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

Here are a few things you can 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

*Please note – Posts below are in order of most recent first.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 8

After waking up and packing our luggage in our last day in Bukit Lawang, we ate breakfast and starting heading towards Medan, the capital of the island Sumatra. During the 5 hour drive, some students slept, some sang the drive away, some read Qur’an and some chatted with each other. Early into the drive, we stopped at an indomart to buy snacks and other necessities but it was also a bathroom stop.

When we got to Medan, our first stop was at a restaurant to eat lunch. Then, we reached our first destination, where we saw the thrones of past kings and queens, their preserved furniture and got to learn some new facts about their lives, in addition to buying souvenirs to take back home.

After that, we went to Tjong afie Mansion. In there, we saw many paintings that depict the way of lives of the people who live there and we learned a lot about the history of the area. But most importantly, we fortunately got to meet madam Mimi.

Then, we drove to the hotel to have a couple of hours of rest and eat dinner. And finally, we had a meeting discussing tomorrow’s plans and played a little game to end the day.

Your Leader Of The Day,
Abdulla Ali

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7

Today I woke up at 7:00 I prepared myself , I took a shower and packed some of the things in my bag and then I went to wake up my friends and then we went down at 8:00 we ate the breakfast it was amazing.

Then at 9:30 we started walking to Green house for our renovation project and teaching kids Quran, we arrived at 10:00 am then we cleaned, painted and decorated the place and we made a huge poster with the names of Allah، then the lunch has arrived and it was amazing lunch, then I bought for everyone a candy, after the lunch.

Then after minutes we went to the mosque to teach the kids Quran and we taught them and it was amazing experience.

And on the way back to the hotel it was rainy, but it was amazing 🤩.
Then we went back to the hotel and we got a rest time from 4:30 until 6:30 then at 6:30 we went to dinner and after dinner we had a activity to set our goals individually and as a group.

We ended the night with the chow circle.

Your Leader Of The Day,
Mansour Awad Al Darmaki

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6

We got up at 7:00 am. I brushed my teeth and took a shower, then we all went to have breakfast at 8:00 am in the resort. After breakfast, we split into two groups and went to the river at 9:00 to talk together. At 9:30, we got on the bus and headed to the tempeh factory. We split into three groups, each with its own tasks. We would swap tasks each time. The first group learned how to make tempe, the second group wrote questions for the business owner, and the third group was in the middle of the bridge admiring the view.

At 10:30, we got on the bus again and headed to the tofu factory. We split into two groups. The first group went to see how tofu is made while the second group waited until it was their turn. At 11:30, we went to the brown sugar factory, tried brown sugar, saw how it was made, and prepared some brown sugar. Some of the students bought brown sugar for themselves.

At 1:00 pm, we arrived at Landbow Village and had lunch there. At 2:30, we went to Project Wings and planted a large amount of avocado. At 4:30, after we finished planting, we went back to the hotel to rest. At 6:00, some of the students went to the souvenir shop to buy some items, also some of them decided to stayed in the hotel and rest. At 7:00, we went to the restaurant to have dinner. At 8:30, we got back to the resort and had the chow circle. At 9:00 pm, we all got back to our rooms, took a shower, and got ready for sleep. By 9:30, we were all in our rooms ready for sleep. At 10:00, lights were out and we went to sleep, and so our day ended.

Your Leader Of The Day,

Obaid

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5

Today I got up energetic because I am the leader. As soon as I got up I went to the bathroom, took a shower, got ready, prayed, and then woke up the guys to be present and ready at the restaurant while they ate well. Then I gathered them all at 9:30 to play the game I invented. The idea of ​​the game is that each person from each team poses a puzzle to the other team and the team that answers all the puzzles wins. The teams were divided into Lauren’s team, which is the girls’ team, Musha’s team, and Brad’s team. The game started and the final result was Lauren’s team winning by five points over the others.

‏After that, we got ready to go to Imam’s house. On the way, the weather was hot. Imam and I were singing until we reached our destination. After we arrived, we sat on the ground, drank water, and started making a basket from bamboo branches. It was a long and a bit difficult experience, but it was worth the experience. After we finished making the bamboo, it was lunch time. We washed our hands with soap and water, chose the dishes that were available, and ate. The food was very delicious.

‏After that, we started walking to Techno’s house to teach the children to read the Quran. Upon arrival, we performed ablution and sat in one place. Then we taught the children. It was a very ideal experience and we benefited a lot from it. After that, we decorated the place with Arabic letters and painted the wood. We started to return to the hotel safely and stopped for a while in the neighbourhood to buy ice cream.

‏After we arrived at the hotel at 6:30, I gave them the necessary instructions. Dinner was at 7:00, and after dinner we all gathered to play GLA games. The activity about shark tank was that each team presents its project idea to the Judges, the idea was to come up with a project that helps solve some of Bukit Lawangs issues like waste management, deforestation.. and the best project that preserves the environment and has a new idea wins. The thinking and preparation on the board was a beautiful thing. After that, we had the chow circle, and after that, the shootout, and my day ended. It was a very beautiful day and it will be stuck in my mind forever.

Your Leader Of The Day,
Salem

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4

We began our day with breakfast around7:30 AM. The weather was pleasant and breezy, thanks to yesterday’s rainfall. By8:30 AM, we gathered in a circle where I kicked off the day’s announcements, ensuring everyone was excited and energized for our hike in the national park. We crossed the bridge that linked the park to our hotel and climbed a long flight of stairs. The start of our hike wasn’t as intense as our previous one; it felt like we were acclimating, and our bodies were getting used to the activity. We had come a long way in a short period, and the experience was both thrilling and enjoyable. Along the trail, we passed rubber trees and spotted some orangutans, as well as Thomas’s leaf monkeys. We paused for some fruit to recharge before diving into trivia questions, where the group leader quizzed everyone.

After that, we resumed our trek. As we walked further, the terrain became challenging; the ground was slippery from the mud, and we found ourselves stumbling frequently. Eventually, the trail narrowed and grew tougher, but we persevered and were rewarded with lunch in front of a breathtaking view of the surrounding jungle and trees. Despite the difficulties of the hike, we managed to reach the exit and head back to the hotel. Though the trek was exhausting, we arrived safely and took some time to rest and refresh. We reconvened at5:30 PM to discuss the following day’s activities and make preparations. We wrapped up the meeting with our “chow” circle and chose the next leader for tomorrow. For dinner, we indulged in some phenomenal Indonesian dishes. Later that evening, we gathered again for a quick game and watched a movie about the national park we had hiked earlier. Finally, we returned to our rooms by9:30 PM and settled in for a good night’s sleep.

Your leader of the day today,
Alia

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 3

Saturday, August 3rd was a defining day during my Global Leadership Adventures (GLA) journey in Indonesia. As leader of the day, I woke early for a hearty breakfast with my peers, all dressed in service attire and ready for a day of meaningful experiences.

We started at Erna’s Compost House, exploring sustainable practices and participating in mini cooking sessions. Over lunch, we bonded through personal storytelling, deepening our connection as a team.

In the afternoon, at the Sumatra Trash Bank, we engaged in an eco-brick workshop, turning hard plastics into practical items. Visiting a local souvenir vendor later, I encouraged my peers to support local artisans and learn about Sumatran culture.

The day concluded with a reflective dinner where we shared our insights and growth. Leading discussions and activities throughout the day reinforced my commitment to service and leadership.

This experience with GLA has been transformative, teaching me invaluable lessons in community engagement and making a positive impact. I look forward to continuing this journey, inspired by the connections we’ve made and the difference we’ve begun to create.

Your Leader Of The Day,
Shams

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2

Today, we woke up at seven to prepare for breakfast. After getting ready, we went down to eat. They added pancakes with bananas and a side of chocolate to our breakfast spread. Afterward, we gathered in front of the Golden Tree to discuss our plans for the day.

Today’s schedule included cooking lunch to place in front of the mosque for people to eat after Friday prayer and to distribute in the community. We headed to Imam’s house to prepare the lunch. The boys took charge of cooking a few dishes while the girls cooked a few dishes and packed the meals for the boys to deliver to the mosque and for the girls to distribute in the community.

After delivering the lunch, we returned to Imam’s house to clean the dishes we had used, then headed back to the hotel. On our way back, we found an Indo market and decided to stop in to get some snacks. After getting the snacks, we took a new path to the hotel, which turned out to be a shortcut with beautiful views, where we took some pictures.

Upon reaching the hotel, we formed a circle to make some announcements, and afterward, the students headed to their rooms to rest.

The students reassembled in the meeting room at 5 o’clock to start a debate, engaging in three sections and the government. After the debate concluded, the students received the results and then headed down for dinner. Following dinner, they prayed and came back up to play the Jumping Joe Jumps game.

At half past seven, the students gathered in the meeting room to start the game and pick the team leader for tomorrow.

Your leader of the day,
Saif Alsheryani

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1

Hello the leader has arrived!!

In the beginning of my day as a leader I felt a huge responsibility towards me, but my actions and personality changed my way of thinking. Let’s begin!
I woke up around 5:45-6:00, I had a wonderful shower time as a leader of the day, after the warm shower I head to work to wake up my community members who are my friends and FAMILY.. We had a great breakfast with a lots of food, after that we headed up stairs to start out today’s presentation! So our activity’s for today is:

•Farming with PPLH
•Service Activity
•Going to local farmer land
•Making beds for vegetables
•Mixing the soil with compost
•Planting Organic Vegetables

Believe me it wasn’t what I thought it will be as tough day lol.
So before we head out I had a short message to everyone in my group, it’s about how I appreciate them and building relationships and FAMILY.

“I cannot describe my feeling as I adapted to a strange and unknown country that enjoys its greenery and nature, and its residents who smile no matter what their circumstances, so here I am writing my letter with the sound of raindrops, thunder, and the breeze of nature. I do not know what will happen in the unknown future, but I am certain and optimistic that I will build new memories and friendships in my life. I wish myself and everyone success in this trip and build another family whom I will remember with goodness. Here I stand with my message today and look at Abdullah Youssef, Abdullah Ali, Abdullah Saeed, Saif, Salem, Obaid, Rashed, and Mansour, his brother and family holding together. Also, Aisha, Alia, Shams, Khalwa, and Sara, I look at them as family in this program…

That was my message as a leader of the day!

We headed out for our first Activity to farm with PPLH group, I stated looking for them to be safe on the streets and I got some help from my friend Abdulla Yousef we where organizing the group into a straight line.

We arrived to the PPLH community and believe me it’s *heaven* the greenery nature surrounding us and the perfect clouds that was fully with water I guess and the mountains that covered into green trees and plants I never believed that I will see this amazing environment in real life…Forward more, we started to digging and planting plants in our area and mixing soil with compost believe me it wasn’t that easy but we did it after all!

We had our lunch with the PPLH group they are so sweet and the food UGH it was AMAZING AND DELICIOUS! After the great lunch I started meeting my group to discuss our next activity.

We headed out to our Activity but we stopped at Project wings to pray Zuhr and Asr, after we finished our prayer we continued to our destination to middle of the forest.. of course, I watched them to make sure that they are safe from the street.

We arrived to the forest and I just started wandering how our world is beautiful and how we should give our world what it’s worth and deserves GUYS I FELT THAT IM IN HEAVEN!!

We heard a thunder coming from mountains and directly we knew that there is storm coming.. so we planted out trees fast and I took some of the plants from the girls because they cannot get down, the storm has arrived and the wind is strong that we felt like a movie, directly we wore our rain jackets and headed back to the hotel but the rain started and we were feeling every minute of the rain GUYS me and my friends were enjoying the rain while going back to the hotel.

We arrived to the hotel and we must meet at 5:00pm to do chow and play a game, we had a break from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, I had a great shower and rest in my room.
5:00pm I started to gather the students to do the chow circle, they had to circle around and of course the start to shout out for every on of us including me as a GREAT LEADER, then we had a small activity to write something that we ate or did in this program and stick it on a pillow, we throw it around as a circle and read something that grabs our attention and say if we liked or hated and WHY?

So after this amazing session we headed out for our first dinner in a restaurant together and it was so sweet and special to me it felt as a one big family.
After the great dinner we headed back to the hotel and everyone one started thanking me as a great leadership and how I was looking for them to be safe in our day, of course everyone one of us was a risk takers and courageous and knowledgeable.

As a conclusion, its a great opportunity for everyone to be a leader of the day and knowing that they will have a great responsibility for everyone, and this will effect my personality in different ways POSITIVELY. So don’t miss out this opportunity and be a courageous for it!💪🏾

Thank you
Your leader for today,
Mubarak

BLOG POST FOR JULY 31

Everyone was up and eating breakfast around 7:30, after breakfast we gathered around in front of the golden tree and got walked through of what we were going to do today, which was hiking and then head to a coffee shop for a “get to know each other” activity. After getting separated into our mentor groups we started crossing the bridge. After reaching the other side of the bridge we started going up a very long flight of stairs, which was very exhausting.

After these stairs came a huge area filled with rubber trees, Eddie, our guide, talked to us about these trees and how they’re a huge help to the environment. Filled with hardship our hike continued until we’ve reached the location where orangoutangs can be sighted. After that we continued the hike and reached a stop where we had fresh local fruits and we got quizzed on some of the info that we were given during the hike. We then continued hiking and on our way we’ve seen some of the most beautiful and fascinating creatures and plants. We walked back to the entrance but we made a stop before getting there to rest and eat a delicious lunch.

When we got back to the hotel we took some rest and then we went to a coffee shop which had amazing views, for the activity, which was one of the most fun activities that really helped us to get to know each other in more depth. We got back to the hotel later on and had our daily chow circle and then everyone ate dinner and by that time everyone was very tired so everyone just headed to their rooms for some rest.

Your Leader for today,
Aisha

BLOG POST FOR JULY 30

We woke up at 6:00 in the morning, took a shower and prayed. We had breakfast at 7:30 am. we went for a walk in our local village visiting the coconut shell cup makers house and roof makers house and we arrived at the location of our activity and there we made a cup from coconut shells and the second activity we where making a roof top out of saplings and bamboo.

After that we went walking to project wings so we could discover and learn about the place. We heard that we will be visiting project wings again as well. The time there and was all about recycling plastic and saving trees. We learned a bit about being responsible as leaders and how we can help make a better future for the world. We also saw the cool eco bricks. There where Indonesian children learning English and they were so kind. We walked back to the hotel and had a 2 hour break till our next activity and I was the one responsible for getting every one to the meeting area by time because I was the leader of the day and I think that I did a good job because I got a lot of compliments from both the students and the staff.

When everyone was in the area me and the staff members gave the students some instructions of what will we be doing for the rest of the day and the day after it. We had a small activity and it was a nice game for both students and staff and after that we did a small game of agreeing and disagreeing on social media usage. After that we spent some time journaling and thinking of goals and wrote the goals in a big page. We shared the goals with the group and discussed. We were set for the day so we could go to sleep and rest for the big hike that is awaiting us tomorrow.

Your leader of the day today,
Abdulla Yousef

BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

Hey everyone this is team GLA here, The group arrived to the hotel last night at about 11 pm and got checked into their rooms and went straight to bed after a tiring travel. Below is our blog written by todays leader of the day Rashed.

Today, I was elected as the leader of the day. It was a very long but fun day. We woke up at 6 AM, and breakfast was at 7:30 AM. After eating breakfast, we left the hotel at 8 AM, marking the start of our road trip. Halfway through, we stopped at a convenience store to grab a few snacks and ice cream for the trip and for later at the hotel.

Once we arrived at the hotel, we had lunch and then went to our rooms. We had some alone time for an hour before heading downstairs for a discussion about expectations, rules, and other important details about our trip. We were then told to get our bags for a scavenger hunt. We split into two groups, and the hunt began. Unfortunately, the other team won, but we were only one point away.

Dinner was at 6:30 PM, followed by a community agreement discussion at 7 PM, where we wrote and signed agreements to ensure we would adhere to them. After that, we had a brief talk with our mentors about health and how we were doing. At 8:30 PM, we went to our rooms to relax for a bit. Finally, lights out was at 10pm.

Stay tuned for more updates on our adventures to come!

Your leader of the day,
Rashed

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

Here are a few things you can 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

*Please note – Posts below are in order of most recent first.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 15

Blogs authors: Sara & Fares

Good morning, evening or afternoon everyone. I was today’s leader (August 15, 2024) and my name is Sara Alhabtari.

Today was our last full day before traveling back to Abu Dhabi. We started off our day at 7:30, and had breakfast before our 2 hour bus trip to Hang Múa. After arriving, we hiked to the top of a mountain that had around 500 steps. When finishing the hike, we explored the gorgeous lotus fields that were next to the mountain.

We left Hang Múa and had lunch at a restaurant nearby. After our meal, we went to Tam Coc. We had a very enjoyable boat ride, and in my opinion, was one of the highlights of the trip. The boat ride lasted for an hour and 30 minutes. During the ride, we saw various mountains and we even went through a small cave. These beautiful views were perfect for capturing amazing photos to show our family and friends.

We had another 2 hour long bus ride back to Hanoi, and rested at our hotel before having our daily evening Chow circle. After a long day, we had a delicious dinner at an Egyptian restaurant, then headed back to the hotel for a group activity.

That concludes our day, thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته بالجميع، انا اسمي فارس عمر، اليوم تم اختياري بأن اكون قائد المجموعة (٢٠٢٤-٨-١٥)

بدأت مغامرتنا بركوب الحافلة إلى هانغ موا، التي وصلنا إليها اخيرا على الساعه 10:40 بعد رحله في الباص امتدت لساعتين. انطلقنا مباشرة في رحلة المشي الى اعلى الجبل، التي رغم الحرارة الشديدة، كانت مجزية للغاية بسبب المناظر الخلابة. بعد الرحلة، استكشفنا كهفاً قريباً، وعلى الرغم من صغره، فقد كان يتمتع بنسيم منعش.

ثم أخذنا استراحة ضرورية في مقهى قبل أن نركب الحافلة مرة أخرى في الساعة 12:02 ظهراً لتناول الغداء. وصلنا إلى المطعم في الساعة 12:14 ظهراً، حيث استمتعنا بوجبة مغذية منحتنا الطاقة لبقية اليوم.

بعد الغداء، مشينا إلى ميناء مصغر وركبنا قارباً لجولة بحرية استمرت ساعة حول تام كوك. كانت المناظر مرة أخرى مذهلة وجميلة.

عدنا إلى هانوي بالحافلة، و بدأنا بالتحرك في حوالي الساعة 2:45 مساءً، ووصلنا إلى الفندق في الساعة 5:00 مساءً. كان لدينا وقت فراغ حتى الساعة 6:00 مساءً، وبعد ذلك تجمعنا لدائرة الحوار قبل أن نتوجه إلى العشاء. كانت وجبة العشاء اليوم أطباقاً مصرية، التي كانت لذيذة كما في المرة السابقة، بعد العشاء اتجهنا الى الفندق مجدداً لنُنهي اليوم بنشاط جماعي.

هذه كانت نهاية يومنا. شكراً لقراءتكم، ووداعاً!

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 14

Hello all readers, I’m today’s (Aug 14 2024) female leader Wadeema Zayed and I’ll be summarizing a little of what we did today.

We first started off the day with breakfast at 7:30-8:30 am at the Silk Path Hotel. Once we finished eating, we got onto the bus and drove towards the friendship village where we met with veterans of the Vietnamese war. We all individually prepared questions the night before to ask them during our chow circle. We took our questions along with us and had a thorough discussion where we were able to exchange stories, questions, and discuss some of their experiences during and after the war. It was super interesting to learn more about their stories and their experiences one-on-one.

Afterwards, we headed out to a pizza place and did some light shopping while around the mall. After an agreed time out, we gathered together and rode on the bus to go back to the friendship village to finish off our mural that we had previously been working on. During this time we met new volunteers who joined us in completing our mural. During this time we also hung out with the kids who came and visited us inside the movement room where we were working. Once we were done we said our final goodbyes to all the kids and workers at the friendship village and took a memorable goodbye picture of our group beside the mural.

We then travelled back to the hotel and rested until 5:50pm when we came down for for our nightly chow circle and brought down our laundry for the last time on this trip! We then visited a new Egyptian restaurant which we enjoyed and did not expect to be as tasty as it was. Later we ended our day with optional shopping for those who wanted to get some extra souvenirs for family and friends.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. 🐙

معكم موسى البلوشي ، طالب مشارك في رحلة ADEK إلى فيتنام. اليوم هو اليوم الأخير لنا في “قرية الصداقة”. في بداية اليوم، تحدثنا مع الجنود الذين حاربوا ضد أمريكا، حيث شاركونا قصصًا عن الصعوبات والتحديات التي واجهوها. كان هناك موقف طريف عندما كان أحد الجنود مختبئًا تحت الأشجار، وقد وضع على جسده أشياء لكي لا يستطيع الكلب التعرف عليه. لكن الكلب صعد على ظهره وأزال الأوساخ عنه، مما جعل الموقف مرعبًا ومضحكًا في نفس الوقت.

بعد ذلك، توجهنا إلى مول قريب، حيث تناولنا وجبة البيتزا وحصلنا على بضع دقائق للتسوق. ثم عدنا إلى “قرية الصداقة” لنكمل رسمتنا على الجدار. وبعد يوم مليء بالنشاطات، ذهبنا للعب مع الأطفال في القرية، حيث شاركناهم في مباراة كرة القدم.

عندما عدنا إلى الفندق، أخذنا قسطًا من الراحة، ثم خرجنا للعشاء في مطعم لبناني. في نهاية اليوم، زرنا أكبر مول في العاصمة، وبعدها عدنا إلى الفندق لنختم يومنا.

شكرًا لكم.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 13

Blog’s authors: Fares

Hello, dear readers. My name is Fares Omar, and I served as today’s group leader on August 13, 2024.

My day began at 7:30 AM as we prepared to visit Vung Vieng village, a picturesque settlement nestled above the water. Upon arrival, we embarked on fishing boats for a captivating ride through the mountainous scenery. The boat ride, lasting nearly 45 minutes, was a highlight of the trip. After returning to our starting point, we learned about pearl cultivation from the locals. We discovered that there are three types of pearls, each varying in size and price.

Following our time in Vung Vieng village, we returned to the main boat to pack our bags and check out. We enjoyed a magnificent brunch at 10:10 AM, which was a delightful and generous meal.

After a memorable boat ride and an excellent brunch, we docked at the harbor and boarded a bus for a 3-4 hour journey to Hanoi. We arrived at our hotel around 3:20 PM and took a well-deserved break until 5:30 PM. During this time, we discussed cultural exchange topics and brainstormed questions for the veterans.

In the evening, we gathered for the chow circle and then went out for a well needed nourishing meal since we didn’t have anything to eat since the brunch.
After dinner we had a light night stroll.

That concludes our day. Thank you for reading, and farewell.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 12

Blog’s authors: Sara & Mohammed

Good morning, good evening and good afternoon everyone. I am captain Sara Alshkeili, the appointed queen of the pirates and the leader of my crews first day of our voyage at sea on the 12th.

Our morning started with a light breakfast to fuel us for the following four hour bus trip to the eastern coast of Vietnam, Ha Long Bay. Midway, we made a stop at a highway station where we refilled our snack stocks.

Upon arrival to the Bay Area, we boarded our private cruise ship where we were greeted by the accommodating and friendly staff. Hank, our tour guide, introduced us to the itinerary and geological and cultural features of the bay.

Lunch time came by before we could comprehend the beauty of the sea and sky around us. We traveling east bound on the way to a minute island infested with caves that formed over millennia’s. There we entered a cave which displayed the architectural lithology. Afterwards we took a stroll under the heat vibrations of the sun on the beach of the island. Large stumps littered the sand and made for great climbing rocks as I and other students and mentors discovered. There we had a great photoshoot, enjoyed the subtlety fishy air and the sound of waves breaking ashore.

This night was one of the busiest, with a not so productive fishing session, social media detox, horror movie and games night.

Ha Long Bay really did bring us all back to the nature where we belong and marked the highlight of not only mine but many other friends trip to Vietnam.

مرحبًا أيها القراء! أنا محمد، قائد المجموعة في رحلتنا إلى خليج ها لونغ، فيتنام، بتاريخ 12 أغسطس 2024.

بدأ صباحنا بإفطار خفيف لنتزود بالطاقة لرحلتنا التي تستغرق أربع ساعات بالحافلة إلى الساحل الشرقي لفيتنام، حيث يقع خليج ها لونغ. في منتصف الطريق، توقفنا في محطة على الطريق السريع، وقمنا بإعادة تعبئة مخزوننا من الوجبات الخفيفة.

عند وصولنا إلى منطقة الخليج، صعدنا على متن سفينتنا السياحية الخاصة، حيث استقبلنا الموظفون الودودون والمتعاونون. قدّم لنا مرشدنا السياحي، هانك، تفاصيل خط سير الرحلة، وأطلعنا على السمات الجيولوجية والثقافية للخليج.

قبل أن نتأمل جمال البحر والسماء المحيطة بنا بشكل كامل، جاء وقت الغداء. توجهنا شرقًا نحو جزيرة صغيرة تحتوي على كهوف تشكلت على مدى آلاف السنين. دخلنا كهفًا يعرض روائع التكوينات الحجرية المعمارية. بعد ذلك، قمنا بنزهة تحت أشعة الشمس الحارة على شاطئ الجزيرة. كانت هناك جذوع كبيرة متناثرة على الرمال، شكلت صخورًا رائعة للتسلق، واستمتعنا أنا والطلاب والموجهين الآخرين بهذه التجربة. هناك، أقمنا جلسة تصوير رائعة، واستمتعنا بنسيم البحر العليل وصوت الأمواج المتكسرة على الشاطئ.

كانت تلك الليلة واحدة من أكثر الليالي حيوية، حيث قمنا بجلسة صيد، رغم أنها لم تكن منتجة، ثم استمتعنا بإزالة السموم من وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي، وشاهدنا أفلام الرعب، وأقمنا ليلة ألعاب ممتعة.

أعادنا خليج ها لونغ حقًا إلى الطبيعة التي ننتمي إليها، وكان هذا هو أبرز ما في رحلتي والعديد من أصدقائي.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 11

Blog’s authors: Maitha & Easa

Good morning, evening or afternoon everyone, a very warm welcome to all present here, respected mentors, parents and students. As for August 11th, Iwill be one the leaders of the day and go into our day.

We started off our by going back to early mornings and having breakfast
in the lounge at our usual spot. We followed up by having a morning meeting to conclude the mark of being halfway done with our trip and had a little game to play of being honest with ourselves by writing answers on a paper.

We then headed out to Duong Lam at 9AM and had a long drive to reach our destination. We first went around and saw the different landscapes and one of the oldest villages left behind with no sudden disaster. We painted on some clay tiles and shaped clay to fit onto or makeshift canvas with beautiful designs. I personally made my friends sign them off with them imprinting their thumbs onto my painting.

Lunch was rather interesting because it included different dishes that we wouldn’t usually combine however it was splendid because we ended it off with watermelon.

Ending the evening, we went to a peanut candy store and assisted in creating the candies as well as grabbing some to take back home.

We got back at around 5 PM and chilled up until 6 where we had our chow circle and then headed out for dinner that featured Indonesian cuisine. And then we went out to grab some snacks and end the night by going back to our rooms.

اليوم ذهبنا الي احدى القرى الوحيده في فيتنام التي لمتدمرت بسبب الهجومات الجوية التي اطلقتها الولايات المتحدة على فيتنام في الحرب الفيتنامي، حيث صارعة هذا القرية لتبتعد عن الحرب وفي عام 2006 تم إعلانها ارضاً تراثين للشعب الفيتنامي.

وعندما دخلنا القرية راينا مجتمعا يدمج بين الماضي والحاضر في كل أساليب الحياة وتعلمنا اكثر عن تاريخ فيتنام واسططعنا ان نتكلم مع احد السامين في القرية ليكتب لنا أبيات شعرن لنا وذكرى هذه الرحله.

و في ختام زيارتنا قمنا بصنع بعض الحلويات الشعبية في فيتنام وكيف تصنع وتعرفنا على صاحبين المحل الذين عملوا على صناعة الحلويات وكانوا جزا من عائلة عملت على الحلويات التقليدية لأجيال، وبعد ذالك عدنا إلى الفندق واسترحنا وتناولنا العشاء

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 10

Blog’s authors: Mousa & Sara

Hello, dear readers. My name is Mousa Alblooshi, and I was today’s (August 10, 2024) group leader.

We started our day with a visit to the mall at 10:00 AM, where we picked up souvenirs for our parents and enjoyed some light shopping. Afterward, we had lunch at a pizza restaurant, which was a nice break from the usual cuisine. To add some fun, we decided to do a Secret Santa gift exchange, where each of us gave a gift to another person chosen at random.

Following lunch, we returned to the hotel for a short rest. Once refreshed, we visited the Thay Pagoda, a serene and historic site that offered us a deep sense of cultural and spiritual connection. The peaceful atmosphere made it a highlight of our trip.

We ended the day with the Tonkin show, a mesmerizing cultural performance that blended history, poetry, music, and water puppetry. It beautifully showcased Vietnamese spirituality and folklore, making it the perfect end to our day.

That wraps up our beautiful and eventful day. Thank you all for reading and farewell.

مرحبا ‎،أعزائي القراء. اسمي سارة الشكيلي، وكنت قائدةُ المجموعة اليوم (10 أغسطس 2024).

‎بدأنا يومنا بزيارةٍ إلى المركز التجاري الساعة 10:00 صباحاً، حيث اشترينا تذكارات لأهلنا واستمتعنا ببعض التسوق الخفيف. بعد ذلك، تناولنا الغداء في مطعم بيتزا، وهو استراحة لطيفة من المأكولات المعتادة. ولإضافة بعض المرح، قررنا إجراء فعالية تهادوا تحابوا، حيث قدم كل واحد منا هدية لشخص آخر تم اختياره عشوائياً.

‎بعد الغداء، عدنا إلى الفندق لأخذ قسط من الراحة. بعد أن انتعشنا، زرنا معبد ثاي، وهو موقع هادئ وتاريخي منحنا إحساساً عميقاً بالاتصال الثقافي والروحي. الجو السلمي جعلها من أبرز معالم رحلتنا.

‎أنهينا اليوم بعرض تونكين، وهو عرض ثقافي ساحر يمزج بين التاريخ والشعر والموسيقى وعروض الدمى المائية. عرض بشكل جميل الروحانية والفولكلور الفيتنامي، مما جعله نهاية مثالية لنهارنا.

‎وهكذا نكون قد أنهينا يومنا الجميل والمليء بالأحداث. شكراً لكم جميعاً على القراءة، وإلى اللقاء.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 9

Blogs authors: Fares & Fatima

Hello, dear readers. My name is Fares Omar, and I was today’s (August 9, 2024) group leader.

Since it’s Friday, we began the day with a visit to the mosque for Jumma prayer, and did a bit of shopping on our way there. After the prayer, we had lunch at a fascinating restaurant offering Indonesian and Asian cuisine. The food was quite different from the Indian cuisine we’re used to, providing a refreshing change.

Following lunch, we returned to the Friendship Village to continue our volunteering. Our task involved painting murals in the movement room, where we mostly corrected previous mistakes and added a sea with fish beneath the shapes.

After our volunteering session, we went back to the hotel for a much-needed half-hour rest. Once refreshed, we gathered for the chow circle and then enjoyed a dinner featuring Lebanese cuisine, which marked the first Arab cuisine of our trip.

Post-dinner, we explored a local “Night Market,” which turned out to be a highlight of the day. Many people in the group ended up buying a lot of things.

That wraps up our beautiful and eventful day. Thank you all for reading and farewell.

السلام عليكم أيها القارئون، معكم المبتعثة فاطمة المازمي، كنت اليوم قائدةَ الفريق. ٢٠٢٤/٨/٩

لقد أتممنا يومنا السادس في عاصمة فيتنام (هانوي). بدأنا اليوم بالذهاب إلى التسوق في سوق الحي القديم لهانوي حيث رأينا العديد من بضاعة الزينة و التعاليق تجهيزاً ليوم الاستقلال الذي يقام في تاريخ ٢ سمبتمبر سنوياً. و بعدها ذهبنا إلى المسجد لأداة فريضة الجمعة.

على تمام الساعة ١:٠٠ مساءً توجهنا فوراً إلى المطعم لتناول وجبة الغداء الذي كان يحتوي على المأكولات الأندونيسية و الماليزية. واصلنا رحلتنا إلى القرية الصداقة لمواصلة الرسم الجداري في غرفة الحركة حيث أننا رسمنا على الجدار بعض الرسومات البسيطة و المريحة للأعين كالأزهار و القطط و أيضاً شجيرات الفراولة.

عند انتهائنا من التلوين و الرسم توجهنا مباشرةً إلى الفندق لنأخذ قسطاً قليلاً من الراحة لمدة نصف ساعة. ٦:١٥ مساءً تجمعنا جميعاً في الطابق الأول (غرفة البيانو) للقيام بدائرة تشاو ثم استقلنا الحافلة للذهاب إلى مطعم لبناني لتناول وجبة العشاء. ٧:٣٠ مساءً ذهبنا للتسوق في السوق المحلي الليلي وبحلول الساعة ١٠:٠٠ وصلنا إلى الفندق.

هنا اختم يومنا الجميل، بالقول إلى اللقاء و نراكم في حينٍ آخر. اتمنى لكم قراءةً ممتعة.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 8

Blogs authors: Wadeema & Easa

Good day, afternoon, or night to all that may read this! My name is Wadeema Zayed and I was today’s leader (Aug 8 2024) for the group. (I’m very humbled to have been picked :)) Today we revisited the friendship village which we were introduced to yesterday and had the pleasure to apply our creativity and work together collectively to paint a huge mural in the movement room that the kids at the friendship village often use.

We then sat with director Mr. Phuong and learnt more about Agent Orange, a lethal chemical that drastically affected Vietnam and the vietnamese veterans for generations onward including their offspring. We had the ability to see the selfless spirit of the staff at friendship village and the growing inclusivity Vietnam has shown toward children affected by agent orange. It was super fun watching the children welcome us and showing us around the village. I think we can all admire their kindness and talent for a variety of skills like cooking, drawing, embroidery, etc.

Afterwards, we returned to our base and had the fortunate opportunity to try halal pho and interact with the muslim owners and learn more about the motivation behind the restaurant. All in all, today was a great time and I can truly attest for the beautiful welcoming and friendly nature of Vietnam.

————

(Day Leader Easa)

Today we had the great opportunity to meet some of the children in the friendship village and help them to learn how to draw and colour, we also helped some of the students with their health by participating in their physical education class and playing with some of the kids in badminton.

After the exciting job we did in the Friendship Village, we had a lecture about agent orange and the horrific situation it has created in the past that still persists today in both America and Vietnam. It has destroyed generations of children from both countries and the veterans who fought in that horrific war who survived and had to see their loved ones die to the horrendous gas of death.

We also had the great honor to help paint a classroom in the friendship village, and after long consideration we decided to combine both artistic and educational design where we drew and wrote the names of shapes, while incorporating a floral design underneath

اليوم ذهبنا الى قرية الصداقة (Friendship Village) وحصلنا على الفرصة لنتعرف على الأطفال الذين يدرسون بين جدرانها بسبب الهمم، وخلال فترت بقائنا ساعدنا العديد من الاطفال في حصصهم من الفن إلى الرياضة وتعفنا عليهم وعلا حياتهم.

وبعد العمل المذهل الذي قمنا به في قرية الصداقة ذهبنا وتكلمنا مع الاستاذ فنق (phung) عن الغاز البرتقالي الذي دمر حياة جنود الامريكيه و الفيتنامية وآثاره على اجيال من الأطفال في كلا الدولتين إلى الجنود الذين عاشوا عذاب الحرب وصمدوا وهم يرون الاصدقائهم وأحبائهم لهذا الغاز.

ونحن حصلنا ايضاً على آلفرحه لنثمن غرفتا في قرية الصداقة، وبعد تفكيرين عميق قررنا ان نصممه للعملية وفن حيث رسمنا روسومات للورد حولين النافذة ورسمنا الأشكال وكتبنا اسمائهم بل الفيتنامي والانقليزي لمساعدت الطلاب في تفريق بين الأشكال.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7

Blogs authors: Mohammed & Sara

Hello readers! I am the group leader of August 7th, 2024, in our trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. My name is “Sara”. Today we woke up early in the morning to have breakfast, before leaving to head to the Friendship Village.

The village was founded by an American veteran, and its main purpose is to retreat veterans and students who were affected by the chemical Agent Orange. Agent Orange was dropped by American soldiers during war in hopes to remove trees that provided enemy cover. Although not known at the time, Agent Orange was a toxic chemical that affected many veterans and citizens of Vietnam. The affected victims had damaged immune systems. Children of war veterans also had birth defects, such as different mental and physical disabilities, due to Agent Orange.

At our time at the village, we had a tour of the area. We saw students engaging in different sewing and embroidery classes. After the tour, we met with the director which answered any questions we had about the place.

We later left and had Indian food for lunch! Vụn Art, was our next destination where we created artwork with recycled materials, such as silk. Citizens who had Autism at the place, helped us create our pieces. Vụn art and Friendship village gave us a better understanding of children of determination. We had a rest at the hotel, before heading out to dinner.

مرحبًا أيها القراء! أنا قائد المجموعة ليوم 7 أغسطس 2024 في رحلتنا إلى هانوي، فيتنام. اسمي “محمد”. اليوم استيقظنا مبكرًا لتناول الإفطار قبل أن نغادر إلى قرية الصداقة.

تأسست القرية على يد أحد المحاربين الأمريكيين، وهدفها الرئيسي هو إعادة تأهيل المحاربين والطلاب الذين تأثروا بمادة “العامل البرتقالي”. “العامل البرتقالي” كان قد سقط من قبل الجنود الأمريكيين خلال الحرب بهدف إزالة الأشجار التي توفر تغطية للعدو. وعلى الرغم من عدم معرفتهم في ذلك الوقت، فإن “العامل البرتقالي” كان مادة سامة أثرت على العديد من المحاربين والمواطنين في فيتنام. الضحايا المتأثرون كانوا يعانون من ضعف في جهاز المناعة. كما عانى أطفال المحاربين من تشوهات خلقية، مثل إعاقات ذهنية وجسدية مختلفة، نتيجةً للعامل البرتقالي.

خلال زيارتنا للقرية، قمنا بجولة في المنطقة. شاهدنا الطلاب يشاركون في دروس الخياطة والتطريز المختلفة. بعد الجولة، التقينا بالمدير الذي أجاب على أي أسئلة كانت لدينا عن المكان.

في وقت لاحق، غادرنا وتناولنا طعامًا هنديًا على الغداء! كانت وجهتنا التالية “فن الفُقع”، حيث أنشأنا أعمالًا فنية باستخدام المواد المعاد تدويرها، مثل الحرير. ساعدنا المواطنون المصابون بالتوحد في إنشاء قطعنا الفنية. قدمت لنا كل من “فن الفُقع” و”قرية الصداقة” فهمًا أفضل للأطفال ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة. بعد ذلك، استرحنا في الفندق قبل أن نخرج لتناول العشاء.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6

Blogs authors: Maitha & Abdulla

Greetings, cherished readers As the group leader for August 6th, I am “Maitha.” Today, we began our day by eating breakfast and relaxing before heading to the “Ho Chi Minh Museum,” where we learned about the life and legacy of the country’s founder—a very modest man who lived in harmony with the civilian population, giving the impression that he was still an ordinary person.The “Ho Chi Minh Museum” helped us discover that it was devoted to the life and founding father of Vietnam, a very modest man who coexisted peacefully with citizens and tried to maintain his appearance as a regular person.

One of his fondest memories were him having kids greet him on special days and socializing with him. We were accompanied by amazing tour guides and civilians who were fascinated by our different appearances and snapped multiple pictures together.

Following our visit to the museum, our amazing tour guides escorted us back to the hotel to ensure that we had enough time to attend to our daily prayers. This allowed us to enjoy lunch at a really unusual buffet that included various foods that we had never had before.

The food was different and rather interesting which had us feeling stuffed and right to the next museum which was the “Ethnology Museum” where we learned about their history and interesting information as well as sightseeing rural and urban trees,huts and different living spaces which we’d never witnessed or seen before and made us feel very familiar with the country and down to Earth. And after that, we went right back to the hotel where a couple of us went back out to explore and walk around the busy streets which we’d grown accustomed to and saw different parlors and well as meeting locals who were extremely friendly and polite.

We arrived back at the hotel at precisely six o’clock, where we relaxed with the other participants and played a variety of games that let us relate to and react to the people in the friendship village.

We ended our meeting by picking new leaders for the follow day as well as having our chow circle and then started to head out to eat an amazing dinner where we basically all ordered pizza and gobbled it right up. Of course we ended the night by coming back to the hotel and thanking our esteemed guides and mentors who were the most helpful and supportive people as well as spend the last couple minutes together as well as writing the blog and end the night with a final goodbye.

تحياتي، أيها القراء الأعزاء بصفتي قائد المجموعة في 6 أغسطس، أنا “عبد الله” اليوم، بدأنا يومنا بتناول الإفطار والاسترخاء قبل التوجه إلى “متحف هو تشي مينه”، حيث تعلمنا عن حياة وإرث مؤسس البلاد – وهو رجل متواضع للغاية عاش في وئام مع السكان المدنيين، مما أعطى الانطباع بأنه لا يزال شخصا عاديا. ساعدنا “متحف هو تشي مينه” على اكتشاف أنه مكرس لحياة الأب المؤسس لفيتنام، وهو رجل متواضع جدا تعايش بسلام مع المواطنين وحاول الحفاظ على مظهره شخص عادي.

كانت إحدى أعز ذكرياته هي أنه كان لديه أطفال يحيونه في أيام خاصة ويتواصلون معه. رافقنا مرشدون سياحيون ومدنيون مذهلون كانوا مفتونين بمظاهرنا المختلفة والتقطوا صورا متعددة معا.

بعد زيارتنا للمتحف، رافقنا مرشدونا السياحيون المذهلون إلى الفندق للتأكد من أن لدينا ما يكفي من الوقت لحضور صلواتنا اليومية. سمح لنا هذا بالاستمتاع بالغداء في بوفيه غير عادي حقا تضمن العديد من الأطعمة التي لم نتناولها من قبل.

كان الطعام مختلفا ومثيرا للاهتمام إلى حد ما مما جعلنا نشعر بالحشو والحق في المتحف التالي الذي كان “متحف الإثنولوجيا” حيث تعلمنا عن تاريخهم ومعلومات مثيرة للاهتمام بالإضافة إلى مشاهدة المعالم السياحية والأشجار الريفية والحضرية والأكواخ ومساحات المعيشة المختلفة التي لم نشهدها أو نرها من قبل وجعلنا نشعر بأننا على دراية كبيرة بالبلد وصولا إلى الأرض. وبعد ذلك، عدنا مباشرة إلى الفندق حيث عاد اثنان منا للاستكشاف والتجول في الشوارع المزدحمة التي اعتدنا عليها ورأينا صالونات مختلفة وكذلك مقابلة السكان المحليين الذين كانوا ودودين ومهذبين للغاية.

عدنا إلى الفندق في الساعة السادسة بالضبط، حيث استرخينا مع المشاركين الآخرين ولعبنا مجموعة متنوعة من الألعاب التي تسمح لنا بالتواصل مع الناس في قرية الصداقة والتفاعل معهم.

أنهينا اجتماعنا باختيار قادة جدد لليوم التالي بالإضافة إلى وجود دائرة تشاو الخاصة بنا ثم بدأنا في الخروج لتناول عشاء مذهل حيث طلبنا جميعا البيتزا وتناولناها مباشرة. بالطبع أنهينا الليلة بالعودة إلى الفندق وشكر مرشدينا وموجهينا الكرام الذين كانوا أكثر الأشخاص مساعدة ودعما بالإضافة إلى قضاء الدقائق القليلة الماضية معا بالإضافة إلى كتابة المدونة وإنهاء الليلة بوداع نهائي.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5

Feeling refreshed after a proper night’s sleep, our group was up early this morning, ready to learn more about Hanoi history and Vietnamese culture!

We kicked the day off with activities for students to get to know each other, and to share what they are most excited for. We introduced everyone to the mission of GLA and vision for building young leadership potential, and the importance of service work within the communities we are lucky enough to be guests of. One of the highlights of the morning was Thuy leading us through a cultural session about the key do’s and don’ts whilst in the country.

Later we were greeted by Phuong, the founder of Volunteers for Peace, an organisation that specialises in ethical service learning and volunteering opportunities for foreign volunteers – he and his team are instrumental in facilitating our cultural activities and enriching connections with the Friendship Village that we will be visiting.

With our morning finished, we went to a local restaurant to try delicious Vietnamese food, followed by a visit to the famous Hoa Lo Prison, run in the centre of Hanoi by French colonialists until the country gained independence. After returning back to the hotel, Queyn taught us a brilliant language lesson, and everyone had fun practising their new vocabulary and pronunciation skills!

We’ll officially be handing over to the student Leaders of the Day from tomorrow! They’ll be taking charge of coordinating and motivating fellow peers, as well as writing back home to you all. We are looking forward to them sharing their stories about life in Vietnam!

بعد الحصول على قسط كافٍ من النوم الجيد، استيقظت مجموعتنا مبكرًا هذا الصباح، جاهزة للتعرف على المزيد عن تاريخ هانوي وثقافة فيتنام! بدأنا اليوم بأنشطة لتعريف الطلاب ببعضهم البعض ومشاركة ما يثير حماسهم أكثر. قدمنا للجميع مهمة منظمة GLA ورؤيتها لبناء إمكانيات القيادة الشابة، وأهمية العمل الخدمي ضمن المجتمعات التي نكون محظوظين بأن نكون ضيوفًا عليها. كانت إحدى أبرز لحظات الصباح هي الجلسة الثقافية التي قادتها ثوي حول الأمور الأساسية التي يجب اتباعها وتجنبها أثناء التواجد في البلاد.
لاحقًا، استقبلنا فوانغ، مؤسس منظمة “متطوعون من أجل السلام”، وهي منظمة متخصصة في فرص التعلم التطوعي والخدمات الأخلاقية للمتطوعين الأجانب. هو وفريقه يلعبون دورًا أساسيًا في تسهيل أنشطتنا الثقافية وتعزيز الروابط مع قرية الصداقة التي سنزورها.
مع انتهاء صباحنا، ذهبنا إلى مطعم محلي لتجربة الطعام الفيتنامي اللذيذ، تلاها زيارة إلى سجن هاو لو الشهير، الذي كان يديره الاستعماريون الفرنسيون في وسط هانوي حتى نالت البلاد استقلالها. بعد العودة إلى الفندق، قامت كوين بتعليمنا درسًا لغويًا رائعًا، واستمتع الجميع بممارسة مفرداتهم الجديدة ومهارات النطق!
سنبدأ رسميًا بتسليم القيادة لقادة الطلاب ابتداءً من الغد! سيتولى هؤلاء الطلاب مسؤولية تنسيق وتحفيز زملائهم، بالإضافة إلى الكتابة إليكم من الوطن. نتطلع إلى سماعهم يشاركون قصصهم حول الحياة في فيتنام!

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5

Xin chào (Hello) from Hanoi!

We have been so excited all week to finally meet all the brilliant students joining us from Abu Dhabi, and now our team is complete! Even after such a long journey, the group arrived full of energy and with big smiles this afternoon at Noi Bai airport. They are intrepid explorers already.

After travelling to the hotel and checking into rooms, we gathered for our first GLA introduction, and then walked to a local restaurant for dinner. Everyone impressed us all, trying the delicious local food, as well as plenty of ‘lúa gạo’ (rice – an absolute staple with every meal, and very important in Vietnamese culture). Our wonderful National staff Thuy, Quyen and Ahn helped our group with explaining the different tastes and flavours. After dinner, the team headed back to the hotel for a much-needed night of sleep!

Our group is looking forward to exploring Hanoi’s rich history tomorrow, learning more about the educational service projects, and getting to know each other.

Thank-you, parents and families, for entrusting your amazing teenagers with us. We cannot wait to watch them work together as a team, grow their leadership potential, and be agents of positive change within the community here over the next coming weeks.

Cám ơn’! (Thank-you!)

Caroline Jane Green – International Director

مرحباً من هانوي!

لقد كنا متحمسين طوال الأسبوع للقاء الطلاب الرائعين القادمين من أبوظبي، والآن اكتمل فريقنا! على الرغم من الرحلة الطويلة، وصلوا اليوم بعد الظهر إلى مطار نوي باي مليئين بالطاقة والابتسامات الكبيرة. إنهم مستكشفون شجعان بالفعل.

بعد الانتقال إلى الفندق وتسجيل الوصول إلى الغرف، اجتمعنا لأول تقديم لـ GLA، ثم مشينا إلى مطعم محلي لتناول العشاء. أدهش الجميع عندما جربوا الأطعمة المحلية اللذيذة، بالإضافة إلى الكثير من “لوا جاو” (الأرز – وهو عنصر أساسي في كل وجبة ومهم جداً في الثقافة الفيتنامية). ساعد طاقمنا الوطني الرائع ثوي وكوين وآهن مجموعتنا في شرح النكهات المختلفة. بعد العشاء، عاد الفريق إلى الفندق لقضاء ليلة من النوم المستحق!

مجموعتنا تتطلع إلى استكشاف تاريخ هانوي الغني غداً، وتعلم المزيد عن مشاريع الخدمة التعليمية، والتعرف على بعضهم البعض.

شكراً، أولياء الأمور والعائلات، لثقتكم في أبنائكم المراهقين الرائعين. نحن لا نستطيع الانتظار لرؤيتهم يعملون معاً كفريق واحد، ويعززون إمكانات القيادة لديهم، ويكونون وكلاء للتغيير الإيجابي داخل المجتمع هنا في الأسابيع القادمة.

شكراً لكم!

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

Here are a few things you can 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

*Please note – Posts below are in order of most recent first.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 11

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 10

Blog by Alyah

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 9

Blog by Shahad

We became full of happiness and activity, we had breakfast at 7:30 and then we went to the first destination of Maharaja Hospital and divided us into three groups to explore the hospitals and the specialties we were passionate about and we enjoyed it. The doctors were good and welcome us from every side and then we ate lunch in McDonald’s and then we completed our tour in the hospital and then we finished and harvested a lot of information that might help us study medicine and choose our appropriate specialty and we got a break for two hours and the family doctor came and explained the things and the difference between general medicine and the family and we benefitted from it and renewed our information and the last step in our beautiful day. We all went to have dinner in a popular market.

اصبحنا ونحن مليئين بالسعاده والنشاط افطرنا الساعه 7:30 ومن ثم طلعنا الي اول وجهه مستشفى maharaja وتقسمنا إلى ثلاث مجموعات لنستكشف المستشفى و التخصصات الشغوفين بها و استمتعنا فيها و كانوا الاطباء طيبين و يرحبون فينا من كل جهه ومن ثم أكلنا وجبة الغداء في ماكدونلدز و من بعدها أكملنا جولتنا في المستشفى ومن ثم انتهينا وحصدنا الكثير من المعلومات التي قد تساعدنا في دراسة الطب واختيار تخصصنا المناسب وحصلنا على استراحه ساعتين و أتت دكتوره طب الاسره و وضحت لنا الأشياء و الفرق بين الطب العام والاسره و استفدنا منها وجددنا معلوماتنا و آخر خطوه في يومنا الجميل هاذا ذهبنا جميعاً لتناول وجبه العشاء في سوق شعبي.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 8

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6

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

Here are a few things you can expect:

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

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.

For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 10

After a long morning of travel, Prospect Hill arrived in the Dominican Republic! After arrival, we headed over to the beautiful Santo Domingo to eat some pizza for lunch. We then received a tour of historical places in the Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo. After our tour, we got changed and headed over to our orientation. We then completed our day with some souvenir shopping and writing our daily journal entries. We are so excited to head over to our home base tomorrow and begin our first day of service in the Bateyes!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 11

Today we began our work in the Bateyes of Monte Coca!

We began our day bright and early eating a traditional Dominican breakfast. We then began our commute to Asccala, an NGO in San Pedro. We learned the stories of the work that they do in the community and even heard stories of people who have been supported by the people of ASCALA. We then ate a great lunch of rice, beans, and fried chicken! After filling our bellies, we headed over to the Bateyes. We learned about the impact of the work we were going to do, how long the work has been done, and met one of the organizers that has supported families receiving rebuilt homes in the Bateyes. We then began working; starting to place cement to a home floor, beginning to put cement blocks to the foundation of a home, and even learning to make cement! We ended our evening shopping for goodies at Jumbo, received a tour of the town of San Pedro, eating dinner, and learning more about Bateyes in our mentor group!

We are excited to continue our work in the Bateyes this week!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 13

Today, we woke up and ate breakfast until 8:30. From there, we headed over to Monte Coca. For our service project, we have two groups working on two different projects. So, to begin today one group worked on Junior’s house, making the walls/foundations of the building. The other group made cement and carried it over to several houses where the workers laid it out. After the first service, we ate lunch consisting of rice, beans, macaroni salad, chicken, and more. We then returned to Monte Coca to finish the afternoon. Afterwards, we participated in a sugar cane tour. We were even able to try some of the sugar cane! After, we ended our day and went back to the home base to eat dinner and prepare for the next day.

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

TIME CAPSULE LETTER

Written by Amy & the Utah Team

Hello everyone,

We hope you enjoyed the rest of your summer and that the start of your school year is going well. Now that we’re a few months out, we wanted to take a few moments to reflect back on the 10 days we shared together in Moab and on the Colorado River. Do you remember arriving into Grand Junction and stepping outside to the blistering 105-degree day? I think we all were surprised by how hot it could feel in the desert! As Nick and I were reminiscing about the trip, these were some of the memories that stuck out in our minds that we hope you still cherish as well:

Remember the drive along the river, through castle valley, and up into the La Sal Mountains as we headed to our first day of service work? How beautiful it was to wind our way along the river we would soon be rafting down? The stunning mesas, the haribo gummy bear. And finally getting an escape from the heat as we arrived to Warner Lake, having ascended 5,000 feet on the drive. The hike into the Whole Enchilada Trail seeing the aspens rustle in the wind, the beautiful array of wildflowers, the cows wandering alongside us. The feeling of accomplishment after having groomed the section of trail that is so important for the local economy and for mountain bikers and tourists from around the world. It was such a privilege to get to work alongside and learn from the US Forest Service and give back during our first few days on the program.

Following our service days, we had the opportunity to visit the renowned Arches National Park. Another stunning drive getting to view the unique geological formations, learning from Brett and other CFI guides about how they were formed and how old each layer of sediment was. Then taking off on our own hike to see three of the arches: Landscape, Partition, and Navajo. Getting to relax and stare out at the expansive views through the arches will desert critters crawled by. While our visit to Moab was short, I do remember how refreshing that first bite of shaved ice was after a very warm hike.

Then finally came the day of everyone’s rosebud: rafting! Remember showing up, getting our safety talk, rigging the boats for the first time, unsure what the river and next 5 days would bring? Going from learning how to paddle, proper techniques, setting up a camp kitchen, cooking meals, rigging a boat, setting up a tent….just slowly learning how to thrive in the backcountry and in this tough environment. We got to experience our first sunset atop our Cottonwood campground and start to really get a sense of where we were and how small we are in this world. While we all struggled, battling the mosquitos, we won’t forget that first moment, looking out at the wilderness and embracing these moments together.

Then came the moments of real trial- lightning storms, tent poles breaking and tents attempting to escape us, skating around the newly formed muddy clay in our campsite, discovering a potential fire in the distance. We survived that night with much laughter, not aware that the real challenge was coming for us the next day while at Black Rocks. Remember the adrenaline pulsing through our veins as we saw new plumes of dark smoke billowing above the canyon walls, helicopters flying overhead preparing to scoop out water from the river nearby to help fight the fires, quickly loading up the rafts as we evacuated from the potential fire coming towards us. We were all hoping for more time on the water and this unexpected situation allowed us a magical afternoon/evening float as we passed by new plumes of smoke in the distance. We arrived into our new campsite at Westwater to a gorgeous sunset and although y’all were bargaining to head to a hotel, we knew that we couldn’t wait for the next day, the day we were all waiting for, when we’d get to raft through the rapids of the Westwater Canyon.

Westwater Day! The most thrilling day of the trip. Remember waking up that morning, the excitement building up as we charged towards our Class II, III, and IV rapids. We didn’t really know what to expect but were ready for some action. As we approached the canyon, we noticed the landscape change, the walls becoming steeper and more jagged, the river narrowing. We worked as a team, navigating the gnarly waves and features of the rapids, getting soaked and splashed from all sides. I know a highlight for one boat was almost tipping the raft and watching as Chase, Tyler, Marjory, and Alexander swam down the Sock-it-to-Me rapid. Coming out of the rapids and arriving at our final campsite – remember that last evening? The beach, the sunset, the laughs, hanging out on the rocks together, truly taking in our last moments together on the river and in the beautiful canyon. We finally admitted that although the week had many challenges, we were grateful for the opportunity, the experiences we shared together, and the magic of being on the Colorado River.

We’re so thankful that you all decided to join us in Utah this past summer and hope you look back on in with smiles and happy memories. I know we do.

We wish you a wonderful next year and hope you enjoy more time in nature, giving back to your community, and finding more adventures that bring you joy.

-Amy, International Director & Nick, Mentor

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 posts 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 on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
4. 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 JULY 9

Hello from Moab!

We are so excited to welcome everyone to Utah for the next 10 days. All 14 students arrived safe and sound into the Grand Junction airport and we made our way back to our home base for the next 4 nights. The day was filled with several airport pickups, a delicious Chick-fil-A lunch, beautiful views along our drive, a yummy dinner of chicken fajitas, and a little bit of orientation and icebreakers. The early arrival group also got to go on a little adventure to Mill Creek! We’re looking forward to starting out service work together and getting out to explore the area more.

Here are a few pics from today:

BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

This morning we started our day with a yummy pancake, bacon, and hash brown breakfast prior to our adventure up the La Sal mountains to begin our service work. After a beautiful drive along the Colorado River and through Castle Valley, we met with Lisa from the US Forest Service to learn about our project and get trained on the tools we would use. There’s a very popular and scenic mountain bike trail called the Whole Enchilada that was in need of trail maintenance. We assisted by clearing branches and leaves that were growing onto the trail to ensure the trail was safe for bikers as they zoom down the mountain. The part of the trail we were working on was about 1.25 miles from the parking lot so we got to enjoy a beautiful hike through the Aspen trees to get there. We also had a picnic lunch along a stream. After a productive day of service, we drove back down the mountain, taking in the sights of the valley and Castleton Tower from above, and headed back to Home Base for dinner. Gigi, Andy, Miles, and Rien grilled burgers, baked french fries, and put together a pasta salad for everyone to enjoy. We ended the evening with a fun icebreaker, goal setting and community agreement activity. We’re excited for another day of service tomorrow!

Amy, International Director & Nick, Mentor

BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

Today we woke up at an altitude of about 4000 feet and watched as the beautiful sun overtook the mountains. At around 8:30 we left in the van for a scenic drive to continue some trail work at about 10,000 feet. We cleared about 30 football fields of debris and overgrowth off of the beautiful trail and were able to have an amazing impact on the trail. While heading back to Moab, we ran to the grocery store and another store for forgotten supplies and added snacks. When we got back, we had a lot of fun tonight connecting through games: Human Knot and Yeehaw, which ended in fits of giggles on all sides. Unfortunately, Nick’s team won the human knot race, with Amy’s group not far behind. I can’t wait to continue playing these games throughout the next week and continue growing closer to our group.

Thank you for sending your kids. We have met amazing people and it is only day three.

Sincerely, Lotte and Christina (leaders of the day)

BLOG POST FOR JULY 12

Today we went hiking in Arches National Park. We learned about things like erosion of the rocks. We afterwards went into town and got things like shaved ices and noodle bowls. We went over set up for the rafting tomorrow.

-Cameron, leader of the day

Just a quick note – we will be headed to the river tomorrow and will be out of service for the next 5 days, until Wednesday late afternoon. Please reach out to GLA headquarters if you need any assistance during this time. We’re so excited to finally embark on our rafting adventure!

-Amy, international director

BLOG POST FOR JULY 15

Just a quick update from the river — day 3 of rafting turned out to be quite the adventure for us! After a relaxing two days floating down the Colorado River and spending time at various campsites, we made it to our 3rd night camp at Black Rocks. After spending the morning hiking, swimming, and learning about canyons, we were getting ready to unload the rafts and set up camp when we saw smoke in the distance. After connecting with the BLM (Bureau of Land Management), we made the call to vacate that campsite and float about 10 miles downriver to the Westwater Ranger Station campsite.

Along the float, we got to witness helicopters and planes flying overhead, headed towards the fire to help with suppression. While we never saw the flames, we saw some smoke in the distance. We have now arrived safely at camp, ate a delicious dinner, and are headed to bed. We’re excited to raft the whitewater tomorrow in the Westwater Canyon! We’ll be out of service again for this last river portion, but stay tuned for more updates in a few days!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

We made it off the river! After the exhilarating day of escaping the wildfire (which has now grown to 215 acres!), we had an amazing final two days on the river. Yesterday we got to finally experience the rapids of Westwater canyon. The crowd favorite was Sock it to Me rapid, where 4 of the group ended up taking a swim! We stopped for the night at a beautiful campsite after the rapids that was tucked away in the canyon with lots of rocks and sandy beaches. The group got to spend quality time hanging out together and watching the final sunset and sunrise on the river, some even sleeping outside under the stars. We rowed the final 4 miles today and then headed to our hotel in Fruta, where everyone was eager to take their first shower in 5-6 days. After a tasty pizza dinner, we did some final closing reflection activities and enjoyed the pool and hot tub at the hotel. We’re sad to say goodbye to our new friends but are so grateful for the memories that we’ve made this week and the experiences we had together.