Time Capsule Letter

Hey Session 4 Sea Turtle Initiative Squad! 

Seems like just yesterday we were hanging around in the hammocks at Jason’s place, trudging through the sand at night to protect nesting turtles from poachers, swimming in the waves and waking up to the sounds of birds and rain drops. The Sea Turtle Initiative staff (Allie, Jason, Juliana, Michael and Jose) all miss you so much! We were inspired by the way you appreciated each other and everyone you came in contact with. It was amazing to see such strong bonds form so quickly in such a large group. We hope that your spring break in Costa Rica had a lasting impact on the ways you think about the world and your role in it. We also hope you have shared some of the things you learned with others, specifically about conservation, and the impact humans have on our beautiful planet.

Let’s take this time to remember some moments from our time together.

• All your inside jokes we didn’t get… HELLO? DAD? Hudson!!
• Ziplining through the trees on our first day
• Middle-of-the-night turtle crew and the night after, everyone
• together to see two turtles!
• Awkward Shark
• Casado competitions– Plantain’s early lead but Salad ultimately
• coming in with the win
• The dang whistle stopping you from going deeper in the ocean
• Nurdle search
• Riding in the back of the pick-up truck in the rain
• Empanada competition
• Jason’s animal spotting skills
• Chilling in the hammocks
• Playing Chicken in the lagoon
• Rylee’s polaroids
• Making lasting friendships
• Dance class, dance off & dance party
• Jose’s dancing skills
• Two sloths, a cayman, and so many monkeys
• Playing soccer at the cooking class
• The climate change talk and trivia
• Pizza party with bamboo straw surprise
• Unexpected Easter parade
• Canela/Cinnamon/Junior the dog
• So many shout outs
• Thanks for all the incredible memories! Keep exploring and asking questions – we are excited to see all the things you do in the future!

Much love,

Allie, Jason, Juliana, Michael and Jose

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts! 

Here’s to an incredible sea turtle initiative adventure! 

Zipline photos from yesterday: 

Tuesday April 16, 2019

Day four:

Today breakfast was arepas which are basically fried dough that you put syrup on. We also had eggs, fruit and pear juice. It was really yummy. After breakfast everyone scraped off their leftovers into a bowl for the amazing kitchen staff to dispose of and got ready for the day. We were in a hurry because we had to get to a boat to go to the local village, Parismina.

After breakfast we hopped onto a boat and headed towards the village. The guide’s dog from the night before had stayed with us the whole night and came into the boat with us. The river we were on was surrounded by brush and pirates-of-the-Caribbean-like plants which was really cool. We unloaded ourselves and the dog from the boat once we landed at the port to the city and met up with our tour guide for the tour of the city.

Today the stakes were high, five groups fighting for dominance… The empanada competition. 2 competitions five teams who will win out of them all. Meat versus Salad the fight was rough. Salad attempted to please the Costa Rican children with a sweet pineapple empanada. Although team Salad ended up victorious, team Meat put in an honorable effort with their homemade sweet and spicy sauce. In the other competition was between three teams, team rice, team beans, and team plantain. The battle was extremely heated. Literally. All teams, sweating, made empanadas.

All had different ingredients. We then threw them in boiling oil. When they were cooking, we drew different designs with sauce and ingredients like tomato, lime, and pepper (we then ate the empanadas we made earlier) after they were done cooking, it was a race. We threw them on the plate sauce and ingredients everywhere. We all were in disarray, trying to please the Costa Rican women. Which in the end, turned out to be an impossible thing to do. One was too salty, one was too sweet, then one was just right. There was a score: plantines had come in last and a tie between the rice and beans. Out of 100 the highest score was 32. Oh well, better luck next time.

After the lovely experience in the heart of Parismina, the squad returned to the home base. The cooking staff made yet another delectable meal for the famished children (but not really that famished because of the empanadas from cooking class) who happily gorged themselves with beans, rice, yuca, and chicken. The excellent lunch made for a well needed siesta were everybody parked their bloated stomachs and food babies in the hammocks and surrounding tables and chilled out.

After a couple hours the squad got ready for the beach visit. Something about the beach resonated with the entire GLA community. Everyone was relaxed by the soothing waves and crazy fun activities in the water. The beach clean up activity was by far the most enriching opportunity we’ve had all trip. Everyone was engaged and eager to explore the depths of the forest to uncover all of the nearby trash.

Today, after beach cleanup, we went back to the base and we all hung out for a few minutes and then shortly after that, we had a hour long talk about climate change and how it is impacting our planet and we also talked about some solutions of what we could do to help fix up our planet. Next, we all played trivia and the questions were all about our presentation of climate change and each question was probably about 2 minutes long.

** Updates from the night walk (some students saw turtles and were able to save a turtle nest!!!) will be posted with the next blog. 🙂

Wednesday April 17, 2019

Day 5:

Today we started off the day with the boat tour of the swamp. We saw a lot of really cool animals! We saw types of monkeys: howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and white faced monkeys. We also saw lots of birds, lizards, bats and a poison dart frog which was really neat. Today for lunch there was Mac and cheese which was nice change because it was a familiar food from home.

The weather was perfect for the beach because it was warm but not too hot and there were no clouds. We were able to swim in the ocean, sunbathe, and go in the lagoon and do chicken fights. After that we did a beach clean up and we specifically looked for these things called nurdles, which are very tiny pieces of plastic. Team salad won for the most amount of garbage collected, and plantains won for most amount of nurdles collected.

Right after that we had a dance lesson from a couple of the locals and we learned how to do the soca, salsa, meringue, and bachata. After we had a dance party. After dinner we went outside to see a sloth that Jason found, and he also found a cayman (small crocodile like animal) in the pond and we fed it chicken. We all decided to go to bed early and do a late night patrol to hopefully see a turtle. It was worth it because we saw a turtle!

We found it right when it finished digging its hole and we got to see it lay eggs. We collected the eggs and there were a little over 100. Then the turtle camouflaged her nest and we watched her go into the ocean. While we were walking back we also saw a second turtle come out of the water, but it was trying to make its nest too close to the water and the waves kept going over the nest so it gave up.

Thursday April 18, 2019

Day 6:

his morning we had fried dough and eggs for breakfast. We also had some awesome pineapple too. After the breakfast we learned that when we taking a photo or when we want to post anything, we should think before we post and how to ask kids for consent when taking a picture. Because of el semana Santa, the schools are all in holidays, so we went to the town for an Easter egg hunt with the local kids. We sort of let the kids know what Easter is. Each kid can get 3 candies per egg. All the kids found at least 5 eggs. The kids were really cute. We had a lot of fun.

During the day, we played soccer. What the experience! We separated into two groups, and a bunch of unpredictable soccer players show up! Some of the local kids came out to play with us. But before any of that happened we got smoothies. They were absolutely delicious.

After lunch, we began to shop through the local markets filled with homemade Costa Rican art and jewelry. 10% of the profits went to ASTOP, the local sea turtle rescue of Parismina, while the rest of the proceeds supported local Costa Ricans. Also, some students chose to have their hair done in island-vibe braids and wraps.

Since this is the last day we stay in Parismina, group meat( blog writer for today) would like to appreciate to all the staff we met in this trip. Muchas gracias a todos! Les queremos mucho. A lot of thanks to our host Jason and his wife. And their dog Lazy. Thanks to our mentors to keep this tour amazing. Thank you.

Time Capsule Letter

Hey Session 3 Sea Turtle Initiative Squad! 

Seems like just yesterday we were hanging around in the hammocks at Jason’s place, trudging through the sand at night to protect nesting turtles from poachers, swimming in the waves and waking up to the sounds of birds and rain drops. The Sea Turtle Initiative staff (Allie, Jason, Juliana and Michael) all miss you so much!

We were inspired by each of your over-the-top positivity, hard work, and dedication to learning and service. We hope that your spring break in Costa Rica had a lasting impact on the ways you think about the world and your role in it. We also hope you have shared some of the things you learned with others, specifically about conservation, and the impact humans have on our beautiful planet!

Let’s take this time to remember some moments from our time together.

• Zipping through the trees on our first day, with Menelik arriving just in time
• Seeing seven white-faced monkeys on the farm tour and binging on coconuts
• Team Beans vs Team Rice in Survivor Challenge and Cooking Face-Off
• When we slept in tents with holes and gave sponge baths to a geriatric tour group
• Retrieving the bucket of dreams
• Hammock snuggles
• Menelik as Sand Monster, Dance Superstar and our constant comedian
• Learning about nurdles
• Juli’s flavor
• Riding in the back of a pickup truck
• Teaching the kids the Calma dance… and never learning the lyrics.
• Sharing stories of self
• Best anti-itch cream, courtesy of Sammie and Will
• The fight for bamboo straws
• Seeing Macko’s workshop
• Deep life talks on the night walks
• Stopping at the waterfall on the way back home
• The dramatic telenovela at the pizza place

 Thanks for all the incredible memories! Keep exploring and asking questions – we are excited to see all the things you do in the future! And remember– it’s not good-bi, it’s see you later!

Much love,

Allie, Jason, Juliana, and Michael

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts! 

Saturday March 30, 2019

Hola Amigos y Familia!!

We’re so excited to have six of our nine students here with us in Alajuela, Costa Rica. We had a very chill day exploring the town, getting ice cream and smoothies, and stopping by the central park to watch the famous Alajuela dancers! We just wrapped up our first night with a small orientation and a very fun game of 2 Truths and a Lie!

We’re looking forward to meeting the last third of our Spring Break family tomorrow morning and head out to the zipline!! Followed by a long day of travel in bus, boat and finally, by foot, to arrive at our beautiful and rustic jungle lodge!!

Look out for more updates soon! Pura Vida!!

– GLA Costa Rica Spring Break Staff: Michael, Juli and Allie

Sunday March 30, 2019

It was our first day of traveling and we spent most of the day on the bus bonding, having added three more members. Sammie and Will arrived first thing in the morning and Melenik luckily made it in time to zip line with the group. Zip lining was a lot of fun and filled most of the afternoon.

Following that, there was about an hour and a half drive to home base, where we stopped at a grocery store to load up on snacks. There was a small boat ride on the river to get to Parismina, in which we settled in, ate dinner, and got to know eachother better. So far, the group is getting along very well and we all vibe.

– Hiyasmin and Elinor

Monday April 1, 2019

Yesterday, when we got up we did some optional yoga, and after breakfast we did a team building activity where some people could see and talk but couldn’t touch anything, some people could touch people but not things and they couldn’t speak to other people, some could not see but they could touch anything and so we had to figure out a way to get a box of dreams from a circle without touching the inside of the circle.

Each group of people were a metaphor for different types of leaders. Direct leaders, relational leaders and supportive leaders. Then we took a tour of Jason’s farm.  It was really cool because he has lots of plants and he also said that with the majority of the plants he leaves most of the fruit for the animals so that the ecosystem stays the same. While on the farm tour we saw iguanas, birds, monkeys, and we even saw a sloth.

The monkeys came up close to us and in the end there were seven monkeys that ended up super close to us in trees nearby.  Next we had a representative from the turtle Association come to the Eco Lodge to talk about turtles and about the night watch we would do later on that night. It was really interesting to hear all of the facts and how they are working to try to conserve the turtle population.

Yesterday we also had the swim test and it was super easy and everyone passed if they wanted to. After we did the swim test we had time to swim in the ocean and it was really warm and then we did a survivor challenge that Michael had set up. There were teams rice and beans and team beans won. After hanging out at the beach for a while we went back to the lodge and hung out for a little bit and had some dinner. This was the first night we were going to do the turtle watch.

We had to put on dark clothing, close toed shoes, and we weren’t allowed to have any lights with us. Our guides didn’t speak any English so it was a perfect time for Spanish students to practice or Spanish. We walked along the beach at night looking for turtle tracks and to see if we could find a sea turtle with a nest of eggs and relocate the eggs to hatchery where they could be monitored and have a better chance of survival from natural predators and poachers.

Then our watch started at 10 and went till 12. Once it was over we were all super tired and went straight to bed. Sadly one of our friends, Bree, had to go home due to some health related issues. We are going to miss her so much but it was for her best personal interest.

– Sammie & Will

Tuesday April 2, 2019 

Day 4 of our Costa Rica journey!!! We’re halfway done with the trip now! Everyone is having a blast and enjoying the beautiful nature and wild animals. Today we went to the village in Parismina to walk around and see the schools, restaurants (sodas), and the homes people live in. We took our first stop in the village at a wonderful woman’s house named Yolanda. She taught us how to make delicious empanadas; after learning the basics, two different groups had a contest to see which group could make the best empanadas with the weirdest ingredients.

The group with Samantha, William, Sydney, and Menalick won the contest by adding cheese, crushed chips, spices, hot sauce, onion, garlic, and tomato. After the contest we went and walked around the village looking at all the cool different places. It was a very fun experience for the group and we’re so excited to go back on Thursday. After getting back we went to the beach and picked up lots of trash. Everyone did a wonderful job helping clean. Later that night we went to look for turtles but didn’t find any, hopefully we will see one on our last patrol!

– Sydney Lohse

Wednesday April 3, 2019

As the sun rose on day 5, the day began. The first thing we always do is eat breakfast, usually eggs, toast and fresh fruit. Sometimes a delicious Costa Rica dish called Gallo Pinto! When we were done, Jason (the local director and owner of the Eco-Lodge) took us on a boat tour of the river. With superpower-like vision, Jason spotted and pointed out Spider Monkeys, Howler monkeys, Yellow Hawks, Basilisks, and many other amazing jungle creatures.

He explained that the river runs into the oceans. Maybe that’s why we saw 2 dolphins swimming in the lagoon next to us!!! When we were heading back, we spotted a Cayman. The boat got really close so that we were an arms-length away. As we moved around in the boat to get a better look, it ran away and we all screamed!!

In the afternoon, we went to the beach to clean and have fun. Allie explained how dangerous micro-plastics are and showed us Nurdles, these tiny little plastic balls that are used for plastic production. Somehow, billions got dumped in the ocean, but no one knows exactly where they all came from. They are all over and look kind of like sand.

When we got back, we were challenged to re-use our trash to either make a piece of art with a statement or a new product that’s not yet on the market. It was enlightening and really funny.

Then we had a dance class. We warmed up with Zumba, then learned Soca, Salsa, Bachata and Merengue steps. Michael was the best at Zumba and Menalik was the best.

After dinner, we got dressed for our last service. We didn’t find any turtles, but it was a nice night-walk and we did an activity called the “Wonder Circle”. We still have one night left in Parismina so even though we won’t be patrolling, we hope that the other volunteers will call us if they find a turtle!

– Menalik and Eli

Thursday April 4, 2019

During the last day of being in Parismina, everybody was soaking up every moment 🙂 The day started off with morning yoga as usual, for those who wanted to stretch, and that lead into breakfast. The girls slept through yoga and woke up crusty and hungry. We planned for the school visit by organizing which games and songs the group would share with the children to better their English skills. The activities that we came up with were focused on body parts both in Spanish with an English translation.

On our last trip to the Lagoon, the group calmed down and really lived in the moment by doing a mindfulness walk to our transport into the community. The school visit went smoothly and was full of energy both from us and the kids. We parted ways for Lunch, as we ate at the A-Stop home base. Following that, the locals set up a Féria where we all bought souvenirs :).  The day ended in the community with volleyball accompanied by the locals. Back at home base, we ate our last dinner :(. Lastly, the last activity was inner critic in which everybody reflected on their insecurities (inner critics) and uplifted one another 🙂

– Lees & Hiyasmin

Friday April 5, 2019

On our drive back from Parismina, we took a new route and were treated to a gorgeous waterfall on the way. We had a pizza dinner in Alajuela, and spent our evening reflecting on our trip and saying our final goodbyes. We closed it out with an activity where we anonymously showed our appreciation for each other and for the unforgettable experience we’ve shared here in Costa Rica.

Saturday April 6, 2019

All students from the Costa Rica Sea Turtle Initiative have officially departed and are on their way home to their families! Thanks to each program participant for a week full of learning, service and adventure. We will miss you and hope you take the lessons you learned in Costa Rica with you back to the USA. What a crazy, memorable week!

Lots of love,
GLA staff: Allie, Juli, Michael and Jason

Time Capsule Letter

Hey Session 2 Sea Turtle Initiative Squad! 

Seems like just yesterday we were hanging around in the hammocks at Jason’s place, trudging through the sand at night to protect nesting turtles from poachers, swimming in the waves and waking up to the sounds of birds and rain drops. The Sea Turtle Initiative staff (Allie, Jason, Juliana and Michael) all miss you so much!

We were inspired by each of your positivity, hard work, and dedication to learning and service (even the late-night early-morning yoga turtle egg crew). We hope that your spring break in Costa Rica had a lasting impact on the ways you think about the world and your role in it. We also hope you have shared some of the things you learned with others, specifically about conservation, and the impact humans have on our beautiful planet.

Let’s take this time to remember some moments from our time together.

• Digging for turtle eggs at midnight OR meeting Michelle
• Boys in the lagoon moss
• Werewolf, our favorite game
• Christian saving the spider (with a lil’ help from Juli)
• Ryan and AJ never being allowed to play rap
• Feeding our “pet” bird, Pecko
• Petting Jason’s baby cow
• Making incredibly creative empanadas
• 1 fish 2 fish red fish blue fish
• Seeing 2 sloths and a monkey family on the farm tour
• Amazing food from the sweet kitchen ladies
• Retrieving the Bucket of Dreams & Jenna figuring out the “Leadership” connection
• TRASHKETBALL!!!!
• Dance offs
• Swimming in the waves and that whistle ruining all the fun
• Competing in the Survivor Challenge with a come-from-behind win for Beans!

Thanks for all the incredible memories! Keep exploring and asking questions – we are excited to see all the things you do in the future!

Much love,

Allie, Jason, Juliana, and Michael

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts! 

Saturday March 23, 2019

Hello friends and family! We are so excited to have all of our 8 students here in Costa Rica – ready for the Sea Turtle Initiative adventure!

After a long day (or night) of travel, our participants checked in to the hotel and took naps, and then explored the quiet neighborhood of Alajuela. We explored the central plaza, local bookstore and market. After a typical Costa Rican dinner we played some games and went over the schedule for the next day.

This morning our last students arrived and we are headed to spend the morning ziplining before heading to our home base in Parismina! We are so excited for the next week and all the adventures to come.

Pura vida! ✌🏼🌴🐵🐸

– GLA staff Allie, Michael, Juliana and Jason

Sunday March 24, 2018

Today we went on a bus ride to go zip lining through the jungle it was so fun even though we got wet because of the rain also we saw many spiders and a Tapir and it’s baby as well next we took a very long bumpy ride because of the terrible potholes in the road to get to our home base that included a 10 minute boat ride and then we played games had dinner and went over the schedule for the next day

Blog post written by A.J

Monday March 25 and Tuesday March 26, 2019

On Monday had a relaxing morning of yoga, then ate a delicious breakfast. After this we took a nice walk around the farm and sampled the many parts of a coconut fresh from the tree. During the tour we saw two sloths, one of which we were able to see move! After this we took a trip to the lagoon and spent some time in the beach, then having an exciting relay race of which team beans won. A relaxing siesta and lunch with an informative talk about sea turtles and the ASTOP program were then followed up with some group activities and then an amazing night patrol in which another group found a turtle and were able to save the eggs! 

On Tuesday we started with another session of yoga to de stress, and had another filling breakfast before taking a peaceful mindfullness walk and then we were driven to the city of Parismina. Here we walked around the city and took a cooking lesson and learned how to make empinadas, then had a friendly cooking competition in which the beans prevailed one again. After lunch and siesta we partook in a group activity and then went back to the beach and had some more fun in the water, afterwards picking up some trash along the coast. We returned to the home base and ate dinner in preparation for another night patrol! 

Blog by Stevie and Clara 🙂

Wednesday March 27, 2018

On Wednesday after breakfast, we went on a boat tour, where we saw many different types of wildlife, such as spider monkeys, tiger birds, red dart frogs, and many other species. We then went back to the lodge where we had lunch, and a siesta. Afterwards, we had environmental trivia and beach cleanup. Once we got back the lodge, we had a dance lesson where we got to learn how to salsa. We then played a game of werewolf and had dinner. After dinner, we played werewolf several times again and then the first group went out for turtle patrol. While on the patrol, the first group was able to come across a leatherback turtle and later on, the second group also came across a leatherback turtle, which fulfilled the last night of patrol!

Thursday March 28, 2019

We woke up after a fun night of seeing turtles and handling turtle eggs and ate breakfast.  After breakfast we started to plan and get ready to go to the local school in Parismina.  When we went to the school it was really fun because the kids were so excited to play games about recycling with us.  After the school visit we went to ASTOP for lunch and to buy crafts made by people in the town.  It was really hot so we got really good smoothies and walked back to a volleyball court where we played volleyball with the local kids.  Then we went to the beach for the last time and on the drive back to Home Base we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.  There was no night patrol so we sat and enjoyed our last night in Parismina together. 🙂

Friday March 29, 2019

The final day of our trip has finally arrived. The morning was an interesting one, we were woken up by the screeching of a tree full of howler monkeys. Then, we ate a hearty breakfast and packed the remaining bits and pieces of our luggage. Next came the long ride back to our hotel in Alajuela where we’ll spend our last night together and take a look back on all the fun we all had!

Saturday March 30, 2019

After our final night celebrating our past week over pizza and smoothies, the Sea Turtle Initiative crew reflected on our time together with an appreciation circle and last games of werewolf at the hotel in Alajuela. All students are on their way back to the USA!

Staff send our love and appreciation to our students and their families for their support. What an incredible week we had together! PURA VIDA and until next time!

Much love from your program staff,

Allie, Juli, Michael, and Jason

(Included are some photos we didn’t include from earlier the week!)

Time Capsule Letter

Hey Session 1 Sea Turtle Initiative Squad!

Seems like just yesterday we were hanging around in the hammocks at Jason’s place, trudging through the sand at night to protect nesting turtles from poachers, swimming in the waves and waking up to the sounds of birds and rain drops. The Sea Turtle Initiative staff (Allie, Jason, Juliana and Michael) all miss you so much!

As our first group this Spring, we were inspired by each of your positivity, hard work, and dedication to learning and service. We hope that your spring break in Costa Rica had a lasting impact on the ways you think about the world, and your role in it. We also hope you have shared some of the things you learned with others, specifically about conservation, and the impact humans have on our beautiful planet.

Let’s take this time to remember some moments from our time together.

• Zipping through the trees on our first full day together (sorry Sammy ad MK!)
• Singing “Calma” on the bus and never knowing the second line … (“Vamos a la playa…!”)
• Sammy allowing Juliana to dab
• Deep life talks on night patrol
• Playing volleyball and soccer with the local students
• Avi’s nightly schedule overviews in Spanglish
• Checking in on the baby birds each morning
• Pterydactyl!!!!
• Getting up for sunrise in the fog
• Finally getting the plate back from Allie in “one fish two fish red fish blue fish”
• Making bracelets that all fell off…. Oops
• Morning yoga crew!
• Meaningful breakfast chats
• Lining up in the waves and seeing who could stay put the longest
• Swinging too hard in the hammocks
• Making a pyramid on the beach
• Dance party at the eco lodge
• Road trip sing-alongs
• Our emotional final appreciation circle and celebrating Colin’s Birthday!

Thanks for all the incredible memories! Keep exploring and asking questions – we are excited to see all the things you do in the future!

Much love,
Allie, Jason, Juliana, and Michael

Click here to jump down to the most recent post! 

Saturday March 9, 2018

Hola from Costa Rica!

We had a full day of student arrivals to start off The Sea Turtle Initiative program.

11 of our 13 program participants have arrived, and spent the day getting settled and exploring the town of Alajuela, a quiet town outside of San Jose. As it was Saturday, the town plaza was buzzing with excitement; dancers and families enjoying the weekend, and we had a chance to explore the local market as well!

We are looking forward to getting to know all of the program participants, and for an incredible week exploring Costa Rica! Tomorrow we will head to our home base on the Caribbean coast, and stop along the way to zip through the trees at our zip line tour!

Below are some pictures of the group!

Not pictured is Estelle (who arrived late tonight), Samantha and Mary Catherine who will be arriving tomorrow. We look forward to having the entire group together soon. 

Pura Vida!

International Director – Allie Morris

Sunday March 10, 2019

Hola de Costa Rica!

This morning we had breakfast at the hotel, Pacande. Which included cereal, bread and fruit. Next, we headed towards the zipline. Starting with instructions and bus rides prior to heading on the ziplines. Seven of the lines were smaller, meaning they weren’t as long, while four were larger, the largest being 720 m (1 minute long).

It was wicked! After the ziplines we went to our buffet style lunch, which was ¡muy delicioso!. Then we drove another hour and a half to stop at a local grocery store to get some snacks for the rest of the road trip to Parismina. We then drove past lots of banana plantations to reach our final bus stop in Parismina; followed by a boat trip to reach our home base for the next few days.

~Las tortugas (The Turtles)
Soe, James, Grace, and Austin

Monday March 11, 2018

Today we began our day with the first breakfast at our home base muy delicioso. Jason then gave us a tour of the farm and property. Students also got chances to cut open and try the very good and healthy vegetation that is grown on the property.

It was very educational and yummy. Upon finishing our tour we then took an important lesson on voluntarism and the both good an bad sides to it. As well as the social media aspect-in particular appropriate postings and captions, as well as asking for consent. We then enjoyed a very delicious lunch and spent good social time together.

Later we took a scenic walk to the beach where we swam in the lagoon taking our swimming tests and played fun games in the water. Next Micheal put together a very fun survivor themed game for us where we split into two teams beans and rice, rice won. After returning to home base we enjoyed a delicious dinner and then played some fun group games. We concluded our day with our first night patrol on the beach.

-written by James Kurth

Tuesday March 12, 2019

¡Hola de Costa Rica!

Our day revolved around home base today. Breakfast was served with sweet fried dough, watermelon, and cantaloupe. After breakfast Jason took us on a boat tour of the mangroves. In the mangroves we saw spider monkeys, howler monkeys, white faced monkeys, lots of iguanas, and various birds.

We truly saw it all! We even docked ashore to see a red blue jean poisonous dart frog! After the tour we returned home to the beach; full of sunbathing, and of course, SERVICE! Yay! The beach desperately needed our help, as we helped clean up trash in the surrounding area. The day finished off was some salsa and other native Costa Rican dances. Everyone was swaying their hips and grooving to the music!

Yours Truly,
Los Tortuguas (grace)

Wednesday March 13, 2018

Today in Costa Rica the group of students and staff all had breakfast at GLA headquarters. For breakfast we had eggs, rice and beans, and a variety of fruits that include fresh watermelon and cantaloupe. Then we ventured off into the jungle towards our ride to go into wonderful town of Parismina. Once we got into Parismina we waited for our sea turtle mentor to teach us all about the different species of sea turtles they get here in Parismina. We have the green sea turtles, leatherback sea turtles, and hawkbill turtles.

We learned so much about these three sea turtles, and it was very fascinating. After the lesson we took a tour of Parismina. We saw different schools, ate fresh frozen chocolate bananas, and had fresh fruit smoothies which were THE BOMB!! After the tour of the village we took a nice ride all the way back to headquarters. When we got back to headquarters we had rice and beans, beef and vegetables, vegetable dish just like the beef and vegetables but just veggies, and mango and cantaloupe.

After lunch we had a siesta for an hour then we did a trash activity with the trash we found from yesterday’s beach cleanup. The trash activity was where you had to build something that can be reusable and you have to do a 2-5 min jingle for your product. The judges would rate you on humor, creativity, trashed reused. After the activity we went to the beach and swam around for an hour and a half and then cleaned up the beach again. After the cleanup we came back and waited for dinner to be made by our wonderful chefs.

At the chow circle we talked about what we would be doing for the next day. After dinner we waited to go on our night patrol. While we waited we talked about activities we were going to do for tomorrow. At 8 o’clock pm we went on our night walk until 10:30pm. We got back to the lodge and got ready for bed so we could have a great next day.

Adios from Costa Rica!!!!

-written by Austin

Saturday March 16, 2019

What a crazy past couple days to finish up our Sea Turtle Initiative adventure!

The last day of the program, we woke up early to do some yoga, and then walked into town to learn how to make tortillas and arepas (yum!). After our cooking class and snack we headed to the local elementary school where we taught the students there some games based on turtle conservation, danced, and many kids lined up to have their faces painted with hearts (a trend started by Austin).

After time at the school we attended a local craft market that locals put on especially for GLA students, and picked up some local souvenirs that support the organization of ASTOP and community members. Finally we ended the day with smoothies, soccer and volleyball with locals, and our last hour at the beach as the sun set.

In the evening, we were all exhausted for our last night patrol, and though we didn’t see a turtle we had great conversations along the way. 🙂

The next morning, some of us woke up early for a foggy, drizzly sunrise. After napping in the hammocks, we packed our bags and jumped back on the boat and then bus to make our way to San Jose, where the journey began. After taking lots of photos and eating our last Costa Rican meal, we shared highlights and lessons learned from the trip, which almost brought some to tears. We surprised Collin with an ice cream party for his birthday, and spent time together signing journals before heading to bed.

Today all the students flew back to their homes. What an incredible group of young people! GLA staff Allie, Juliana, Michael, and Jason were all sad to say goodbye. We will miss you all. Thank you for a fun, meaningful and life changing session!

PURA VIDA 💓