Uncategorized - Part 15

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Bali: Island Health Expedition (Sessions Starting July 19, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

This blog is for the Bali split session starting July 19, 2022, which includes both the 14-day and the 21-day student group.

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

Cell Phone Policy: The GLA cell phone policy is currently in place this summer to help foster meaningful connections between students. This means your student’s phone will be collected every day and returned to them throughout the program during designated spaces of time we call ‘tech time’. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location. During designated ‘tech time’, your student may use their phones as they wish. Please note that your student may not always choose to use this time to get a hold of their parents. If you are not hearing directly from your student each day, you can assume that no news is good news! We strongly recommend you follow the blog to follow your students’ experience without talking to them every day. If you are a parent and would like to get in touch with your student directly, you can call us at +1-619-758-3031 and we can set up a formal time for you to connect with your student.

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

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 19

Hi families! After some very long travels all students have now arrived at homebase, had noodles, fried chicken, rice, tempe, and other local cuisines for dinner, and are getting ready for bed hoping to sleep away any jet lag! Excited for orientation day tomorrow and to get this awesome program started!

We can’t wait to keep you in the loop as we go! Stay tuned for the first student blog post tomorrow!

Your staff–Beni Musha Ary Wiwik Vik and Lauren! 😀

BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

YO wassup its Saskia here! We started off day 1 with an orientation learning about the Bali culture such as learning how to tie a sarong and some of the basic Balinese phrases to survive our trip here in Bali. We also used acting skills to learn about the code of conduct while we are here. Then we went on to the amazing race where we explored our town talking to the local Balinese people where we saw guys climbing up coconut trees and showed some local Balinese kids how to play rock paper scissors. After finishing we came back to the compound where we all put on our sarongs to take part in Sisya Upanayan, a welcoming ceremony from the family and priest.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

Hey y’all, it’s Ella! Today we had an early breakfast because we had a full day of adventure. We went to an herbal walk for about an hour and a half, and we learned about how the Bali people use natural items for health care and in everyday lives. We got to go to the herbal store after and have tea and buy some natural remedies and cosmetics. Then we got back into the bus to drive to the water temple and enjoyed a fishpond and a traditional ceremony with a priest. Then back to the bus to drive to lunch on top of a mountain where we enjoyed an amazing buffet. We drove back home and everyone went to nap before getting ready to meet the Prince of Ubud. We had a tour of the palace and learned so much about Balinese culture, then enjoyed a nice dinner with the Prince and asked him some questions about his culture and role.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

Hi everyone, it’s Elizabeth! We started the morning with a lively debate led by Thomas and Alana about the effect of tourism on Balinese people’s cultural identity and education. Later in the day, we visited the local Bale Banjar, which is a community center where the village gathers. It is the smallest form of Balinese government. There, we carved our names into pieces of wood and learned how to make offerings. We also learned about the traditional musical aspects of the culture, which was learning how to dance the Legong dance and playing traditional music. Then, we headed back to the home base and had a meet and greet with local medical students. They are young students who are studying to become nurses. We got to know them to prepare for a full day of service in the village tomorrow.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

Hey guys, it’s Alana! We started off this cloudy Saturday morning with a bit of tech time to catch up with family and friends and a set of games that allowed us to explore our respective similarities and differences as a group and get to know each other even better. Out morning excursion consisted of us visiting the Bumi Sehat maternal health clinic, a space dedicated to providing women and expecting mothers the care that they deserve when giving birth for free, and chatting with its founder, Robin Lim. Meeting with her was an absolutely amazing experience, as hearing her story and insights on maternal healthcare worldwide were truly inspiring and made for an poignant, crucial commentary of a viewpoint that is often swept under the rug.

After leaving, we arrived back at home base and enjoyed homemade lunch! We launched out soon after to embark on our first service day with the medical students! Getting to go around to community members and provide them with free health checks was a novel experience, but one that was valuable nonetheless. Being in the community meant that we had chances to interact with those who weren’t necessarily getting health checks, including curious passersby and equally as curious children who were more than willing to communicate with us despite the language barrier. On our way back home, we got our first taste of more casual Balinese cuisine in the form of a very fun visit to the Indomaret (their version of a 7-Eleven)! The night concluded with a performance of Balinese Legong dance, a dance characterized by rapid hand and eye movements (which is much harder than it seems, as we learned yesterday!). I truly enjoyed our outings today and can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

Yo yo yo its Valentina here, your leader for today. So basically we started the day off with an inspiring journal write up later on following to a banging visit (get it banging because we banged on the drums) to Senang Hati ( a sustainable home for people with physical disabilities) . There we had lunch, which was very nice, surely recommend you try mi goreng. Then we all bought loads of bracelets that the people from the Senang Hati community made, hopefully your child got one for you. Then we went for our second service day which was once again very inspiring and personally my favorite part of this trip. Immediately after that we went onto the bus to reach our next destination which was a very nice restaurant that served us nice pink fruity drinks. Lastly, we all went shopping at some on the markets nearby and we learned the great skill of bargaining. Thanks and goodnight.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

What’s up guys, its your local leader here, Chase, back with a great blog post. Today we woke up, did an anonymous survey, and got in the buses on the way to the beach. On the way, we stopped for lunch (some great noodles), and then went to the water temple, where Alex and I swung together on the strange bench contraption while blasting Don’t Stop Me Now (Queen), while the others were being normal humans and looking at some fish. We then went to Bali Sehat and watched a very interesting tour guide show us the clinic, and then play us some nice sleep-inducing music while showing us some pictures. Then we went back to our villas on the beach, which are great, and took our swimming tests, which were fun to take. Following that, we swam in the ocean and pool again, and went to dinner (some more great noodles [I like noodles there’s other food don’t worry]). That pretty much concludes our day, except for the fact that Sasha spontaneously learned how to do a front flip, which was crazy to watch.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

Hey everyone, it’s Sasha with yet another blog post. Today, we woke up pretty darn early (well by my standards) for the amazing opportunity of going on a sunrise boat ride which ended with a super cool snorkeling session. Don’t worry there are a bunch of photos of the beautiful sunrise. After that, we had some time off to enjoy our amazing resort, which included pool time, beach time, playing volleyball, playing chess, and playing ping pong oh and playing pool and tech time. Then we went out to a wonderful restaurant where we enjoyed another great meal and iced tea.

Afterwards, we went to volunteer at Bali Sehat (the place we visited yesterday). We split into groups and went into chosen houses to deliver food, vitamins and do a basic health check before going to Bali Sehat’s catfish farm. To explain – Bali Sehat fully embraces how it’s better to teach someone to fish rather than to just give them a fish or two. The visits to peoples’ homes were a shock to the system, reminding us of our privilege in life and further showed us the resilience humans have in them. After returning to our new home base, we had more free time, before we got a special treat – burgers! Finally, we ended the day with some pool time and a Leader of the Day game.

Peace out!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Heyy its Kelsey with a new blog post. We started out our day with a nice breakfast and then the first group headed out to lipah in amed and then took a break to hang out and chill by the pool. After that we got back in the water and saw many different animals and beautiful coral. I think my favorite part was probably seeing these starfish that were blue! The water was very pretty and not too cold which I was surprised by. After everyone was done with scuba we went back to the hotel and had some free time until we did chow circle and talked about our favorite part of the trip so far. We then played a game and went and had dinner. After that we had tech time and then went to bed. It was kinda sad that was our last excursion in amed for the trip but you know its fine because I really enjoyed it. Shoutout to wiwik, ary, musha, lauren, and vik for making everything happen.

Until the next post <3 kels.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 28

Written by Sofia

Have you ever gone trekking over the beautiful scenery of rice paddies? Well, regardless of whether you have or haven’t, our group sure has! After packing up our bags and (gently) tossing them into the back of the bus, we were taken to the beginning of a nice hiking trail through the mountains of a village. Throughout our trekking, we made ‘pit stops’ at the homes of the villagers to learn more about each of their crafts. The crafts we learnt about included but were not limited to the art of weaving, managing bees, colour-changing tea, and lontar 101 (palm leaf carving). We also made a longer stop at the temple of the Tenganan village where we had a nutritious lunch packed with spicy chicken (for those who didn’t order the vegetarian lunch at least). After we went back & finished with our arduous trekking, we even had some time to shop around at shops stationed near the end of the trail.

Now, while I won’t bore you with the details of the long (and I say this with the utmost emphasis—looooooong) bus ride back to the home base, I will say that we had tech time then so no need to worry that your kids died of boredom (kidding…we’ve been socializing perfectly fine without electronics thus far)! Oh, and we got to do a snack run (Indomaret saves lives) & money exchange on the way!

But of course, the day didn’t end there—the staff (they’re wonderful…especially Ary—thanks for the great food preparations! She’s actually watching me intently as I write this haha. The other staff are all super duper cool as well though—shoutout to Vik, Lauren, Wiwik, and Musha!) prepared a surprise full of singing and some screaming (…okay lots of screaming—but the 2000s songs made it VERY justifiable). Can you guess where we went? Indeed, it was karaoke! Sadly, we had to leave our water bottles at home as per the karaoke place policy (a smart marketing scheme if you ask me; limiting the supply!) but they had a menu packed with everything from colorful mocktails to classic chocolate milkshakes, so we didn’t get too dehydrated (probably).

By the way, it has come to my attention by reading the other blog posts on the bus ride back from the hotel that you all might not know how the people who are writing these blog posts are decided: Essentially, a Leader-of-the-Day is pulled out of a bag, and that Leader-of-the-Day is tasked with the duties of carrying the medical bag, coming up with the daily ponder, leading various games, and of course…writing a blog post culminating the day (clearly the best, most exciting part)! Hopefully that satiates your curiosity (assuming that there wasn’t any secret email sent to parents already detailing this…if so, apologies for the overlap!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

Hello everyone! Katherine here reporting on day 11 of the amazing GLA Bali trip! Today, we had the privilege of visiting an authentic Balinese healer where we were able to hear her amazing story of how the spirits chose her at a young age to become a healer for the Balinese people. She even stated that the spirits are still with her to tell her what specific concoctions she needs to make in order to help sick patients! At the end she gave volunteers aura readings to end the visit with a total spiritual bang! Later we all went on the 4th service visit with the Balinese medical students to touch up on the last houses that haven’t been visited. This however was my first service visit due having Covid on the previous visits. Even from just taking part in one of the service visits, I was appreciative of how passionate the medical students were with helping the community and how invested my group was with aiding and caring to people receiving a checkup. The service visit was an amazing experience for me to be able to express my passion for helping others in need and has inspired me to do more for my community when I get back home. I genuinely love Bali and have grown really attached to the other GLA/Bali institute staff and the other students. I am so grateful for their kindness and compassion throughout my entire experience in Bali. Because of all them, I have gained amazing new memories and friends that I will treasure for the rest of my days <3.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 30

Hi guys, it’s Mariana! We started day 12 with more preparation to teach elementary students at a local school. The three topics were exercise, hygiene, and nutrition. Thankfully, all the groups had an amazing time interacting with the children, and it truly was a memorable experience. Shortly after we headed over to a Beeswax/Bamboo workshop, where we made Beeswax bags and cloths. When applying the beeswax to the cloth, it was quickly learned that if you put too much, the result will not be desirable. We were also able to break beeswax, which was harder than I thought. As all things, it turned into a competition to who could break the beeswax; personally, I broke seven pieces. After many girls got their hair braided-by yours truly- we played a rigorous game of futsal (the Indonesian style of soccer) where the white team (Lily, Ella, Alejandro, and I) dominated.

So sad to be leaving Bali in 2 days, but I can’t wait to see everyone in NY!

-Mariana

BLOG POST FOR JULY 31

Hey guys this is your favorite Spanish guy, Alejandro. Today, we went to the beach to surf and to go to the beach we had to wake up at 5:30 am which was not enjoyable. Because of that everyone was exhausted today. However, surfing was a good experience for all of us being that we all had fun; after surfing, we went to a shopping center to buy some gifts for our families and also to spend all of our Indonesian money. Instead of having the traditional rice and chicken for dinner, we were all surprised to have individual margarita pizzas since this is the last day for the people on the 14 day program. To properly say our final goodbyes, we all participated in a traditional Indonesian ceremony. At the end of the ceremony, there was a web of yarn that was connected by all of us, and we cut off smaller parts and made traditional bracelets.

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Bali: Island Health Expedition (Sessions Starting June 25, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Please Note: This blog is for the Bali split session starting June 25, 2022, which includes both the 14-day and the 21-day student group.

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

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

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24

Hello families and students in transit!!

Late last night on a rainy day here at home base staff were so excited to welcome 5 late night arrivals! Lara, Elise, Rio, Lex and Raygen have already made it and were welcomed by some warm local fried rice, some heavy rain, and with cozy beds! Staff cannot wait to welcome the rest of the students today, to get everyone settled at home base, and to get the program started with orientation day tomorrow!

More updates with pictures coming soon!!

-Lauren (GLA Program Staff)

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

Hi families! We’re so glad that we now have all students with us here at homebase!! Everyone has arrived safely and is already tucked into bed working on fixing that jetlag. While today was a busy arrival day from the airport we are excited to rise and shine for an orientation tomorrow getting to know the homebase, the local area, and each other!

Here are some pictures of our day–some late arrival students are not featured but look out for Carrie and Rainy in photos tomorrow!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Written by Maria L.

Hi families! Our second day in Bali, but first real introduction to Balinese culture can be described in one: word-immersive. Through the love of our host parents and the entire Ubud community we were able to ground ourselves in the beautiful and pure environment that we will call home for the next couple of weeks. The day started off with a delicious breakfast (delectable omelets, native fruits, bread with chocolate spread and jam) and orientation where we learned cultural norms and program protocols. After our next insanely favorable meal where everyone was grabbing seconds we split into our mentor groups and started our first language lesson of the trip. We are now able to count to five and talk like a kindergartener! (barely)

By the afternoon we were finally let loose in Ubud for the Amazing Race (a timed cultural scavenger hunt to interact with the community to test our “Suksma” (thank you) pronunciation and courage to ask strangers to climb a tree to get us a coconut to drink from or teach us a dance! After coming back to home base after our adventurous afternoon we were “suggested” to take showers before the Sisya Upanayana ceremony in the family temple. Wearing our sarongs (wraps worn in temples which we learned to tie early in the day) we took part in the soul baring ritual which involved incense, holy water, and lots of ommmsssss. The entire temple was filled with reflection and provided a space for introspection in what our goals were for the rest of the trip. As our feet fell asleep while we were criss-cross-applesauce on the ground our minds also relaxed into our natural surroundings. Another yummy dinner and mentor group reflection to end off the night.

Shout out to the winners of Amazing Race (who shall not be named yet). But stay tuned for more information.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

Hello families! This is Amelia! This morning we woke up early. 5:50 is too early for me. We had an amazing breakfast from our host family, and then got ready to head out. We went on a beautiful walk in a garden as well as waking through rice paddies. We got to try an amazing Balinese breakfast. We kept walking and got to see a map of the entire field of rice paddies which I loved. We then walked to buses which took us to the temple. This temple was stunning and honestly a work of art. We got to go inside and look around at what people do. I loved getting to explore different religions. When leaving in the rain, we followed Beni through a maze back to the buses and took off too lunch. Where we ate lunch was the most insane place I have ever seen! It was a cliff that overlooks a Volcano. (Beni made us take pictures). I loved the food and drinks we got to eat. After we drove home and stopped to exchange money and get snacks which was much needed. We got home and had ten minutes to get ready for the royal palace. BTW did I mention I got engaged. I’m kidding… I took pictures with the prince and had a ring on as a joke.

We had dinner with the prince which was so much fun to get to know him. The thing he said to take back home was the relationships that we get to make on this trip. I have thought about this a lot. Yesterday I asked a local at a market while on a scavenger hunt with our staff and peers to teach me their local dances. She immediately taught me dance. This is something that I am trying to do on this trip because I love to dance. I love how amazing and welcoming the people in Bali are and no one is going to judge me. Everyone I get to stay with is so amazing and funny and the instructors are so sweet and a blast to hang out with. I love the relationships I have built especially in two days. We came back home after the palace and played Mafia as well as a murder game I play with my family when we go on vacations. I love it here in Bali and am so happy I get to be on this trip. Wishing all of you safe health. Take Care!

Much love,
Amelia A.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

Hi everyone! Eliza here! We started the day off with a traditional Balinese black rice pudding and a spirited debate regarding the effects on tourism on the Balinese economy and culture. Then, before lunch, we participated in four traditional activities. The first, and my personal favorite, was dancing. We saw women dancing at the palace yesterday, so I was excited to learn for myself. Then we tried woodcarving. They gave us beautifully carved pieces of wood with our names half-finished, and we got to carve the remaining letters ourselves. Next, we made beautiful offerings with colorful flowers. It was very nice to make them and see behind the scenes of the offerings that we’ve seen outside of the compounds in our neighborhood. Lastly, we played traditional instruments that we had heard at the palace previously.

After that we headed back to home base to eat a much-needed lunch and have some free time. I took the time to journal and take a nap, but as far as I could tell everyone spent their time similarly, because my two roommates and I woke up right as the next activity was starting. That activity was a brief public health course. We focused on comparisons between Balinese and American public health and medicine as well as advice and instructions for our medical related service that we’ll be providing in the days to come. Next, we welcomed the medical students to home base. I started by leading introductions and an icebreaker/teamwork game. Next, we broke off into our assigned groups that we will work with during our service to get to know each other. Learning to communicate with a language barrier fostered creativity and was extremely rewarding. With the help of google translate I learned a lot about the students and Balinese medical education.

After a delicious dinner and some impromptu dancing to Party in the USA, they left, and we played a spirited game of Splat. After that we met with our mentor groups and discussed our day. We also had a surprise desert, and I don’t know how I’ll go back to cupcakes and Oreos to say the least. I’m struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that it was made of cheese and chocolate. We are now relaxing, enjoying tech time, and being subjected to Beni’s wrath ;). Also, our thoughts go out to Tia, and a care package is already in the works. Until tomorrow!!

Good morning/good night,
Eliza W.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29

Hey guys it’s Hallie! Today was truly such an amazing and inspiring day for all of us! We started off the morning with some amazing breakfast, bread and fresh fruit! We then went to a natural birth clinic called Bumi Sehat. We learned so many cool things about the birthing process and even learned the founder had won CNN hero of the year! She told us many interesting stories from her experience and told us a very heartbreaking fact, that in hospitals if a mother does not have enough money to pay for her stay and care the workers will take the baby and keep it in the hospital until the mother is able to come back and pay for her birth. We were also given a snack of traditional Balinese food, Edamame, Dadar gulung and Bantal.

We then went back to homebase for a delicious lunch of turmeric rice, potatoes, my favorite fried noodles, and some fresh fruit. We then went to meet our medical student friends from yesterday! This was our first day of service and we went around to areas of poverty to provide free health checks. It was very interesting to see how other people live and was truly an incredible eye opener for me! I got to check peoples blood pressure, blood sugar, height, weight and we taught children how to wash their hands. We also added dengue powder into the water of families to help make it safer. We then took a little store run where I bought Tia some snacks to hopefully make her quarantine better! For dinner we had some glass noodles, rice, tempe, chicken, spicy sauce and even more potatoes! I then led the group in a game of hide and seek and we found everyone very fastly except for all the guys who were hiding in the chicken shack. After dinner we spent a while journaling in our notebooks and then went on to mentor groups to go over all the amazing service and things we have learned today.

Thank you so much for reading and have a great rest of your day!

Hallie B.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30

Hey y’all its Raygen! Today everyone took a step back and realized all the things we take for granted in our lives. We started off the day with a wonderful breakfast of French toast, bananas, and Edamame beans. We had a short meditation session which left most of us feeling more relaxed. Before heading out for the day we played a group activity called Ninja which involved a lot of laughter and sore arms. After changing into long pants, we drove to Senang Hati (happy heart organization), which is a foundation dedicated to assisting the physically disabled. This was a real eye opener to most of us who take our own basic mobility and health for granted. We were served a delicious lunch of Nasi Goreng, Pepes Ayam, Mie Goreng, and Corn fritter. We were given a tour of the grounds where we were given the opportunity to ask the staff questions. We learned that the residents there can stay there 100% free, very opposite to similar services we are used to back at home. We were able to participate in a drumming activity with some of the residents and learned to play some beautiful music.

After a short drive home, we had a little free time before we headed out on our second day of home service visits. We were split into new groups which gave us a chance to make new friends and talk to people we haven’t had a chance to. It’s a weird feeling to walk into these homes uninvited but I guess that is the cultural norms here. My group consisted of Carrie, Lex, Mae and Lauren. We did health checks on approximately 12 people which was a definite increase in the number of people we got yesterday, we are getting more used to working together and getting comfortable in our roles. For supper we went to the Fair Warung Bale, which is a restaurant that gives 2 free medical health checks for every meal sold. For chow circle I decided that everyone should share something that they take for granted in life. Personally, I take for granted the ability to make deep and genuine friendships. The friendships I have made here without the surrounding technologies and distractions of phones has allowed me to make better friends here than I have at home. After dinner we all dabbled in the art of bartering, some of us more successful than others, but I can say that we all had fun.

I can speak for everyone to say we miss you tons!

Raygen M.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

Hey guys it’s Lara! We started the day off by having a very delicious meal of banana pancakes and fruits. Since being here, I’ve concluded that papaya is actually my new favorite fruit! We later visited a Healer. It started raining but she still read the energy of three students. Hearing what she had to say about each student made me want to try as well, however, we didn’t want to drain her energy. Later we finished service with the medical students, and they were happy to work with us.

We gave our last farewell by giving them certificates to show them our appreciation for what they have done for us. We took our last photos with them as well. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we will all miss them very much. After we got back to homebase, we got ready to go watch a traditional Balinese legong dance. It was so fun watching the performers dance. When we finally reached homebase for the last time, everyone started to pack for the exciting three days coming up in… AMED!!

By Lara

BLOG POST FOR JULY 2

What’s up, it is Lex! Today was a fairly relaxed day. We started off the day with some yummy toast, fruit, and eggs. We decided to play some of my personal favorite some games such as heads up seven up and screaming toes. Then we packed up our rooms and closed the first chapter of or trip. It was sad to part from our (now) old roommates, but we did it! After a long drive of screaming to Taylor Swift’s songs, stops at the water temple, rest stop, and Tirta Gangga, we are now welcoming some new ones in our beach bungalows. Surprise!! Tia is back and better than ever just in time to start our beachy adventures. We took a swim test and played around in the pool for a bit before heading down to the ocean to watch the sun set. For dinner tonight, we enjoyed a delicious Japanese comfort food called oyakodon, and man was it salty! Tonight we will be sleeping to the sweet sounds of the waves and are so excited for the adventures tomorrow will bring!

By Lex

BLOG POST FOR JULY 3

Written by Katie

Hey everyone, it’s Katie! We kicked off the day with a beautiful view of the ocean, and some delicious pancakes, fruit, sandwiches, and exotic juices. Then we split into three groups and went to the scuba diving store to learn all about what to do, before going down to their pool and trying it. We all got in the back of a truck and rode down to the ocean where we put on our tanks, goggles and masks and dove in. It was beautiful, and an amazing experience. Afterwards we went back to the pool to eat rice and noodles for lunch, then went back out for round two of scuba diving in a new location. We ended up seeing sea turtles, lionfish, tiger sharks, blowfish and lots of starfish! Once back to the new homebase, we tanned and swam and enjoyed basking in the sun. We ended the night with dinner and evening activities and a lot of excitement for tomorrow!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

Written by Hannah

We started our day quite early this morning so we could catch the sunrise on our boat tour and snorkeling excursion. There were 2-3 of us on each boat and the sunrise was a little bit cloudy, but it was beautiful regardless. Right after we changed into our snorkeling stuff on the boat and went in. The water was a little bit chilly at first, but once we started swimming it was fine. We saw stingrays, lots of fish, eels, turtles, etc. After that, mostly of us went in the pool to wash off and then we headed to breakfast. After a little bit of free time, we started our service/house visits. We then went to a bonfire after dinner and a night swim. Most of us were tired from the early start and headed to bed around 9:00. We are excited for what tomorrow will hold!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

Our last day at the beach began with a delicious breakfast and assortments of fresh juices. We enjoyed listening to the waves crash onto the shore for the last morning in Amed and were sad to leave. After breakfast, we finished packing and got on the bus to head to our hike. When we arrived at Tenganan Trekking we started our hike. On the way we enjoyed a beautiful view, stopped to take pictures, and tried durian for the first time (a plant native to Bali that is said to be the smelliest fruit). We stopped in Tenganan Village and tried black bee honey, and Chan (wood form of tea). We finished walking through the village passing vendors selling local goods. We drove the rest of the way home and got our new roommates! We settled in, then played a spirited game of try not to laugh where we all stood in a circle with water in our mouth while Beni tried to make us laugh in the middle. After the game, we enjoyed dinner. Throughout dinner, we anxiously waited to figure out what our surprise was, and we all went and got dressed up (including the boys who wore our extra dresses!). The drive was 30 minutes, and we arrived at the Happy Puppy for karaoke. It was so much fun. We ordered snacks, lost our voices, and some of the highlights were: 22 and Love Story… We love Taylor Swift if you couldn’t tell. Everyone was exhausted from karaoke, so we went to bed.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Hey guys, it’s Evan writing. We had a busy day, starting with a Tempe workshop where we learned how to create the traditional Indonesian food of fermented soybeans cakes. We then visited a local school where we educated children grades 3-6 on health practices. It was a super gratifying feeling to overcome the language barrier that we faced with the students using visual aids, song, and games to teach the children. The packed heated classrooms reminded me to be thankful for the AC that I have at my school. After arriving home, the team had a Capstone activity where we decided to make a goal that we would all like to live by. An OMG (one meaningful goal). We settled with the acronym BALI, which is short for “be the change for the future”, “Appreciate everything”, “Leadership with a smile”, and “Impact yourself and others”. To wrap up the night, I had an audience observe Rio and I as we ate the spiciest noodles we had ever experienced in our lives.

By Evan

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

Written by Gabrielle

At the beginning of this trip, we learned that in Bali time isn’t money, but time is relationship. As the two-week students’ journeys came to an end today, we reflected how this aspect of Bali has affected our experiences. Today we went on one last bus ride as our original group. We shared our breakfasts together on the bus as we made our travels to the beach. When we made it to the beach, we jumped right into learning how to surf the challenging Bali waves. We learned from the best instructors, and I think it is safe to say that everyone caught at least one wave along with catching a bad case of the giggles. After we all tried our best at surfing, we walked the streets of Bali to buy Balinese goods for one last time. After the shopping excursion we ate our wonderful lunches and journeyed back to our home base. The eventful morning tired everyone out but some students still chose to participate in a competitive game of futsal, basically a game of soccer. Many students were very experienced soccer players, I for one was not; however, no teammate failed to cheer me up and encourage me to try my best.

We returned to home base after our game and reunited with our friends. As we all got together, we enjoy our very last chow circle. We all reflected on the costs of going on this trip, such as leaving our family and friends, and then shared a relationship that made the cost worth it. Everyone agreed that every relationship we made on this trip was worth the cost. We made our final “chow outs” to show our appreciation of each other and the bonds that we made over the last two weeks. Our dinner was a fun surprise, and everyone was overjoyed to devour the meal we all are familiar with: pizza. After our fun dinner surprise, we showed our appreciation to each other through cards and group activities. Tears were shed as we all realized that this was the last night we would be sharing together. It will be hard to leave such good experiences and tight friendships, but we all learned to appreciate and be grateful for the times that we shared together. As the two-week student head back to their loved ones, know that they will be coming home with a little more gratitude and the knowledge that time is relationship. Now as we put our shoes back on and head home, we want to say suksma for everything.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

Written by Rio

What’s up everyone! It’s Rio writing. We started off the morning with sending a few of the two weekers off. Then we moved to the preparation to go back to the school to continue our education service. We came up with 12 topics such as handwashing, water safety and mosquito safety. Then we went to the school and worked with the kids for a couple of hours. It was a great learning opportunity for the children as well us. I hope that working with the local children to be more conscious about their health and the community’s health will provide a better future for them. We finished the sad but gratifying day by heading to a local restaurant. We ate then relaxed by the pool connected to the restaurant and had our mentor groups.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Hey guys, it’s Serena. It was another early morning wake up call. To start the day, we went to a coffee plantation where we enjoyed local delicacies including avocado coffee and mangosteen tea. We could even try coffee that came from cat poop. I did not try it. However, some of my friends did, and they enjoyed it. Then, we had time to shop for souvenirs from the plantation if we wanted to bring them home and share with our family. After that, we had a short drive to white water rafting where we split into groups and cascaded down the river. There were two big drops that definitely got our hearts racing.

Once our rafting tour was complete, we enjoyed a scrumptious lunch overlooking a beautiful landscape. Following lunch, we went back to home base where we got to relax with friends. In the afternoon, we had a thoughtful discussion about the ethical photography. Now, we can all be more informed about if and how we should post our pictures when we get home. In the evening, we got to hang out with one of the directors of Bali Institute. It was interesting hearing how he ended up in Bali and how he became connected to the culture here. We ended the day with a fun documentary about the impact of plastic trash in Indonesia. We need to be more conscientious about our use of plastic.

Signing off,
Serena

BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

Written by Xander

Yo yo yo, it’s Xander. Rio, Beni, and I had an early start to the day as we decided to look for the mangosteen fruit in the streets of Ubud. Although the trip was unsuccessful, we managed to return to homebase with jackfruit and snake fruit, which were both sensational. After eating an appetizing breakfast, we headed to service in Denpasar. But as a surprise, we stopped by this incredible coffee place where we tried guava and strawberry coffee. I’m not a coffee person, and the taste of guava didn’t help. But apparently to others, the coffee was some of the best that they ever had. We then reached our destination where we first started by cutting vegetables and folding bags. Our GLA team then worked like a well-oiled machine as we put rice, a mix of vegetables, and vegan meat into the bags. To make the service more enjoyable, Serena and I played rock, paper, scissor to see who got to put the rice into the bags.

After we strolled to a nearby gelato shop, we moved onto stage three of our service, delivering the food. We hopped into the bus and travelled to a community that formed around the largest landfill on the island. They made their money by sorting through the garbage to sell anything that had value. We unpacked the food into a communal area, which allowed the people to grab it themselves. After our service, we went back to homebase where we had a little bit of free time to relax. There was an optional photo walk, and although I didn’t participate in it, I heard that they had a good time and took insightful pictures. We ended the evening with the game “Night at the Museum” and “Telephone”. We then held a kite-flying competition, in which my team placed first because we are just the best (Shoutout to Carrie, Hannah, and Sarah). It was a perfect ending to a perfect day. Peace out, Xander.

P.S. I got my hair braided by Tia and it looks really awesome.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

Written by Rainy

Hi everyone! It was raining all the morning, so we had a late start heading to the cooking class. When we arrived, we were greeted with fresh orange juice and traditional sticky rice cake with shredded coconut on it, in which both were delicious and refreshing. The teacher did not let us go to the kitchen right after but instead introducing some interesting Balinese culture to us. We learned that class system still exists in Bali and usually women from higher class are not supposed to marry to lower class men. It’s nice to hear that young generations are trying to change the tradition and create a more equal society. Then we visited the traditional Balinese kitchen and learned how to steam rice without a rice cooker.

We each got a recipe book and we started to learn Balinese cuisines like chicken skewers and rice pudding. When we were trying to make our food, the teacher always told us to cook with love. I think it is super precious that people here are grateful for things they have, and they treat each other with respect and love. The dishes seemed easy to make, but they used a lot of spices and handmade sauce, giving them a unique flavor. Our lunch was all the food that ourselves made in the kitchen, and they all tasted great! Although we only stayed there for a morning, we not only learned about how to make more food, but also more living philosophy of Balinese people. We chilled for the whole afternoon just waited the rain to end, and we finished our day with another song challenge. It’s good to see people smile and get together with each other. That’s pretty much about it.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 12

Hey guys its Tia, Today was a chill day we went to a Beach resort on the coast of Denpasar, the drive was a little over an hour not to bad we had music blasting and we were all singing. Once we got to the resort, we settled in talked about the rules and then set off to our free time, most of us started with lunch as others took a walk on the beach. Once I finished my lunch Hallie, Amelia and I walked down to the beach and joined Sarah, Serena, Xander, Thea and Rio on the platform, Not to long later I was making a TikTok and my phone fell I the ocean and I did get it on camera and will not be deleting it. That was very embarrassing for me but its ok cause Thea dropped hers. We came back and decided to get in the pool and make more tiktoks. Today was very chill and we are getting so close and just spending the last few days we have with each other to the fullest. Once we got back to our homebase in Ubud I led Chow circle and shoutouts before I lead our heads up game which was really fun. That was about it for our day can’t wait for tomorrow.

Stay tuned,
Tia

BLOG POST FOR JULY 13

Thea in the house. Today we started out with an amazing breakfast of jackfruit pancakes. After, we drove to the Jiwa Community Garden and listened to Lenny talk about all kinds of things. Like waste management, topsoil and how we only have 60 years till it’s gone, and the components of composting. Then we had a lunch, some of the food used came straight from the garden! When our bellies were full the group took a quick break to nap and lounge on the main platform. Next was the scavenger hunt, we split into groups and had to find different plants throughout the garden and identify them; our only clue being a leaf of the plant. Team Ducks were the champions with Team Chickens (my group) in second and Team Cows in third.

Lastly, we worked in groups to weed and plant our own little plot of land. My group planted garlic and chilis. We left to do some shopping for the last time. So, to say the least some of us, including myself, splurged a little. After some gelato and shopping we headed to dinner at Kamikuno. Everything looked so good and some of us ordered extras such as milkshakes, fries, and pizza. Back at Homebase we played some charades which was fun then we headed to bed excited for tomorrow, but also a little sad that it’s our last full day in Bali.

Bye,
Thea

BLOG POST FOR JULY 14

Hey ya’ll it’s Sarah. We started off today with a delicious breakfast of eggs, fruit, and toast which is a fan favorite. After we all loaded onto the bus and drove to a local waterfall known as Tibumana Waterfall. After a short hike down some stairs and over a few shaky bridges we made it to the waterfall. It was absolutely beautiful, we all rushed to put our bags down and get in the water. After a lot of swimming, splash fights, and pictures it was time for us to get out and have our last meal together at homebase. The lunch that Ibu Made prepared was so good along with all the food she has made us in the last three weeks.

After lunch we had some free time where people talked and thought about what to wear to dinner and then we had or last activity of the trip. At 2:00pm we had our closing ceremony that consisted of a TED Talk about leadership, a survey about the trip, leadership pillar nominations, a post card signing, and a few tears. After our closing ceremony we had about an hour of free time before we left for our final dinner. Everyone got dressed up and looked very nice. We had western style dinner at a very cute restaurant that had some amazing desserts including a passion fruit mousse cake which was my personal favorite. While there, we found a nice spot where we had an epic photoshoot and then Beni took our final group photo of the trip. We got back to homebase where we hung out for a while and went to bed sad that tomorrow is our last day.

Adios amigos,
Sarah

BLOG POST FOR JULY 15

Written by Mae

Rise and shine GLA Family! Our departure procedure begins with Hallie, loudly awakening us with her positive energy and giggles. Almost a surreal feeling that our second family is slipping away one by one taking home skills and knowledge we can apply into the real world helping to make an influential impact whether it’s substantial or minuscule as the next young generation to act. It’s been a pleasure to have this opportunity learning about solidarity, uniqueness and most of all wealth in culture, food and connections. Again, we say farewell to another part of family letting them go onto bigger and better things. Last of all we say goodbye to Tia, Xander, Serena and Amelia.

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Alaska: Juneau Wilderness & Glacier Adventure (July 17 – July 30, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

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

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

Hello from Juneau to our families and friends!

All students have arrived safely after a long day of travel for some of them. It’s a rainy day here, which is typical for Juneau as it is a temperate rainforest. The students are getting settled into our beautiful homebase at the University of Alaska Southeast and getting to know each other. Tomorrow will be a full day of orientation; touring home base, paddling a traditional Tlingit canoe, and getting to know each other better. Everyone is excited to be here and there is already great energy from the group!

We look forward to sharing our adventures with you over the next 2 weeks!

-Kelly (GLA Program Mentor)

BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

Hello family and friends!

Today we started with orientation after breakfast and had the privilege of meeting Fran, an elder of the Tlingit community, which is the land we are on. She officially welcomed us to their community and shared stories of the history of her tribe and this land. We also had the opportunity to go out on Auke Lake in a traditional canoe! The students learned more about GLA, our staff, and our coming service and adventures. Starting tomorrow, we will have a Leader of the Day, so future blog posts will be written directly by the students!

We are looking forward to a tram ride tomorrow with a view of the city, a short hike, and some time to explore downtown Juneau!

– GLA staff

BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

Hi everyone! Today was an eventful day. We met a kind lady named Colleen and her husband Lyle who are from the Taku and Klingit tribes. They shared some knowledge about their ancestry and heritage as well as a demonstration on Devil’s club salve, which smelled earthy. Colleen explained to all of us that the name “Devil’s Club” came from colonists and that the name was misleading, as it is the main ingredient in many tribal medicines. Lyle and Colleen then led us in a medicinal plant workshop. We walked along the road and she pointed out many different plants and their medicinal properties as well as how to prepare them.

Before this workshop, we didn’t know that these plants existed and didn’t know how helpful they were. For example, there is a plant called Skunk Cabbage, which if eaten raw, secretes chemicals to make you feel like you’re chewing on fiberglass. However if food is wrapped up in it and cooked, the chemicals will neutralize and the flavor of the food will be enhanced. We were able to harvest the stems of the Devil’s Club (Sah’t is it’s Tlingit name). We said thank you to the earth in Tlingit after harvesting the plant and we left the leaves behind to decompose and continue the cycle in the forest. We were taught to prepare it to make salve and tea. Then we all went to a bog/ clearing area to harvest another plant for tea. In this small workshop, we learned that sometimes the most helpful item is right next to us.

We then went to a Catholic shrine. Everyone is allowed to visit the shrine if they are respectful and open. People were walking in a stone labyrinth and placing items on a rock in the center to show they had made it through. The area overlooked the snowy mountains and the channels. The flowers planted there were beautiful too. There were red lilies and purple Columbine and white peonies. I heard that the cathedral’s interior was beautiful. We saw a raven sitting on a rock eating elderberries.

After seeing the shrine, we got in the vans and drove to an inside gym, where we would play some traditional Tlingit games that were both training for hunting and survival. We practiced hopping as if we were hopping across ice drifts, seal hunting and a high kick that was used by hunters to alert townspeople and other hunters that they had caught an animal. Then, the Tlingit leaders of the activity showed us the ‘seal hop’. Hunters would dress as seals and move like them to get closer to them so they could hunt effectively. That was all the activities we did today, all of which were fun. We are excited to do community service tomorrow for the first time!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

Written by Will and Kyle (Leaders of the Day)

Today was a service day, so we woke up at 6:30am and hit the ground running. We got to the trailhead at 9am. We also learned trail etiquette, how to use the tools, and how to respect the land. We hiked up to this beautiful trail for 45 minutes until we reached the work sites. From there, we split off and dug new ditches, put in culverts and erosion countermeasures. From there, we dug through mud, water, and rain. At around 2pm, we packed up and descended. We then drove 30 minutes to a beach and had s’mores and took in the ocean view. We then wrapped up the day with dinner and an awareness activity with Rudy.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

Hello again everyone. Today was an early day like many others to come. We woke up and left home base by 7:30 this morning to make it to the boat which would take us to Tracy Arm Fjord and eventually float us over to Sawyer Glacier. The fjord was beautiful to drive through, we found ourselves passing waterfalls and cliffs that would go straight up thousands of feet. We learned that the fjord was formed by glaciers thousands of years ago during the ice age. We were also able to experience some of the wildlife the waters around Juneau have to offer. On our trip through the fjord we were able to spot orcas, humpback whales, and sea lions along with a variety of birds. Apparently it is very rare to see orcas and the tour guides told us it was the 3rd time this season seeing them.

We eventually arrived at the glacier which was massive and unusually blue. We learned that the blue color in the glacier is caused by the lack of oxygen and other air molecules in the ice which made it so that, much like the color of the sky, only the blue wavelengths of light were able to reflect off. Overall it was a very worthwhile day and I think everyone really enjoyed the scenery and the slower paced day compared to the prior two consecutive days of service. On another note we are preparing for a 2 night trip to Hanes tomorrow which we all are excited about and wondering about what other amazing experiences we will get to have.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

Written by Kate and Charlie

Hello Everyone!! Today was a long day. We had an early wake up call and were on a ferry by 5:30am. We took the 5 hour ferry to Haines, Alaska where we’ll stay for two nights. When we arrived in Haines we stopped at Mountain Market to pick up lunch and snacks. We then went to the motel and settled in. After getting settled in, we went to Kroschel’s Wildlife Park. We were able to meet many different animals such as wolves, lynx, porcupine, moose, a grizzly bear and more. Most of the animals were orphaned then taken in and raised by Steve Kroschel, who owns the park. They were all tame and we were able to pet many of them.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

Written by Ashley

Today was our first night in Haines, after a long day yesterday we were able to sleep in. After breakfast in the motel, we walked around the town for an hour then met up and went to the museum and gallery to learn about the Chilkat culture. Then we got lunch at a market and went rafting down the river. After rafting, we ate our lunch then got back in the vans and went back to the motel.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Written by Alex and Gabe

Today was a great day back in Juneau. We were welcomed back with amazing sun and a warm day. We started off with a tour of Glacier Gardens where we saw beautiful Alaskan greenery and upside down trees. We took a ride to the top of the mountain where we could see the city of Juneau, planes taking off, and amazing scenery. Then we met back up with trail mix for a great day of service. We hiked up, ate lunch on the trail, and continued our projects conserving the trail. We cleared paths to let water off the trail, collected rocks to prevent creek erosion, and secured the culverts. We got back to the dorms and ate dinner as a group before we finished our day with a leadership activity.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 28

Written by Sophia

Today we woke up ready for a full fun day of service! We had our favorite breakfast- biscuits- a campers favorite. We then headed over to the Perseverance Trail. There we met up with our Trail Mix friends: Carolyn, Sam, Ambrose, Megan, and Laib. We hiked up the trail and the group split up, some people doing Colvert work and others doing tread work. The weather was rainy but everyone loves trail work and made the best of it. After hours of work, we drove home from the trail and most campers chilled in their dorms, relaxing after the long day. We played some group games including a huge dorm hide and go seek game, and then it was dinner time. For dinner we had yummy spaghetti and meatballs with salad on the side. Campers then sadly started packing and cleaning our rooms since we won’t have much time tomorrow. To close our night off, we did a group activity about goal setting and set our own personal goals to take home to our communities. We talked about how to apply all that we have learned on this trip where we live.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 30

Hello everyone! Today was bittersweet as all students were dropped off at Juneau International Airport ending our epic two week adventure. Most students left bright and early around 5am while the last student departed in the afternoon. The hardest part about dropping off students is reflecting on everything we did as a group. From community service, to watching orca whales, to eating salmon, to diving into leadership curriculum on behalf of the Juneau staff, we will miss you!

Thank you for the wonderful memories and we hope that you reach your final destination safely. Remember to conserve the memories you created here and to always keep in touch. GLA staff is super grateful for the opportunity to continue working with such dedicated high school students. Until next time!

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Alaska: Juneau Wilderness & Glacier Adventure (July 1 – July 14, 2022)

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

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

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Alaska: Wildlife Alliance Expedition (July 30 – August 8, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things you can expect:

We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

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

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 30

Written by GLA students, Diana, Jack and Cassie 🙂

Greetings GLA friends and family!

We’re here, saying hi, from the rugged beauty of Alaska! With all of our students having arrived safely, we are excited to get things up and flowing in a few days. Jack (our talented staff member who is finishing up his graduate degree in science education and acting in the role of Mentor), Diana (the International Director who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from Colorado who primarily works in the wilderness therapy realm) and Cassie (our returning staff member who was our star Costa Rica mentor from 2019) have been hard at work for the past few days organizing logistics, planning curriculum, and prepping our home base for a great time for our Global Leadership Adventures participants! Everyone here is looking forward to seeing some amazing wildlife, learning about Alaskan culture, and getting some hikes in. We’re excited to be meeting some local reindeer, learning more about the indigenous community here near Anchorage, and spending some quality time with the local flora and fauna as we get to know this spectacular landscape more in-depth.

Onwards to fun in the “midnight sun”! (Seriously. Sunset is at 11:30pm most nights!)

BLOG POST FOR JULY 31

Written by Tyler and Tate

We had an amazing first full day in Alaska. We woke up to some amazing Alaskan nature at the Birchwood camp. After an exciting morning of getting to learn about peers on the trip, we set off for a hike. During the hike we got to see a waterfall, and we had a picnic lunch. After our hike, we travelled to a reindeer farm. We were able to get very close to incredible animals such as moose, bison, alpacas, and of course, reindeer. At the farm, we also had a very educational tractor wagon ride, where we learned about the history of the farm, and the different animals of the farm.

When we were driving back to the campgrounds, we had the incredible experience of seeing a baby black bear in the wilderness. After dinner, we finished the day in our mentor groups. Mentor groups are smaller groups of students, and they have a “mentor”. Tonight we went over what values we find important, and what goals we have for ourselves in the future. With our first day coming to an end, we look to have an even better day tomorrow with many fun activities planned ahead.

Here are some pics from the first couple days!

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1

Written by Connor and Hayden

This morning, we woke up to the sound of rain on our roofs. Our extreme motivation and excitement dragged us out of bed, though. We had an amazing English muffin sandwich for breakfast, and then had an in depth lesson on the Albatross bird. These are spectacular birds that live near the ocean, and some subgroups of them are endangered. We dissected some collected Albatross bolus. These are things that they excrete because they cannot digest them. Different groups found different things: Squid beaks, bottle caps, rocks, Styrofoam, squid eye lenses, and other plastics. Then, we quickly packed up and made our way to a bird sanctuary/marsh with a boardwalk where we saw many birds and a large group of salmon swimming upstream.

Next, we took a beautiful, scenic drive along the Alyeska highway towards an aerial tram that went up a mountain to a restaurant where we had lunch. At the bottom of the tram, we saw international superstar chef “cookingwithlynja” (1 million Instagram followers, look her up). We indulged in a beautiful hike to a higher peak. Our calves on fire, we made our way to the top where we touched snow- in August! Then we descended the mountain on the tram and drove home, after a brief stop at the Great Alaska Tourist Trap (a gift shop). Then we came back to our camp in Chugiak, Alaska where we had fish tacos for dinner. We then engaged in a group leadership activity as led by Diana, our Director, to learn about what our natural leadership styles say about us and how we can best use our given skills.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2

Written by Anna and Allie

At an early hour we welcomed the day. We finished packing and sweeping the cabins at Birchwood in preparation for our new home after enjoying a nutritious continental breakfast. Then the vans were packed with suitcases like a game of Tetris, and we took the scenic route to Fred Meyer to stock up on snacks for the road. After that, we headed to the Alaskan Native Heritage Center to learn about the various groups of indigenous people that inhabit this beautiful state. We watched demonstrations of traditional dances and Alaskan games, and explored replicas of Native buildings to learn about the indigenous way of life.

Following our educational promenade around the Center, we took a detour to munch on lunch at Beluga Point. The promise of the namesake was fulfilled when various members of the GLA group caught sight of a pod of belugas. Post lunch, we made our way to the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center where we spotted a myriad of mammals! Our ambulatory safari included black and brown bears, bison, porcupines, lynx, bald eagles, muskox, and finally coyotes. Our final destination, the Alpine Inn Motel, was waiting for us in Cooper Landing. Here, we indulged in a delicious salmon bake featuring Alaskan salmon and healthy roasted vegetables. Lastly, we sat by the fire and planned for our next Alaskan adventures.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 3

Written by Daniel and Griffin

Breakfast was earlier than usual today… but boy was it worth it! Andy, who is the chef/owner of The Buckaroo food truck, was kind enough to make us a spectacular breakfast of scrambled eggs, reindeer sausage and bacon. After enjoying our top tier meal, we packed our things up and got ready for our first day of service. We took a quick van ride to the Kenai River Water Shed where we immediately saw lines of fishermen hauling in Sockeye Salmon along the riverbank. We met our guide, Brandon, and his colleagues Kevin and Alexis, who split us into two groups in which we would do our service. We took a quick ferry trip across the river and began our morning of work. Our jobs were to pick up fishing line and/or trash that we found near the river, but along the way we were granted with a plethora of expert information on the fishermen and the salmon that they were catching from our guides.

After finishing our service and eating a quick lunch, we drove to the river rafting location down the road. We once again split into two groups for the different rafts and were soon on the river. It was a calm experience, but a beautiful one and once again we had the privilege of being with experts. Our guides were knowledgeable and knew every fact about everything around us. Hearing them talk about our surroundings and the wildlife was beyond interesting and made for a nice afternoon. The water was also particularly beautiful because it is glacier water, as we were told. The copper content from the melting glacier gave it a gorgeous teal tint like something you would see on a postcard.

Lastly, we headed to dinner at a local pizza spot and headed back to the Inn where we had another leadership activity. In groups of two, we were tasked with having one of us be blindfolded with the other directing us on the outside of a circle. We had to find balls in the middle of the circle using our partner’s instruction and subsequently tag one another out until there was one of us remaining. This was a nice combination of fun and learning communication skills. Overall, this was an amazing day and each of us are looking forward to tomorrow, where we will do more service.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4

Written by Xavi and Ryan

Today we woke up to a chilly but sunny Thursday morning. We had a delicious breakfast of fruit, sausage, bacon and eggs made by the wonderful Andy. Then we packed our day bags and headed out to the Russian river for a nice 2 mile hike to a lookout point over the river. At the lookout we spotted hundreds of sockeye salmon making their way up a natural salmon ladder. We got to see the salmon jump up the falls and took lots of great photos. After a nice lunch of sandwiches by the river, we spotted a bear and its cubs way up high in a tree.

The next few hours were spent doing some trail maintenance. Our job was to clear out bushes and trees from the trail to create a wider trail path. We used loppers to cut the branches off of overhanging trees and brush. At 4:30, our hard work was finally done and we went back to camp. In the afternoon, we took a quick visit to a nearby artisanal boutique. We purchased some cool items and returned to the Alpine Inn. We feasted on a fine dinner of chicken and salmon made by Andy. We wrapped up another excellent day with tech time and made our way to bed.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5

Written by Colby and Alex

Today, we woke up to a cold, rainy morning. After waking up early, we had to prepare our own breakfast, which was bagels and fruit. After the quick breakfast, we packed our bags, loaded up the vans, and set off to the salmon hatchery. Once we arrived at the parking lot, we were greeted by two staff from the Bear Creek Weir Fish Hatchery with little metal boats. After multiple boat trips across the lake, we had all arrived at the hatchery. We weren’t able to do much volunteer work because it was raining, so we got to help increase the salmon population. We did this by pulling the salmon out of the fishing traps, hitting their heads with a miniature baseball bat to kill them instantly, cutting open the females to extract their eggs, and milking the sperm out of the males. Some of us got to do this ourselves. After helping with extracting the eggs and sperm, we took the boats back to the vans, and continued the drive to Seward.

After the drive to Seward, we had sandwiches under a pavilion in the park. After eating lunch, we got to walk around and explore the shops. Then, we got back into the vans and drove to the Nauti Otter. At the Nauti Otter, we got to see and explore the yurt and hostels, which were a group of tiny wooden buildings, each with unique designs. After getting settled in, we got back into the vans and went to the aquarium. There, we got to see lots of cool fish, crustaceans, seals, and an octopus. We then went back to the Nauti Otter and did the anchor activity, which is an activity about debating whether or not to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Then, we had tech time while waiting for pizza. So concludes another memorable day which we will not soon forget!

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6

Written by Aiden and James

Today we awoke to a brisk and chilly morning in our new home, the Nauti Otter. After a lovely breakfast of waffles made by Jack, we gathered into our last and final mentor groups. From there we packed up the vans and headed towards the harbor. While we waited to board the Wild Life Cruise, we headed into a gift and coffee shop. We bought some souvenirs and trinkets, and went further into the shop to find a small café. We enjoyed snacks and coffee to pass the time. Soon after we boarded the cruise ship and embarked on a 4 hour journey. We got to see lots of wildlife including bald eagles, sea otters, puffins, seals, and best of all a spectacular humpback whale.

When we arrived back to the Nauti otter in the evening, we had free time where we indulged in a game called SPUD. We played this until dinner was once again prepared and served by Jack. The incredible meal consisted of corn, watermelon, potatoes, grilled peppers and onions, grilled chicken, and a variety of chips. After dinner we prepared for our debate. After about 30 minutes every group was ready. The 3 groups each represented a side including Oil companies, conversationalists/environmentalists, and local Alaskans. Most groups wore costumes to represent their sides. The conversationalists/environmentalists dressed up as animals to represent the wildlife they were defending. Each group had the opportunity to call 3 witnesses to the stand to be questioned about their topics and why they should win the debate. In the end the judges reached the verdict that drilling with limitations was the best option. Once tech time ended everyone made their way to the campfire where we bonded and made s’mores. Our new friends in the group from Mexico taught an impromptu dance lesson and we had a small ice cream party to celebrate the near-end of our time together. Once quiet time approached we all went to our rooms and went to sleep. Tomorrow we will close out our session by hiking at a glacier, meeting sled dogs, and taking a long train ride through scenic Alaska to our last hotel, The Lakefront Anchorage.

Full photo album coming soon!