Uncategorized - Part 15

April 13, 2023 by Ashley Welter

Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure (June 24-July 3, 2023)

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

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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.

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 after activities are completed to have with them through the night. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location and time zones. 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.

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

Pura Vida!

Today, we welcomed our amazing young leaders to the beautiful country of Costa Rica! The first batch of students arrived around 10 in the morning at the Liberia Airport, followed by couple more groups by noon.

They went straight to the homebase where they found their rooms, had some initial health checks and swim test, and got to know one another. By afternoon, just as a new batch of students arrived at homebase, we were invited to view baby sea turtles released in the ocean. It was a thrilling and magical experience for the students to witness this event. What a treat!

Some heavy rain caused the power to go out for a little bit, but we gathered together anyway to enjoy the afternoon. Despite the power interruption, we were still able to continue with our activities in the arvo and witness an amazing sunset. We finished the day with a delicious traditional meal of arroz, frijoles, pollo, y enselada and some icebreaker activities to get to know one another.

While we had a great time making friends and learning about our fellow GLA-ers, we eagerly await our final 5 leaders who will arrive late in the evening. We look forward to orientation day tomorrow and to learning more about the service projects we will be participating in.

Dear parents, family and friends! Please continue sending support by following our daily blogs and commenting below!

We will see you soon with more fun updates!

– Sarah and RJ (GLA Mentors)

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

Written by By Sara C.

Today we woke up to warm weather and new friends for our first full day at Home Base! After having breakfast of eggs, rice & beans, yogurt, and fruit, we headed to orientation. We learned all about our mentors and the family who runs the hotel. We then broke into groups for activities including a scavenger hunt and various safety activities.

Lunch was rice and chicken with salad. After lunch we finally got to learn about how lucky we are to be here and the leadership opportunities we can take advantage of. The mentors introduced the four service projects we can take part in: Verdiazul – helping out a sea turtle conservation organization, Uniendo Comunidades – service for local communities, Guanacaste Water Center – tree planting, and Grupo de Ecológio de Avellanas – beach cleanup and meeting people from a local school. We came up with skits about each project and then chose our favorites. We can’t wait to hopefully find them out tomorrow! We had some free time to swim before dinner – pork chops, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and salad.

Our final activity before bed was a debate about the economic and social problems surrounding sea turtle conservation. Our first day was eventful, and tomorrow will bring more adventures! We’re starting to adjust to the warm weather as well!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Written by Leaders of the Day: Sara C, Luca, Jo, Ariel, Darcy, Sylvie, Natalia

Today we woke up bright an early to refreshing rain before hopping on the bus for our adventure day! Breakfast was empanadas – many said they were the best they had ever eaten! We napped on the bus on the way to some amazing adventures. First was ziplining! We zoomed through the gorgeous Costa Rican jungle, seeing waterfalls – sometimes hanging upside down! Next we made our way to an all you can eat buffet filled with delicious Costa Rican cuisine. When we were full we made our way to our second adventure🥲…tubing through the jungle!

Half of this adventure was filled with peaceful floating and sightseeing, and half was holding on for dear life as we flew down the river! Everyone had so much fun and exited the river smiling and sad that it was over(and alive!). We made it back to home base and had some free time in the pool playing taps before having the opportunity to witness one of the most beautiful sunsets we had ever seen! We played beach volleyball – new highscore! – and got swim go in the ocean with our amazing mentors RJ and Victor. We stayed at the beach to share our favorite parts of the day and said goodbye to the beautiful scenery (for now!)

We ate another delicious home-cooked meal: chili and salad. After a little free time came the moment we had all been waiting for: Service Group Reveal! We’re so excited for the real adventure to begin tomorrow when we meet our service organizations! Then we started one of our favorite nighttime activities yet…… KARAOKE!!! Each table chose a song to perform to, and we ended our night all singing along to Starships! Today was AMAZING! We are getting closer to our new friends and can’t for the next adventures to come!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

Written by Chloe, Lynden, Michael, Pierce, Giselle, AK

Woke up bright and early at 7am to do service work to help the local community. We went into our 4 different service sites. Some work at the local school, picked up trash at local beach, prepare to plant trees, and dug fresh sand for the local sea turtle hatchery. After a couple hours of work we headed back for lunch and hung out at the pool to bonded with our peers.

We hosted a guest speaker that taught us about Costa Rican culture and its geography. After that we took a dance class and learned how to dance the salsa and do a native Guanacaste dance. Then we had a delicious pasta dinner and met with groups to reflect on our amazing day!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

We woke up bright and early at 7:00am excited for the service projects that lay ahead. The students in the Guanacaste Water Service project planted 64 trees, those in Uniendos Comunidades cleaned up the beach and learned about mangroves, the Avellanas students made signs and picked up trash, and the Verdiazul group dug sand and played frisbee on the beach.

In the warm afternoon, we took buses to the town of Paraíso to learn to cook tortillas, play soccer, and learn traditional Costa Rican games with local kids. When we came back, it was raining but we still enjoyed a beautiful sunset in the rain and ended the night with a pool party to celebrate two birthdays. Happy birthday Kate and Stella!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29

Written by Paloma, Sol, Jinaya, Kirill, Lucas, and Nellie

Hi readers! We started out the day with a delicious breakfast of cheesy eggs, rice and beans, and cereal, (a fan favorite). Dietary restrictions were met, as always.

After breakfast, we broke off into our four service groups for the rest of the morning and worked on a variety of service activities, ranging from painting signs and benches in a public park, cleaning up trash and building compost piles, replanting and planting new fruit trees, and walking down the beach collecting trash. We then ate a hard earned lunch of minced pork, rice, and steamed vegetables. During lunch we also filled out a GLA program survey on how we feel about the experience so far and any changes we would like to see be implemented for future GLA programs.

For the next hour we had some free time before all heading to a beach, Playas Blancas, for an afternoon of swimming, tanning, beach volleyball, and soccer. Everyone was exhausted when we got back to home base around 4, so we all were thankful when we got free time before a sunset swim.

We ended our day with a chow circle on the beach, talking about our highlights, takeaways, and shoutouts of the day. Dinner was a delicious stir fry and our night activity was watching an informative Ted Talk called The Danger of a Single Story. We then broke off into our mentor groups to digest the video a little more and analyze our own stereotypes and experiences of preconceptions.

Looking back on the day, we feel accomplished, tired, excited, and very sunburnt!! More to come for our last few days of this one of a kind adventure. Pura Vida!!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30

We started out morning with an early rising and after a deliscious breakfast we began our second to last day of community service. Verdiazul was filling the whole to clean out the bacteria of the sand to help the turtles and as a reward they got to cool off in the ocean. The GEA (Avellanas) drew signs for a second beach and clean up a fishing beach that attracts many tourists. In total they picked up 270 pounds worth of trash. They found tires along with a tent and parts of a boat. Uniendo Communidades painted benches with positive messages about the environment to inspire the local people to treat their parks and communities with care. The Guanacaste water center planted trees at a local school and worked in the garden of the school. This work was done with the help provided by the children that attend the school. All groups so far have worked tremendous hours and put in a lot of sweat and to improve the local communities and this hard work is slowly coming to an end but the outcomes are very rewarding.

And after a delicious lunch the students went to a local chocolate factory where Ron (the owner) was able to explain and demonstrate how organic chocolate is made. After the students got to taste some very particular flavors.

After we returned to home base we all watched the sunset which was followed by dinner and ended the night with a fun trivia game. Finally there is a lot of excitement for the last day of service tomorrow!

April 13, 2023 by Ashley Welter

Costa Rica: Beachside Service Adventure (June 11-June 20, 2023)

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

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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 11

Pura Vida!

Bienvenidos a Costa Rica! Today we welcomed 47 young leaders ready to take the challenge of new environment, new interactions, and demonstrating what true leadership is.

We picked up our students all throughout the day at the Liberia Airport. Everyone came excited and filled with so much anticipation for the next 10 amazing days.

Before dinner, everyone had a chance to witness a spectacular sunset at Playa Junquillal. It was then followed by a traditional Casado cuisine for dinner. We had a group activity after, all about sharing what we like and our similarities.

We just cant wait to see these leaders in action in the coming days! So dear parents, guardians, and friends, please keep supporting our leaders in this journey by checking our daily blogs and showing your love by commenting below!

-GLA Team

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 12

Written by Malia L.

This morning, we woke up bright and early at 7:45 am and started our day! My cabin and I played some hype up music to get excited and ready to experience GLA! We went out to the “ranchito” to eat a nourishing breakfast of cereal, beans and rice, and some yummy local fruit. Huge thank you to the Haasz family! After the breakfast we sat down and got all informed with the orientation. We learned lots about local communities, some Spanish and the expectations for the rest of the trip.

Here, we also got our mentor groups! We separated for a few minutes each and talked about what it means to be a leader. These mentor groups will remain the same for the rest of the trip, and we will have the opportunity to share anything on our minds. After these encouraging groups, we headed to lunch and ate some delicious chicken fried rice with salad! Once again, another orientation had begun, learning even more important things. Finally, what everyone had been waiting for- POOL TIME! We had free time after the important meetups, and all jumped in the pool playing football, basketball, and competing in extreme handstand contests.

After getting dried off we hit the beach for a sunset watch, volleyball circle, and the famous chow circle. The sunsets are… unreal. Absolutely beautiful. Having fun at the beach, made us all hungry, so we headed in for, yet again, a delicious dinner! Ending the night with a leadership activity and free time, we are all tired from the fun day and are going to bed excited for the new day!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 13

Written by: Rachel B. and Henry A.

Today we woke up at 6:15am! Wow that was early! Today was the first day of the community projects! That includes Ecological group of Avellanas, Guanacaste Water Center, Uniedo Comunidades, and Vediazul. Most of the groups did something with recycling, painting signs, or helping the turtles! After returning for a delicious lunch! We had rice and some meat! After we took a break and hopped in the pool! Many of us needed a shower after the long day (it’s 1pm). We joined together to listen to a native Costa Rican (or Tica) who informed us about the background knowledge of this beautiful place!

After another quick break we did a DANCE CLASS! Involving Salsa, Tango, and a traditional Costa Rican dance! This ended in a dance battle right here under the ranchito. The rain was refreshing after our dances. During our chow circle Henry and I showed off our salsa moves 💃! After we had REALLY good pasta and garlic 🥖! Finishing the night with a Trivia Quiz, unfortunately we didn’t do great but that’s okay! It’s been a great day and we are all excited for more! Also, Hi mom and dad, miss you and love you! From all of us!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 14

Written by Sasha T., Catherine U., Lyra R., Elise W., and Talia B

Today was a great day. We started off strong with a good breakfast of eggs, cereal, fruit, and rice. After, we headed off to our service projects. The VerdiAzul service project dug a 6-foot hole for the turtles to lay their eggs in. Then, we worked together to lift sand out of the hatchery. The Uniendos Comunidades made signs to protect the mangrove trees of this area. The Avellanas groups arrived at a beach to complete their signs to promote cleanliness and recycling habits, and then split up to clean the beach. The Guanacaste Water Center group planted a total of 53 trees in multiple different places.

After, we all ate lunch and then had free time for themselves. At 2:30, we all left for town to do rally games and a cooking class. We all had fun playing soccer with the locals, playing traditional Costa Rican games, and learning how to make tortillas from scratch. We came back for a chow circle, dinner, and group storytelling activity to end the day.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 15

Written by Sydney, Logan, Pranav, Lucas, Anna, and Sophia

Today we had delicious french toast and sausage for breakfast. The schedule remained the same except for the Guanacaste water center which moved from 7:50 to 7:45. We all enjoyed our service projects today from cleaning up trash, painting on the beach, interacting with kids, and planting trees. We came back to home base for an hour break.

Our activity for the afternoon was visiting the chocolate factory, where we learned new and interesting facts about how to make chocolate and also enjoy taste testing of many different types of chocolate. We returned to home base where we did chow circle which is where we give highlights, takeaways, and shoutouts of the day. We went straight to dinner where we had yummy tacos, that was seen as many peoples favorite dinner so far. We ended the night with a activity with our mentor group which was a wonderful opportunity to open up and learn more about ourselves and others.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 16

Written by Ryan H., Tomasz W., Jameson H., Liam F., Michael A.

Wow what a day! We had an early start to the day with breakfast being served at 6:15am! Empanadas, salad, fruit and cereal. We departed from home base at 7:00am. After a long two hour drive, we arrived at La Hacienda Guachipellin, where we grouped up and got geared up to zip line! Along with the long zip lines over valleys, we summited a rock climbing wall, as well as swung across trees like Tarzan. After zip lining, we took a trip to the restaurant to enjoy a buffet filled with local foods and pastries.

Next, we took a bus ride down to the river to enjoy some tubing. Throughout the hour long float, we were met with beautiful trees, steep cliffs and scary waterfall drops. Everyone had a great time and some people even overcame some of their fears. After a long afternoon, we headed back to home base with another long bus ride.

After arriving, we sat down to eat a dinner consisting of stir fry and salad. The night was still young so we decided to celebrate the birthdays of three of our fellow adventurers (Henry, Ella, and Taliyah). We ate some delicious home made cookies and sang karaoke. Finally, we ended off the night with a dip in the pool under the stars. Everyone had a day filled with fun away from the service projects, however, everyone is also excited to get back to work on the projects tomorrow.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 17

Buenos Dias Costa Rica! We woke up at the crisp time of 6:45AM and ate some scrumptious breakfast! 🥐 After that meal we set sail to our special service groups! We had so much fun helping the community of Guanacaste and meeting new people!

For the scrumptious lunch, we chowed down on some pasta and bread, fueling us for the beach!🍝🥖We spent hours in the sun and water and finally we set off back to home base. 🏝️☀️

Getting here, we had some nice free time exploring and relaxing with the thunderstorm brewing! With the rain in the background, we participated in the chow circle and ate din din. Chili and bread!!! YUMMMM

Mentor groups ended the night and now we go to bed at 10pm sharp to wake up for service fun tomorrow!!!🎊

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 18

Written by By Mairin, Orla, Ella, Lara , Jeremiah, and Arian

Today was our last day of service!! We had breakfast at 7 and then we went to service. Everyone’s service day was very fun although it was bittersweet that it was our last day with our service groups!! We have learned so much so far! After service we had lunch and then Beach Olympics!!

Beach Olympics was our service groups competing against each other in many small games which got very competitive but was very fun. The last challenge/game for beach Olympics was to build a sand structure related to our service groups and what we learned in our respective groups. It was great to reflect on our service time and what we learned! After beach Olympics we went back to home base for some free time before dinner and chow circle- and the power went out!!!

We did chow circle and the majority of dinner in the dark, and then the final activity of the night with the power on! The nighttime activity was singing in our service groups, we had to sing lyrics of a song based on a given word and it was so fun and hype! Then the winner of Beach Olympics was announced, the United Communities group!! We had an amazing last day of service and are so excited for tomorrow!

We’ve also added in a blog post for June 16th. Scroll up to read! 🙂

April 13, 2023 by Ashley Welter

Costa Rica: Animal Rescue Project (June 23-July 13, 2023)

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

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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 23

Greetings from the Costa Rica Animal Rescue Program (21 Days) crew!

We are so happy to report that all of our students have arrived and are healthy, happy and here at our current home base, Lands In Love in San Ramon, Costa Rica, with our fabulous mentors (Luis and Donovan), local directors (Juan Carlos and Lisa), and home base staff. We are looking forward to an AMAZING 21 days together, filled with learning, growth, and adventure.

Obviously we are the MOST excited to learn about local animal rights issues while helping out at the dog rescue at Lands In Love as well as our time at VIDA, the mobile veterinary clinic. We’re also going to get to do some cooking lessons, dance lesson (Salsa and bachata is a must here in Central America), and meet with local Costa Rican community members to learn about the history of the country.

Besides the amount of learning we’ll do, we’re ALSO super excited about the adventure portion of our program! Between zip-lining, white water rafting, chillin’ in the sun on a Catamaran named The Lazy Lizard we are also pumped about snorkeling with tropical fish in coral reefs, zipping through canopies, and relaxing too! Most importantly, we have been greeted with fabulous Costa Rican food. Gallo Pinto for breakfast, so many new fruits and veggies (Maracuya and Guanabana, anyone?) and more await us! Looking forward to sending you all updates about our travels!

Pura Vida!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24

Today was Orientation day and that was neat for a multitude of reasons. First being the place we eat/lounge at has cats walking around or chilling in chairs. Second, the food is strictly vegan (and delicious) which I’ve never seen a hotel attempt before. Later on, we started to get to know each other via games, and those were either very chill and fun or very competitive and still fun.

In the later half of the day we decided to play some name games to get to know each other. These were fun as well as stimulating. We also took swim tests, which everyone passed with flying colors. We are also experiencing the rainy season here in Costa Rica. The humidity is also very high so everybody is getting the full experience with the weather. The rooms however, are perfectly sized and warm. So far this experience has been enlightening and I can say that we are all excited for where this journey takes us!

More photos coming soon! 🙂

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Written by Gus and Nate – Leaders of the Day

Today we went to an animal sanctuary which specialized in the rehabilitation of rescued native wildlife. The drive was long and saw a lot of the Costa Rican scenery, such as the lush mountain jungles. When we arrived, we learned that the sanctuary’s main objective was to rehabilitate the animals enough to set them free into the wild again. When we first walked through the entrance, we were greeted by macaws, which are native to the Costa Rican forests. We were also introduced to a human-bred species of macaw that was much more colorful than the traditional red and blue macaws. We then were taken to see native owls and other such birds along the path, that all suffered from different injuries which caused them to be taken in.

While viewing the birds, there were a few iguanas that were climbing on the bird enclosures in an attempt to steal the birds food. Then we went and saw a huge crocodile, that we were told was about 1.5 tons in weight. We saw many other types of native animals, ranging from monkeys to felines. We also learned a lot about the rehabilitation process that goes into getting the rescued animals ready for possible release or just putting them in their respective habitats. If the animals got too comfortable with the rehabilitation staff they wouldn’t be able to return to the wild due to being attracted to humans and approaching them.

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

Written by Julie and Makenna

Today was a very memorable day for all of the GLA community. To start off the day, we sat down at breakfast to have a traditional satiating Costa Rican breakfast consisting of oatmeal, chocolate banana bread, and fruit. Then we headed off to our jobs and we got to experience working with the adorable rescue animals. When taking care of the animals we get to do very hands-on work, which is a great life experience for us. After all of the hard work we were very hungry, so we all stat down at lunch and got to eat our very delicious food made by our top notch chef. In the afternoon, we took a scenic bus ride to the famous la fortuna waterfall.

Once arrived, a long and winding series of stairs was awaiting us, with the base of the waterfall at the bottom. After the hike down, we could fully take in the wonders of the waterfall. It was not only breathtaking, but the water was also refreshing in the hot Costa Rica weather. Although the journey back was definitely a workout, everyone can agree that the La Fortuna waterfall was worth a day of sore legs and the experience will be forever remembered.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

Written by Gwen and Nate

Today we did our last day of service at Lands of Love before we are going to Viva Volunteer to get hands-on veterinary experience. However, before we end our trip we will come back to Lands in Love for a couple of days. Today I walked the dogs in the morning and got to see how the dogs interact with each other. I learned that some dogs do not get along with other dogs, due to jealousy and wanting to be the alpha dog. After breakfast I started walking dogs before it started raining so we had to stop. We were able to go into the areas with dogs and play with a bunch of them at once. I noticed that a bunch of those dogs did not act like stray dogs and just wanted attention like how they had previously.

After service we had some free time then a delicious lunch. We all did a self care workshop afterwards which I feel was needed for this extensive trip we are on. We learned some methods of self care and how important it is to practice them. We then had time to either paint our nails, workout, do puzzles, and/or have a book club, all of which were practices of self care. After another delicious dinner we had a salsa dance class. We all danced our hearts away and also got to choreograph our own dance. We ended the night with huge smiles and long lasting memories.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

Today was our first day at the vet clinic! We started bright and early, had breakfast and headed to the clinic location, which was at the center of the local community. There was a good amount of prep for the first day but it was super cool to see and learn everything so the next couple days will be smooth sailing. We spayed around 7 dogs in total! Each group got to do every stage which included intake, surgery, and recovery! Everyone worked really hard to make the dogs comfortable and to ensure safe procedures. After we finished, we headed back to home base and went into town for some ice cream and souvenirs. Since it’s the fourth we came back and had a pool party and barbecue to end off the night 🎉

BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Written by Sylvie and Julie

Today started off bright and early with a 6am breakfast, followed by a scenic 3 hour bus ride to the beach. Our day of relaxation began with removing our shoes and boarding a small boat to take us to our catamaran, aptly named the Lazy Lizard. Aboard, they welcomed us with a plate of delicious empanadas, signifying the start of our journey. The Lazy Lizard featured a net hammock hanging over the water, and ample room to relax.

After a 45 minute trek to a small string of islands, we were offered activities including snorkeling tours in the clearest blue water, kayaking, paddle boarding, and we were served a traditional Costa Rica meal. After a beautiful ride back to the beach, we boarded the bus for our second ride of the day. With a bus full of sleepy kids, we headed back to the home base for naps, dinner, and leadership activities. In all, it was a very rejuvenating day.

April 13, 2023 by Ashley Welter

Costa Rica: Animal Rescue Project (July 19-August 1, 2023)

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

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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 19

Hi families!

An exciting and compassionate summer for our leaders has begun.

We are finally all together 😁!

Our home base is a paradisiacal and vegan hotel and restaurant named Lands in Love 💕.

After a long day of traveling and a well deserved rest all students arrived safely at their Home Base in San Ramón, Alajuela province. Weather has been hot, humid, and beautiful. After long flights they got the chance to recover and have all the energy for the upcoming activities, on the first day we went around on a tour of the home base and got to know the place. Everyone is with an amazing attitude and putting their hearts to the experience.

We are so excited because we will be hands on with local service activities and in care of noble companion animals.

So far we’ve gone through some curriculum activities, getting to know each other ice-breakers and our first guest speaker about Costa rica history!

Today was a good day and the weather was on our side so we had the opportunity to take the swim test, everyone passed! So pool during free time is a great choice to relax and start getting in the experience. Getting to know the home base is needed, so we did a tour and got to know where services will be and some places that are important to keep in mind to meet with the group before and after activities.

Parents, families, and friends please follow us on this blog as we feature the daily adventures of this amazing group of leaders.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

For our first official orientation day we started the morning off by eating breakfast. We had some delicious pancakes, potato scramble, and some fruit.

Afterwards, we made our way to the pool for a swim test and a health check. We had a bit of free time to hang out by the pool before heading to lunch. We then began orientation with team bonding activities and going over the code of conduct, followed along with skits. Later, we were given a tour of the property to see where we would be engaging in service. We passed by the dogs, horses, ducks and chickens. During our time exploring the property, we went to the field and participated in more group activities that included trust building games. We then made our way back to the conference room for some group singing and dancing led by Adrián. We had a hearty dinner to fuel ourselves after a busy day exploring and then had the opportunity to hear from a guest speaker on Costa Rican culture. We learned about climate, food, currency, and biodiversity. We were even able to try a local fruit called mamonchino which is very similar to lychee. We ended our day off by returning to our rooms to rest up in preparation for an exciting day tomorrow!

BLOG POSTS FOR JULY 21 & 22

July 21st

We started out our day waking up early and headed to our breakfast buffet. After eating and talking with our new friends we headed to the bus for an around 2.5 hour ride, cellphone free. We were on our way to an animal rehabilitation center/zoo where we got to see many different native Costa Rican species. These included sloths, toucans, tapirs, and many iguanas hanging around. While touring the center, we stopped for ice cream, and shortly after ate for lunch. After lunch we headed back to home base and stopped at a local gas station on the way. We all got out and bought Costa Rican snacks. When we completed our journey home, we had a yoga/dance session with our mentor Adrian.

After some free time, we had dinner where we connected more with our new friends. Shortly following we had a dance instructor come teach us how to Salsa and Bachata. We ended the night with some free time hanging out with friends, sitting by the pool, before hitting the hay for a busy, early day tomorrow!

July 22nd

Hey Everybody! Today was a great day at Lands in Love! Today was our first service day, we broke into three groups: dogs, trails and horses.

The dog group started our day by waking up at 6:45 and doing the first shift of dog walking. We got the dogs from their cages and walked them up the road to a field, so they could run around. We then had breakfast and did another shift of dog walking! The horses group cleaned the stables, brushed the horses, and fed them. The trails people raked leaves, picked up branches, and cleared the trail. We then all met up for lunch where we had a selection of delicious food. After lunch, we went on a group hike where we learned about different plants and trees that grow here. We also got to walk through a tree on the way which was pretty cool!

After our hike we had an hour of free time. Some of us decided to go swimming to cool off after our hike. It started raining but we made the best of it and had a great time! Once we all came back together we did an activity with two of our mentors. We talked about different issues our generation faces and ways to try to help with those problems. Right after we had a guest speaker who was a head worker of the Lands in Love hotel and rehabilitation and rescue center. He talked about where he came from and his reasons for working at this place and why his work is important and valuable to him. After that we had dinner and ate more tasty food. We ended the day with our new mentor groups and talked about our experience so far!

Today was a great day and we can’t wait for more days like these!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 23-26

July 23rd

Hi family!! It’s Riley and Elizabeth here! Today was one of the more exciting days that we all had been looking forward to. We started off by having breakfast which was a buffet that consisted of vegan pancakes,eggs, and fruit. Almost immediately after breakfast, everyone loaded onto the GLA bus and van, and we were off to the zip lining place around 8:30. On the way there the students in the bus were all sleeping, but the students in the van were having a blast singing karaoke. Instead of going the normal way out of the mountains, we had to take a different way to go to the town that had the zip lining and hot springs. That meant it was all new scenery!! Both places we went were right by one of Costa Rica’s non active volcanoes.

After the hour and a half bus ride we finally arrived at the zip lining place. We all had mixed emotions about riding down the cable; some students being super excited, while some were quite nervous. The zip lining course consisted of 6 lines followed by an optional 70 foot drop into a river (think of rock climbing and how you have to slowly push off the cliff with your feet while repelling down). This was then followed by a short speech about an indigenous tribe that lives down here in Costa Rica. To get back up the mountain we had to take a tractor ride, which was super fun. Our ride consisted of talking to all the guys who worked there (they were all hilarious and knew how to crack a joke at the right time), singing happy birthday to me (Riley) in Spanish, and attempting to cuddle with the dog which was on the tractor as well.

After getting back to our buses we had a 10 minute drive down to where the hot springs were. Upon arrival we realized that the line was super long to check in, so some people went into the gift shop that was there or sat on a bench. The place we went was a hotel which had 8 different hot springs, all with different temperatures of water. However, most of us stayed in the pool area and went down the slides with our leaders! We were at the hot springs for about 2 and a half hours, and soaked up every single second of it. We then left the place around 3:45 and stopped at a tourist shop near by and got some souvenirs for us and our families. On the hour and a half ride back the students in the bus played cards or slept and the students in van continued their karaoke and mini dance party. We made a quick put stop at a fruit store to buy some delicious local fruits, including Star fruit, lychees, and coconuts!

After a long and thrilling day we were finally back at Lands in Love. We had dinner, which had options including pasta, Israeli dish, Chinese rice, and a few other things. The leaders then gave us a small talk but this was followed by a little birthday celebration for me (Riley) where everyone sang happy birthday and enjoyed some cake! At the end of this day, everyone was exhausted and went to their rooms to sleep!

July 24th

Hi everyone! Today we had our second service day here at Lands in Love. These groups consisted of dogs, horses, and trails. After a morning well spent picking up walking paths of the visitors, our group showered the mud off from an uphill hike and headed to lunch. Following a delicious lunch, people started to file into the buses that were going to take us on a fun activity… cooking class! Upon arrival, we saw kids and dogs on a soccer field, and a small kitchen run by two Costa Rican women. This trip was especially important because we got to experience their way of life (language and activities that bring them together). During class, we made empanadas and tamales which were so good and definitely something I will be bringing back home to share with my family. After cooking, we were greeted from happy dogs and boarded our buses to drive back to home base.

Once we returned, we had a short period of time for tech time to reconnect with family and friends, that recharged the group. Following this, we ate a yummy dinner, and as leaders, we passed out food made sure everyone was taken care of. Definitely one of the calmer days, but was much-needed after a thrilling day of zip lining. Finally, we met back in our rooms, showered and got a good night rest before our last day of service.

July 25th

Good Morning friends and families! We began yet another adventurous day by splitting into three service groups which included dogs, trails and horses. The dog walkers woke up bright and early and headed down to the nearby trail to let the dogs run around. Those on trails and horses slept in a bit later before eating a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, chocolate chip pancakes and a steaming bowl of oatmeal. They then headed to their areas to start volunteer work. People working with horses cleaned the stalls as well as the horses, and trails people began their hike to a beautiful waterfall and river where along the way they cleaned the path and sang songs.

After a hard working morning everyone gathered for a lunch consisting of a variety of options. We were then later given free time where many swam, caught up on some much needed rest, and sat in the lobby to play games. Before heading to dinner we all gathered for our third dance lesson with the one and only Adrian. We learned a mixture of African and Costa-Rican dance rhythms. After completing our dance lessons, Lena led a round of meditation which relaxed the body before dinner. Next thing we knew it was time to eat. For our final dinner at Lands and Love we had a variety of options. Dinner ended early leaving room to hang around the pool and catch up with friends. After hanging out for a while we gathered with our mentor groups to discuss the first half of our trip before heading to the next location. We ended the day by heading up to our rooms to pack our bags and say our final goodbyes to the staff at Lands and Love.

July 26th

Dear families,

DAY 8 BABY! We had a slow start to the morning trouble shooting some issues within our group and eating a yummy French toast with pineapple, bananas and nuts as our final breakfast in lands in love! To bring the group together after a rough morning we danced and sang. Then we had a quick lunch of burritos and fries before heading on to the road to get to our next home base. We had a long 5 hour bus drive looking over a huge lake, beautiful sunsets, and luscious forests. Our new home base is in the town of Liberia. For dinner we had our first real meat dinner consisting of breaded fish, rice, beans and side dishes. After dinner we got settled into our new air conditioned rooms (yay!!!) and did some group activities outside! Then we started to get to bed for a nice long sleep before tomorrow’s adventures!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Today was our first full day at Marceva. We ate a breakfast of eggs, beans, and rice. After yet another of our many bus rides we arrived in another neighborhood in the Guanacaste region and went house to house in another surveying people about how they treat their pets. We asked questions like how often and what do you feed your pets, and are they vaccinated, then we gave recommendations for what they should be doing differently. We saw many cats and dogs, and even some chickens, pigs, and a bunny. Next we set up the clinic we would be using for rest of the week. We came back for lunch before heading into Liberia. There we got some ice cream and did a bunch of shopping. We also so many locals celebrating the annexation of Guanacaste. After that, we finished the day with chicken nuggets and fries back at the hotel and some games of spoons.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 28 & JULY 29

July 28

Hello GLA families!

This morning we had an early wake up call of 7 am where we all enjoyed a delicious breakfast consisting of eggs, rice and beans, fruit, and cereal. Half an hour later, and we were off in our medical scrubs to spend our first day at the Vida clinics. We spent about four hours there, where we assisted Dr. Amelia and Dr. Corey in their tireless efforts to improve the safety and well-being of local brought dogs and cats. We were able to work on a total of 8 animals – 6 cats and 2 dogs, when we learned how to conduct physical tests, monitor their heart rates and respiratory breaths, prepared the animals for surgery, as well as spending time with them in the recovery station.

It was an emotional morning, as some of the cats we treated had rare cases of deformities before going into surgery to be neutered, such as being pregnant and needing a tail to be amputated due to a scuffle with a bigger animal. Even though everyone in the clinic was sweating profusely in their scrubs, the heat couldn’t stop the love and care that we all shared for these animals, as we worked to safely neuter them and ensure their safety post-surgery.

Once we were done assisting the Vida clinic’s staff in their work, we piled into the busses and headed straight to a waterfall. We enjoyed a lunch consisting of rice and chicken and veggie pasta on the road, in the comfort of the AC from the vehicles. Once we reached our destination, we quickly changed out of our scrubs and into our bathing suits, heading down to the refreshing water at the base of the waterfall. We all took a rewarding dip into the cool water, and some of us laid out to soak up the sun while others stayed in the water.

Not only were we able to enjoy the water, but we were also able to explore the beautiful scenery. Upon exploring the surrounding area, we came across a family of loud monkeys jumping from tree to tree, with a baby monkey on the back of the momma monkey! Before we left to go back to our home base, we stopped to shop at the pop up stands filled with home made goodies outside the premise of the waterfall. Once we wrapped up our long and satisfactory day, we ate the best dinner consisting of fried chicken, French fries, rice and beans, pasta, and many veggies alongside the hotel managers who always manage to make our days brighter with their love and welcoming attitudes. We broke into mentor groups after dinner to discuss the work we’re doing with Vida and how it compares to our first week of service at Lands in Love. Finally, we finished off the night with a highly competitive game of spoons, and tomorrow we’re going to the beach!

July 29

Hey families!

Today was our beach day.

The staff were nice so we had breakfast at a very late 9:00 am so we can rest. At 10 we headed to the beach on the buses while listening to music. When we got to the beach we all started doing our own beach things; some people laid out to tan, others were in the water either playing games or using the goggles to look at the fish swimming around us. At 1 we had lunch at this restaurant right on the beach and it was quite exquisite. There was a guy selling shaved ice with condensed milk and it was surprisingly not bad.

There was also a man selling coconuts with refreshing water inside and once you were done drinking the water, he would cut open the coconut so you could eat the inside! After hours of swimming and beach fun (including multiple intense rounds of volleyball), we finally were headed back to the hotel. The dinner at the hotel was a delicious BBQ feast with chicken, pork, hamburgers, grilled vegetables, pasta and salad. We all went to bed early to prepare for our next day of service with the VIDA clinic.

April 13, 2023 by Ashley Welter

Costa Rica: Animal Rescue Project (July 2-July 15, 2023)

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

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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 2 & 3

Hi families!

An exciting and compassionate summer for our leaders has begun.

We are finally all together 😁!

Our home base is a paradisiacal and vegan hotel and restaurant named Lands in Love 💕.

We are so excited because we will be hands on with local service activities and in care of noble companion animals.

So far we’ve gone through some curriculum activities, getting to know each other ice-breakers and our first guest speaker about Costa rica history!

Parents, families, and friends please follow us on this blog as we feature the daily adventures of this amazing group of leaders.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

Today was our first day of service at Lands in Love!

The work was divided amongst four groups: trail making, dog walking, chickens and ducks, and barn maintenance with horses. While some of us were walking dogs, the rest of the group enjoyed a buffet style mix of Costa Rican cuisine. This included fresh plantains, rice and beans, fruit, vegetable pancakes, and a variety of fresh juices.

Dog walkers were able to eat after an exciting hour and half with the pups! After service, all of us went for a swim in the pool. For lunch we had pasta with mushrooms, rice, beans, potatoes and other traditional Costa Rican foods. We then played soccer and volleyball in the rain all together which was so much fun. Though the heat was scorching, we managed to keep our spirits high, only stopping to fill up water bottles.

The game ended in a tie. We had our first curriculum lesson on “The Danger of a Single Story”. It was an insightful class on issues of the world including global capitalism and colonialism. It started a really spirited conversation on different economic systems. The TEDTalk even referenced how literature affects racial stereotypes. For dinner we ate an Israeli dish including pita, falafel, vegetables, and of course, fresh juice. To the end the awesome day, we had a salsa class with a professional Costa Rica teacher and had a dance off with each other in groups. It was an awesome day and everything we did was so fun.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

Today, July fifth, was an exciting day for the 30 GLA students. This morning was nice and sunny, foreshadowing a positive day filled with learning and friendship. After eating breakfast, we got on the buses and drove to the zoo/rehabilitation center. Once we got to the sanctuary, our tour guide showed us around and told us all about the native and exotic species that were taking refuge there.

We heard stories of animal cruelty that were transformed into ones of rescue and rehabilitation. A toucan whose beak was chopped off with a machete found a home and even a prosthetic beak so that he could live his life normally. Our tour guide led us through the many enclosures. Among the birds there were macaws, parrots, toucans, and some owls. Other animals that we all saw were the squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, turtles, a snake, leopards, and multiple others.

Our guide taught the Spanish names for the animals as well and it was interesting to see our creative differences (sloth for example translates as lazy bear! -oso perezoso-). Some way into the tour, we stopped and rested a little. In this area there was the option to buy some souvenirs and ice cream. The majority of the students bought the orange-pineapple flavored ice cream to enjoy while socializing with each other.

Since we were at the zoo past 1:00, we got lunch at the restaurant located on site. As we were waiting for the buses to arrive, one of the very energetic GLA staff members, Adrián, led the group in some song and dance. Then we headed back to home base where we relaxed for an hour and then did some yoga with our mentors. After the amazing relaxation from yoga we then had a delicious Costa Rican dinner.

To finish off the tiring day we met with our mentor groups and talked about the days ahead and before lights out, we enjoyed each other’s company in a group hangout in the lobby of the hotel.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Hola hola GLA familias!

Today our team took a break from service to indulge in adventures off base.

We started the day at Lands in Love with another wonderful vegan breakfast, and practiced a team building song before getting on the bus.

A relatively short ride ended with scenic views of the Arenal volcano, one of Costa Rica’s seven active volcanos. Upon arrival, Go Adventures staff strapped us in with safety equipment, and after a quick demonstration, the GLA group was ready to zip through the jungle. Our group had the opportunity to ride 7 zip lines over the valleys of Alajuela, and even repel down an optional 70 foot wall. Before leaving, the GLA group was invited to an educational talk with the Maleku tribe, where we even got to try their traditional beverage.

The day was not nearly over, and a 10 minute drive took us over to the Baldi Hot Springs Resort where we were greeted by a delicious buffet style lunch. After eating, our group changed into swim wear and explored the worlds largest natural hot springs, consisting of 25 thermal pools and water slides that reached a speed of 27 mph. 4 hours of fun left our team with memories that we will cherish forever.

On our way back to home base, we stopped at a large souvenir shop, where we purchased gifts for their loved ones and other personal items to take back home.

After an action packed day, our group cooled down with a delicious dinner and some rest time, before going to bed for another day of important work.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

As many say: ”the early bird gets the worms”, we started our 6th day in Costa Rica bright and early; especially for those who were assigned to walk the dogs of the rescue center. Breakfast was as delicious as always with popular choices like pancakes and a variety of juices. We joked and laughed while catching up all the things that happened during the 9 hours of separation at night. From 8:30 to 12 the groups worked with different animals on site such as: grooming horses, cleansing chicken and duck habitats, developing trails and giving the dogs their daily walks. Personally, it was challenging to let our beliefs aside and support in ways Lands in Love needed most. After our service hours, we departed from home base and headed towards our cooking class where we learned to make traditional Costa Rican cuisine.

Seconds after we arrived, we were greeted with the loudest thunder and pouring rain that really cooled us down. The cooking process for tortillas and empanadas were highly similar. They both consisted of the process of mixing flour and water and flattening the balls of dough into a thin rounded shape. However, the empanadas were filled with beans and cheese while the tortillas were topped with cheese that were simply described as “queso de vaca” by the locals which means cheese of cow. Despite it being made of cow’s milk like most of our cheeses back home, it had the visual representation of tofu and lacked the pungent smell of processed cheese. We also had a sweet drink with water and sugar cane. It was a great learning experience for many of us as we embrace the local culture during our time here.

On our way back, we spotted a sloth that hung onto the electrical wires. We all got pictures, it was so exciting for everyone to see! We were most definitely amazed by this extraordinary sighting and made our eventful day even better. When we got back we had free time; some people just hung out with each other, and some went in the hot tub.

After our return we had dinner followed by a guest speaker who taught us the culture, ecotourism, the impact of tourism on its economy, the geologic difference of each province and more. We even got to try a snack made by one of the biggest companies here. Fun fact; Costa Rica does not have an army! Instead, the funding goes towards supporting healthcare insurance and providing free education all the way up to college. Afterwards we had about 30 minutes for free time/ tech time to relax. Then we got ready for bed and went to sleep. To wrap up, our day was not only exciting but very educational and we made many memories that we’ll bring home and share with our friends and family.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Today we had our final vegan meal before leaving Lands in Love for our new home base in Liberia. We have the entire hotel to ourselves and are enjoying the food that has been made for us. Though the vegan food at Lands in Love was amazing, we are all super happy and excited to be able to eat meat and dairy again. There are many cats and dogs that live at the hotel including a dog named Luna! Vida, the program we will be working with while we are here, described and explained how we will be helping out the animals and families of the local neighborhood, and setting up mobile vet clinics to help the community.

After we settled into our rooms and enjoyed a delicious lunch, we explored the town and stores including a clothing store, supermarket, and gelato stand. Once we returned to home base we had some free time and spent it playing volleyball, swimming, and playing card games. After a delicious dinner the bonding continued with some music and dancing led by Adrian. We are all super excited to be working with the animals and helping out the community this week, and cannot wait for what comes next.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

Today we started our first day of service with the organization Vida. Vida is an organization that is dedicated to helping animals in communities that are less fortunate. We took a 30 minute bus ride to a local community where we met up with the Vida workers, and from there we were split into groups. Each group visited 5 pet owning homes in the community, where they conducted a pet survey including questions like:“how many times a day the dogs in their household get fed”, “if their vaccinations were up to date”, etc. Once the survey was complete, we had a good idea of what their struggles were in owning their animals, so the group made suggestions to the owner on ways that they could improve the animals way of life. We also dewormed each dog, and encouraged the owners to get their dog spayed or neutered if they are not already.

The visits were very eye opening and made us understand that many of the people truly do love their dogs, they just do not have the money or the means to give them the proper care that they need. Vida’s goal is to teach pet owners responsible and economical ways that they can care for their pet and hopefully prove to them that owning and maintaining a pet is doable and it is not right to set the dogs loose on the street when they get too hard to take care of.

After our work was done, we came back to the hotel for some lunch and then we headed out on a walk from the hotel to a lookout point of mountains and forests around us. We finished the night with some dinner from Pizza Hut and free time by the pool. Many partook in Volleyball which ended in many jumping in the pool together fully clothed. It was truly an incredible day.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

Today was our first day of actual surgery at the vida clinic! We woke up bright and early for breakfast at 6:50 then headed to the clinic dressed and ready to go in our scrubs. We spent the morning setting up a surgery clinic in the community center in a town and throughout the day spayed/neutered 2 cats and 6 dogs. We got to help every step of the way from intake (we got to shave their arms for the shots and then we shaved the area for surgery). to the actual surgery, to recovery where we sat with our animal and did basic grooming while they slowly woke up. Some of us got to take out the ticks and fleas on our animals while they were in recovery, to help prevent other diseases.

Most of us felt uneasy when it came time to put the breathing tube down our animal’s throat; even though he couldn’t feel it, we all felt bad. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. After our surgeries were done for the day we headed into the bus, ate a quick lunch to-go, and drove to a beautiful waterfall (Llanos de Cortéz) where we spent the next few hours swimming and taking in the beauty! Once back at our home base, we had a super insightful group meeting where we talked about what we noticed about life in Costa Rica, partly about the care for animals, but also just lifestyle in general. We all engaged in deep conversation about similarities and differences to our own lives and how this opportunity has shaped us. To wrap up our long and fun day, we ate dinner and hung out on home base.