PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
TIME CAPSULE LETTER
Written by Alexa & the Costa Rica Team
Hello GLA Students and Families,
As we look back on our recent session, we are filled with a mixture of excitement and fondness. The journey we’ve embarked on together over the past few weeks has been truly enlightening. It was wonderful to watch each of you evolve, embrace new challenges, and discover more about yourselves and the world around you. You arrived as individuals, but you left as a team… as a family.
So many moments made an impression. The first night stands out, where you were all strangers but quickly bonded over your first game of mafia (one of many). From that moment, it was evident how well you would collaborate throughout our adventure. The cooperation and critical thinking you demonstrated during our team-building activities and service projects were unforgettable. You accomplished so much, from decorating tables with handprints and reusing plastic bottles for plant propagation to planting a garden and painting a vibrant mural. We, along with the local students and teachers, were deeply impressed by your hard work and dedication. Each experience, whether big or small, contributed to our collective goal of making a positive impact.
On a personal note, we were deeply moved by each of you. Your enthusiasm, open-mindedness, and readiness to step out of your comfort zones and engage with people from diverse backgrounds were truly admirable. As you move on from this experience, we encourage you to hold onto the lessons you’ve learned here. Maintain the connections you’ve made, continue to pursue your projects, and never stop chasing your dreams. Remember, keep the BAD vibes out and to always remain in the present.
Embrace everything–- the good, the bad, the happy, and the sad. What a privilege we have to feel!
Warm regards from your bomba family,
Alexa, Laura, Tamara, Christopher, and Fernando
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR JULY 23
Hello families!
We are very happy to tell you that all the students have arrived well. Yesterday with the GLA Staff we made 5 trips to the airport to look for the 20 students who were arriving. With those who arrived early we were able to enjoy the pool table, our first dinner together and we even sang happy birthday to Ellie in 4 different languages who turned 15 yesterday! We ate a delicious cake and then our new group of leaders played Mafia. 9:30pm they went to rest after a long day. Follow our Blog to find out about our daily adventures!
Here are some photos from yesterday. Not pictured are Xavier and Bristol as they arrived late at night.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 24
Written by: Bea & Mercer
We started the day with another fresh breakfast. We took a quick bus trip to La Escuela Porrosatí and were fortunate to see their celebration for their national holiday: Anexión del Partido de Nicoya. We then split into groups and worked on different service projects such as: painting/decorating tables, decorating a wall, building planters, and playing sports and games with the children.
We came back to the hotel and had lunch and had our first session in our mentor groups. In our groups we worked on making goals and reflecting on what we wanted to learn over the trip. Then, we took another bus ride into downtown Heredia to Tico Lingo. We were all evaluated for our level of Spanish and also played Fusbol and Mafia. We had a little tour of the city of Heredia and did a scavenger hunt in the market. We were tasked with finding items around the market with only 2000 colones. The winner was the group with the most money left at the end and all the items in the list. Finally, we took the bus back to the hotel.
We had dinner, then we played a fun game of musical chairs and cards. After we had some tech time then went to bed.
Day 3 has been the best one yet!!!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 25
Hola mis amigos! Somos Garrett y Chloe,
today was another fantastic day to explore Costa Rica. First our group started the day out with fresh pancakes for breakfast. After, we headed to Escuela Porrosati, and worked to continue making a difference in the building. We gathered and completed several painting tasks, and began to pot the plants. Everything is looking beautiful so far. We even made sure the entire school was clean for the kids tomorrow—gracías, Fernando, for leading and doing the last of the cleaning. After returning to Home Base for lunch, we had the opportunity to meet a guest speaker, and to learn more about Costa Rica’s history and culture. We then finished the day with an immersive Spanish class at Tico Lingo in Heredia—which was pretty fun, and taught us a lot. To cool down for the day, we played pool with friends and continued to bond over a delicious dinner.
Day four was full of lots of learning and fun, and so will the rest of this adventure.
Best,
G & C <3
BLOG POST FOR JULY 26
Hello! It’s Max and Arabella. Leaders of the day!
On day five we started the day with a delicious meal of waffles, bacon, and eggs.
We then went to our social service at the Porrosattí school where some of us played with the young kids there while others focused on fixing up the school by planting and painting. We then had a break before lunch where some of us made bracelets and others played pool.
After that we had an amazing lunch of paella with clams, prawns, and chicken with French fries and salad.
After lunch we gathered in harmony hall to do our mentor groups. In our mentor groups we had an activity where we were able to openly talk to eachother about our feelings towards social media. We really connected with each other and reflected on our own phone use. Afterwards we went to Spanish class where we continued to learn and interact with eachother in Spanish. We got to further our Spanish practice by going to a local market. We had so much fun trying new foods like papusas, empanadas and more! Then we came back and had another delicious meal of fries and burgers. Then we finished the night with a Costa Rica trivia night. We had so much fun and it was very close game.
Continue following our blog for more adventures in Costa Rica!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 27
Hola todos it’s Kinan and Gab!
Today we had the opportunity of visiting the la Paz waterfall- a very culturally enriching and equally fun adventure!
It started off with a long road trip filled with anticipation, excitement and a whole lotta music. Finally getting there, we started off by admiring the array of wildlife that this beautiful country has to offer. From graceful dancing butterflies to menacing big cats, it was action-packed animal appreciation.
After all that, it was safe to say we needed some lunch to replenish our (by now empty) stomachs. The buffet that the restaurant had to offer did not disappoint- it was a bonanza of Tico food complimented by some thoughtful conversation between mouthfuls.
At this point, it was time for the main event- the La Paz waterfall. Indeed, the cascading cliffs of water that greeted us did not disappoint. Some admiration and photos later, we were ready to hop on the bus and head on home.
Gab and Kinan
BLOG POST FOR JULY 28
Hola somos Karina y Devin.
Today we woke up and we went to the Poas volcano. It smelled like eggs, but it was just the intense sulfur scent! Then for our safety, we had to wear funny white helmets that made us look like construction workers (we still looked cute!). Then after the glorious volcano, we went to the Dokacoffee farm and met our intelligent tour guide Hugo, who helped us learn about the production of coffee. From the root to the store! (Doka). We got to try too many variations of coffee there, and many different types of fruit covered in chocolate! We ravaged the gift shop, drove home, and had a very emotional and heart warming saying goodbye to Fernando, our Local Director. Then we had story telling time in front of the fire.
Adiós a todos!
Nos vemos mañana!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 29
Hola mundo!
Today is day 8 of our trip! Wow, time flies! After our huge excursion weekend, we went back to our usual weekday schedule. We are working to finish up our service projects at the local school. Today was actually a big day at the school! We were able to be a part of the audience for the arts ceremony of all the students today. There were dancers, singers, and instrumentalists. We definitely felt honored to be a part of the art ceremony. After service, we had a Ted Talk activity led by one of our mentors, Alexa. Then we went straight to Spanish classes. We could hardly sit still in class because we were so excited to go to EL CINE!!!! Together we all bought loads of popcorn and watched the new Minions movie in Spanish (no subtitles!!). After the movie, we were pretty exhausted from our big day today. And now we are winding down to sleep, and also looking forward to our new day of adventure.
Nos vemos!!!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 30
Hola! Que tal?
It’s Xavier and Tegan and we’re honored to be today’s leaders!
To start off the day (for some of us) early at 6:20 Am we all went running on a special trail with Alexa, one of our mentors. After this as always, we had a delicious breakfast that consisted of french toast, smashed eggs, oatmeal, and some chocolate brownies. I swear I never had such good food in a “summer camp”. Straight after breakfast, we served at Escuela Porrosati. I personally was assigned to our director, Laura’s gardening team. This was a whole beatification process, starting with excavating the existing rocks to make room for new soil and new plants. In my opinion, this was the hardest part but thankfully it got easier from there. Afterwards, we had to get soil from a field inhabited by an aggressive horse that we had to fight off with sticks! Haha Crazy, I know. Others painted (questionable) flowers on walls or potted flowers in plastic bottles to hang on the fence. After service, we had lunch which was steak with chimichurri sauce. So fancy. Then we left for Spanish class at Tico Lingo in Heredia. This class was special because we handmade some empanadas with beans and cheese! It was surprisingly good even though they were falling apart. We finished the day with grilled chicken and plantains for dinner and playing games.
Tomorrow we are looking forward to hiking volcan Barva which is a 12 kilometer trek through the jungle.
Adios amigos,
Xavier and Tegan
BLOG POST FOR JULY 31
¡Feliz jueves a todos!
Somos Cora y Ellie (las líderes del día!).
Today was a hiking excursion day! We woke up, packed our bellies with breakfast and hopped on the busses to drive to the hiking destination, Volcán Barva (Don’t worry, we didn’t forget to stretch)!
This hike was 12km (8miles). It was a long and strenuous hike, but a beautiful one, it was worth it (valió la pena)! We were caught in the rain for a little bit of the walk up, but it only made the atmosphere of the forest light up with vibrant green.
We returned to home base at 2pm, had a shower and then a huge lunch, a dish called Chifrijo, a traditional meal from Costa Rica, and spent the rest of the afternoon resting and regaining the rest of our energy to practice for the talent show tomorrow! Then we had a mentor group in which we wrote beautiful poems. For closing the day we had a tasty dinner with fish and vegetables and went to rest early because we are still super tired!
Miss you! Kiss you! Love you!
Xoxo,
Cora and Ellie
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1
Hola! Somos Annelise y Kaya!
Today we started off the day with a delectable breakfast of waffles, eggs, and pico de gallo. The weather started off great as it was sunny and warm.
Then, we headed to service where we continued our projects. Some groups continued to garden in various places throughout the school, while others painted a sign for the school. As it was our last day with the kids, gifts were exchanged, such as bracelets and drawings.
For lunch we had chicken, rice, and fries. After lunch we had some time for relaxation. Many of us chose to take advantage of the sunny, hot, day by relaxing next to the pool.
Following that, we headed off to Spanish class at Tico Lingo. Many people enjoyed their complimentary cup of coffee and had tons of fun playing Jenga in class!
For dinner we had pasta and garlic bread. And the juice of the day was mango! Following dinner we held a talent show where all sorts of talent was shown. We had singing, dancing, and even magic! We had so much fun!!
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2
Hola! Today marked the last of our service work at Escuela Porrosáti where we stroke our final brushes of paint and planted the last of our flowers. It was so cool to see how far we’ve come in just seven mornings of work! We had to say ¡adios! to the school and went back to home base.
We completed our last leadership activity where we talked about our goals for the trip and if we accomplished them. We also created a pledge to continue “being the change” after our trip has concluded.
After this, we set off for our last day of Spanish classes at Tico Lingo. Each class gave a final project about our trips (en español, of course) and the school had a little graduation ceremony for us. We’ve grown so much as Spanish speakers and feel way more confident in our Spanish skills because of these classes. To conclude our time at Tico Lingo, we participated in a salsa class! This dance seemed really confusing at first, but after a bit everyone got it and had so much fun stepping along to the beat!
After Tico Lingo, we arrived back to Home Base, ate a scrumptious (as always) dinner and started packing for our return back home. It’s crazy how fast the trip has gone by, but as they say “time flies when you’re having fun!” We still have one more fun excursion day after this which is bound to be awesome!
Until mañana!
Your FINAL leaders of the day, signing off, Bristol & Campbell!
❤🇨🇷☀
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4
Hello families, today is our last day of the program. It was really beautiful everything we shared together. Today Laura, the international program director writing to thank you for the trust you had in our company and to tell you that your children, our leaders, are beautiful people, who did a great job at the Porrosatí School. They worked with a lot of enthusiasm and love. The children of the school were very happy and grateful. Yesterday we had our last day, it was a great zip line adventure in the jungle. In the evening we all ate a special dinner together and made an appreciation circle. Many cried with emotion for the time shared and for having to say goodbye to their new friends. For us, the work team, it was very exciting to see them enjoying so much all this time, learning new things and generating deep bonds of friendship. It was truly a great pleasure to share this time together. A beautiful group of 20 young people who gave us many smiles and unforgettable moments. All of our young people have already left Costa Rica and are on their way back home, surely eager to tell you ALL about what they experienced during their summer in Costa Rica. Thanks again for everything and we wish each one of you a good journey.
With love,
Laura
