Day 1 – July 7, 2017

Woohoo! 28 of our students arrived today excited and already making new friends. They arrived to a beautiful Belizean day after a nice lunch from the home base (Alecia’s fabulous homemade empanadas) we headed down the road to where we will make our home for the next two weeks. We stopped at “the mall” in the capital city of Belize, Belmopan for some essential snacks and any toiletries that may have been forgotten. After of dinner and a safety talk we called an early night to let the students get settled into their cabins and get some much needed rest after a long day of traveling.

Keri Ewing

Day 2 – July 8, 2017

This morning we slept in a bit and for breakfast we had fruit and eggs and meat. After breakfast we went on a hike, with a bush guide named Will, around TREES. On the hike Will talked about the Mayan civilization and along with some of the group snacked on some live termites. We cooled off in the swimming hole with lunch waiting for us back at the dining hall. For lunch we had pizza and cabbage coleslaw and fruit punch. After lunch we had time to hang out around the base before we split into mentor groups. In our mentor groups we got to know each other and took some time to journal. Then a Belizean woman came and spoke to us about culture and her life’s work. It was a very interesting and motivational speech and she was very nice. For dinner we had noodles and garlic bread with brownies for dessert. Following dinner we played some bonding games and worked on prayer flags. It was an amazing full first day here in Belize at TREES.

Alexis and Addie

Day 3 – July 9, 2017

This morning we started off the day at 8, and ate a yummy breakfast of waffles and fruit. Then we embarked on a journey to Blue Hole National Park where we hiked into some neat caves. We did some exploring in there and then we took a short bus ride to another part of the park where we swam in a swimming hole titled the “blue hole” even though it was a bit green. Then we went back to home base for lunch, black bean soup and cabbage salad. After lunch, we met with the lovely Dr. Minerva who went over the curriculum at the school with us. Then we took a short bus ride to the beautiful school where we set up our classrooms and got to meet the principal and some local littles. We then returned home to a yummy dinner of chicken and beans and rice. We ended the day with some planning for our upcoming week with the kids and a lively game of Belize jeopardy. We are excited for the week to come!
Belizean vibes,

Adia and Georgia 🙂

July 10

Today we woke up around 7 and it was hard because we did so much yesterday that we’re all EXHAUSTED!! But we woke up and went to breakfast and ate fry jacks,beans, and eggs. We left around 8 to go to the school and we were all so excited to meet the kids and help out. It was really awesome to see how determined they were to learn and they had so much fun it really made all of us hopeful for a life changing week. They weren’t all English speaking so there was a language barrier but nothing that couldn’t be overcome. We left the school around 12:30 and had lunch. We ate keesh (they call it egg pie here) and cabbage slaw. After, half of the group went off to tour the chocolate factory and the other half stayed back and helped Alicia (aka the BEST COOK EVER) make dinner for everyone. For dinner we had coconut rice😍, salad, pork stew, and really delicious fried plantains (I made them.) For dessert we had lime pie and brownies. We discussed our plans for tomorrow after dinner and had group therapy. Now we are all headed to bed and ready to see what tomorrow brings! (Ps: we love u Melton and Halmy families)

– Love from Belize,
Sophia and Mattie

July 11, 2017

This morning we woke up at 7 and made our way up to breakfast at 7:30. We had a delicious breakfast of tortillas, beans, eggs, and lots of fruit. (THANKS ALICIA!!) After breakfast, we headed to the school to prepare for our second day of service. It was amazing to see how many more kids showed up and all were excited to learn. After a hard, yet rewarding day of teaching, we had a packed lunch and headed off to the Belize Zoo. At the Zoo, we saw a variety of animals, all whom were rescued and are native to Belize. Some of us even held a boa constrictor as is poured rain. After the zoo, we headed to a local store to stock up on pop tarts and bug spray since, all of us have countless bug bites. During the stop we also got to watch Keri attempt to run across the street in flip flops 😂.Then we went back to the base and had dinner. For dinner we had rice, pork, salad, and fried plantains. After dinner, we played a game called “ha” and then discussed our teaching plans for tomorrow. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings, and how many new bug bites we all get! 💙🇧🇿 (PS: We love you Bressler and Madison families!)

With love from Belize- Sydney and Paige

7/12/17

We woke up bright and early to the fresh Belizean jungle at 7:00 for a 7:30 feast. Alicia served us fresh tortillas, beans, eggs, fruit, and juice. We left at 8 for our 3rd day of service with 82 enthusiastic kids. The number of kids continues to grow each day. They excelled in both Hangman and freeze dance. 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 We stopped at the local market for more treats to cool us down (it feels like you’re melting before 9 am here 😪🤒.) Then, we hopped back on the party bus and returned to home base for a quick and delicious lunch that consisted of taquitos (?) with homemade salsa and salad. Then after a little bit of down time we headed back over to the school for a little renovation of the school playground. We painted the wood structure with blue, red and yellow paint to brighten up the school yard. Little did we know, we had more paint on us than on the structure. We all left a small impression on the structure to make it our own. Some of the local kids even came over to assist us and add a youthful flare. On the way home it was a race to get to the showers and wash off the rainbow remains. Even after a hose shower, a chemical shower, and regular shower there is still paint stuck to our bodies. We had dinner at 6:30 (30 minutes later than normal so everyone could shower). We had chicken, beans, rice, and steamed vegetables. It poured rain while we played a game of charades. After dinner we watched a compelling Ted Talk that provoked a meaningful conversation. Finally, we planned for day 4 of service and activities. Now, we are sitting in the pouring rain thinking about our lovely families, the Roberts and the Johnston’s. We miss you both A TON!

Xoxo,
Clara & Myah

7/13/17

This morning we started our day with the most amazing French toast breakfast made by our most amazing cook, Alecia. We arrived at the school at 8:00 and were greeted by some our wonderful students, it’s amazing to see how many children arrive earlier than they are supposed to- they are so eager to learn! Today was another hot and humid day, but we all enjoyed teaching, playing and swinging with the students. After our work at the camp we headed back to home base for a lunch of split pea tortillas, chips and salsa and fried Belizean pretzels. At 2:00 our group split again; evens staying at home base for a cooking class and odds headed to the chocolate factory. The chocolate factory was very interesting as well as the people who worked there. We learned a lot about the Mayan culture and the art and history of chocolate making! After the odds got back we had the leader of the day activity where we all wrote nice things about one another of pieces of paper. Once we all finished everyone had a piece of paper that had a nice message from every GLA member! For dinner, the evens had prepared a delicious meal of fried fish, plantain balls, coconut soup and coconut rice! Today was Alexis’ 16th birthday so we finished our day with birthday cake! Just another amazing day in Belize!! ( we send extra love to the family members of Sarah M. And Briana G.)

Love,
Sarah Mackowski and Briana Garrison❤️

July 14, 2017

The day started at 7:30 with fried jacks, beans, salami, and fresh fruit. All prepared by the well appreciated Alecia. Then we hopped on the bus and arrived at the school for service. Some of the children were gone because of a field trip, so it was a more of a relaxed day. This allowed us to have some one on one time with the kids. They also got a lot of free time outside for activities, and seem to be opening up more to us. We made a brief ice cream stop on the way back to home base. The ice cream was locally made and tasted amazing. At lunch, we had a tortilla filled with mild chicken and cheese, and purple cabbage slaw, and plantain chips. We took a 45 minute bus ride to a local hot sauce factory, founded by a women named Marie Sharp. Her sauces are shipped worldwide, found in the U.S, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, and other countries around the world. We were able to see the process of making the hot sauce and packaging it, and some of us even watched a film about Marie Sharp’s company. We got to sample many bottles, and most of us bought some to bring home. Afterwards, we headed back for dinner at home base. We had pasta with a delicious meat veggie sauce, lettuce salad, and garlic bread. We finished the day with a fun interactive group activity where we shared stories (made up or real experiences), which let us get to know each other better. Excited to visit the local markets tomorrow, but sad we can’t sleep in (lots of love to our favorite Canadian moms- Karina and Yannie) miss u tons!

xoxo,

Luna Li and Jackie Riddell

Today we started with a 7:30 breakfast of Johnny cakes, fried salami, eggs, fruit and melon juice. Afterwards we got on the bus and headed to the San Ignacio to go to the market and the iguana sanctuary. The market had stands that sold local hand made items and foods. At the sanctuary, we got to hold and feed iguanas🦎 that were rescued and rehabilitated. For lunch, we went to Benny’s Kitchen and had some local Belizean foods ( some of us also ordered a side of fries). After lunch we got on the bus once again and headed for the Mayan ruins. To end the day we went to Western Dairy’s, also known as the biggest ice cream factory in Belize! We got back to T.R.E.E.S a little after 7 and had Lap for dinner. Lap is white rice with chicken, lime, fried onions, and cilantro. Also for dinner was salad and fresh orange juice. Tune in tomorrow’s blog for a day full of snorkeling and volleyball!! Shoutout to the Moys and Sharps, we miss you tons️️️!!!

Caroline and Phoenix🦎

July 20, 2017

With new flight regulations starting in Belize the day before departure day. This great group proved once again that they were up for the challenge. We had a really early breakfast at 6:15am. Alecia got us going with some Jonny cakes, fried sausage and fresh fruit. Then we were off for one more fun filled bus ride with Mr. Windell. With watery eyes and the promise of the thousands of mosquitos bites finally disappearing from their legs the resilient, wonderful group of students headed through security and off to their homes. You will be missed. Thank you for a great two weeks!

DAY 1

GLA Belize is off and running yet again!  And what a great start!

GLA Staff eagerly anticipated the arrival of the 31 students from all over the USA today.  As soon as students grabbed their bags and made their way out of the Belize International Airport, we were well on our way to TREES.  It is one of the most unique home bases with an absolutely beautiful backdrop of the Maya Mountains.

We arrived to TREES and all of the students got settled into their new homes for the next two weeks.  Their colorful cabins were named after local animals sights:  Jacamar, Tree Frog, Blue Morpho, Fern, Gecko, Katydid, etc.!

We had a very common Belizean meal consisting of chicken, rice and beans, slaw, and fresh orange juice.  We made sure to priority our discussion on safety and dove into a round of fun introductions.  Everyone in the group shared their various anticipations:  snorkeling, meeting the Belize children, meeting new friends on the program, Mayan temples, and trying new things!  It was a really positive way to bring the busy arrival day to a close!

Tomorrow has a lot of fun in store:  orientation activities, a visit to the school site to meet the Principal, teachers, and students, and meaningful discussions on service.  We look forward to sharing all that the program and Belize have to offer with the students!

Gratefully,

The Belize Team

Kelli, Nichole, Laura, and Keri

June 22, 2017

This morning we woke up for breakfast at 8am (some earlier than others!) which was delicious eggs and fry jacks, a special bread specific to Central America. We spent a lot of the day getting to know each other and playing orientation games, and all of us have already made tons of friends! The whole day was filled with sharing stories and laughing. We also took a tour of our home base which consisted of a tiring, uphill hike!

After a lunch of bean and cheese taquitos, we traveled to the local children’s school, St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic School. The kids were so welcoming and generous and showed us their favorite games to play during recess. It was very shocking to see the conditions the kid’s lived in, and it was inspiring to see their positivity even in their situation. After meeting the kids we headed back to home base, and a lot of us hiked to the swimming hole, a small natural river that is safe to swim in. It was very refreshing in the humidity of Belize.

At dinner time we spent more time getting to know each other, and shared our life stories with small mentor groups. It was amazing to see how many people have similar hobbies and passions with someone who lives across the country! Dinner was some great spaghetti and salad.

At the end of the night, we put on skits in small groups as a fun way to go over the GLA trip guidelines. Overall, it was a very humid, yet exciting day, and we’re all eager for tomorrow!

-Jamie

June 23, 2017

Hello everyone!

Today, we started our morning off with a yummy breakfast. Half of the group went to a chocolate factory, and the other half stayed at home base and made lunch through a cooking class. We got to see how chocolate is made here in Belize! The group that made lunch did an awesome job! It was yummy! After lunch, we went to the school to paint the playground. Local kids even came to help us paint on their off day! We all got covered in paint, but it was worth it! After some hard work, we came back to home base. Some of us went to the swimming hole, while others stayed to relax. As the leaders of the day (Taylor and Lucy), we led a group activity to get to know each other better! We then ate dinner and a guest speaker came to talk to us. Emily is a well-rounded community leader who represents the people of her country. She inspired us to set high goals and be the best person that you can be!

Love ya’ll!

Lucy and TayTay

June 24, 2017

Today we woke up and had a great breakfast at 8 am. Then we got on the bus and drove about an hour and a half to San Ignacio, where we split into two groups. One group went to the local market, while the other group headed down to the Iguana Project. After an hour we switched and then met up for lunch at Benny’s Kitchen. Everyone ordered a chocolate milkshake and had a meal of stew chicken. Afterwards, we got back on the bus and drove to the Maya temples. Here, we followed a tour guide as he showed us all around the site. We climbed up the temples and walked through tunnels, trying our best not to slip on the wet stone. Then we made our way back to the bus and rode all the way back to home base and had a great dinner of rice and pork. After that we played an exciting game of Belizean Jeopardy and talked about the highs and lows of the trip.

Now we are getting ready for bed, and looking for a great day tomorrow!

Emily and Erin

June 25, 2017

Hola from Belize! Today we woke up and ate fry jacks and eggs for breakfast. Then we hopped on the bus to Blue Hole National Park with our bush guide, Will. We trekked to the most amazing cave filled with a river, calcium carbonate stones, and even a vampire bat! Then we took a dip in the Blue Hole, although it should’ve been called the “Brown Hole” due to the heavy rainfall yesterday.

After cooling off, we came back to home base to enjoy another one of Alecia’s delicious meals, which included nachos. We then broke off into teams to compete in a scavenger hunt around home base, which concluded in a dance-off to break the tie.

Then we retreated to our cabins for a little downtime before the leader of the day activity right before dinner. We played Entertain Us Until We Clap and the Hand Squeezing Game. We finished the night off with a scrumdiddiliumptious dinner and a mentor group meeting.

As the Belizeans say in Creole, THAT WICKED!!!!

Love, Jesika and Ava.

June 26, 2017

This mornings breakfast was pancakes, hard boiled eggs with fresh papaya, watermelon, bananas and pineapple. After breakfast we split into our groups from day 3 and did the opposite activity. Half did cooking with the amazing Alecia and the other went to Lamanai Chocolate. We went on a tour and saw the chocolate being made first hand. We sampled dark chocolate, the shells off the beans, cinnamon chocolate tea and cohune tree oil (the oil is used in Rolex watches and is really good in salad dressings). We even got to try our hand at crushing the chocolate beans ourselves. We explored a cave with a friendly scorpion and learned about how the mayas make houses. We then went back to TREES and had lunch which the other group had prepared for us. They made papusas, cowl slaw, and fried plantations. The fried plantations tasted like steak fries and some of us even dipped them in ketchup. After finishing lunch we drove to Marie Sharps, a 400 acre farm and hot sauce factory. We toured the factory,  saw the hot sauce being made, bought some for ourselves and even met Marie. Instead of going straight back to TREES we stopped at Country Barn for ice cream. Dinner was mashed plantain, coconut broth, and fried fish. To close the night Minerva, who helped create the curriculum, spoke to us about what we will be teaching at St. Augustine. We are excited to work with the kids tomorrow!

-Danika and Cameron

June 27, 2017

Today was our first day of classroom service at St. Augustine. We got to the school and broke up into our assigned grade level. When the kids came back from lunch, we got to meet the kids and work in small groups on the summer booklet. All the kids were so excited to learn and for us to be their teachers! Throughout the day we got to bond with our kids and learn more about them and their daily life. During “brain breaks” we got to play educational games and go outside and play the kids favorite games. The kids were extremely happy the whole time and super excited to come back the next day to learn more! It has only been one day but leaving our kids at the end was already hard and we wanted to take them with us! We came back to home base and played games and had a delicious dinner. We cannot wait to continue to teach and bond with the students of Belize!

-Chase & Ashley

June 28, 2017

Today we first woke up to a birthday surprise for Erin with the dinning area all decorated. We then went for a full day of teaching at the school. All of us connected with all the kids and created more bonds with the students. Once we got back to TREES we had dinner a little earlier and had a cake for Erin! We went to a poetry slam at a local library, which was amazing. The locals were amazing with their poems and songs. Even some of our own GLA students preformed! They even went around and gave question to answer. Sophie had a question on what she would change about her life

June 29, 2017

Today was another full day of school. We arrived at school after a hearty breakfast and got to our classes. Today T.R.E.E.S. was able to come into the school and give the kids a presentation on herpetology. The kids really enjoyed it and so did we! Working with the kids and seeing how happy and open they are motivates and inspires all of us on this trip. After school got out, we visited a great ice cream shop and took a little trip to Belmopan. It was a great outing that loosened all of us up. We came back and ate dinner, which was followed by a dance party. Seeing the rich amazing culture of Belize makes you question what you are doing worrying about nail color and new clothes. The kids who have so little are so happy, and so are we!

Dannie and Chloe

June 30, 2017

This morning we woke up for breakfast and ate delicious Johnny Cakes (biscuits), fried beans, eggs and fresh fruit, and headed out to St. Augustine, where we continued our service for the first half of the day. After a fun-filled morning of service, which included working in our workbooks, playing large games of soccer and taking one big group photo, we came back to TREES to enjoy a delicious Belizean Pizza. We then headed back onto the bus to make a quick stop at a local ice cream parlor, where we enjoyed multiple scoops of our favorite flavors of ice cream. We then came back to home base and broke off into our mentor groups to debrief our service so far. We discussed how we have grown as leaders during our time here and how we can apply our new leadership skills back home. We then had some down time which resulted in large games of ultimate frisbee, volleyball and soccer. Right before dinner, our leaders of the day (Dannie and Chloe, and Isabella and Abby H) led us in two fun group activities: behind the green glass door and a rock paper scissors tournament (which got very heated).  We then enjoyed some more of Alicia’s delicious cooking, which included white rice, stew chicken and mashed potatoes. Finally, we all headed over to the yoga platform to take part in “Step In, Step Out”, which resulted in us having an emotional discussion where we were all free to share what was on our minds in a safe environment. To lighten things up, we received a surprise performance from Fern Frog, a two person GLA band which was formed last night J.

Isabella and Abby

July 1, 2017

Hey blog!!!

Today we woke up and left on the bus for snorkeling. We had a long bus ride to Dangriga and then loaded up boats to go to Tobacco Island. Before getting to the island we stopped at Bird Island where there were TONS of native birds. As we were leaving the island it began thundering and started pouring (the captain of our boat told us that the rain was giving us a “beat down”.) The rain continued until we reached Tobacco Island but after that it cleared up and turned out to be a beautiful day.

As soon as we got off the boats we all were amazed by the beautiful collection of conch shells that were lying around on the beach. We walked on shore and around the island trying to find the perfect shell to take back with us. After exploring for about a half hour, we split into two groups. The first group collected their goggles, fins, and life vests and headed out into the water. The second group waited on the island for the first group to get back and then they went out.

While snorkeling we saw an abundance of fish such as blue tangs, angel fish, barracudas, needle fish, and flounder. We also saw some stingrays which was extremely exciting. We snorkeled near the coral reef and then we went to the sea grass where we saw more shells and learned about the two different types of sea grass.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, tanning, drinking milkshakes, and collecting more shells. Before lunchtime, the rain began again but soon finished. After it ended, we ate an amazing lunch cooked by Alecia and then spent the rest of the day jumping off the dock and swimming around with friends.

By the time we came home we were all exhausted from a fun day spent laughing and having fun in the sun. The rest of the night, we did activities as a group and tried to stay dry from the rain.

Later, there was a scorpion found in one of the cabins which was scary. The girls in that cabin moved into different cabins. Having new roommates was fun and exciting.

Overall, this day was definitely one of the most memorable days on the trip!!!

Love,

Emilia and Kenz

July 2, 2017

This morning we had breakfast then at eight left for the Belize Zoo. There, we saw a variety of animals such as tapirs, jaguars, boas, pumas, and toucans. Not only did we get to see these beautiful animals of Belize, but we also got to feed some of them! It was a rainy but good time for all of us. Upon returning to TREES, we had lunch, met with our mentor groups for group activities, and relaxed before dinner. We then exchanged letters to our peers regarding how much we appreciate their company. Tomorrow is our last day of service before we leave but we are all excited to see the kids one last time.

Pam & Mackenzie

July 18, 2017

Today we had our first global citizen workshop after a great breakfast of French toast and fruit. We talked about what it means to be a global citizen and the characteristics/values that go with it. After lunch we went to the local Banjar and rotated between four stations where we learned unique skills. We learned Legong dance which is a native Balinese dance, how to create offerings from leaves and sticks, wood carving, and gamelan which is a xylophone-like instrument.  After our workshop we walked to the palace for a tour and dinner with the prince of Peliatan. After dinner there was a performance consisting of dancing and playing music, including the gamelan. Overall, today was really fun and I’m having a great time immersing myself in Bali.

July 19, 2017

We started our day early, waking up at 6:30 for a morning market visit. We tried exotic fruits and learned to haggle, over our harem pants and sarongs, with the locals. Afterwards, we got back in our taxis for a visit to the Balinese rice paddies. Traditional breakfast cones filled with rice, noodles, and chicken were enjoyed by all as we overlooked the picturesque farms and learned about the degradation of the farming culture within Bali. Next, we all donned our sarongs and sashes for a temple visit. Our offerings from yesterday came in handy whilst learning the prayer practices followed by the Balinese and we followed the ceremony including priests delivering us with holy water, flowers being spread on our hair, incense burning, and even rice being placed on our foreheads-the most important part of the body for the locals. We enjoyed a meal with a view as our lunch destination overlooked an active volcano. After heading back to our home base, we took time to relax and some students even visited a local market for snacks. Finally, we discussed in our mentor groups our goals and initiatives for choosing this trip and reflected upon all we are looking forward to.

July 20th, 2017

Today we left our first home base in Ubud for where our service will be done, Singaraga! We traveled for about two hours making two stops; temple, and lunch! The temple had such beautiful views and luckily we went at a time where there weren’t many tourists. There were shops, animals, and buildings (pictures were great). Our next destination was 30 seconds down the road where we enjoyed another buffet! After completing these two stops it was time to make our way to the Edutel (education hotel) where we have our dorms. The ride was about an hour where we witnessed just few of Bali’s many views. The winding roads, beautiful culture, and city life all make the bus rides a highlight of the trip. Upon arrival, we settled in and prepped for our first day of service. Night time is where the fun began, as we set off on sunset boat ride and swam in the coral reefs. The sun was neon pink and honestly breath taking. Following the sunset, we ate a delicious meal prepared by Ryan’s friends. To end the night, we had a bonfire with some locals and sang traditional balinese songs. Yet another tiring day for us, but an amazing one!

-Audrey, Lexi, & Anna

July 21st, 2017

July 22nd, 2017

July 23rd

Today we went to Pemuteran and had a blast on the resort beach. First we learned about the coral restoration project, a project that aims to restore the reef, which has been damaged from coral bleaching and global warming. They restore the reef by putting electrically powered structures on the ocean floor that encourage limestone growth that the coral attaches to. We snorkeled for an hour and saw beautiful fish and the coral structures that we had just learned about. After hard work and planning for service, it was relaxing to take a day off and enjoy the ocean. Another awesome part of the day was getting to eat a taste of home with pizza, fries, pasta, burgers, cake, and mocktails. For our evening activity we had a lip sync battle between all of the groups, and the mentors stole the show with the song “What does the fox say?”.

Om swastiastu from Bali! – Jillian, Analise, and Xandra

July 24, 2017

Selmat Pagi!

July 25, 2017

July 28th, 2017

(feat. Rebecca Black)

“8 am waking up in the morning, gotta get dressed gotta go downstairs. Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal.” Waking up this morning thinking that everything was going to be just like a regular day, we were disturbed by the horrid waves of humidity as it clung to our skin like sand to a wet towel. This was just a start to our long last emotional day in Singaraja. By 9 am we were in full work mode, developing our final lesson plans for our enthusiastic students.  After spending so much time being absorbed into the world of vocabulary, worksheets and markers; lunch was right around the corner. We ate until our tummies were full and our eyes were heavy. It was nap time. 

“1.5 hours later,”  we hustled through the heat to our cars pumping cold air on high. After crazy driving, honking horns and motorbikes we’d finally arrived at SD2 in one piece greeted by a mass of screaming 6-12 year olds. The next three hours flew by, leaving us in a daze  of sadness and exhaustion our final fleeting moments with the kids were fading faster than we thought. After tears were shed and hugs exchanged we were back in the cars by 5 rollin out to Lovina for our last supper after service. With a little taste of America, we were burgered and french fried out as we said our goodbyes to Singaraja around the bonfire closing this chapter of our Bali Book tuning out with Leaving on a Jet Plane. 

Signing off 

Nat Yoder, Quin Buisch, Eliott Plumley

July 29, 2017

This morning we packed all our bags in Singaraja and headed to East Bali Immersion. When we arrived, we found teepees waiting for us with ice cold drinks. There were many hammocks for us to relax in since it was the hottest it’s been in Bali so far. The group was treated with excellent food, including an amazing salad dressing (balsamic vinegar, honey, chopped garlic, onions, mint, olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper). After cooling off a bit, we wanted to learn more about East Bali Cashew Company. We hung out with the preschool kids and had a dance party. Then we went through the factory and learned how each cashew is processed. To finish our tour we bought lots of snacks in the gift shop. At the end of the night, we had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. The stars were gorgeous with the meteor showers and many of us fell asleep under the stars. Just another wonderful day in paradise.

Mollie Rutz & Nikki Bailowitz

Rise and Shine! Today the students and GLA Bali staff woke up bright and early for a sunrise hike up Puncak Mangu hills, which is close to Mount Agung – the highest volcano mountain in Bali. Waking up at 4:30 a.m and hiking 5 miles all seemed worth it after a view of a fascinating volcano on one side and a mesmerizing sunset on the other. After eating delicious pancakes and fruit for breakfast, we experienced the hard labor local workers at the cashew factory do everyday. We peeled and shelled cashews for 2 hours and learned about the great impacts of the cashew factory on the economy, education, and culture immersion. To end the day, we had a scenic drive to Amed and settled into our amazing beach bungalows for a great dinner and swim in the water. 

Mariya, Cat, and Ruqaiyah —

 

Hello friends and family,

A lot has occurred since our last blog.  After our overnight visit to an eco-camp learning about Cashews and Balinese economics, we traveled East to the town of Amed, a beautiful beachfront town. There we enjoyed clear blue water and banana smoothies. Our home base consisted of beach bungalows and waterfront views. For our adventure in Amed we all tried our hands at scuba diving. Some of us were filled with excitement; While others were slightly nervous. Nevertheless, we all prevailed and successfully completed a pool training session and two dives. We were able to see sea turtles, sharks, and stingrays to name a few underwater gems. On our off time we enjoyed laying on the beach and snacking on chicken nuggets and fries. After completing our final dive, we hopped into vans and made our way back to Ubud to enjoy our last days in this beautiful place.

Much Love,

Madison and Jen 

August 2, 2017

 

Our story starts with a rainy day and an early breakfast at 6:30 am. Everyone bursting with excitement, ready to go to the elephant sanctuary to be one with these magnificent mammals. Little did we know that this was not a sanctuary but what seemed to be a prison for the elephants and an entertainment center for the human eyes. You could tell by the look in our eyes, our hearts were saddened with sorrow. For these magnificent creatures should be out running wild and free but instead are rode and chained for nothing but entertainment. Coming from this experience we learned that we as a whole do not support the fact that this was a place called a “sanctuary” when after the fact this was a place using these animals for income. Support for proper animal care in Bali and around the world touched our hearts and made us learn to see to believe. What seemed to be one of the best parts of the trip just became one of the many hardest memories of our adventure. 

After our time at the “Sanctuary” we the travelers were relieved to hear that the GLA Bali trip will not be incorporating the elephants in the future years of Bali adventures because of the wrong doing that is coming to these animals. By 12 we spent the rest of the afternoon (after another amazing lunch from Mama) at the market and temple, trying to forget our sorrow filled morning by indulging our time and thoughts into spending what little money we had left for our loved ones back home. 

Abbi H. and Nat Y. 

Introduction

GLA’s Global Health Initiative program is a primer for studying medicine or public health in the developing world. A university-level program, it’s designed to give a progressive experience— challenging preconceptions of health with new experiences, and guidance from attending medical and public health professionals working in the field.

Global Health Initiative Itinerary

Please note: Activities may happen on different days due to weather or community needs. This is a tentative itinerary.

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Blog Updates

All students made it safely and excited for the journey ahead! About to embark on their first village walk and discover the sights and sounds of Bali by doing a fun scavenger hunt. And they are off!

What a great first day in Bali! Today was a day of adjustment (from 20+ hours of traveling) and bonding. Everyone bonded over a delicious meal and morning activities of name games and orientation. During the afternoon we separated into groups and started to explore the village of Ubud. We saw all different forms of culture ranging from wood carving to playing soccer with the locals! Of course all of the adorable Bali dogs grabbed everyone’s attention as well. Everyone here looks forward to the adventures to come, and we are all beyond grateful to have been given this opportunity.

Much love!

(written and photographed-Ally A.)

Wednesday August 9th

Today we did our third day of service! Our service for today was working at an open clinic for the elders of the village at the local banjar; the elders chose to come to get these health check ups. We tested blood pressure, height, weight, blood glucose, and more. The STIKA students taught us how to work everything, so we were able to do lots of it ourselves—then the students would tell the elders what was good/bad about their results, and what they could do to be healthier. After lunch, we continued doing the same thing. Personally, this was my favorite day of service by far! I loved practicing my Bahasa with the elders, and learning from the STIKA students. I spent an hour talking to one of the students and learned so incredibly much about Balinese culture, and told her about the US. 

After a well deserved break, we all glammed up and put on our sarongs to meet the prince.  Our palace visit started with a tour.  At every corner there was another beautiful sculpture or piece of artwork.  Everything was so intricate and clean compared to the other homes we had seen.  After the tour, we finally got to meet the prince.  For someone with so much power, he was incredibly humble.  So full of knowledge, we had discussions over dinner about anything from motorcycles to the value of life experience vs money.  He even gave us his restaurant’s Instagram page!  The evening closed with a private showing of a traditional Balinese dance.  The performance was full of beautifully dressed woman, intricate costumes, and live music.  So much color and movement, it was truly magical.  A perfect end to a perfect day.

– Sammy, Maya L. 

August 10

• One video by Maya B.
• And another by Easton