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Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
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- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
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Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27
¡Hola from Costa Rica! – Day 1 Adventure Recap 🌴🍕
Welcome to the GLA Spanish Service Adventure Blog, parents and families! We are so enthusiasmado to have our amazing group of students finally here with us in beautiful Costa Rica! The past two days have been full of smiles, sunshine, and lots of laughter as everyone settles in and starts this unforgettable journey.
☀️ Morning Moments & New Connections
We kicked off the day with a delicious breakfast (yes, the gallo pinto was a hit!), and then jumped right into a fun “Pass the Mic” activity where students teamed up to get to know each other better—instant friendships in the making!
We also asked, “What’s one goal or hope you have after meeting everyone today?”
One of our students, Gabriel, shared:
“I really want to build long-lasting friendships while I’m here.”
We’re already seeing that energy take shape. 💚
🍕 In Pizza We Crust (Our Values Activity)
Next up? One of our favorite activities: In Pizza We Crust! Each student added a “topping” to our giant group pizza, with each topping representing a core value for the trip—think kindness, curiosity, courage, and teamwork (plus a whole lot of cheese).
We also asked, “What’s one thing you learned about someone today that surprised you in a good way?”
Lexi and Caroline shared a fun fact: “All of Pearl’s siblings have really unique names!!”
🏡 Home Base Tourcito
After that, we took a tourcito of our beautiful home base. From the comfy dorms to the hangout chairs and the sparkling pool, students got to see all the cozy corners and cool spots where they’ll be spending the next 21 days.
🌟 Meet the Mentors & Learn the Ropes
Mentor intros followed (such an awesome crew!), and after a tasty lunch and a little free time to settle in, we jumped into the GLA Survival Guide—a must-know resource packed with everything from health tips to house rules, plus a fun dive into the inspiring history of GLA (spoiler: it all started with ALA!).
🕵️♀️ Mentor Mystery Game
Then it was time to get detective-y! Students played a clue-based game to uncover who their mentor would be. There was laughter, guessing, and finally the big reveal: their mentor groups! These small squads will be their home teams for reflections, support, and lots of learning throughout the trip.
🤝 Community Commitments & Chow Circle
Before dinner, we came together to create our Community Agreement—a collaborative set of expectations to keep our group strong and united. Then, we wrapped the day with our first Chow Circle, a GLA tradition where we celebrate the day, shout out kindness, and crown our first Leaders of the Day.
🎲 Game Night & Chill Vibes
Evening downtime included epic UNO battles, Monopoly takeovers, and some well-deserved chill time under the stars.
To cap it all off, we asked two students how they’d describe Orientation Day as a song. Their answers?
🎵 “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys.
“It speaks on connecting people in a world where everyone belongs—and I believe GLA does exactly that. Everyone was nervous about being in a totally new place with people they’ve never met, and the activities we did today brought everyone closer.” – Pearl
🎵 “NuevaYol”
“Because we listened to it during Naty’s presentation about self-care and self-regulation.” – Caroline
We’re off to a fantastic start, and we can’t wait to share more updates, photos, and stories with you as the adventure continues. Stay tuned—tomorrow brings new sights, service, and más español!
Pura vida,
The GLA Costa Rica Team 🇨🇷💚
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Hey fam!
We had a great day today — a total WIN! We woke up bright and early and had breakfast at 7 AM. It was eggs, sausage, hash browns, cereal, and some orange juice.
At 7:45, we headed over to the Ruta National Sanctuary. The drive was an hour and fifteen minutes long, but we survived it with interesting “Would You Rather” questions.
At 9 AM, we went to see the various animals, starting with the birds, with the main stars being the toucans and the peacocks. After we took a wonderful picture with the various birds, we went to the butterfly enclosure, where butterflies showed off their beautiful colors.
Moving on from the butterflies, we went to the snake exhibit, with multiple beautiful and venomous snakes bathed in the heat. After the snakes, we went on to see the frogs — showcasing tree frogs and a couple of species of poisonous frogs and their bright colors.
After the frogs, we went on to see the mammals, including sloths, ocelots, jaguars, and pumas. After hiking along the trails and seeing the bright and beautiful vegetation, we went on to lunch at 12 PM.
After lunch at the Ruta National Reserve restaurant, featuring an all-you-can-eat buffet, we went to see the waterfalls. The waterfalls ranged from tallest to shortest but did not lack in strength.
Jose, a guest speaker, told us the history of Costa Rica. This included many facts, such as the 3% of the world’s biodiversity being in Costa Rica, and the fact that Costa Rica has no army. Instead, what Costa Rica specializes in is its education — with teachers in the past teaching as young as age 6, helping kids to read and write.
Pura Vida
Leaders of the Day: Gabriel and Liam
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
We started off the day con una desayuno delicioso of gallo pinto and pancakes in the restaurant 🥞
Following breakfast, everyone took a quick swim test before a few hours of free time 🏊♂️Throughout the free time, many enjoyed soccer on the lawn and cards games in the restaurant ⚽️.
The rest of the day was spent playing an intense game of soccer, playing cards games like B.S. and pinky, preparing for the first day of service, and a fun leadership activity with mentor groups.
Everyone had positive comments today and here are a few:
“It’s 9 am somewhere ☕” -Anya
“The pasta was not bad 🍝”-The Italian guy, Francesco
“Today was a once in a lifetime experience” – Sebby
“The coffee and chocolate was delicious🍫” -Chase and Callum
“I loved today a-latte” -Halle
Joke of the day from Anya:
If water was coffee and I was a duck, I would swim my way down and drink my way up🦆. But water ain’t coffee and I ain’t a duck so let’s taste this espresso and get hyped up.
From the leaders of the day, Pearl and Callum
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
¡Hola familia!
We started our day off with a bang with a 7 AM breakfast of rice and beans, waffles, salchichon, mango, and melon. Today was our first day visiting the school—for both us and the little kids! We played soccer and tag with them, and some were even faster than us! Everyone had a lot of fun, and by the end of our time there, we had finished our final draft plans for the murals.
At our Spanish school in Heredia, we took a placement exam and were sorted into classrooms, but we also had time to chill, play games, and visit the central market in Heredia (the empanadas were muy deliciosas).
After we returned, it was time for our usual chow circle and dinner routine, which included the most shout-outs we’ve done all trip, a new leader selection, and our signature exit—saying our favorite color in Spanish.
Dinner today was pollo frito, papas fritas, and arroz! After dinner, we split into our mentor groups for an engaging activity.
Quotes of the Day:
“Costa Rica is chill.” – Gabe
“Nosotros nos divertimos.” – Jake
“Tenemos agua caliente.” – Nathan
“I am the Landa queen.” – Lexi
“Live, laugh, love.” – Liam
“Live life to the fullest.” – Gavin
Pura Vida!
Caroline and Eddy
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
¡Hola familia!
Today we woke up at 6:30 and had breakfast at 7. We got to talk and hang out in the morning. Around 7:45, we went to the school, where we painted and cleaned walls throughout the morning. We also got to hang out with the kids.
Around 11:30, we left, went back to home base, and had lunch. After lunch, we had about an hour of free time, then headed to Spanish school around 1:20. Once there, we had class for about three hours and did a variety of activities.
After school, our mentors let us go to the store to buy snacks and drinks. When we got back to home base, we had chow circle and then ate dinner as a group.
Later, we went to the octagon and built spaghetti towers, working in our mentor groups to see who could make the tallest one. After that, we reflected on the activity with our mentor groups.
Pura Vida!
-Zach and Gavin
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
¡Hola Familia!
We woke up at 6:30am and had breakfast at 7. For the first time in a long time, everybody arrived on time. We had eggs, bacon, sausage, and rice with beans.
At 7:45, we left to go to the school for community service. Our three mentor groups completed painting the walls and the tires. We left the school at 11:30 to go to lunch at 12:30.
We left at 1:30 to go to Spanish classes from 2:00 to 5:00pm. We came back to the hotel and had free time until 6:20. We had the chow circle at 6:20. We introduced our new leaders of the day. At 6:30, we had dinner, and ate chicken strips and fries. We had popcorn and watched traditional dancers that came to the hotel as a surprise.
We had mentor groups where we strengthened our improv skills and checked in on our Spanish. After mentor groups, we went back to the octagon and by 9:15, the day was concluded
— Nathan and Carr
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
Hola familia y amigos!
Today we got started early with a main dish of pancakes 🥞, then made our way to la escuela at 8:00 a.m.
After a quick game of tag with our elementary amigos, we got right to work painting beautiful flowers, letters, and classic murals.
Once our service projects for the day wrapped up, some of us joined in our now-daily juegos de fútbol. Unfortunately, Gus’s team won.
By noon, we were back at home base for lunch and some free time.
At 1:20, we headed out for Spanish class, where we practiced the language and cooked some delicious food. We made patacones and natural juice!
By 6:00 p.m., we were back at home base for the evening.
Quote of the Day:
“Face towards the sun and your shadows will be left behind you.” – Pearl
Pura Vida!
-Anya y Hiro
BLOG POST FOR JULY 4
Hola amigos!!!!
Today we enjoyed a whole lot of gallo pinto (rice and beans) and little sausages shaped like octopuses—muy interesante!
It was the last day of school for the kids, so we made sure to wear our craziest outfits and red, white, and blue for a full Fourth of July 🇺🇸 celebration. We played landa (tag), soccer, danced, and did lots of screaming. People got their faces painted as dogs, cats, butterflies, and the most superior superhero of all—Spider-Man.
For the surprise of the day, we made a cute little trip to the ice cream shop and enjoyed lots of ice cream… even though we all know we’re going to get crepes later 🤭. After that, we were off to Spanish class, where we did lots and lots of learning.
The beginning of our evening activities, of course, started with our Puppy Chow Circle, where we give shoutouts and pick the new leaders of the day. Don’t worry—the new lineup is muy bueno.
Dinner was pork chops, veggies, and mashed potatoes—for balance. And like any good night, we ended it with a game of cards.
—Lexi and Alex
BLOG POST FOR JULY 5
Today was an extremely eventful day for all of the leaders. We started off the day with a hearty breakfast and then followed up by immediately going on the bus to our destination. After an hour and a half long drive, we arrived in the mountains to go on 2 tours and 10 zip lines. The first 6 zip lines were quite short but the last 4 were a lot longer and faster, with the last one being half a mile long. We then ate lunch in the restaurant followed by a tour of the rainforest, showing off plants and animals while being on a gondola. After that we did a mini-nature walk and saw different types of frogs, butterflies, and snakes. We then got on the bus and came back to home base after waiting an extra 45 minutes because of a landslide. When we arrived, we did our chow circle and elected our next leaders, Jake and Francesco.
The quote of the day was; “Whatever you are, be a good one.”
Bude and Chase
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
¡Hola familia!
Today was such a blast for everyone as we spent the day exploring one of the many national parks in Costa Rica. We started off the day with breakfast: gallo pinto and eggs. Right after a delicious breakfast, we departed for one of the many adventures of the day.
The hike to the crater lake was about 90 minutes with lots of green scenery. Our challenge for today was to take three photos in different categories of everything you see, so the wildlife created the perfect opportunity. Although the hike was an uphill battle to say the least, the view (and the downhill walk back) made it all worth it.
After a few people getting lost and a few people falling in the deep mud, everyone made it back to the welcome area in one piece.
At 2, the group enjoyed a delicious lunch in the restaurant before leaving for the next adventure. While not as green as the hike, the supermarket was full of everything you could think of. Not everyone joined in on this adventure, but it is safe to say that not much healthy food was bought in the store.
Once back at home base, we had a few hours of free time before continuing the night with an intense game of mafia.
After dinner, we did a spa night consisting of face masks and relaxing music.
Quotes of the day:
“Kindness grows wherever you plant it” – Jake
“Love someone and they’ll love you back” Gavin
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Carr
“Whatever you are, be a good one” – Adam
“Zone back in every once in a while to make sure people are still there ” – Anya
“Don’t wear white pants to hike” -Halle
From your leaders of the day, Francesco and Jake (Peanut Butta Thugga)
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
¡Hola familia!
Today was a day of service and learning.
We began the day just like every other with breakfast, which consisted of omelets, gallo pinto, and hash browns. Then we left for our service projects: part of the group worked on painting the classrooms while others finished the children’s play area and the mural. We wrapped up with a 30-minute soccer game.
After the bus ride home, we had lunch and rested for a while. Some people swam in the pool and tanned, while others played football. Then we headed off to our Spanish classes. Half of the group got to explore the city and visit the market, where they practiced real-world Spanish by interviewing vendors. We also stopped at a local thrift store, where we tried on some questionable outfits.
After our Spanish classes, we returned home for dinner before splitting off into our mentor groups for the final activity of the day.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” – Hiro
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Sebby
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
¡Hola!
We started our day like usual with a great breakfast at 7:00. Today for breakfast we had french toast, eggs, mango, watermelon, cereal, and orange juice or coffee. 🍳🥭🍉☕️🍽️
After breakfast we headed to Alfredo Gonzáles Flores (the school) to continue our service projects. Some of us painted classrooms, while others continued to work on the mural at the entrance of the school. 🎨 For a break we also went to a store near the school to get snacks and drinks before continuing with our painting.
Once we finished cleaning all the paint supplies and had another great game of fútbol ⚽️, we returned to home base for lunch. Our lunch consisted of salad, rice, beans, steak, a few chips, and strawberry juice.
Then at 1:30 instead of having Spanish classes, we drove to the mall to go shopping and watch a movie. Our shopping (and window shopping) consisted of clothes, shoes, jewelry, books, snacks like frozen yogurt, and arcade games. 👕👟📚🍦🕹️
After shopping we made our way over to the cinemark, where we had the option to watch either How to Train your Dragon 🐉 or Jurassic Park 🦖. Only a couple people watched Jurassic Park, which was in English with Spanish subtitles. While most of us watched How to Train your Dragon, which was all in Spanish. We had a blast watching the movie with popcorn and enjoyed having the chance to practice our Spanish. 🍿🎬
Finally to end the day we had chow circle, where we elected tomorrow’s leaders, Bude and Nathan. Then we had a dinner of pasta, chicken, sauce, toast, and juice. 🍽️
It was another great day in Costa Rica! ¡Adiós!
Bella and Eddy
BLOG POST FOR JULY 10
¡Hola todos!
After waking up and having breakfast, we started another week of service. Some groups painted classrooms, while others worked on a mural near the entrance to the school. We didn’t have a fútbol game today, but some of us worked on our long-range shots outside.
After we went back to home base, we had lunch and played with our new football until it was time to leave for Spanish class. During the second half of class, we learned how to dance the salsa.
After heading back for chow circle and dinner, we had our debate. Each mentor group had three prompts to work with, and the Capybaras ended up winning. We went to bed ready for another day of service tomorrow.
-Nate and Adam
BLOG POST FOR JULY 11
¡Hola!
We started out our day like usual at 7:00 with a tasty breakfast. 🍽️ Afterwards we finished some last minute packing for the beach, before grabbing our bags and getting on the bus. 🎒🚌
The car ride was about 4 and a half hours including stops. During the ride we entertained ourselves with music, chatting, and playing games. 🎶🎮
About halfway through we stopped at a souvenir shop for a bathroom break and a chance to buy souvenirs and snacks. We bought cool souvenirs like shirts, postcards, necklaces, and small figurines. 👕✉️💍
After we finished our souvenir shopping we got back on the bus for a few minutes before we got off to go see some crocodiles. 🐊 It was really cool and we saw crocodiles swimming in the water below us from where we stood on the bridge.
Once we finished observing the crocodiles we continued our drive to the hotel in Manuel Antonio.
When we arrived at the hotel we quickly unpacked our bags and headed to lunch. 🧳🍽️
Next we changed into swim suits and jumped into the pool. In the pool we swam, climbed onto each other’s shoulders, played a game with a ball, and marco polo. 🏊🏻♀️🩱🩳
Then we showered and changed before heading to the marina. We walked around and saw the beach and boats. We also bought some more snacks and posed for some pictures. 🏝️⛴️📷
Next we drove back and had dinner before ending with a chill night of pool time, reading, and chatting. 👙📚💬
We had a great day and are excited for a fantastic day at the beach tomorrow.
¡Pura vida!
– Bella
BLOG POST FOR JULY 12
¡Hola!
We started our day at 7:00 with a breakfast of gallo pinto (rice and beans), eggs, toast, and plantains with orange juice or coffee. 🍽️🍳☕️
After breakfast we grabbed our bags and swim suits before getting on the bus to go to the marina. 🛍️🩱🩳 At the marina we got on a big boat with 2 levels, slides, and trampolines. ⛴️ We were greeted with watermelon, pineapple, snacks, and drinks of our choice. The boat had a teen friendly bar that served fun kid drinks with cool names like piña colada and painkiller. 🥤🍍🥥🥭
During the boat ride we observed beautiful blue waters and dolphins swimming. We also tanned in the sun and chatted. 🌊🐬☀️
After a while we stopped and had the opportunity to jump in the water, swim, go down the slide, and snorkel. The water was warm and we had a blast, even though it was hard to see fish while snorkeling because the water was a little murky and a bunch of us got stung by jellyfish (harmless ones).🪼💦
After our stop we continued our boat ride, where we got more sun and fruity drinks. Near the end of the ride we enjoyed a lunch of either fish or chicken, potatoes, chips, rice, salad and passion fruit sauce. 🍽️🐟🥗
Once we finished lunch we had the last portion of our boat ride before getting off and buying some chips, candy, and soda for the beach. 🏝️🍭🥤
We went to the beach Biesanz, where we hanged out in the water, read books, played uno, and shared snacks. 📚🏖️ However the tide kept rising and eventually chased us back to the bus, where we returned to the hotel.
At the hotel we showered and chilled until dinner. For dinner we had two options, either a hamburger with fries 🍔 or nachos. Originally there was a third option, quesadillas, but there was a mix up and we got nachos instead. 🍽️
Finally we ended the night with some pool time and chatting with friends. 💬💤
¡Hasta luego! ¡Adiós!
– Bella
BLOG POST FOR JULY 13
¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?
Today we started our day with breakfast at 7:00, where we ate gallo pinto (rice and beans), plantains, eggs, and toast. 🍽️🍳
After breakfast we grabbed our towels, sunglasses, and water bottles 🕶️💦 and headed to Manuel Antonio National Park.
Once we arrived at the park, some of us bought coconuts 🥥 to drink and eat before getting in line to head inside. To head inside we went through security to get our bags checked. 🛍️ We couldn’t bring, plastic water bottles or snacks because it was a national park.
Next we split into two groups to go with a guide through the park to see the stunning plants and amazing wildlife. We saw perezosos (sloths) hanging in the trees and eating leaves. 🦥🍃 We also spotted maños ardilla (monkeys). 🐒 Did you know these monkeys have a female as their leader and they travel in troops? But don’t be tricked by their cute faces because they might come and steal your stuff when you’re not looking. We also saw spiders and bats. 🕷️🕸️🦇
At the end of the tour we arrived at the beach which was really pretty with trees framing a sandy beach and warm blue water. 🏝️ We spent our beach time by swimming in the ocean, jumping waves, chatting with friends, tanning in the sun, and watching crabs. 🌊☀️🦀
When our beach time came to a close we walked back to the buses 🚌 and drove back to the hotel for lunch, a quick shower, and to pack our things for the drive back to home base. 🍽️
We left for the drive back at around 2:00. The drive was supposed to be about 4 hours and 30 minutes, including bathroom and snack breaks. However we ran into some traffic along the way, making our final time be about 5 hours and 30 minutes, including our break. 🚦🚌 We stopped for a break at the same place where we got souvenirs on Friday on the way over. There we took a bathroom break and bought some snacks and drinks like chips, candy, and empanadas. 🧻🍬🥨
Despite the ride being longer than expected it was filled with music, singing, chatting, and naps. 🎶🎤💤😴 However we were all glad when we finally arrived back at home base, where we had dinner at 8:00. Dinner consisted of quesadillas, fries, salsa, and coca cola. 🍽️🍟🍅🥤 It was tasty and we were all happy to have good food again (the food at the beach wasn’t great). 😋
After dinner we chilled before going to bed at 9:45 for lights out. 💤
¡Adiós! See you guys soon!
– Bella
BLOG POST FOR JULY 14
Hello families,
This morning we were up early and left for service shortly after breakfast, around 9:00 AM. The group spent time adding the final touches to their paintings. During this time, there was also a mandatory school cleaning, and everyone chipped in to help. Once the cleaning was finished, the group played a few games of soccer and then packed up to leave.
When we got back, we went straight to lunch and then moved into free time. During this time, we were asked to pack ahead of time for our flights on Wednesday. Afterwards, we had time to swim, play pool, socialize, and finish up any remaining Spanish homework.
Later in the day, we headed to Tico Lingo for our Spanish lessons. There, we participated in various games and activities focused on Spanish. Some students also had the chance to go out for ice cream or visit the nearby local market.
After wrapping up one of our last days of Spanish class, we returned to Homebase. After dinner, everyone enjoyed a final activity with their mentor groups before heading to bed.
– Gabe and Sebby
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
¡Pura Vida! A Perfect Ending to an Unforgettable Adventure 🇨🇷
What a wonderful way to wrap up our time in Costa Rica! The final day of the trip was filled with laughter, connection, and a few sweet surprises.
We started the morning at a relaxed pace as students had time to pack, chill out, and spend quality time with their new (and now very close) friends. From spontaneous dance parties to last minute souvenirs, it was a peaceful start to a memorable day.
Next up was their final Spanish class, but this one was anything but ordinary! The room was buzzing with excitement as students played games, held full on Spanish conversations, and even made one last dash to the local market to practice their new language skills. The grand finale? A graduation ceremony! Each student received a certificate for their hard work and dedication in class, but the real heart melter came when they handed letters to their Spanish teachers. ¡Qué bonito!
After a celebratory stop at the pulpería (a beloved Costa Rican corner store), we returned to home base for a very special dinner: steak, cheesecake, and all the good vibes.
The evening was capped off with our final appreciation circle — a time to reflect, share gratitude, and celebrate how far everyone has come. It was emotional, sincere, and full of love.
To finish the night, students enjoyed extended curfew freedom as they roasted marshmallows, sang karaoke, and stargazed by the pool under the Costa Rican sky. ✨🌌
This trip has been full of adventure, growth, friendship, and mucho español. We couldn’t have asked for a better ending to this amazing journey.
¡Gracias por todo y hasta pronto! 🌍🎉💛
