PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
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 post!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 10
Hello from Belize!
Eleven of our students arrived today in the beautiful country of Belize! For our early arrivals, we spent some time at the airport getting to know each other and reading about the wonderful places the group will be visiting over the next two weeks. After snacking and eating lunch, we hopped in the van and kept our eyes peeled for any wildlife wandering near the roads, such as toucans, jaguars, and green iguanas. We also played some fun games in the car and solved some brain twisting riddles. The van arrived at Belizima just in time for a delicious fresh caught barracuda fillets as our first dinner together!
The group settled down for the night, getting a good rest before tomorrow’s activities! We can’t wait for our Belize adventure to begin!
Sincerely,
GLA Staff Leah Doyle
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 12
Hi again!
Our final student arrived on day 2! We started the morning off with a delicious breakfast and then began student orientation. We made rule-making fun by acting out skits and brainstorming new guidelines with fellow GLA students. After lunch, we ventured out into Sarteneja and learned about the impact of fishing on the town’s culture and economy. To cool off after our tour, we took a dip in the Corozal Bay and took our swim test (WE ALL PASSED!). It was pretty hard, but we managed. We played games in the water, bonding together as a wonderful family. We ended the night with our first chow circle (shout-outs for the day), a beautiful sunset, and a delicious dinner at home base. We went to bed early to get good rest for a big day of service!
Day 3 began with a run for some people while everyone else slept in and enjoyed the sea breeze. We left HB (home base) shortly after breakfast and took a boat ride to a freshwater sinkhole where we saw a manatee! Soon after, we traveled through the New River and learned about the impacts of mangroves on the environment and how to differentiate the three types of mangroves. It was so fascinating because the mangroves were HUGE! They were the biggest ones we’ve ever seen.
Following our river tour, we headed to Warrie Bight, where we played games and had lunch. Then we got to work collecting mangrove seeds from the coastline and planting them in their new homes. We were all very hot, so we took a refreshing swim in the bay. The rain showers took us by surprise, but only added to the fun of our adventure!
We hopped back into the boat and rode back to HB, where we washed off the sand and got ready for dinner at Raquel’s. We had such a great time playing Chalupa and dancing with Princess (one of the workers at Raquel’s). Day 3 was such a blast, and we can’t wait for tomorrow’s adventure!
Adios & au revoir from your leaders of the day,
Kenzie and Ella
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 13
Back again!
Day four started at 8:00 a.m., and we enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by our cooks. After filling our stomachs with amazing food, we grabbed everything we would need for the morning. We had an eventful morning on the boat with our Captain Raynel, Mike, and local Belize expert Leo. We helped out people from Sartanja who were stranded in their boat and towed them to the dock. While on the boat in the morning after helping out the people, we spotted many bottlenose dolphins, but sadly didn’t see any spinner dolphins or spotted dolphins. Hopefully, we will see them later this week during more service.
Continuing, we had a lesson on how to collect seagrass properly for manatees and went diving into the water to retrieve a bucket full. We had a wonderful time swimming and pulling sea grass from the Shipstern Caye. Then, we headed to home base, changed, and ate once again a delicious meal. Afterwards, we headed to Wildtracks and the amazing owner/leader Zoe led us through a delightful tour of their property with the manatees and primates (monkeys).
Zoe also gave a wonderful PowerPoint on the goals and accomplishments of Wildtracks. Although we had to part ways with Wildtracks, we had a blast in the afternoon with Zoe and her volunteers. Following our departure from Wildtracks, we made our way home and had a delectable meal for dinner. We reviewed tomorrow’s schedule and selected JP and Finn as tomorrow’s leaders of the day. We got our phones after dinner and chilled before karaoke. Finally, entertainment filled our night with lively karaoke that was hosted by Camila, Nanate, and Ian.
Saying of the day: Ayuda a las personas necesitadas! English Translation: Always help the people in need!
Dannica and Mailanna
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 14
Hello from Belize!
This morning, we had pancakes for breakfast and left quickly for a morning tour of the historic fish traps of Belize. We had so much fun as our guides showed us how they’d collect fish and which ones they would throw back. After that, we went to the SACD headquarters and learned about the invasive Lionfish, as well as made lionfish jewelry. It was so fun to make and turned out really well! After that, we went back to our home base and held our student debate to model the real-life problems Belize as a growing country faces, trying to balance Economy, Culture, and Ecosystem. It was so much fun, and everyone was very passionate.
After that, we had a free period. Lots of swimming, reading, and relaxing on the beach happened along with a little bit of volleyball. Last, but definitely not least, we had a very special dinner celebrating the birthday of Dannica! The chefs specially prepared three different types of pizza, wings, and even a birthday cake! We all sang Happy Birthday as loud as we could and beat up a piñata together. All together another great day in GLA Belize!
Thanks for reading,
Finn and J.P.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 15
Hola from Belize!
Today was an amazing day, with a slight change of plans due to some weather, we headed to BCMR (Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve). We left home base at around 9.00 am and arrived at around 10.
We then took a short boat ride through a canal, enclosed by mangroves and shared by Mexico and Belize, to our snorkeling destination. The Mesoamerican Reef is the second-largest barrier reef in the world. Fortunately, we had an amazing guide named Celso, who is currently attending the University of Belize to get his bachelor’s in marine life. When we snorkeled, we got to see an array of fish and so many conch shells, and afterwards we were also able to freedive.
We then went back to BCMR, rinsed off, and had an amazing lunch consisting of barbeque chicken, pasta salad, tortilla chips, and fresh fruit punch. We all toured the museum inside BCMR and learned some amazing facts.
When we arrived at home base at around 4:00 pm, we had 2 visitors who helped us brainstorm ideas for our student conservation camp tomorrow. After a couple of hours of brainstorming our ideas, we called it quits and settled down for dinner. Dinner was so delicious tonight! We had a taco fiesta with carnitas, rice, and toppings. We ended the day with A LOT of laughs at the dinner table. That’s all for today!
See you tomorrow,
Lila and Lizzie
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 16
Good morning from Belize!
We started by sleeping in and having both toast with avocado and new homemade raisin bread that was delicious. After breakfast had ceased, we drove over to town and found our way to Nazarene Primary School. We were divided into four groups with kids aged up to 12. We started with just ice breakers until moving up to doing the “manatee race”, where we were put in sacks and raced against the other teams.
After that activity, we presented our topics using posters and fun activities to a rotating group of kids. We had pollution, mangroves, manatees, and sustainability, and we each added games to the topics to keep the kids engaged. Later, we stopped for a lunch break, which included chicken with rice and beans. For our last activity with the kids, we played soccer against different groups.
We went back to the cabins for an hour before leaving to make tamales at the very friendly locals’ house. We each had a different role in making these tasty treats, and then waited an hour before returning for munching. Not only tamales, but we were provided with delectable fruits, including fresh mangoes and pineapples. To keep us hydrated, we had watermelon juice, which we all found very refreshing. Finally, we departed after thanking our friends and filling our stomachs.
Catch you on the flip side,
Grigs and Allison
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 17
Hey from Belize!
We started the morning off with a breakfast of fry jacks, beans, and locally grown apple bananas. After a thorough pulse check (a rating of community service, leadership activities, and friendships done midway through the program) we gathered our belongings and headed off for our morning service activity: a beautification project in Sarteneja.
When we arrived, we put on our gloves, gathered our trash bags, and split off into groups to collect trash along the shore of Corozal Bay. After walking through the coastline, going up and down the streets of Sarteneja, and taking our time at a children’s park, we collected 7 bags of trash! We took a break by getting some snacks at a local market, and visited ‘Chuys’, a local artist, before heading off to home base for lunch.
After enjoying some bean burritos, we headed off for a presentation, as well as an opportunity for more service at SACD at 1:15pm. At SACD we learned about the younger people working in conservation and their different job positions. Then we headed back to homebase and did a Let’s Get Smart activity, which helped us learn the importance of communication and then we set goals using the SMART acronym!
After that we had free time and people spent their time playing card games, volleyball, and swimming. We then all gathered up and did our chow circle where we did a rose, thorn, and bud activity to share about our day. For dinner we had tortilla chips, cheese, chicken, and tomatoes to make your own nachos! We then did a “guess who” mentor group activity that focused on how, as leaders, it’s important remember that everyone has their own life story.
-Sophie and Nikol (Leaders of the Day)
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 18
Greetings from Belize!
We started off our morning with an amazing breakfast from our cooks. After we ate, we went to a boat builders house and learned about how traditional boat building has been passed down from generations. After, we had a “Rain or No Rain activity” which was ice cream! We went to a local shop, and they opened early for us :).
Then, we went back to Home Base and had lunch. After lunch we had a surprise of going to the Shipstern Conservation Area. We learned about endangered and protected animals and plants, including the elusive jaguar. We went back to Home Base and did a leadership activity called “Social Sync”, which was when Leah asked us questions debating our opinions on phone usage and other social media related things.
Following, we had time to pack, up our things to move home bases. For dinner we went to Raquel’s for dinner and met Princess there. We had hotdogs and fresh fruits. After we ate we had a campfire and roasted marshmallows. We listened to Princess, who told us about her own adventures and other Mayan folktales. We had an amazing time dancing and playing Chalupa, a fun game. Finally, we went back to HomeBase and finished packing, so we can go to the Tropical Education Center tomorrow morning.
From,
Milanna and Ella
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 19
Hola from Belize!
Some people started at the crack of dawn at 5:30 am for a morning swim. We watched the beautiful sunrise for our last day at Belizima. Everyone else started their day bright and early at 8am because we had to leave Belizema (first home base) for a three hour drive to the Tropical Education Center (TEC, our new home base). We drove and hour and a half before making our first bathroom and snack break. Then, we hopped back into the car and drove an hour and made our second stop at The Crystal Skull and met the owner Mampis for lunch. We relished the delicious meal that was provided for us.
After lunch, we went to Altun Ha, an archeological spot in Central Belize, and saw ancient Mayan ruins! We got a history lesson about the ruins and had a blast climbing them. Once we finished climbing the ruins, we shopped around the booths before driving our last 30 minutes to TEC.
When we arrived, we got our new room assignments and settled in to our new home base. We got a quick orientation and tour from Juan Carlos who is the communication director at TEC. We then ate some delicious fajitas and frosted banana cake for dinner. Following that, we did a quick leadership activity where we all did a 2-3 minute speech on the things that we were passionate about. We got to hear about cats, true crime, the military, and so much more. We headed back to the dorms and got ready for bed before hitting the hay!
Sayonara!
Dannica and Lizzie
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20
Hi again!!
We had an early morning today in prep for an excursion! After a delicious breakfast, we hopped in the van and headed to the pier to go on a catamaran.
On our boat ride to Swallow Caye, we saw two manatees, a mom and her baby! Then, after a rainy boat ride, we arrived to our snorkeling spot, Swallow Caye. We were all eager to hop in the 80 degree water and after diving in, we began our snorkel tour. Within the first few minutes of swimming around the reef, we saw a green moray eel. It swam right up to Jema! After moving on from the eel, we continued to be amazed by diverse marine life like squirrel fish and stingrays. After we finished snorkeling, we had rice and beans, chicken, and salad for lunch. Then it was about an hour boat ride to go back to the pier and then followed by an hour car ride to get back to TEC.
At home base we had a bit of chill time for showers and naps before dinner. Dinner consisted of pork chops, potatoes, and a delicious coconut dessert. Post dinner we brainstormed O.M.G (one meaningful goal) that we would strive to achieve even after the trip. Then after we finished our goals, we all ran back to our cabins to avoid the downpour. We all then had a great nights rest!
Peace out,
Kenzie and Sophie
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21
Hola!
We started the morning off with a delicious breakfast, getting ready for a busy day at the Belize Zoo, consisting of pancakes, eggs, and bacon at 8:00am. We headed out of home base at 9:00am, excited to spend the day amongst Belizes’s native animals.
We began with a thorough tour of the zoo; we saw parrots, crocodiles, tapirs, jaguars, ocelots, and many more. We spent some time buying souvenirs and t-shirts at the gift shop before we cooled off with a lunch of our choice: chicken fingers, hot dogs, quesadillas, etc., and engaged in a fun game of “yeehaw” before heading off to service at 1:00pm.
For today’s service, we put on our gloves, grabbed our rakes, and split into groups of four. In order to take care of the zoo animals and their safety, we raked dead leaves around their enclosures. This is a key aspect of zoo upkeeping; although it is currently rainy season in Belize, when these leaves dry, they serve as potential fuel for fires hazardous to the zoo’s animals. After service, we headed back to home base at 4:00pm. After that, we had some time to nap or swim with Leah as a volunteer lifeguard. Dinner was at 6 with rice and curry chicken along with a side of refried beans and flan for dessert. At 7, we planned to do our night tour of the zoo but it was canceled due to unusual circumstances. We all left sadly, but stopped by the GIANT leaf cutter ant colony on our way back to the cabins. Once we settled in, most people used the extra time to get some extra rest for our activities tomorrow!
– Nikol and Grigs
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22
Good morning!
Today we started out day with breakfast. Breakfast included cinnamon rolls, sausages, oats and fruit. After breakfast, the group headed towards their next activity! We ziplined over trees and a river. Everyone enjoyed the activity.
Next, we went cave tubing. We had to walk for about 30 minutes to reach the cave’s entrance. The weather was sunny with clouds which was perfect for our activity. We went into the caves, looking at the rock formations. We passed by a sinkhole and a small waterfall. After leaving the cave, we headed to lunch. Lunch consisted of chicken, beans, tortillas and coleslaw.
After some packing and some downtime, we had some farewell activities including the appreciation circle and receiving hand-painted frames. Then we had time to give eachother notes to cherish forever. We had some dinner afterwards, which was delicious as usual. We then revisited the zoo for a night tour! We saw a bunch of the nocturnal animals such as owls, pumas, jaguars, hairy porcupines, and so much more! After this fun excursion, we headed back to home base to hang out for our last night together.
We will all cherish our memories from Belize.
– Allison & Lila
