finally we walked a mile or two down the beach collecting trash.

Service is now done for the day. Groups are doing things such as building tire playgrounds, painting murals, and working with women on the farms. Unfortunately today was a short day of service due to the fact that the sky decided to open up and produce a literal downpour. Even better, lightning was within a mile radius, maybe even 1/4 of a mile for the lucky ones! We are hoping for better weather tomorrow and to continue our projects.

After a great dinner, we met with our mentor groups and watched a verh inspiring video named “The Danger of a Single Story.” Groups reflected on the video and talked about our personal “single stories”.

We now have some free time before lights out at 10 p.m. Hopefully we can all get some good sleep before day 7 begins!

Adios!

July 29, 2017

By: Libby McFadden & Connor O’Neil

Connor and Libby coming at you live from Costa Rica Day 7. To start this off we would like to give a shoutout to Chef Zach for whipping us up some empanadas. However we are sad to say Chef Zach did not make it on the adventure today due to his tummy ache (we think he’s just afraid of heights). 

    Moving on, today we went zip lining, we went on 5 zip lines, got attacked by 500 different kinds of bugs, got our eyes pelted with water from the rain and that is only how our adventure began. After zip lining we hiked to a wicked cool water fall following the cutest dog we’ve ever seen. We went for a nice dip in the water and jumped off the waterfall. We did the best we could to encourage our fellow friends to jump off as well. Little did we know the down hill hike there was up hill on the way back. We powered through the 2 miles up hill by keeping the rhythm going.

    One thing we have learned in Costa Rica is you can get through anything as long you have a positive attitude and make sure to mix it up. As we drove back to home base we were taking in the righteous views of the mountains and the towns around us. As we drove we enjoyed the Spanish music playing and always made sure to whip out our dance moves. We may not be able to sing along but we can vibe to anything. That’s another thing we have learned in Costa Rica is to be adaptable. 

       As we continued our journey of day 7 in Costa Rica, we headed off to service. We went our separate ways forming our own stories of the Costa Rican culture.  Libby headed off to a school to build tire playgrounds and play with the kids. Connor headed off to LuLu’s house to help her with her services, LuLu plays a huge part in her community for women. As we both experienced our own versions of Costa Rica we discovered the differences of the culture compared the United States.  Although the life seems more simplistic than we are used to, the people seem content with their way of life. This has inspired us to have a more open mind about the world and to focus less on the single stories told about places. 

     Everyday we are here we feel our relationships with people becoming stronger. Day three we met and since then we have become very close. Today many people have asked if we knew each other before the trip. This shows how Costa Rica  has helped us develop new stories in our life. 

    If you made it this far shout out to you and gracias for reading our story of Costa Rica Day 7. 

P.s. we also learned the importance of bug spray. 

      “You don’t know what you don’t know,  until you know what you don’t know.”

#bestBlogEver

 

July 30, 2017

By: Lindi Peterson 

On the eighth day, some of us woke up at as early as 5:00 to watch the sunrise and take a walk on the beach. We took photos and watched the sky turn from night to day. After that, we went back to our rooms and some students went back to sleep while others began to get ready for the 7:00 breakfast of cereal and omelettes. 

At about 7:30 the group split up onto different busses to start the exciting day.  We were reunited at the catamaran dock where we waited in the rain for the boat. The rain eventually stopped and we took a break to swim and snorkel. On the way back to the shore we ate a lunch of kabobs and fruit.

We loaded back into the busses which took us to Manuel Antonio National Park and we swam at the beach for the afternoon. As we walked back to the busses to head in for the night, we stopped at some of the local stores to shop around. Then it was back to home base for dinner, mentor groups, and time for bed. 

 

 

July 31, 2017

By: Lauren Kanan

We woke up bright and early today for our last day in Costa Rica. After breakfast we headed off at 8 am to our service projects where we all worked hard in the heat to finish what we started in the beginning of the week. My group added some finishing touches to our tire playground that we worked on at Escuela La Costanera. After working for a while, we returned to home base and had a bittersweet final lunch. We then proceeded to sadly pack our suitcases for our flight home. While packing our suitcases my room mates and I witnessed a lizard eating a crab which was gross and tragic. Tonight we will have a “story slam” where people get the chance to share stories with the rest of the group. We will also have a salsa dance party tonight where we will dance away our sadness for leaving Costa Rica. Shout out to Maisy and Jenna for being awesome roommates.

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COSTA RICA – Beachside Service Adventure – July 10 – July 19, 2017

Hi mom, dad, and loved ones!

Pura vida!

Can you believe it? 64 of us teenagers have successfully flown from all over the United States and Mexico to gather together in Parrita, Costa Rica! Some of us came as siblings, a few of us came with a friend or two, and many of us came as solo travelers. Regardless of who we were on that airplane when we left from home, part of us each know that we won’t be that exact same student when we return in just a brief nine days from now.

Though we might not be able to predict in what ways our minds will change, how new friendships will be established, or even what fears we currently have that we might overcome, we do know that our experiences working here in this incredible Tico Community will prepare us to be a better version of ourselves in the future. Thank you for giving us this opportunity! We can’t wait to keep you updated on all that we will encounter! Goodnight for now, tomorrow’s adventure of service in jungles and schools awaits!

With love,

Your GLA students and staff from Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure

 

**Annie L. is not pictured because she arrived late last night.  She is with the group and more pics will be coming soon!!!

 

July 11, 2017– Orientation Activities


July 12, 2017—Preventing Beach Erosion

The morning began on a hot and humid day with breakfast at 7:00 a.m. When our “service groups” broke off we started on our adveture of a bus ride about a mile away. Our Costa Rican guide Mao showed us all of the plants that prevent beach erosion and the drastic affects it has caused. Lifes have been disturbed and destroyed when the beaches high tide reach the home front. As ice caps and glaciers continue to melt the seas continue to rise and are slowly disapearring.
As we reach our destination accompanied by breathtaking views we get off the bus to begin our intriduction to our service. This involved talking to a few locals whom are directly affected as the high tide is almost at their doorstep. On our walk back we collected almond and mangrove sapplings. The plan is to plant these sapplings back at our home base, Hotel La Isla, in a nursery that has previously been made in the back of the property. The nursery will help prevent future beach erosion. Our first step started with clearing out all weeds and other grasses. Then, we began to place the seedlings previously colleced from our morning adventure into small black bags to prepare them to be planted. Though the nursery we work on will make a difference, it also raises awareness for all to see how critical the issues of climate change are.

-Britney Facenda, Serena Samson


July 13, 2017

First excursion day!!! The first half of the day we had zip lining, hiking, tubing, horseback riding, some relaxation, and cleaning up the beach. Many people conquered fears, be it heights, horses, or rapids! I know I learned that the more work you put in, the better the view is. And it’s always worth it! We got to pass by the palm oil trees, which are the main export of Costa Rica. Then after everyone arrived back at home base, we had a mini soccer tournament! (Go alfalfa!!) we had to rush though, our fields quickly turned into water soccer with high tide approaching. We had an amazing dance lesson from some students from a local high school, where we learned how to salsa, merengue, and bachata. We ended with a huge dance circle with everyone dripping in sweat. They stayed for dinner, and I learned that one of the dancers, Christian, wants to be a computer programmer/app designer in San Francisco! We got to practice our Spanish, while they practiced their English. It was a full day. I’ll end with the quote of the day, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of ones lifetime.” – Mark Twain (via Davis Langhoff)

Pura Vida!!

Erin McEneny

Photos by Brittney Facenda

 

July 16, 2017

                Whenever I first came to Hotel La Isla in Parrita, Costa Rica, I had no idea what to expect. I waited for weeks anticipating the adventures and experiences I would have to endure in the 10 days. Not to mention feeling homesick, it being my first time out of the country.

Now, it is Day 6 and all of my worries have gone away. GLA is such a unique experience. You get to experience the culture of the local people. By doing this, I have come to understand my place in the world as well as the people around me. By traveling to another country, I no longer thought of my city as the “center of the world.” There are so many other cultures you can learn from. You compare your culture to theirs and realize that although they are different, they also so similar at the same time.

One major difference is the language. I am an incoming Freshman and I have only had 2 years of Spanish. In those years, I realize how much I have NOT learned. When placed in a community that only speaks that specific language, the amount of knowledge you lack is quite surprising. By talking with upperclassmen and my mentors, one thing they say stays in common: you learn so much more about a language by being an outsider to a community that speaks the language then by being an outsider to one person who speaks that language.

Even if you speak similar languages, you can still learn a lot from different cultures of people. Not only have I learned so much from people native to a foreign country, I have learned from people who live in my home country. The people that come to GLA are very diverse. There are people from Florida to Colorado and from California to Indiana. I am very surprised that by spending time with people in a foreign country, you learn way more about your home country than you could ever imagine.

The people on this trip, although diverse, all have one thing in common: we are all in a foreign country. You would be surprised by how much you can connect with people through that one similarity. Making new friends is one of the best things about this trip. I came into this trip scared thinking I would spend an entire week and a half with strangers, but the funny thing is the more you spend time with those strangers they become acquaintances, then they become friends. I have made more friends with diverse cultures then I would have ever imagined. GLA has so many opportunities to meet new, lasting friends.

One of these opportunities are “Adventures.” By taking these adventures you accomplish two things: bonding and having a good time. By having a good time, you bond closer to the people who are also having a good time. Our adventures range from water tubbing down a raging river to galloping through the Costa Rican jungles on a trusty steed.

Another opportunity is service, or mentor groups. When you arrive at GLA you are put into selected groups. In these groups, you do service and learn more and more about leadership. I have really bonded with my mentor group. They are all just so cool people with the same goal: service. (Not to mention, Callie is the best mentor by far.)

The service we do is truly helping the community. Before we came to Costa Rica, our mentors went around the community and asked what THEY needed. My mentor group is working on a recycling center for a local school. The school is only one classroom and has around 10ish kids. We had to design this and build all within a week and a half. Although the task may seem daunting at first, when people are united with a common goal of helping people and give 100%, no task is impossible. Our mentor group really bonds by building. Keep in mind, we do not have ANY power tools. We depend on each other and to get the job done. For instance, in my group I am excellent at sawing through wood, but terrible at hammering nails. People depend on me to saw and I depend on others hammer. We bond through these dependencies and make ever lasting memories.

Overall, regardless of what I am doing at Costa Rica, I am so surprised by how much I have learned and experienced here. My mindset about what I thought was going to happen and what did happen were two completely different things. I have made great friends and great memories here in Costa Rica and I would not have changed it for the world.

 

Sincerely,

Sam Syroney

 

(P.S. Props to my Junior High Literature Teacher because without her I would have no idea how to do this blog)

 

July 16, 2017
The Mops (my adventure group) went horse back riding today. We all individually got to pick out our horses and which one we wanted to ride. We saw breath taking scenery and got to swim in a waterfall. It was a beautiful ride filled with laughter. On this trip we got to bond with our horses, test our limits and cool off in a waterfall. We got to jump from a cliff, ride down a man made water slide and get caught in the current. Everyone had helping hands for people who needed a little shove or encouragement.
Later in the day we rotated through different activities. (Cooking class, Scavenger Hunt & Writing class). We worked as a group to find creative ways to act out what we needed to, learned how to write our story of our trip to Costa Rica & learned to cook some delicious meals.
All the things we have done so far have shaped all of us in different ways and taught us many new things. It gave us a new perspective on life and how truly lucky we all are.
To the parents reading this, we all love you and miss you. Thank you for sending me on this adventure of a lifetime.
Shout out to room 12’s moms (Dina Connelly, Laura Pellegrino, Tracy Savage, Marissa Shore & Allison Stock)
Keegan Savage

 

 

July 17, 2017

I am very fortunate to have been born into a loving family, a beautiful home, and a welcoming school community.  Most of the time I can appreciate these gifts, but as I met more and more students on this trip, I have seen and related to the the groans and grumbles of having nothing to do in your home town or being bored with the same routine during every school year.  I had fallen into practices of completing tasks just for the sake of getting them done, and I had never done a meaningful project in my own community. I could not have honestly explained my home town as a pillar of importance in my life, however on one of my first nights here, a man from Parrita named Maurillio came to give a presentation that changed my perspective.  He came to educate us about the surrounding area and its points of interest, and in his presentation he spoke with pride and marveled about the unique features of his country. At first I was jealous that he grew up in such a beautiful beachside location, but on my last day of service I finally understood where its true value came from.

This morning we stood in front of an endless pile of rotting wood and leaves that needed to be cleared in order to add to the nursery being built to help with reforestation efforts. We began working and after a day of sweat, Mau’s blood, and more bugs and crabs than any of us could have possibly been prepared for, I was astonished at what we had completed. I stooped over to get every last root and make sure that we had raked over every area; I wanted to make sure that our long day of work was a job well done. Not only was our task difficult, but working with my hands in a way I never had before gave me a newfound sense of power and capability. I stepped back and was overcome with pride.  What I am beginning to understand is that while gifts can give you with gratitude, hard work that can earn you pride.

 

-Abigail Seidman

 

July 18, 2017

 

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COSTA RICA – Beachside Service Adventure – June 28 – July 7, 2017

Hi mom, dad, and loved ones!

Pura vida!

Can you believe it? 54 of us teenagers have successfully flown from all over the United States and Mexico to gather together in Parrita, Costa Rica! Some of us came as siblings, a few of us came with a friend or two, and many of us came as solo travelers. Regardless of who we were on that airplane when we left from home, part of us each know that we won’t be that exact same student when we return in just a brief 10 days from now.

Though we might not be able to predict in what ways our minds will change, how new friendships will be established, or even what fears we currently have that we might overcome, we do know that our experiences working here in this incredible Tico Community will prepare us to be a better version of ourselves in the future. Thank you for giving us this opportunity! We can’t wait to keep you updated on all that we will encounter! Goodnight for now, tomorrow’s adventure of service in jungles and schools awaits!

With love,

Your GLA students and staff from Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure

 

Introduction: On day 3 of our Costa Rica trip, our group traveled to a farm to plant trees. The reason that the trees needed to be planted is to protect the field from floods, all the roots from the trees help prevent erosion from floods. A flood recently washed away all the trees, and did lots of damage to the vegetation that many different animals call home. As a group, we planted a total of 167 trees. Now the whole border of the field with the river is protected by trees.
What was fun: The most part fun part of our experience today, was seeing the Costa Rican locals faces when we were planting all the trees. Even though for me at least I didn’t know what they were saying, I could tell that they were very happy that we came out today. Also seeing everyone try to come up with different ideas to plant the trees efficiently was really cool.
What was challenging: The most challenging part of the day was the manual labor. Digging for more than a few hours with shovels is no easy task, especially in the climate of Costa Rica. Also making sure you drank lots of water was essential.
What we took away: For me at least, I gained an appreciation for what a lot of the manual labor people do in Costa Rica. I thought it was really cool to interact with locals that deeply appreciated the work that we doing. Also it made me and others I’m sure, how fortunate we are to live in countries that we don’t have to work outside in very hot conditions. But overall our favorite part was interacting with the locals, I find it really interesting to learn about how different cultures live their lives.

-Davis Howes

Friday June 30th

Introduction: On day 3 of our Costa Rica trip, our group traveled to a farm to plant trees. The reason that the trees needed to be planted is to protect the field from floods, all the roots from the trees help prevent erosion from floods. A flood recently washed away all the trees, and did lots of damage to the vegetation that many different animals call home. As a group, we planted a total of 167 trees. Now the whole border of the field with the river is protected by trees.

What was fun: The most part fun part of our experience today, was seeing the Costa Rican locals faces when we were planting all the trees. Even though for me at least I didn’t know what they were saying, I could tell that they were very happy that we came out today. Also seeing everyone try to come up with different ideas to plant the trees efficiently was really cool.

What was challenging: The most challenging part of the day was the manual labor. Digging for more than a few hours with shovels is no easy task, especially in the climate of Costa Rica. Also making sure you drank lots of water was essential.

What we took away: For me at least, I gained an appreciation for what a lot of the manual labor people do in Costa Rica. I thought it was really cool to interact with locals that deeply appreciated the work that we doing. Also it made me and others I’m sure, how fortunate we are to live in countries that we don’t have to work outside in very hot conditions. But overall our favorite part was interacting with the locals, I find it really interesting to learn about how different cultures live their lives.

-Davis Howes

 

July 2, 2017

Waking up in Costa Rica is a surreal experience. Birds are chirping, iguanas are sunbathing, monkeys are climbing the trees: everything is serene and peaceful and lovely. The insects are also out to play constantly, but being in Costa Rica is well worth the occasional bite from a mosquito or ant.

                The session is quite large, about 60 students, but we are getting to know one another well. We divide into several different groups so we can meet lots of new friends: roommates, mentor groups, adventure groups, and more. Learning about the cultural differences across our country, with its vastness and diversity, is fascinating. Last night, my roommates and I spent almost an hour comparing the regional pronunciations of different English words. Eager to make new friends, everyone is kind and outgoing, or at least trying to be. Being in a foreign country and knowing no one is a real test to our ability to make fast friends. Luckily, many of us are succeeding, forming bonds we will carry back home and making friends we will stay in touch with for years to come.

                As a part of Kati’s mentor group, my service project involves the ground zero startup of a plant nursery. The eventual goal is to help stop beach erosion by planting coconut, almond, and other trees along the coastline of the country. Nicolas, our native guide, shared his plethora of knowledge on organic farming and the deforestation and environmental issues in Costa Rica.         

                Being part of the beginning of an environmental conservation project is HARD WORK. It has been a unique opportunity to see the amount of elbow grease that goes into clearing jungle ground for a nursery. Lots of digging, macheting, and raking the ground to produce a clear and fertile area to work in. After hacking and pulling at seemingly endless amounts of vegetation yesterday, the group began to make compost for the soil that seedlings will grow in. Like I said, hard work. However, the morale is bright even as we are covered in dirt and sweat and drenched in rainwater. Helping feels good, it feels right.

Nicolas told us that back in the states we can think about this project, and how the trees and shorelines in Costa Rica help the whole world, including us in the United States.  The more trees we plant in this luscious and vibrant country, the more oxygen goes into the atmosphere, and the more pollution comes out. Even though we’re just the flagship of a project that will take many weeks and even years to complete, the impact we have is astonishing to think about. And besides, we get to play with machetes and dig around in the dirt. It’s every eight-year-old’s dream.

                                Exhausted and excited,

                                                Miranda Wilson


July 4

Although we were not in the United States to celebrate the fourth of July, it was still felt like home on a boat in Costa Rica. Today we took a beautiful drive to Quepos and boarded a Catamaran to explore the coast of Costa Rica. The boat offered two water slides, snorkeling, and a great place to get tan (or in many cases sunburnt.) We had a wonderful lunch out on the water and enjoyed some flan for desert. No one was ready to leave the relaxing ride on the Catamaran, but it was time to head out to the national park.

At Manuel Antonio National Park, we walked to the beach and on the trail we saw sloths and monkeys. At the beach, we swam in the gentle waves and enjoyed beautiful views of the ocean. After an already exciting day, we had the opportunity to buy souvenirs in a local market. Overall, it was an amazing day which highlighted the natural beauty Costa Rica has to offer. We had a perfect mix of relaxation and adventure. This will be a fourth of July we will never forget!

Maria Baez


July 5, 2017

Today was another one of our adventure days. we started with a sunset walk on the beach which 40 of us attended. After breakfast the groups split off to whatever adventure awaited them today whether it consisted of ziplining, tubing, horseback riding, or simply doing activities at home base.

After everyone came back and was fed we split into our mentor groups to do a few activities. There was a photo video challenge given to all groups and we had to complete tasks such as: doing handstands with coconuts on your feet to writing GLA using only people. We also had a cooking class where we learned how to make corn tortillas.
Afterwards we were given a very interesting article to read that simply said: volunteers aren’t wanted everywhere”. I wish the article was easier to explain because it really made everyone think about our reasons for volunteering and whether we agreed or disagreed with the article. I never imagined someone thinking volunteering and helping others as a bad thing, but everyone has their own opinions.
My group stayed at the hotel today while other groups had adventures and we playing a very interesting but frustrating game that opened everyone’s eyes a bit more. To shortly explain it, you randomly pick five colored chips that are worth different amounts of points and then you have the opportunity to trade chips with others. You are sorted into different groups depending on how many points you have. In the end we came to the conclusion that this game is much like our class system. The people who started with not as many points had a harder time trying to catch up than the people who started out with lots of points. We had a very mature discussion / debate and everyone got to share their opinions. It made me think, so I enjoyed that.
Overall today was fun, eventful, but also meaningful. The end is coming to soon sadly, but I am so thankful to be here right now.
– Zoey Platt

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Picture Update!

 

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COSTA RICA – Beachside Service Adventure – June 16 – June 25, 2017

6/17/2017

All students have arrived at site!

Hi Mom, Dad, and Loved Ones!

Can you believe it? 54 of us teenagers have successfully flown from all over the United States to gather together in Parrita, Costa Rica! Some of us came as siblings, a few of us came with a friend or two, and many of us came as solo travelers. Regardless of who we were on that airplane when we left from home, part of us each know that we won’t be that exact same student when we return in just a brief 10 days from now.

Though we might not be able to predict in what ways our minds will change, how new friendships will be established or even what fears we currently have that we might overcome, we do know that our experiences working here in this incredible Tico Community will prepare us to be a better version of ourselves in the future. Thank you for giving us this opportunity! We can’t wait to keep you updated on all that we will encounter! Goodnight for now, tomorrow’s adventure of ziplining through the jungle awaits!

With Love,

Your GLA Students from Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure

6/18/2017

P.S. We stopped to see the famous Costa Rica ‘crocodile bridge.’ This is a place that’s home to 30+ crocodiles living underneath a popular freeway bridge! We stopped here on the student’s drive from the airport to our home base in Parrita.

June 19, 2017

Our first full day was fun and allowed us to ease into the exciting adventures that lay before us. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then gathered into small groups to learn about the values of leadership and teamwork through games and seminars. To end the day we all met with our work groups and discussed our hopes and fears as well as a general outline of our lives via a life map. I am extremely excited to continue experiencing and learning about the culture of this beautiful country.

PS I saw a monkey

Short version. Costa Rica has been Hot, Muggy, Buggy, and the most fun I’ve had in my entire life. And I don’t think I’m alone in saying this. For the past two days as of writing this we have been working on our service projects, some kids are building fences for schools, others are doing murals, we are creating a garden for a wonderful man named Don Douglas, the principal/teacher/nurse/parent coordinator/ basically any other job in a school. Naturally, the man is busy so our group gets up at 7 AM, has breakfast, and then work on the garden for four hours, and to tell you the truth, I don’t think I have even been or ever will be this excited to get up early and work, maybe it’s knowing that we’re doing something to help, or maybe it’s just observing and learning about their amazing culture, or perhaps it’s just playing against a school of kids in a football/soccer match.  Of course there has been other stuff as well, before we got to work on our service projects we were taken hiking and zip lining.

We also got to stay in a waterfall for a good while which was nice after the long hike (also a dog named Toby followed us!)

 

 

Summary BLOG
“Can you believe we were crying when we got here last week because we were so homesick…and now we’re crying again today, but for the opposite reason!?” (overheard on the bus ride to the airport today)

It’s hard to believe Term 1 has come to a close already. In some ways it feels like we just began yesterday. In other ways, it feels like we’ve been here forever with all of our best friends. What an incredible journey it’s been.

In just 10 days, our GLA students & mentors built fences & gardens at schools, painted buildings and murals, planted trees in the river valley, zip-lined, rode horses, tubed down the river, had meaningful conversations, played games like futbol & a school version of kickball but without the kicking, saw monkeys, tropical birds, iguanas & raccoons, tried local food, made corn bread from scratch, learned some sweet salsa dance moves, and did a lot of swimming in the Pacific! Most of all, we changed. We grew together. We inspired each other. We held each other up during the tough moments. We recognized each other’s value. We learned about Costa Rica. We’re not the same.

One of our students summed it up best when they said, “Before I arrived, I only thought about the differences I was going to encounter (food, culture, music, etc), and I was a little nervous. But now that I’m heading home, I’m so thankful I got to experience so many new things. It’s been the best week of my life.”

As a mentor, I’ve been amazed at the transformation I’ve witnessed in our students. I’ve seen them serve one another. I’ve heard them lift each other up with encouraging words. I’ve been honored to hear the stories of many of our students and seen how each one reached beyond their comfort zone, worked harder than they’ve ever been asked to work, taken pride in the task set before them, and contributed to engaging conversations with one another in our small group settings. I feel so privileged to have met these students. They’re not the only one’s who changed this week! We all have.

Here’s a few photos from our service sites, and a few of our adventure activities! Until next summer, Pura Vida

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