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

Here are a few things to know and expect:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
4. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
5. 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

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23

Day one of a big adventure in the tropical paradise of Bali!

As students arrived from there long flights throughout the day, we began to learn about each other, Bali and the program to come.

We’re looking forward to exploring Bali and understanding the realities of responsible business at home and abroad. We’ll immerse ourselves in the rich culture of Bali, exploring hidden shrines, wandering through rice paddies, we will will try exotic foods and discover a different way of life.

We’re all so excited for tomorrow and the next three weeks together.

From Ben, and everybody here on the ground in Bali!

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24

First day in the GLA business internship program!

We started the day by getting introduced to the Bali Institute (local partner of GLA Bali) or the Headquarters we will be staying at to work (for our internship). At the Bali Institute we did the inauguration, did some ice breakers, and shared laughs. After this we all ate at the Bali Institute. The meal was home cooked and included foods like mixed rice, sweet and sour chicken, tempe (fermented soybean dish), and some vegetables.

We continued our adventure going to the city and participating in a scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt was a journey through the city interacting with locals about historic landmarks, traditions, and dances. We learned so many new things from this including learning how locals in a community unite in a banjar, what the typical household in these communities would look like, and a variety of different foods eaten daily by the locals. Not only did we do the scavenger hunt but we learned four new skills that we would have never learned if it wasn’t for this trip, which is wood-carving, offering making, gamelan and Balinese dancing.

The guys and girls both first learned how to dance legong (a native dance of Bali) then we proceeded to learn to play the gamelan (a musical instrument similar to the xylophone) and then a local artist in Bali taught us to carve our names in wood. Finally we all learned to make offerings that we will offer in the temple that we will head to tomorrow. All in all after a day of so much activity we ended the day going to dinner and reflecting on the day. We all had an amazing time and are so excited for tomorrow’s activities like the peaceful herbal walk (a walk in the rice paddy to learn about Bali’s herbal plants), the spiritual temple visit, and the very anticipated GLA internship brief. Goodnight and see you tomorrow!

– Sebastian Lugo

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

We started the day by waking up extra early at around 6 o’clock and heading on a bus towards the Herbal walk showcasing various medicinal plants, herbs, and medicines. We were dropped off promptly and waited for our tour guide, Made Westi. Unexpectedly, the rain started dripping slowly onto the group, and we all put on our ponchos and rain jackets. The rain would unfortunately continue for the rest of the day (even though the weather said it would stop around 10). The journey continued through the natural bushy foliage of Bali.

Along the way, the group was mesmerized by the colourful flowers and bustling trees. The group learned about new Indonesian plants and their “magical” properties. As we traversed our way through the narrow pathways, we interacted with Bali locals and greeted them as we gazed upon their land. Made Westi would stop occasionally to show off and give the group different types of flowers and herbs to smell and look upon (and even taste!).

As we walked on, we saw different examples of suitability throughout today such as animals such as Ducks helping with natural farming and cleaning, and acting as a pesticide.

After our herbal walk, we made a pitstop at Made Westi’s all-natural tea shop, and the group purchased gifts for themselves and their families! After our refreshing tea stop, we stopped by the Mengening Temple after an hour or so drive. We put on our Sarongs and Sashes, and headed into the temple to explore. As we were walking, we were hit by an almost torrential downpour, requiring us to put on our rain jackets and coats.

As a group, we explored the springs fed by the natural mountain water and eventually made our way to perform a Balinese prayer in the temple. The prayer required the offerings that the group had made the previous day during the Banjar workshop, and incense. After rubbing in the holy water that was splashed on us and praying using different sacred flowers, we all connected back together and made our way back.

As we joined back together, we hurried along to the anticipated Kintamani Restaurant and enjoyed an all-you-can-eat buffet, where we all enjoyed the delicious food. The expected view of the below was interrupted by a barrage of fog that blocked our vision.

After enjoying the lunch, we made our way to the hotel to talk more about the busy day we have tomorrow. We’re really excited to experience our first day as official interns and excited to meet the local students! The group took a quick swim test to prepare for the awaited water experiences later and we sat down for a calm and well-needed dinner to wrap up the day. The group has not been able to stop talking about meeting the new students and we’re so ready for what tomorrow holds.

-Cavan Guest

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Today we started day 3 with our first official internship session starting module at the Bali Institute office and Makadaya Impact store. We started the day with learning about the Makadaya Impact Center story and the journey with how it came to be what it is, followed by a tour of the store with the products. These products are sustainable items that are solving real pressing issues here in Bali in different ways by creating a new vision of known products. Example of this was seen to be the Nadis Herbal which is an entirely natural approach to tea, body care items, and so much more. This store is full of products of all kinds that help to reuse, recycle, and upcycle!

Our day continued with meeting and working together with local Balinese high-school students, hearing from guest speakers, and getting professional headshots taken all at the office. Through the day we explored ideas about Social Enterprise, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship roles and how they differ from traditional commercial businesses along with non-profit organizations. As a group we went in depth making visual representations of these real economic issues happening in Indonesia especially Bali and coming up with “possible” solutions. In our personal solutions we used processes we learned during the day like the importance of social change in business strategies and having all the research of global challenges like the who, what, when, and why?

While learning new ideas, ways of thinking, and examples of sustainable businesses we still had plenty of fun getting to know the local students. Getting to play games, work in small groups, and create our own sustainable product using eco-printing. We were able to do a form of eco-printing by using cloth then simply collecting leaves and flowers then using a mallet to pound the color into the cloth from the plants. After completing this process we were left with a colorful cloth with a handmade pattern using no chemicals or harmful processes. We had a great day learning lots of new information, like the Indonesian businesses that succeed in the right way and also getting to connect with the students on a personal level. We are all eager to learn more and hear from more insightful speakers! Until then goodnight!!

-Ava Discepolo

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

Are you a fan of maggots? It is not just any maggots, it’s maggots from Black Soldier Fly!

Today we spent most of our time learning about and working with them. But before that, the day started with another breakfast at the hotel consisting of a mix between classic Balinese food and American classics.

We then met up with our friends from the Highscope school who joined us on our journey today. We slowly made our way to the Magi Farm and began our lesson, we learned from Ima and Soma, the cofounders of the Magi Farm. We spent many hours learning the cycle of Black Soldier Fly (BSF), how they contribute to fighting the growing problem of food waste, and how Ima and Soma were able to turn it into a thriving business. Although it seemed like many of the students were grossed out by the maggots, as we continued to learn about their importance to the environment and in the battle to fight climate change, we kept open minds and eventually got to work with them ourselves. Getting our hands dirty sorting the maggots from the compost they were hiding in. Some students even went into the hectic yet safe Black Soldier Fly cage, which was packed with them, flying everywhere and scaring the students (most of the students were screaming as they left).

We then got into our buses and headed to the landfill to see first hand why it is so important for us to continue fighting problems in climate change and improper disposal of waste. When we got there we spent our time handing out food to the locals who live inside and around the landfill, many of them using it as their source of income, scrapping day and night to resell the plastic left there. It was an eye opening experience to all of us and really put us into perspective.

We left there and went through yet another lesson on how to maintain and grow a sustainable business, starting our group projects on how to help expand the Magi Farm. We got a nice dinner on our way home as our last moment with the students from the Highscope school for the day. We said our goodbyes and went to a market to pick up souvenirs and snacks for the night. As a whole, today was full of unique experiences, from playing with maggots to exploring a maze of trash and waste, reminding the students to keep an open mind.

– Paxton Hunt

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

Today, we first woke up and arrived at breakfast at around 7:30. We left for the office at 8:03 after some delays in order to work on a presentation in order to help the company we visited yesterday, Magi Farms, through providing them with ideas in order to help increase the number of customers they have. Magi Farms is an up and coming company that uses maggots of the black soldier fly in order to reduce food waste in households and businesses. We were split into three groups each aiding Magi Farms on one of the situations of, Social Media promotion, acquisition of more customers, and a loyalty program.

My group consisting of me, Lugo, Mea, Nindia, and Dharma were in charge of creating a loyalty program. We were able to come up with a name called Magi Rewards with a slogan of “Join the Magi family to start eating points!” which operates on a point system. We all contributed to discussions thoroughly and all provided great ideas in order to make this program seem more attractive to both Magi farms and customers. Our program is mostly focussed on retaining current household customers to use Magi farms’ services for an extended period of time as well as gaining new customers. We had an idea of a points system where customers could redeem points for rewards. We decided that 900 points would be able to provide a customer with 1 free month of subscription, 500 points for a 50% off voucher for all merchandise, and 300 points for a free tour of the Magi farm establishment every two weeks on weekends. Customers would be able to gain points through referring a friend, which would earn them 300 points, as well as continuously using the subscription program for a prolonged period of time. For the first month, customers would not get any points, but every month onwards, they would receive 50 points per month. There would also be certain milestones customers would be able to reach which would be additional points on top of the 50 points per year. Mea and I was in charge of creating the slides and inputting the information and displaying it in a visually appealing method, Nindia and Dharma were in charge of designing a mock up of what the website which displays your points would look like, while Lugo made a demonstration website with all of its features to show the co-founder. Additionally, I also created multiple graphs with extensive calculations to show how much Magi farm would profit from this program

After the preparation of the presentation, we had lunch at the office where we chatted with the local students and played games. We then had a quick cross cultural program where we would discuss with the local students the differences between our lifestyles such as our school experiences. Then we were given 10 minutes to rehearse our presentation before finally presenting it to the co-founder of Magi Farms. Group 3 went first, where they talked about implementing more social media programs to boost the number of customers Magi Farms have. They suggested making the hook and content be more attractive towards younger audiences as well as broadening their reach into other social media platforms other than Linkedin and Instagram. They also talked about collaborating with other environmental social media influencers to increase the amount of people who are able to see their business. Then, our group presented, showing the co-founder our mock ups and website as well as our statistics and data. Finally, Group 1 presented, they wanted to implement Magi kits into schools by giving live demonstrations to schools in order to not only increase awareness to help the environment, as well as allowing Magi Farms to potentially gain more customers through the school, and student’s parents.

Next, we arrived at Ubad Ubud for a cooking class and dinner. We first had some snacks with orange juice and balinese pancakes. Then we started cooking, with each of us being introduced to all of the dishes we would be making, including Balinese yellow sauce, mushroom soup, grilled minced chicken on bamboo skewers, steamed tuna, deep fried tofu and Tempe, and mixed vegetables. We first were all separately preparing the other dishes, through chopping spices and garnishes, as well as pounding with a Pestle and Mortar to make sauces. We then fried some spices in order to make the yellow sauce. We then prepared the tuna by using our hands to mix the tuna with spices and then steaming it. We then prepared the chicken by once again mixing it with our hands and then layering it on top of a bamboo skewer. We also fried the tofu and tempe in sweet soy sauce on a wok which I quite enjoyed, as well as frying some mushrooms for the mushroom soup. I definitely enjoyed cooking, especially when I was able to fry the vegetables on a wok. For dinner, we combined all of the dishes we made and ate them together.

Finally, we arrived back at the hotel for mentor groups and to rest and prepare for the next day. Overall, the day was full of excitement and fun as I enjoyed preparing, researching and calculating for the presentation as I felt like I had truly made an impact. I also enjoyed the cooking lesson and increased my confidence in my cooking abilities as well as allowing me to be more interested in cooking in general.

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29

We started the day off with a great start, and we took a scenic route to the Bali Institute. The forest was beautiful and lush. We got to the Bali Institute and started the day off with the local students talking about their morning routine during the school year. Their morning starts with reflection and then a game to get everyone excited for the day. This game involved throwing a ball while there was a student in the middle. The person who is in the middle has to share a way to get comfortable around others.

After the game, we started the lesson on social business models. There are ten things that we learned that had to go with it, which we later used in the day on our posters. After lunch, we went back to the lesson. Once the lesson was over, we started our poster on Mycotech Collabs.

After the poster, we went to the local art market where everyone was able to buy souvenirs and gifts for their people back home (there was a lot of bargaining involved). The local students were able to help us with what to buy and what not to buy. Many people were able to get close to the local students and make better connections.

Going on to dinner, which was at a local night market called Gianyar Market. Everyone had a blast. Trying local food and learning more about each other. We had bakso noodles, which have chicken, meatballs, and other vegetables. For dessert, we had crepes and terang bulan (a type of pancake with chocolate inside).

After today, we are so excited for what Bali holds next, we are so excited to talk to the local students even more, and get to know them! The group can’t wait to become more like family and make memories together!

-Sreenathan Shakhamoori

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30

Our first week has been officially completed and we had a very well-needed sleep in before embarking on our second enterprise immersion adventure. Today we started off by driving to Made Tea to continue learning about sustainability and diving deeper into the company and its goals. We began the exploration by getting a lovely tour of the organic garden, by learning about locally grown herbal plants and trying fruits such as the Mulberry, we expanded not only our knowledge but also our taste palate.

Next we were taught about chemical-free liquid composting, and other eco-friendly practices like solar drying. However, the adventure is not complete without hearing the founder’s story from working in hospitality, visiting India for personal growth, to coming back to her home and starting her sustainable farming business. Made Tea is not just a tea business, it is the collaboration of the farmers and housewives in eight villages and the sense of community it brings.

It is also the combination of indigenous knowledge and creative innovation blended into a harmonious tea cup. However, the company is not yet 100% sustainable, which has been a lifelong goal of the founder. So, our groups will be working on this problem and creating fully eco-friendly and biodegradable packaging (options like seaweed, cornstarch, or similar materials).

Tomorrow we will be presenting what we have researched to help her reach her company’s mission of being fully sustainable. After our work and with all the new knowledge that’s been applied, we took a little celebration by having PIZZA, playing cards, and then later swimming at the pool in the hotel. We are all excited to meet the princess tomorrow at the royal palace!

Sampai bertemu lagi! (See you soon!)

-Madeline Richards

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

From giving another impact project presentation to meeting the princess of Bali, we GLA students had a long day filled with excitement. We started off at the office, where we wrapped up our action projects for Made Tea, a social enterprise that is working to sustainably sell tea by collaborating with farmers and housewives. The day before, Made Roni, the founder of Made Tea, shared with us the problem that the inside of her tea packaging was not made out of sustainable materials, but aluminum. We were tasked with finding a better solution for this inner packaging.

Group one shared insights into the general topic of sustainable packaging alternatives. Group two focused on these alternatives and selected the one they thought would be best for Made Tea products. Group three presented new designs for not only the outside of the box but also the new inner packaging. After enjoying our lunch break, we started on a GLA session where we analyzed our strengths from the Clifton Strengths assessment and used them to find out more about ourself and our style of leadership. We also learned about cultural humility which taught us to have an open mind while we are learning about and experiencing new Balinese culture.

As the afternoon went on, we came back from the office and the girls headed out to a traditional Kebaya [traditional top for Balinese women] store to purchase tops that we could wear on our visit to the Royal Palace of Blahbatuh. For this excursion we all dressed up in our sarongs and sashes to visit the princess Gung Ayu. After a tour around the grounds where we saw the family temple and learned about the family compound, we sat down for dinner with the princess herself. On our plates we had rice, satay, chicken soup, perkedel kentang [potato croquet], and more. We engaged in lively conversation about the princess’s duties, where she is going to university, music, cars, and American slang. We got photos with not only her, but also her brother and the king which made for a special treat at the end of dinner. Finally to end the night, we came back to the hotel and went for a night swim which felt refreshing after a long day of being out and about. We look forward to continuing to learn about Balinese culture and business. See you tomorrow!

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 2

Today we had the privilege of waking up later and got breakfast. Then we headed out to the office where we had our 3rd and 4th GLA sessions. We talked about how to make a CV resume and created a linkedin profile while also discussing burnouts and overworking. We found out how to prevent burnouts and minimalize bad habits that contribute to burnouts. It includes going to sleep early and finding good habits such as working out.

After we finished the GLA sessions we had chicken and rice for lunch. Post lunch we had special guest Adhitya Nugraha presenting “Finding Your Market” which included how to identify issues within society. Some examples are climate change, ocean acidification, and food security. We then were split into several groups with the HighScope students to work on assignments. The first assignment had the groups choose customers and business founders and do an interview scenario. The interview consisted of asking questions about issues such as sanitation, access to water, and proper nutrition. The second task was making personas and presenting them. My group’s task was to make a character named Gung Gus who liked to go to the beach but was unable to due to trash. The third assignment we came up with a proposal for a solution to the waste. For the final task each group made their own original movie poster about the issues.

We then left the office and headed to the Tempeman for a lesson on the Indonesian fermented soybeans “tempe”. We mixed the soybeans with the fermenting agent and pumpkin seeds, after we wrapped it up in banana leaves to let them ferment. Then Tempeman made us several dishes out of tempe that were amazing. Indomart was our next stop before the hotel. At the Indomart we got snacks and various ramen to try at the hotel. During the mentor groups we ate Indomie, a famous indonesian ramen brand. To close off the night we went in the pool and had chicken fights.

-Austin Cragg

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 3

Today was a steady, productive day. We had breakfast at 8:00 AM and didn’t leave the hotel until around 9:00 AM, which gave us a slower start to the morning.

The main part of the day was spent on Module 4, which focused on Design Basics and Financial Literacy. In this session, we worked in small groups to create quick elevator pitches for fake businesses we came up with ourselves. The activity was centered on learning how to design a business idea and explain it clearly and efficiently in a short amount of time.

We had lunch at the Bali Institute and stayed there until about 2:00 PM. After lunch, we returned to the hotel and had about an hour of free time, which most of us used to pack and get ready for tomorrow’s trip to Amed.

Later in the afternoon, we visited the PKP Community Center. This is a nonprofit organization that empowers local women and families by providing support to help them achieve financial independence as well as community stability.While we ate dinner, we watched a performance by Indonesian school girls, which gave us a quiet moment to observe and appreciate local culture.

We left the center around 9:00 PM and returned to the hotel to rest.

Today was mostly about building practical skills, preparing for upcoming travel, and taking time to engage with the local community in simple but meaningful ways.

-Sophia Casey

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

Yesterday, we started July 4th bright and early to make our trip to the Sobek Telaga Waja River to go white water rafting. We made the 15 km trip down the river, taking in views of waterfalls, rice paddies, mountainsides, and local homes. The trip took 2 hours down the river with breaks to stop and take photos with the beautiful waterfalls, most of us made it down the river with no damages other than my raft, which had an excepted flip. At the end of the trip, we had a buffet-style lunch overlooking the river with rice paddies built into the sides of the mountains.

After that, we got back into the bus and continued our trip to our new hotel in Amed overlooking the ocean with volonic side beaches. We all made our way into the ocean right away, with the crystal clear water, where we played in the ocean till dinner. The group made its way to a dinner spot to have hamburgers, to get the independence mood! On the walk back, we stopped at local beach stores in the town to find any souvenirs. Following dinner and our walk back, we participated in some traditional American July 4th fun, such as sparklers and lighting off fireworks!

We had a great day in our new beach town for the next couple of days, and can’t wait to experience more of these beach activities as the week goes on. Excited to see what tomorrow brings and the adventures that come with it, until then goodnight!

Ava Dicepolo

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

Hello everyone!

Today was an eventful day, we started off the day well rested and excited for an early start to the morning with a sunrise swim! (Except for me and Austin). After cleaning and showering we enjoyed an extra long breakfast with some free time after. While Ava and I enjoyed a final ok from the Dr. on our rafting scrapes and bruises, the others enjoyed a tranquil experience in the ocean.

The group continued their ocean ventures by trying on their snorkeling gear and testing them out in the ocean. After about an hour of snorkeling everyone enjoyed themselves at a local Thai restaurant and waited for Ava and I to catch up.

At around 1:15 we drove down to the snorkeling area and enjoyed an aesthetic experience in the ocean. Everyone loved it and got little souvenirs and shells for friends and family! After cleaning up and going to the hotel to change. We enjoyed a nice walk to our next social enterprise: Garam Amed. Garam Amed produces local and clean tasting salt for many different hotels and restaurants. They use minerals to add a unique and deep woody flavor to the salt for an amazing tasting experience. The group decided on group ice cream as a tasty treat on our way to dinner (Don’t tell the parents!) and enjoyed various flavors. After enjoying a sweet treat, we made our way to the hotel to eat our last dinner in Amed. The boys and girls enjoyed the hotel ping pong and also enjoyed a few rounds of pool before meeting for mentor groups. The highlight of today’s session was burning something that we would like to stop or lose about ourselves on the trip or when we get home. We rounded the night off by washing off in the pool and ocean and playing music for the rest of the night! I hope you enjoyed this reading as much as I did writing it!

Good morning, afternoon, and evening!

– Cavan Guest

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Today was a great and eventful day. It started off with a few of the students waking up for a view of the sunset over the water. After that all the students went for massages after breakfast most people got full body massages and others just got parts of their body. After massages everyone was in a good mood, talking, laughing and having fun. After we got back to the hotel we started our drive to the trekking spot to the local village. Once we got to the spot we had lunch overlooking the mountains. The trek was long and slippery. There was a lot of mud so everyone had to be careful. Lucky no one fell and hurt themselves. Once we got down to the village we were able to try the local sour honey. This type of honey is made from the local bees. It was a bit sour and then had a little bit of sweetness to it, similar to apple cider vinegar. We were also able to put it in the tea which changed the color of it from pink to yellow. After the tea we had a tour of the village and how the people there lived. We saw their cultural activities such as chicken fighting and perang pandan (a traditional fight between 2 people with spiky leaves. After the village tour we left for the hotel with dinner on the way. Once we got to the hotel we got different roommates and were excited to spend time with others. Everyone is looking forward to the last week of the trip and can not wait to see what it holds for them.

Sreenathan Shakhamoori

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

Today was a very packed and productive day. To start the day off we woke up around 7:30 AM and had breakfast. After breakfast we drove to our 3rd enterprise immersion, Handep (a social enterprise that focuses on traditional weaving products using Rattan). After visiting Handep we had lunch at a sick waterfall spot and were assigned groups for proposing ideas for the challenges the enterprise was facing. After lunch we went to another enterprise immersion at kopernik. Kopernik is a research lab that supports local innovations that bring a positive impact for the local community. They showed us their many inventions and even had us try a period cramp simulator. We then went to the office to finish our presentations on Handep challenges where we proposed our ideas to help expand their brand. My group mainly focused on improving their social media presence and appealing to the younger audience. After we played a surprise game for Dharma (our HighScope friend) where we blindfolded him and brought out a cake for his belated birthday celebration. To end the day we had pizza for dinner with the HighScope students.

– Austin Cragg

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

Today was one of those rare, packed days that you know you’ll look back on and smile. It all started early this morning as we made our way to our “office”—our home base for all things business and leadership. With the sun already shining through the windows, we dove straight into completing our final module for our GLA Business and Entrepreneurship curriculum. There was a buzz of excitement (and a bit of nervous energy) as we put the finishing touches on our pitch ideas.

Lunchtime came quickly, and it didn’t disappoint. The meal was full of delicious options—crispy fried chicken, vibrant vegetables, steaming rice, fluffy Indonesian omelettes, and so much more. We definitely didn’t hold back, knowing we had a big afternoon ahead.

After refueling, we returned to our workspace for what was probably one of the most exciting moments of the trip so far: presenting our business immersion consultation project to Handep, a local Indonesian fashion sustainability brand doing meaningful work in the world of ethical fashion. Each group brought their A-game, pitching thoughtful, innovative ideas with confidence and passion. The Handep team was seriously impressed, and we all felt proud of what we had accomplished. It was more than just a presentation—it was a real collaboration with purpose.

But the day didn’t end there.

After wrapping up our business hats (literally and metaphorically), we changed into our activewear and shifted gears into futsal mode. We ran, kicked, laughed, and probably worked off every bit of that fried chicken. The friendly competition brought even more energy to a day already full of it.

To cool down, we grabbed bowls of hot ramen—comfort food that hit just right—and settled into our evening mentor groups. It was the perfect way to wind down: talking, laughing, and reflecting together on all that we’d done and learned.

As I sit here thinking back on today, I can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nostalgia. This trip has given me so much—new knowledge, new friends, and memories that I know I’ll carry with me for a long time. I’m already feeling a little sad knowing this adventure will come to an end, but for now, I’m just grateful to be here.

See you tomorrow for more! – Sebastian Lugo

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Today was our first day working with local Balinese high schoolers on our final presentations, we got a chance to work as groups developing a passion project for a sustainable enterprise here in Bali. We worked all morning brainstorming and beginning outlines for our pitch-decks at the hotel with our final groups of the trip. All of the groups made significant progress on our projects and are set up to end our internship on a high note. After the slightly boring morning at the hotel, we drove to learn padel from Komang and tried our hardest to get proper games going. We spent an hour there, and to end it off, some of the students went in a refreshing ice bath before making our way to the Icon Mall on the beach. We arrived around 3 and spent the rest of the day exploring, shopping, and, most importantly, eating. It ended with an unexpected beautiful light show on the beach. It was another entertaining day as we are close to wrapping up our time here. As we are doing so, we have spent time reflecting on some major takeaways we all have and how this trip has reshaped who we are and how we view challenges that we may face in the coming years.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

Today, we woke up and had breakfast from 7:00 – 8:00. We were supposed to leave for the Bali institute office at 8:30. However, due to some delays and some people being late, we were slightly late and left at 8:40. Still, we were able to arrive at the office on time at 9:00. We then split into our groups and worked on our final presentations. We focused on improving and finishing a draft of our final presentation slides. My group decided to collect plastic trash from Bali’s gutters and make them into pens. I was helping my group calculate the total cost of our plan as well as how much we needed to charge the customers for in order to get our money back in a reasonable amount of time

Next, we had lunch at the office from 12:00 to 1:00, eating rice with shredded chicken, bean sprouts, peanuts, and a hard boiled egg. We then said goodbye to our Highscope friends as we left to see a waterfall. To get to the waterfall, we were required to walk across a large current through holding onto a rope which was an interesting experience. Due to many of us not bringing swimwear, we had to cross with our normal clothes, resulting in some of us wetting all of our clothes. The waterfall was really beautiful and cool, with many of us showering under it for photos. We also took a dip in a small pool area created by the waterfall and had a nice swim.

After that, we quickly got out of the water and drove back to the hotel for a quick shower, with some of us going swimming as well. We then went downstairs to write letters to all our friends and classmates from this trip as well as write out a resume. Finally, we went out for dinner and then came back to the hotel. Overall, today was incredibly fun and productive, with us able to finish our parts of the presentation and enjoying our time at the waterfall.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

Day 19 was full of highs and lows, featuring a bittersweet goodbye to all of our Highscope friends. Our day started off with us driving to the Bali Institute office in order to finalize our final presentations. We were given 3 hours to prepare and revise our presentation. We were divided into three groups: Aqualoop, with William, Nindia, Sree, Ava, Dharma and Paxton, Ecosaji, consisting of Cavan, Lugo, Hayyu, Sophia, and Kevin, and finally Shared Stitch, consisting of Me, Dinda, Ravi, Mea, and Austin.

After our revisions we had lunch together, followed by a rundown of the event. After that we had a quick icebreaker of fruit punch and then started our final presentations in which all of our mentors, peers, and the founders of the sustainable businesses we had learned about were in the audience. Aqualoop presented first, showing off their idea of collecting plastic waste from Bali’s gutters and turning the plastic into reusable pens, kudos to Willy for the finance. Then Ecosaji presented, with an idea of hiring local balinese artisans to provide them with bamboo in order to create a sustainable replacement of plastic cutlery and straws. Last, shared stitch presented the idea of creating an app where people were given several options to donate, sell, or upcycle their used clothes. Helping out Balinese families by promoting responsible consumption and protecting the environment from all the textile waste that gets duped in the landfill daily.

After our successful and well-prepared presentations we all gathered together to listen to our GLA speaker, Cavan, and the Highscope student representative give heartfelt speeches about their experiences and overall reflections from how our trip has been. After this we gathered for many pictures and got our certificates for completing the program. We then left for our scenic dinner spot where we celebrated our success with our Highscope friends. After dinner we left for our surprise event which turned out to be karaoke! Karaoke was a blast and we sang to our hearts content which included Indonesian songs from the Highscope students. We also got to witness a beautiful solo by the one and only Willy. Ending our adventure, we said goodbye to our HighScope friends for the last time as we left for our hotel on a bittersweet note.

-Madeline

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 12

Our last day in Bali was a long one but by far one of the best. We started off bright and early at 5:30 to get to surfing in time for the good tides. So, after a long car ride once we made it to the beach we split up into two groups for surfing. We were all eager to try out surfing, something we had been looking forward to the whole trip.

After a brief explanation we plunged into the water! It took a bit of warming up but we all got some good waves. Even through the wipeouts we had big smiles on our faces the entire time. After surfing some chose to play beach volleyball with other local Balinese children. Although it was very sandy it was so much fun to show off our skills and see how the Balinese play. Next we had some extra beach time to enjoy the waves, salt water, and the sand. A favorite game to play between the group was over or under where Ben would choose for us to dive under a wave or jump over it. By the beach many of us feasted on fresh mango, smoothies, and coconut water straight from the coconut.

Next we decided to go to a nearby mall to make any final purxhases of the trip. By the time we reached lunch we had already done so much. But the fun did not stop there. After our last Balinese lunch we headed back to the water for our last waves of the trip. Finally we drove home from the beach while everyone took a much needed nap.

After working on our last jornal prompts and letters for each other, we got dressed up for the final dinner. We had a variety of Balinese food at a local restaurant called Masa Masa. We not only feasted but also reflected upon our journey through the GLA trip. We participated in an appreciation circle anonymously giving thanks to each other. Additionally, we used offerings to pray for our luck and how fortunate we are to come on such an amazing trip. The night did end in some tears and I anticipate more to come but overall it was a great day.

I can confidently say I gained so many new friends from this experience. Everyone is so unique, kind, and funny and I am so grateful to GLA for making this trip happen. I learned so many lessons from this trip and I think we will all remeber this amazing summer! I can’t believe we finished the final project and made it through to the other side. Aye aye ayeeeeeee!

– Mea Poole

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
4. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
5. 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

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Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

Dear Families!

We have a full group of students safely arrived and settled into our beautiful home base at United World College campus in Santa Ana! We had a wonderful arrival day landing into our experience together: students had some time to rest, have a campus tour, play some games outside and start connecting as a group. We are thrilled to dive into this journey together with this unique and beautiful group of students!

After some games at the residences, we had an early first sleep in to get ready for our orientation day tomorrow 🙂 May our Career Exploration Internship begin!

Kindly and with best spirits!
GLA Team.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Greetings Parents,

We are having an amazing time with introductory workshops including sustainability, leadership and intercultural communication; we have a great group energy showing group cohesion and enthusiasm for the program! Students are highly engaged getting to know each other diving into activities of both self connection and connection between each other.

We had a full day of orientation with dynamic activities that helped set expectations and common understanding on the code of conduct. Students also co-created their community agreements which set a foundation for their own standards of the collective values they want to live up to throughout the internship experience. The first full day together ended with a fire and s’mores opening of the program night! During our second day we had our first guest speaker from United World College, learning about intercultural communication and taking perspective on how to engage more inclusively and intentionally between diverse cultures and communication styles.

We officially started our group mentors, writing a letter to ourselves for when we end the program. Tomorrow we have our first leader of the day taking the lead 🙂

With a grateful heart,
Internship Supervisor Alejandra and team.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

Hey everyone,

Today was a super full day here in Costa Rica. We spent most of it learning all about sustainability and climate action, and how those things are actually happening here. It was really cool to see how Costa Rica works toward the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how they connect with things like protecting the environment, equality, and education. We had some awesome activities and group discussions that helped us understand how climate change affects different parts of the world and how we can make a difference, both here and back home. It definitely made a lot of us think deeper about our own habits and choices.

After a long day of learning, we got to chill out with a movie night. We watched The Truman Show, which was a fun way to relax and hang out with everyone after dinner. The group energy is still going strong, everyone is getting closer and it already feels like we’ve known each other for way more than a couple of days. We can’t wait for what tomorrow brings!

Best,

Hunter (Leader of the Day)

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 14

Hey everyone!

Today was our first full day in Puerto Jiménez in the Osa Peninsula! We ate a delicious breakfast of fruit and eggs, rice, and beans and then drove to meet the founders of BioSur who we’re going to be working with for the next 2 weeks. After the introduction to the internship we explored the BioSur giftshop. A lot of us had fun swimming after lunch and/or playing some card games. We then had an incredible tour of the town of Puerto Jiménez and stopped for ice cream, souvenirs and eventually made our way to the beach. In an effort to live true to the pura vida lifestyle we all went into the sea in our clothes. Not only was it super fun for all of us but it was a few people’s first time swimming in the ocean!

After a very wet walk back home we showered off, relaxed, played a bit of uno and then all ate dinner. We all enthusiastically played a fun storytelling game. The majority of us spent the rest of the night playing card games or chatting, and were all super excited for our first day of field work tomorrow.

Bridget, Leader of the day

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 15

Hello all!

Today we ventured into the Rio Nuevo Nature Reserve with the staff of Biosur to help take down previous camera traps and to help set up new ones for animal research as well as animal conservation. We saw a variety of animals and insects, most notably toucans, a tarantula, and monkeys! To finish off our service, we all changed into our swimsuits to cool off in the stream! A great way to finish off our first official day of service in the Osa!

When we arrived back on base we were granted with some free time. Some of us swam while others went into town to go to the store. Following dinner we practiced our storytelling skills and transparency with some group bonding, which turned out to be a very eye opening and vulnerable exercise for many.

In all, it was a wonderful day with so much incredibly unique exposure to Costa Rica’s diverse animal population! Can’t wait for more days of service!

Leader of the day,

Stella

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 16

Today was an amazing day of learning about bugs!! Through Bio Sur we learned so much about the butterflies and other bugs of the Osa Peninsula. At 8:30 we headed to the jungle (La selva) and hiked up to our lookout where we got our introduction to the amazing amount of insects. The head of Bio Sur Jim shared his amazing story about the origin of Bio Sur as well as his vast knowledge of all the animals.

Next, after an introductory on how to use bug nets we walked down to the butterfly garden and after many sweaty attempts to capture butterflies (shoutout Noah with 15 butterflies) caught and photographed so many beautiful and colorful specimens to identify and learn more about. At around 11:30 we returned to our lookout where Jim helped us identify more of the butterflies we caught and their behaviors. This was super interesting because you can learn so much about a place by the butterflies that live there. After lunch, we learned more about a different way to catch bugs called Japanese bug traps and set back out to catch more bugs. This was my favorite part, as we got to (gently) whack things with sticks, and it was so fun to see all the bugs everyone caught! Mia and Lia may have even found a new species of fly!! They definitely won the coolest bug.

We finished the day with a jump in the much needed cool river, and headed back to home base to have a chill evening.

Leader of the day,

Sabine Steudel

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 18 & 19

Dear parents!

We had a couple of wonderful relaxing beach days last weekend where students enjoyed time at the pool, the ocean and just playing in the sand 🙂 It was a much needed time to refresh after 3 hardworking days at the jungle! We did some yoga, biodance and ate incredibly delicious and healthy food they had at the retreat center in Playa Preciosa.

Here I leave you some pictures of our moments together.

Grateful to have your amazing children with us!

Alejandra,
Internship Supervisor/International Director

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

Today was day 14 of the Costa Rica GLA. We began our day with delicious pancakes and gallopinto before setting off on a kayak tour of a river in Golfo Dulce. This river is home to one of the last primary mangroves in the world. As we meandered down stream, crabs scuttled along the labyrinth of stilted roots and a troop of curious capuchin monkeys swooped on the low-hanging vines right over our heads. Our flotilla of kayaks traveled to a beach where we all eagerly jumped into the awaiting ocean. Subsequent to floating out on the warm water, our tour guides Alberto and Gustavo taught the group how to husk and crack open coconuts. After the tour and a break, the kitchen staff Roxy and Isabel taught us how to make mouth-watering empanadas that were filled with cheese and beans. We were all quickly humbled as their practiced hands helped us to knead the dough into a perfect circle after many failed attempts. As the sky opened and rain pattered avidly on the roof, we gathered together for a leadership activity. Ale and Parker taught the steps to finding one’s mission in life based on skills, interests, and earning a livelihood. What an amazing day!

Reed,
Leader of the Day

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

Hi everyone!

Today began with omelettes and rice for breakfast, followed by prepping for a big day of hands-on field work! Bags packed, we headed off to the rainforest to meet up with Biosur and start the day!

We warmed up with a group stretch and then headed into the forest where we learned about a recent invasive species closely related to ginger plants. Typically native to Nepal, the plants have been endangering the native hummingbird populations as they kill the plants used for pollination.

Feeling accomplished, we were able to clear out a vast amount of the plants before lunch at 12:00. Unfortunately while eating it began to pour, and we were unable to continue our service for the day due to safety reasons. We had been planning to reforest the land we had weeded with local species, and were a bit let down when we weren’t able to complete our outing. However, we were able to finish our final expedition with Biosur with a fun walk through the rain back to the vans and the rewarding thoughts of a morning well-spent.

We ended the day by relaxing, reflecting and working on our final presentations. It’s been an amazing journey with Biosur, and we thank them so much for their amazing guidance and teachings.

Leader of the day,

Leah

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

Day 16 was another wonderful and exciting day. We woke up bright and early at 4:30 to head to the beach and help baby sea turtles! We joined the tortugas preciocas project, strolling up and down the beach to find nests laid the night before. After locating turtle tracks in the sand, we collected eggs from multiple nests that were in danger of being swept away by the high tide. We brought hundreds of eggs back to the baby sea turtle hatchery, and returned to homebase by 8 for breakfast.

After we all got some much needed rest, we headed to the Biosur homebase for an afternoon of inspiring talks with NGO leaders. We heard about organizations, based in Osa, working on helping sea turtles, restoring corals, supporting sustainable farming and gender equality, and monitoring endangered jaguars. We then sadly said goodbye to Jim and Wendy from Biosur and thanked them for the wonderful experience, knowledge, and love they shared with us. We ended the day with a delicious dinner, a shoutout circle to show gratitude and and appreciation, and some packing to prepare for our departure from el Refugio tomorrow. Can’t wait for more adventures!

Marley,
Leader of the Day

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

Hello Everyone!

Can you believe it’s already day 18? After a good night of rest, we
woke up for some typical breakfast at our little hotel in Uvita and
did an early session of leadership activities and final presentation
prep time. We then set out for the catarata (waterfall!) in Uvita.
After a quick bus ride and walk, we reached the beautiful waterfall
and swimming pools. The water was refreshing and we had a blast
exploring and jumping off of the rocks. Some of the group even climbed
up for a view from the top of the waterfall.

Once we got back from our adventure, we had time for a quick change
and packed up our suitcases once again to hit the road. We visited the
same delicious lunch spot as we did on our journey down to the Osa,
and enjoyed some casado or pasta and filled up on snacks at the market
for the ride ahead. We took another break from the long ride at a
souvenir shop with plenty of cute clothes, jewelry, and other
keepsakes. We finally made it back to our original home base later in
the evening and enjoyed a classic dinner at UWC. Tonight we are
working on our presentations and getting excited for ziplining
tomorrow!

Kate,
Leader of the day

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

Hi everyone!!

Today was our first full day back at UWC home base, and we started it off with a nice breakfast at 7:30. Then we began our 2 hour journey on the bus to our rainforest zipline adventure! There, we had so much fun going on ziplines of various lengths and intensities, with the last one (the “adrenaline” line) lasting as much as half a mile! After that we had a delicious lunch, after which we went on an immersive and informative gondola ride. Throughout our whole tour the scenery was beautiful, having the opportunity to view hummingbirds, spiders, and even a tree frog and its eggs!

After we got back to home base, we had a yummy dinner of rice and beans, then met some new friends here on campus. At around 8 pm, we had our last leadership session of the trip where we worked on teamwork and resume building. Then everyone settled in to work on their final presentations for tomorrow.

Overall, today was a huge success!

~Co-leaders of the day,

Lia A. and Addison

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Dearest parents,

We had a very special last day listening to final presentations where students shared their personal mission statements, intentions on their future career pathways and biggest insights on the internship. Each one from their own diverse and unique leadership styles, left us feeling touched and inspired, sharing how they are taking a sense of hope, a feeling that they can, indeed, be the change. We feel so proud of hearing their stories and how the internship has fed into their aspirations to pursue their passions and make a positive contribution in the world.

After presentations we had a final leadership session to set tangible goals for the future, followed by free time to pack. After our last dinner together, we celebrated with a final ceremony of passage where we received students with a gift we prepared for each of them and got to appreciate one another one last time. We also enjoyed a last fun trust building group activity facilitated by our amazing leader of the day Makala. Finally we saw a video to reminisce our journey together and even sang happy birthday to Reed and Lia.

We are feeling blessed to close this experience with deep gratitude towards our students and you as families, knowing we are now a community of the world with a shared memory of a life-changing experience…!

Sincerely,
Alejandra González & Staff Team

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
4. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
5. 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

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Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

Hola GLA families and friends,

We are very excited to welcome our interns and get this amazing adventure started. ¡Bienvenidos chicos y chicas!

Everyone arrived safely to Cusco airport in the morning, and we made it to the homebase for a delicious lunch.

Afterwards we had our introductions and orientation, followed by a walk around Pisac to get to know the little town we are staying in, and obviously get some snacks.

When we came back, there was some time to relax and get to know each other, just before dinner. Hopefully everyone gets a great rest tonight, to recharge their batteries for the wonderful adventures ahead!

In this program students will dive deep in the Peruvian culture and connect with the local communities through our engineering project and lots of fun activities, so keep on following this blog to learn about our interns’ amazing adventures!

– Your GLA Peruvian Team

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

Hello GLA families and friends,

Today everyone showed up for breakfast with a big smile, after having a very restful night. We started with our first curriculum lesson, which was about the Sustainable Development Goals. The conversation progressed to a very interesting debate on why haven’t we been able to end poverty yet.

After lunch we headed to the community of Chahuaytire, to learn more about the work that has been done with the local members and where our project site is going to be.

We had some time to recharge before dinner, and ended the night with our first mentor group session to set our personal goals for this program.

Tomorrow is going to be our first day working at the project site, so stay tuned to find out how that went.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

For our third day in Peru, we woke up at 8:00am to have breakfast all together. Excited to get to work, at 9:00am we set off on our journey to begin constructing an irrigation system to help the local community of Chahuaytire with their crops. We started by taking measurements and marking our place ofwork with plaster as our first hands on task. Next we learned the recipe for concrete: mixing sand, cement powder, and water. While we took turns struggling to mix the concrete, we were able to witness a master at work, LUCIO, the “maestro” or “head” of the construction workers (that included us), who showed us his ways. For our main task of the day, we put our muscles to work lifting hefty rocks (“piedras” inSpanish) creating a stone bed supporting the pipes that carried the water for the irrigation system.

As a reward for a good few hours of work, we enjoyed our lunch in the van where we tried a new Peruvian drink called chicha morada which is made from black corn. We also learned that our dear colleague, Ryan, eats VERY slowly! This is a PSA to thoroughly chew your food to avoid choking. After we ate, we finished laying down the bed of stones for the pipe and walked down a trail to complete the next step in the process: hand drilling the pipes so that farmers can use the water for irrigation. During the walk along the trail, we were able to admire the breathtaking landscapes of the Andes mountains, and some of the wildlife that inhabits these lands.

Specifically, there was a young bull that caught all of our attention by approaching us with loud moos that echoed through the mountains.Upon our return to home base, we participated in a gratitude ceremony for Mother Earth that was called “Pago a la Tierra.” This consisted of an Andean Prince, a spiritual leader, guiding us through a meaningful ritual to rid us of all our negative energies and inviting new light and energy into our lives. His main message being to keep our lives in balance, not too much of anything, nor too little. An inspiring moment for all members was when the fire that had burned out relit in the middle of a powerful prayer.
We concluded this eventful day with a delicious hot meal and a yummy chocolate cake, ready to continue our adventures!

– Ari and Ary

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

Today, we awoke to discover one of our teammates had fallen ill. After making sure she received the proper care, we had a quick breakfast in preparation for the day ahead. Next, a representative from Medlife showed us a presentation on their organization and efforts to empower local communities, as well as the impacts of climate change on the people they help.

After this, we were off to the job site to do our part in bringing water to the Chahuaytire community. The day’s work consisted primarily of laying pipes alongside a road, taking the spools and rolling them vertically along the road until the entire length was in position. Despite missing a member, we managed well and were relieved to not be lifting the stones from the day before. Following our labor, we returned to base and participated in a structured dialogue about cultural humility, discussing differences in our cultures and the best ways to navigate them.

Shortly after, we went out into Pisac, having our dessert before dinner with tiramisu and ice cream from the town. We ate dinner upon our return, with our teammate having recovered enough to join us. The day concluded with a journal activity, writing letters to ourselves in the next stage of our lives.

– Peder Whitridge

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

Today was a full day as we said goodbye to our home base in Pisaq and made our way to Cusco. We ate breakfast at 8:15 AM and departed at 9:00 AM with a few exciting stops along the way.

Our first adventures included visiting some of the Incan ruins, where we learned more about Peru’s history and got to walk through ancient structures that have stood the test of time. At one of the sites, there was a pitch-black tunnel that the Incas dug, and let’s just say not everyone was calm about the tunnel. Ryan deserves a shoutout for screaming the entire way through, providing the rest of us with lots of entertainment.

Later, we visited a large animal farm, where we spent time with some of the fluffiest llamas and alpacas in the world and had a ton of fun taking selfies with them. After all the fun and learning, we arrived in Cusco and had lunch at a fancy restaurant downtown, which was great.

After lunch, we did a Cusco scavenger hunt: Lobos vs. Dolphins. We split into teams and raced around the San Pedro Market asking people questions about the town in Spanish. I thought it was going to be a close game, but my team, Los Lobos, won by a landslide.

After the hunt, we walked around and visited a café called Three Monkeys Café, which was a great spot to just chill out. Once we reached our amazing hotel, we were blown away by how great it was. Unlike Pisaq, the showers here actually let us control both the temperature and water pressure (It was one of the best showers I have ever taken).

We ended the night by walking down the beautiful streets of Cusco to an upscale Peruvian restaurant, where I tried Inca Kola and raw alpaca for the first time. Back at the hotel, we wrapped up the day with our shoutout circle and the itinerary for the next day.

From ancient tunnels to scavenger hunts, today was the perfect blend of adventure, laughter, and bonding. Looking forward to tomorrow already! 🙂

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

Today we continued our excursion in Cusco and took a trip to the lake for some nice kayaking. We started our day with a yummy breakfast and a surprise adorable puppy named Nala. Nala is a black possible Labrador and is just the cutest little land shark (because boy is she teething).

After breakfast we brought our bags into the car and drove to this gorgeous lake to do some paddle boarding and kayaking. The air was so fresh and the water was quite chilly. We continued our lakeside experience with a tasty lunch and yet another adorable puppy named Lila. Lila was a firecracker, biting everyone’s ankles and stealing everyone’s shoes, but even then we couldn’t get enough of her squishy face.

Once we finished lunch we took off to explore some ancient Inca farms that looked like big stadiums. Big rings that grew in size hollowed into the earth. Each layer was for a different type of crop as Hector explained to us. The holes were supposedly first created by meteorites that crashed and made big craters.

We walked around the rings, then made our way to some salt farms. The nearby mountains contain salt, which is transported as a sediment by a stream into pools where the water is evaporated. The original spring comes out of the mountains at a scorching 32 degrees. By this point we were all exhausted. After a short tour we got back in our van.

We ended up eating hamburgers for dinner. This was followed by a short health check in, and the rest was free to relax and prepare for lights out.

– Ari and Zadik

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

Today was another typical day of work. After breakfast, the engineer for the project gave a presentation on different topics we would learn about during the trip.

On the drive to work, Maggie let us play music on the speaker, which made the car ride a lot more exciting. When we got to the work site, ​​we unraveled another heavy pipe and connected it to the others using valves. It’s starting to come together, little by little.

We were still blasting music on the speaker, which made the work more fun. At one point, we started smashing open rocks just for fun; it was weirdly satisfying.

For lunch, we had chicken and rice, and the best part was the passionfruit juice. It was super good and really refreshing after working so hard. Later in the day, it started to rain a little while we were still working, but it actually felt kind of nice.

After working for a while, it was finally over. We all hopped into the van and started our drive back to Pisaq. When we got back to home base, Maggie suggested that we get crepes. We all loved the idea, so we said we would leave in an hour. After getting to the crepe place, we saw a sign that said they were closed on Saturdays, of course. The group then decided to go to a cafe in the main plaza. At the cafe, there were some cats that greeted us once we sat down. I love cats, so I obviously went to say hi. The cat was very friendly and looked very similar to my old cat, Landis. As I was petting the cat, she climbed into my lap and was very comfortable.

Once we got back to the hotel, we had a little time to relax before shout-out circle. Dinner tonight was chicken and rice again, but dessert was some sort of rice pudding, which was amazing! We ended the night by talking about our strengths and weaknesses. This activity was pretty fun because I liked hearing the characteristics of other people in the group.
Adios!

– Jackson

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Today was filled with both friendly fun and hard work. We started the day bright and early waking up at 6:30 AM to do our daily routine such as showering and brushing our teeth. After eating breakfast at 7:00 AM we headed to the project cite.

Today was by far the most physically taxing yet and combined with the fact that we had almost half as much man power as we usually do, made it very hard to make any progress. Not only were we faced with carrying pipes laying them and connecting, but also had to refuel the trenches that previous groups dug. We spent an hour and a half just to make barely any progress and had to take frequent breaks. Thankfully shortly after lunch the worker’s supervising us saw this and let us return a little early.

We then had free time before learning how to do traditional Peruvian dances and the salsa. Finally we ended the day with group card games such as Go Fish and President.

– Ryan and Aryan

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 28

Today was not a day of labor, it was a day of experiences. We began the day bright and early, ate a quick breakfast, and headed to the first activity: ceramics. Under the guidance of a local expert, we turned lumps of clay into small pots, pendants, and whatever else our hearts desired. Next, we walked a short distance to see a demonstration of Incan instruments. A scholar of Incan music demonstrated a wide range of instruments, from high-pitched woodwinds to low drums and a rain stick that filled the room.

We then returned to home base for lunch and some brief relaxation, during which a game of Hearts was played. In this game, the moon was shot two hands in a row. The following activity was a visit to Incan ruins in the mountains near Pisac. There were beautiful views of ancient farming terraces, as well as the valley below.

Upon our return, we rested briefly, then went into town to a local café. They specialize in crêpes, and the one I ordered was delicious. We continued playing Hearts while at the café.

Dinner was not long after we returned, which was the pizza we were promised several days prior. We concluded the day with a guided discussion about energy, burnout, and what is and isn’t in a person’s control. After one last hand of cards, we retired to our beds.

– Peder

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

This morning was chaotic since all woke up late for breakfast. We all had to scramble to get to the work site. Once we arrived at the site things started off sloppy with everyone still tired it was a struggle to lift the first pipe. Keep in mind these pipes were heavier than they looked almost 300 pounds so it was no joke rolling them down hill. However, today was by far the most satisfying because we had finally sealed a leak that was a thorn in our side for two days.

Later in the afternoon, we got to do something cool and exciting. We visited locals who showed us how they make fabric using natural dyes.

Unfortunately, the day wasn’t all sun shined and rainbows because we were excited about playing sports but sadly the school with all the fields and courts was closed. After that the day didn’t get much better as we didn’t have our phones, but we went to our favorite crepe place again.

Finally after our dinner and evening event about CVs and resumes, Ariella, Aryan, Jackson, and I played some Roblox horror games to end the day. Honestly, it wasn’t a bad way to end the day. I think it was a great way to end the day since we all had fun and probably screamed more than we should have.

– Ryan

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 30

Today we woke up bright and early at 7:30. We had an engineering workshop with Alvaro to discuss problems in the world that we wanted to solve. In that workshop we went over each partner’s ideas for their projects and got a professional opinion. After about 2 hours of discussion, we picked up and left for work.

At work we ran into a problem… one of the pipes had a manufacturing defect and was smaller in circumference on one end. This caused a leak in the pipe that would have been detrimental to the project. Although tired, we split up into groups to rectify this issue. One group sawed off a piece of another pipe, and the other went to fetch another valve so we could connect the new piece of pipe on both ends. In between work, we practiced our chicken trapping skills and almost all of us successfully caught ourselves a chicken.

After we finished our work, we returned to home base where a lovely lady gave us a presentation on her life as an agricultural farmer. She was very passionate about her work and had us sing a dainty tune to promote growth for her corn. She showed us about 20 various plants, each with their own unique properties and uses.

For our free time, we went to a nearby soccer field and played a fun game of 5v4 soccer. After that, we played a thrilling game of volleyball (this got very competitive).

Thank you for reading.

– Ary and Ari

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 31

Today we woke up at around 7:45 to have breakfast at 8:00. We had a super fun and packed day today, filled with rafting, hail, and dancing around a fire.

We headed out at 9:00 for rafting. The drive was about 2 hours long, so that meant a quick nap for everyone. Once we arrived at the rafting cabin, we put on wetsuits, rain jackets, and water shoes. In the water, we went on rapids up to class 3. Some of them got my heart racing, and I think Ryan’s too. On one of the rapids, Ryan went flying out into the freezing cold water.

At the end of the rapids, where it was a lot calmer, some people and I jumped off the raft into the water; it was so cold! After getting back to the cabin, we all took hot showers and ate some tasty soup and chicken.

Next was our drive to meet the home-stay family. On our drive to the home-stay, it started hailing and raining super hard. We all ran straight to the house to avoid getting wet. The family was super kind and welcoming.

After eating a great dinner, we all put on Peruvian clothes and walked over to the fire. A man started playing the guitar, and the ladies were singing in another language. We all started to walk around the fire and dance. Overall, today was an amazing day. Goodbye.

– Jackson and Zadik

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1

Today kind of passed in a blur. We all woke up still tired from rafting the day before, and took a walk over to a nearby messenger resting village from Inca times.

Afterwards, we helped our hosts harvest some very important Fava beans. We each got a gift to help us remember the families we stayed with. It was then that we began traveling. We stopped at a salty lagoon for the taste and the rock skipping. Much later, we stopped again and played volleyball and fútbol with local women (the score was up for “debate”).

More traveling was had, and we arrived back at home base just in time for a Pulse Check™ and dinner. Finally, we kind of just went to bed. The End.

– Zadik

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2

Today’s activities were a diverse mix of the types of experiences this program has to offer. The day’s first event was a presentation given by Alvaro, the civil engineer in charge of the service project. He showed us examples of various digital models and modeling tools used in his career, from a 3D render of a house to more traditional diagrams.

After this, we left for the project site, where we spent a few hours burying sections of the pipe that will eventually supply water to several local fields. Following our labor, we took a short hike to see rock paintings dated to around 6000 years ago.

We then returned to home base, and after a short rest, we listened as our counselor and Cusco native Hector talked to us about his life, leadership, and how important people carry big sticks. Dinner consisted of rice, black beans, and beef, about which there were no complaints.

The day’s final activity was designated time to work on our presentations for theoretical engineering projects. We then played a few rounds of Among Us, after which we headed off to rest up for the next day.

– Peder

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 3

Today we woke up bright and early at 7:00 am for breakfast. After a lesson on the different forms of reciprocity in Incan society, we head off for our final day of work. We enthusiastically got to work filling in the last stretch of trenches, covering up the pipes and completing our main task of bringing the community of Chahuaytire water. Our work was harder today than any other as the soil was much more rocky and coarse than before, and many of our teammates were succumbing to sickness. Nonetheless, we got the job done and took a fire pic with our tools to show our success.

Soon after we had lunch along with a celebratory game of soccer, after which we journeyed home and took a well deserved rest. After free time ended we were honored to have a guest speaker named Mark who educated us about the dangerous problem of melting glaciers in Peru. He then went on to talk about how the problem needed to be addressed because Peruvian people get majority of their drinking water from glaciers and Peru has 70% of the total tropical glaciers in South America. On top of that 56% of the glaciers in Peru have already melted. Unfortunately there’s nothing anybody can do to stop the glaciers from melting but the people in Peru should be aware of the problem and know how to adapt when they run out of water. After the presentation Mark asked us trivia about what we learned and Peder and Ryan absolutely demolished me. It came down to one question but Peder took home the win and won a cool custom hat as a prize.

Later me, Ryan, Jackson, and Peder headed to get crépes and play Uno which was a blast. We then made a quick stop at the convenience store and went to the hotel.

We ended the day by preparing to give our presentations tomorrow on the projects we have been working on.

– Aryan and Ryan

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4

Hello,

Today we went to Chahuaytire one last time to celebrate the end of our project. Kind words of appreciation were shared by the local members of the community and our group, and we ended with two traditions from this region: breaking a bottle of champagne (literally only breaking it, as no one drank it) and sharing a meal of potatoes and cheese.

Afterwards, we came back to the homebase, and started the afternoon with our presentations about our project proposals. Each group identified a problem here in Peru or the United States, later designing an engineering and social project that would address this. We, staff team, were very impressed with our students.

We followed with our last curriculum activity where students set goals for their lifes after the program, and with a quick snack run to get the right fuel for tomorrow’s hike.

We ended the night with a campfire, which was great to forget about the cold of the Andean mountains for while, and our attempt of Peruvian smores.

Stay tuned to hear about how adventure tomorrow in the Lares Trek.

– Maggie

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6

We started the day off later than usual at 8 AM. We all struggled to pack our clothes back into the duffle bag because of both the lack of sleep and space inside the bag. Everyone got terrible sleep because we were kept up all night by a barking dog. I hobbled over to the breakfast table and shoved an omelet and bacon into my plate and ignored the pleads of the dogs for food. After breakfast Hector our counselor presented us with two choices. We could hike two hours down hill to the hotel or drive there and then hike up a mountain. Since everyone was tired and lazy we chose the easier first option.

After we finished our hike we arrived at a restaurant where we ate lunch and dinner. Me, Peter, Aryan, and Zadik waited for Ariella and Jackson and then after dinner we went to go to the hotel and everyone went straight to bed after the long day.

Overall the highlight of the day was the beautiful views on the hike.

– Ryan

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7

Today was an exciting day—we woke up early for our much-anticipated visit to Machu Picchu. After a quick breakfast, we left Aguas Calientes around 6 a.m. to catch the bus. The ride wound its way up the mountain, offering breathtaking views of the Andes, showing us how far we had come. The road was bumpy at times, but the scenery more than made up for it.

At the top, our guide, Sonia, led us through the ancient city. She shared stories about the Incan civilization that once thrived here and gave us the best angles to capture the stone ruins in photos. We took plenty of pictures, not just of the site, but as a group which I think brought us closer together.

Once our photo session wrapped up, we began the descent back down the mountain and headed to a fancy restaurant in town for lunch. The food exceeded my expectations, and we found extra entertainment in watching MMA matches on the restaurant’s TV, which kept the energy high.

From there, we boarded the train to a nearby city, saying our final goodbye to Aguas Calientes. A short stop for snacks and drinks gave us fuel for the long drive back to Pisac. By the time we arrived at our home base, we were all thoroughly exhausted.

We closed the evening with our penultimate dinner at the hotel before retreating to our rooms to get some rest—because tomorrow would have its own challenges: packing.

As always, thank you for reading.

—Aryan

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 8

Hello!

Today we started with a late breakfast, which was much needed as everyone was so tired from the last three days of hiking, visiting one of the 7 wonders and travelling.

Afterwards, we headed out to the local artisan market to buy last minute gifts and unique souvenirs to take home.

After lunch, Ariella and Ryan presented their project proposal. It was about the construction of a homeless shelter in Los Angeles, to address the current problem in skid road.

Later in the afternoon, we all took some time to finish packing, before we started our trivia jeopardy style! There were questions on geography, science, sports and Peru.

Dinner was one of our favourite – burgers and cake. The night ended with an appreciation twister and a round of a game we all played.

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 9

The morning started bright and early for Jackson and Peder, who had to leave at 4am to Cusco airport.

The rest of us had a late breakfast, some more time for packing and to say goodbye to our favourite alpaca, Paco.

After one last hearty lunch at the homebase, we set our way to Cusco airport.

Firstly, we dropped Ariella and Aryan. Later we went to watch a local basketball game until it was time for Ryan to fly out.
The last one to leave was Zadik, who went to the airport after a “pretty alright” rotisserie chicken.

We wish our students safe travels and all the best in their future endeavours!