PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

TIME CAPSULE LETTER

Dear students of Marine Conservation & Sea Turtle Expedition,

Oh how the time has passed. It feels like just yesterday we were at Hotel Robledal scrambling to catch the ferry after several unintended stops in Nicaragua, Panama, and Guanacaste, to name a few. But once aboard, the view was stunning as we sailed into the gulf of Nicoya with sights set on the soon-to-be turtle-ridden beaches and howling monkey-filled forests of Montezuma.

From that moment forward, we went on a wild ride together — one that took us up and down the entire pacific side of Costa Rica, all in the name of service, leadership, and adventure.

In Montezuma, we spent hours bagging sand that would help build the hatchery that would serve as a home for thousands of turtle eggs. We also lived true to our values of cooperation and collaboration when we collectively developed a resolution that would sustain the prosperity of local businesses while also ensuring environmental sustainability. At last, we traversed the “15 minute walk” to the waterfall, calling Chelsea’s bluff after the first 5 minutes of that American Ninja Warrior-level obstacle course of a path. Fortunately, the waterfall made it well worth the trek.

In Parrita, we made our mark alongside the work of GLA students from years past, planting coconut trees to prevent erosion from encroaching on the town’s picturesque shoreline. We also engaged in intense debate, defending at all costs our assigned perspective of ‘the individual’, ‘the government’, and ‘large corporations’ in how they relate to environmental impact. Unforgettably, we screamed, shouted and hollered (some of us more than others) as we flipped forward, upside down, and all around on ziplines that swung through the Costa Rican jungle. Finally, we put the Bad Bichos and Terrific Tortugas head to head in a series of fierce competitions that resulted in several victories for one team and only a couple for the other.

In Uvita, we did our part to undo the mistakes of fellow tourists, cleaning the beach and creating signs that promote the importance of protecting our environment. We also examined the positive and negative impact that ‘voluntourism’ can have on both a community and ourselves. We asked ourselves: how can we maximize the positive impact of volunteering while minimizing further damage to the communities we are best trying to serve? Finally, we gave our shot at surfing for the second time, riding the waves with a bit more ease (for some of us, at least).

The journey both from and back to Hotel Robledal was a long one but one that we conquered together. Bus rides featuring Imagine Dragons, Katie Perry, Bruno Mars, and the Rio soundtrack will play in our heads for weeks to come, but we wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

I hope your transition back into home life has been one full of environmental consciousness, community building, maybe some Gallo Pinto, and a whole lot of SWIS.

Until next time Bad Bichos & Terrific Tortugas,

Your Mentor,

Brian

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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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Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 17

Hello GLA Marine Conservation & Turtle Expedition, 21 day friends and family!

The staff team is so excited Arrival Day is here!

We’re welcoming students in waves. Michelle, Matilda, Audrey and Alex were our first arrivals, quickly joined by Tanay. The day was filled with good food, rest, health checks, swim tests and of course, games! It’s been fun to hear these young leaders connect as we form our traveling learning community.

Of course, travel day can be long and sometimes flights get interrupted. Sadly, Charleigh, Jackson, Chloe, Evie, James, Lulu, Zadik, Farrah and Ellie have been delayed due to weather. We can’t wait to see them soon! (Safe travels you guys!)

We hope you enjoy this blog over the next 3 weeks as a snapshot into our learning, adventure, service and life together here in Costa Rica.

¡Pura vida!

Chelsea – International Director

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 18

The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind! We welcomed our final student leaders throughout the night and morning, finally having everyone by lunch today. We’re all so glad to be together safely, particularly those who had an extremely long travel day(or days). Suffice to say, everyone needed a nap this afternoon!

While we had planned to leave for home base in the morning, we stayed a little longer near the airport and rested at the hotel. Mentor Brian led us through some fun good ice-breakers before lunch and began orientation before packing up our bus and departing for Montezuma. This was a three part adventure: first a drive from Alajuela to Puntarenas port, a sunset ferry ride across the Gulf of Nicoya (yes, it was a lovely sunset), and a final hour drive to our first home base.

It was a surprisingly quiet ride as most students napped or chatted with a neighbor. When we arrived safely to the home base, a meal of a chicken sandwich and french fries was quickly eaten before unpacking luggage and getting ready for bed. It’s been a long day but it’s been filled with moments of connection and fun.

Tomorrow we have an orientation with our first service partner! Looking forward to learning more about turtles native to the area and this new town we’re calling home for the next 6 days.

Pura vida,
Chelsea

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 19

Hola todos! This morning we had a glorious breakfast of eggs, tortilla, rice and beans after sleeping in a bit (we’re still feeling those travel days). Local Director Katherine taught us a few Spanish words: tortuga, vivero, and tutti (word for cute little turtle, not sure how it’s spelled).

At 10am, we had orientation with our community service partner Asvo. They taught us about different types of turtles; the most common one here is the Olive Ridley. We walked down to see the hatchery (vivero) where they put collected eggs in nests to protect them from predators and insects. Over our time serving alongside them, we’ll help with turtle patrols at night and resanding the hatchery. More to come on that!

We came back to home base for more orientation before lunch. This focused on the Code of Conduct which we made more engaging by creating and performing skits in pairs (shout out to Ellie and Evie for best skit!).

Lunch was a delicious lentil, meat, potato mixture served hot with rice and fried plantain chips. We decided that during free time we wanted to go to the beach to play some volleyball and swim in the ocean. Right before we left, we saw a bunch of howler monkeys up in the trees next to our hotel, even a little baby! How cute.

After a neck and neck 6v6 volleyball game, we ran into the ocean to cool off. Jackson hosted a lively “3 flags up.” It was a ton of fun.

Orientation continued at 4pm when Katherine gave a cultural presentation on Costa Rica. We learned a lot about the geography, weather, people, economic activities, and language(s) here. Most importantly, we learned the phrase “pura vida”, which can be used in all kinds of situations to communicate thanks, how you’re doing, what’s happening, etc. A handy phrase during our time here!

After that we had our first leadership activity about phone and social media use, reflecting on how they impact our lives. Because we don’t have our phones much of the day while on program, this will be an experiment on how life is without them. We’ll see if how we feel about phones has changed at the end.

Next we had Chow Circle which is a time of shout outs and announcements. Dinner was a delicious pasta boloñesa and garlicy garlic bread. It was a big hit!

The day wasn’t over though! After dinner we created Community Agreements in the form of a tree. The roots represent our values as a community and the branches/leaves are the behaviors/actions we can take to live them out. We all signed it and will have it around our home base to remind us.

We wrapped up the night with our first mentor groups. Tonight was about getting to know each other, come up with a team name (Teams Bad Bugs and Terrific Tortugas!) and have some fun.

After an incredibly full day, it’s time for bed. Buenas noches!

~A communal blog post organized by Chelsea.

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20

Written by Leader of the Day: Tanay Desai

Today was a hard working day at the vivero. We started with a delicious breakfast and after that we went to the turtle hatchery to do some service. Some people were filling bags of sand and some were carrying sandbags. All around everyone did a tremendous job. After 2 hours of hard, rigorous work, we went back to the hotel and had some free time. In around an hour, we had lunch. The lunch was plantains, fried rice and a salad. After lunch, we did some mentor group activities and went off for some souvenir shopping. We then went off to do some bioluminescent kayaking. The kayaking was probably one of the coolest things I have ever done. We ended with a chow circle, and pretty much ended the day there.

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21

Written by Leader of the Day: Jackson Tarlow

Today was a day full of emotions. We experienced a mix of sadness for the weather and excitement for the water fall.

We started the day with 1.5 slices of toast spread with butter and jam, also with a side of mixed fruit. Later that morning, we helped carry heavy plastic bags filled with washed up plastics across a kilometer-long beach. We were all super exhausted so we went back to homebase and rested. For lunch, we ate hamburgers with french fries on the side. After that, we took a hike to a nearby waterfall that we could swim in the river of. After around 2 hours of having fun, we went back to homebase and had 3 very long hours of free time. For dinner we had fish with mashed potatoes and salad. Then, we got ready for night patrol of the beach so we could help turtles lay their eggs. A couple minutes after we started walking along the shore, a huge storm came and we huddled inside a small covered area. We played some games to pass the time and then headed to home base to relax and end our night.

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22

Written by Leader of the Day: Michelle Summers

In the morning we traveled an hour to the national park called Curu where hiked to see animals like monkeys, cayman, etc. Afterwards we got to swim the ocean. Once we got back to our home base we had lunch and relaxed for a bit. We then all met up and had a debate on turtle conservation vs. the need for a strong economy in Montezuma.

After dinner we headed to Asvo where we met up with volunteers to go on night patrol. This is when we split into groups to walk the beach looking for turtles and nests, though unfortunately, none were out last night.

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23

Written by Leader of the Day: James Titus

We started the day off with delicious toast and fruit before heading out for surfing lessons in the scenic town of Santa Teresa. Everyone gave their best effort to learn to surf and we had some successful results and everyone enjoyed it. We then got extra time on the beach to enjoy nature and everyone tried water from coconuts. Then we went to a cafe for lunch where we enjoyed a variety of delicious foods. Then we drove back to the hotel and everyone enjoyed playing cards before Chow Circle. For dinner, we enjoyed an enticing barbecue and tiramisu cake for dessert (provided by Charleigh and Farrah). Finally, we enjoyed a lively performance by local musicians where everyone danced, played the drums and sang along to end the night before leaving Montezuma tomorrow morning.

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24

Written by Leader of the Day: Farrah Caldwell

Travel Day!!

Today we got an early start to catch the 9:00 AM ferry. The ferry ride had pleasant weather and people took the time to nap. After arriving on the mainland we headed for lunch (buffet style) at a restaurant. Then, we shopped around for souvenirs at a shop adjacent to the restaurant. With snacks and other goodies in hand, we headed to the famous Crocodile Bridge. We spent a few minutes looking at the crocodiles and then headed to the new home base in Parrita.

The new base offers travelers a pool and beachside access. After exploring home base, we played volleyball by the beach. We ended the night with some competitive games.

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

We started our day bright with a to-go breakfast! We had a long morning of community service. Our community service consisted of building a hatchery to help turtles hatch their eggs. It was a hot morning and we spent a lot of time moving sand and learning about turtle breeding. After a music-filled drive home, we spent the afternoon relaxing. We played an intense game of kemps, but it was exhilarating. We had a filling dinner and a ginormous chocolate cake to celebrate my birthday, we had an entertaining night full of karaoke. Everyone showed off their singing skills and attempted to play pool. And now we are off to bed!

Written by Audrey Willscher, the birthday girl

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

We started with a breakfast at the hotel. We left after and headed to ziplining. It was so much fun. I and others were able to get over a fear of heights as the funny guides took us along. Throughout the 10 lines we were able to go upside down and do front flips off the platforms! We also got dropped down a platform, revealing everyone’s little girl screams.

We returned back for lunch and then left soon again for a cooking class with Señora Lulu. We learned lots about her community and the leadership she does in it while making delicious empanadas. She has been working for over 40 years devoting her life to turtle conservation and living simply. Her grandson also sold us adorable bracelets that the kids of the town made. We got to practice our Spanish while talking to him! On the way back we stopped at a store and all loaded up with snack to last us for days. After a delicious dinner, we had mentor groups and ended the night with cards and free time.

Written by leader of the day: Matilda F.

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

This morning we got to sleep in a little! Thank goodness, lol. We had breakfast which was french toast, scrambled eggs, sausage, and cereal if we had wanted some. The french toast was amazing and so is the cereal! We all scarfed it down. After we had finished eating breakfast, we started our service work for the day. Today we went to plant trees. Mau, the leader for our service today, explained what we were going to be doing and how we were going to be doing it. We split up into groups and chose two leaders. Ellie and myself! Ellie and I were in charge of getting the supplies for our groups and kind of being in charge of them, but of course with Mau’s guidance. We had gotten all of our supplies and we went and started to pick up coconuts that had fallen on the ground that had started to grow their own roots, stems, and leaves. Once Carlos, our bus driver, had filled up the back of the bus with coconuts, we drove about ten minutes down to another part of the beach. We got to the other part of the beach and helped each other dig holes and put those old coconuts into the ground. Mau explained to us that these will grow into new coconuts trees and help prevent the water going up any further than it should if there was another storm. Next, we had picked almond plants from the ground. Mau then took us to the river to show what they would become in the future! And, of course, the whole time we were being eaten up my mosquitoes no matter how much bug spray we put on! We then cleaned up our equipment that we had used and walked over to the nursery. There we all worked as a team to put the almond plants into little bags of soil. Zadik carried us when putting the almond plants in the soil!

We got back all sweaty and wet from the rain and went straight into lunch. For lunch, we had fish, fries, and salad with a fruit punch flavored drink. We had a little bit of free time after lunch and Mau came back and did a presentation on the different turtles here in Costa Rica. We learned the three main ones and then even tracked different turtles across the world! Tippy was my favorite one!

After the presentation we all got ready for GLA Olympics. Brian’s team color was blue and Chelsea’s was red. We first did a rock, paper, scissors activity with Jorge, our new staff member. Then we played a game of who could throw the coconut closest to the center of the circle. Next was a game of carrying an egg while running and trying not to drop it, spinning, running and then getting to the finish line and lastly doing a human pyramid. We got very competitive with this and ended up having to do the egg race 3 times. It was a tough race between Evie and Zadik, but Zadik ended up taking the win for the red team! Next up was a game of corn hole and Chelsea’s team ended up taking the win. Sad for Brian’s team, but we all have good sportsmanship most of the time. Just for fun we ended up getting in the pool and doing a game and then Brian’s team ended up winning! But the GLA Olympics had already come to an end with the red team getting gold and the blue team getting silver.

We then had a little bit of free time, with dinner being in a few short minutes. Before dinner, we played a group game getting to know each either more and so Jorge could get to know us a little more too! We had kabobs, potatoes, and salad for dinner with a whipped strawberry dessert. We got to sit in new groups and talk. We ended the night with games of pool and cards!

Written by leader of the day: Charleigh D.

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

We started the day out early. We all got ready and headed out to breakfast by 7 am. We were greeted with an amazing gourmet breakfast consisting of ham and cheese omelets with salsa, sausage, delicious hash browns, toast with our choice of butter and jam, and finally mixed berry yogurt with granola on top. And we can’t forget about the delicious orange juice.

After breakfast we gathered our belongings/essentials for the day and made sure that we had our swim suits on! We grabbed our to-go lunches and headed onto the bus. Carlos, our bus driver, drove us to the Manuel Antonio National Park. We saw an assortment of wildlife consisting of 2 species of monkeys, 2 species of sloths, scary spiders, grasshoppers, crabs, lizards, bats, and we listened to the birds singing. Surprisingly, the two toed sloth is much more aggressive than the three toed sloth. (Shout out to Audrey and Zadak for winning Wildlife Bingo!)

After our adventure walk, we went to the beach where we splashed in the water. Once we dried off, many went through the small town, Quepos, and shopped for souvenirs while learning how to bargain like the locals.

Back at home base we participated in our mentor groups and we talked about our carbon footprint. We had a traditional dinner of beans, rice, and veggies. We ended our night with a friendly debate about whose responsibility it is to preserve the environment.

Overall we had an amazing time searching for animals, swimming, shopping, and debating. And we can’t wait for our next adventure tomorrow!

Written by leader of the day: Ellie Mazeika

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29

Written by leader of the day: Lulu Hardie

This morning we woke up at 6:30 for breakfast at 7:00am. For breakfast we had pancakes, eggs, hash browns, toast and our choice of fruit loops or chocolate Rice Krispie cereal with marshmallows. We then went to service where we painted tables made out of tires and a chain fence for a hatchery. Farrah painted a crab, Michelle painted a whale, and our leader Brian painted a seahorse. We got to paint the tables/chairs blue and the fence black. We learned today that the blue paint that we used is used for most hatchery.

We got back to home base at 12:00 for a great lunch. The lunch consisted of chicken fried rice, potato chips, and salad. Next, we participated in a dance class that was so much fun! We then had dinner which was Mac and cheese and it was so good. After dinner we had a bonfire on the beach and made s’mores!

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30

Written by Leader of the Day: Alex Masella

Today we had a leisurely start with breakfast at 9:00. At 10:00, we said farewell to Parrita before entering the bus to travel to Uvita, about 2 hours away. We arrived at 11:30, giving us time to unpack and relax before a delicious lunch of rice, tuna pasta salad, plantains, vegetables, and more. Then, we revisited our community values with a thoughtful partner activity, eventually participating in a whole group activity that helped us reflect on cultural differences.

Afterwards, we participated in a community walk through Uvita. Our guide explained the history of the community, including the origin of the name, the original owners of the land, and the process of adding a school, grocery store, and other spaces to the community when it was established. We finished the walk at Bahia Ballena, a national park with a beautiful beach. We played a spirited game of beach volleyball and frolicked by the water before heading back to the hotel for Chow Circle and a delectable dinner of fried chicken, vegetables, salad, and iced tea. Finally, we ended our day by gathering in mentor groups, planning performances for our upcoming talent show to celebrate our director Katherine’s birthday.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

Welcome back to the blog, where we had an early awakening. 6:30 breakfast led to our surfing session 2.0. After some excellent wave riding, we headed back to home base for a lunch of chicken rice, pasta salad, and chips. Afterward, we went to volunteer at Bahia Bellen. We had a bit of a meet and greet with some monkey friends, and then split into two groups. One group went to clean trails using rakes, and the other cleaned up the beach.

The beach cleaners found all kinds of trash, ranging from fire-starters to tiny crocs, meanwhile the trail cleaners fought through clouds of mosquitos and waterways. When they met back up, the two groups decided to split up again. Some of us went out into the rain to go see the whale tail peninsula and the rest went back to home base. When everyone eventually arrived back, we enjoyed a dinner of potatoes, salad, and barbecued skewers. Afterwards, we celebrated our local director’s birthday with a talent show, and some heavy metal. That’s all for now folks.

See you soon.

Written by Leader of the Day: Zadik Beckstead

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 2

Written by Leader of the Day: Chloe

Today we started the morning off with breakfast at 7:30. We had pancakes with fruit such as watermelon, pineapple and papaya. After breakfast, we went to morning service at Bahía Ballena. We arrived around 8:30 and were instructed by Henry on what to do. We were split into two groups, one to start on beach cleanup and the other to plant coconut trees. While planting, the group started by carefully removing small coconut trees from the ground and placing them into a wheelbarrow for easy transport. We then dispersed the trees across the nearby land and planted some closer to the shore as well. We had a small break after the first rotation and then moved onto beach cleanup which was pretty straightforward. Picking up whatever garbage we saw while walking down the shore.

Once service was over, we came back to home base around 12 and cleaned up a bit for lunch. Lunch was at 12:30 and we had nachos with beans, meat, lettuce, cheese and pico de gallo. After lunch, the group decided to split up and either go shopping or to a nearby cafe. Although we had a few hours to look around, it started pouring so everybody decided to head back to home base a little early.

Once we were back we had some free-time before mentor groups at 4:30. During mentor groups we first talked about whether or not we agree with certain statements regarding volunteering and ecological issues. After that, we thought about the impacts of voluntourism on local communities and the environment along with the impacts it has on us as volunteers. These impacts consisted of both positive and negative effects that may occur.

When mentor groups were over we had Chow Circle at 6:15 and did our daily shoutouts. Dinner was at 6:30 and we had hamburgers, along with french fries. At 7:15 we listened to a presentation about pollution and what the main causes are. The presentation began with an introduction about single use plastic and microplastics in the environment and how these are extremely harmful. Throughout the presentation, Erica continued to explain major contributors to the pollution across the world, including oil spills, and the production of fast fashion. Many people do not understand how harmful fast fashion has been and how much they may be over consuming clothing without thinking of it. This presentation was very eye opening for the entire group as they realized how much they may be contributing to the issue. After the presentation we got to relax and end our day.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 3

Written by Leader of the Day: Tanay

Today, we had an exciting day of adventure and fun. We started early at 6:30 with a nutritious breakfast. We then loaded the bus and left for some snorkeling. After an hour-long and bumpy boat ride, we arrived at our beautiful island. We then went for snorkeling round one. We were stung by countless baby jellyfish but it was worth it because we saw tons of really colorful fish, and 2 sea turtles. One of them was a cute little baby one.

After, we went to the beach and played around for a bit. The waves there were humongous and made it an exhilarating experience. After, we had a choice, we could either stay at the beach and continue playing in the waves, or we could go for snorkeling for round two. We didn’t see as much as we did in round one, but there were still a lot of coral reefs and colorful fishes. We came back to homebase at around 2ish, and had free time until 3:30. We went to a local organization who educated us about coral reefs. Did you know that coral reefs are actually not plants, but are animals, and they are made up of thousands of little algae?

After that, we came home, had dinner, and reflected on our strengths of being a leader, and what leadership should look like. Finally, lights out at 10:00 to rest from our early day today.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

We all woke up and headed to breakfast, where we ate toast, gallo pinto, and a tomato + sausage sauce on the side. After we finished up, we got ready for an outdoor adventure!! We got our bathing suits on in preparation for our exciting waterfall experience! We soon arrived at the Catarata Uvita, a small waterfall and swimming hole near our home base. We had tons of fun there, with jumping off a platform into the water as well as swimming around in the fresh, tame water. We stayed there for a couple hours and then headed back to homebase!

When we got back, we had a bit of freetime where everyone just rested/chilled. Soon we had lunch, which was yummy chicken tacos. After that deliciousness, we got ready for a nice afternoon of painting signs which educate people around the national park on how they could help the environment. Some were to not litter, some were to plant trees, some were to not disturb wildlife, etc. It was very relaxing to paint the signs and gave us a compensating afternoon for the energy we used up in the morning. The signs ended up pretty successful! When we were done, we went back to home base to enjoy even more free time!

After that, we gathered again for a dinner of hotdogs in celebration of U.S. Independence Day! It was very tasty! We sat at the dinner table for a while and had a nice time, but then it was time for our celebration to start!!

First, we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores! There was also cake that we could’ve had too if we wanted it. After we devoured the treats, we played a super fun game of ‘Chameleon’ that lasted pretty long but that was great because we all had a blast and didn’t want it to end!! Before going to bed, we finished packing up our bags so that we were ready to go tomorrow morning.

Written by leader of the day: Evie

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

Travel Day!!

Started the day late with an 8:30 breakfast of pancakes and fruit. Then we said an official goodbye to Uvita and departed for the day. After a two and a half hour drive, we stopped for souvenir shopping at El Jardín. At El Jardín, we gathered snacks and got some last-minute trinkets before driving the last portion to our final hotel in Alajuela.

We got to the hotel around 1:30 to which we enjoyed a later lunch of casado (a treat of beans, rice, and fish). Then, we had some free time to relax until 4:30 when we engaged in a leadership activity. During this activity, we set our goals for how we might change to be more environmentally-positive when we return home.

We started to end the evening with a 7:00 dinner of cheeseburgers and fries. Later, we engaged in game night including a competitive game of Dutch Blitz. Finally, we headed to bed early, wrapping up one of our final days in Costa Rica!!

Written by Leader of the Day: Farrah

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Today was a very sad, yet appreciative day. Everyone woke up ready to share their final day together. We went down to breakfast to eat some pancakes, hash browns, and gallo pinto. We then left to go walk through Poas Volcano. Although it was very foggy, we still had a blast. We then went to a restaurant for a traditional Costa Rican lunch. It was delicious!

We then went back to homebase and had many hours of free time where we all hung out together and got ready for our final evening of the program! We all met up at 5pm to start our celebration. We participated in an appreciation circle that was very sweet. We then competed to see who knew the most Spanish!!

We had dinner, which consisted of mashed potatoes, rice, garlic bread, salad, and chicken, and then we were surprised by some guest dancers!! They performed for us for a while and then we joined in!!! We danced with the professionals and we had so much fun! They later left and we all said our sad goodbyes to the people leaving during the night. (Farrah, Lulu, James, and Jackson). We are so sad for the program to be over but had an amazing last day to celebrate the whole experience we were able to share!

Written by Leader of the Day: Evie

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

TIME CAPSULE LETTER

Written by Taylor & the Costa Rica Team

Pura Vida!

We cannot believe how much time has passed since our Costa Rica trip ended! It feels like yesterday that we were all together zip lining through the jungle, planting hundreds of coconut and almond trees, and having an absolute blast swimming and building human towers in the sea! You’re likely back in school and back in the swing of your everyday lives, but we want you to know that we are still always thinking of you and thinking of our time spent together making an impact in Costa Rica!

You truly left an impact on the communities in Montezuma and Parrita with all of your hard work, curiosity, and open mindedness. The time you spent cleaning the beaches in Montezuma of plastic waste and natural debris left the sea turtles with the space they needed to lay their eggs. While we may not have actually seen any turtles on night patrol, we put in the hard work of clearing the beaches to create the best environment possible— we know that the turtles will be grateful for all your efforts later in the season! In Parrita, you learned about the importance of reforestation and planted hundreds of coconut and almond trees. We hope you realize that while you might not have tangibly seen the impact of all of your service, your hard work and effort will continue to serve the communities here for months and years to come as the trees slowly begin to grow and turtles come to shore to discover the newly cleared stretches of sand. We hope that the knowledge you all have gained from this experience will stick with you throughout your lives and that you will continue to educate those around you on the importance of marine conservation in order to protect and respect our environment and all those who inhabit it!

Another thing we simply cannot forget is all the crazy FUN we had together! We are so proud of how welcoming and accepting you all were towards each other, towards us, and towards the local communities here in Costa Rica. We went trekking to a waterfall and cliff jumping, cooked local cuisine with LuLu and tried so many new foods (remember all those fruits/treats you bought from the local fruit stand) and felt our stomachs drop as we fell fast on the zip line. At homebase, we spent afternoons in the pool, hours playing at the pool table, and we showcased all kinds of strange talents during Send Me Your Champion.

We had gorgeous beach days where we played volleyball and spent afternoons eating ice cream and exploring some incredible coastal towns.

We’re so proud of how committed you all were to the program, to the local communities, and to yourselves. We so appreciated all of your genuine curiosity and desire to learn and grow as individuals throughout this experience. We saw the growth in all of you guys and hope that you continue to use what you learned during your time here to grow even more upon returning home.

On that note, who remembers our OMG – “one meaningful goal” we created together at the end of our session? — We pledged to intentionally clean up garbage at least once a day in order to leave the environment around us a little bit better than how we found it. How has that been going? Has anyone gotten their community involved? We would love to hear about it!

Remember those personal goals you all created as well. We hope and truly believe that you’ll continue to BE THE CHANGE wherever you are in the world!

We want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for making these two weeks so special. Best of luck to everyone in the future and remember to always dream big and continue working towards all of your goals!!!

Much Love,

Taylor and the Costa Rica Team

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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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Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

Hola!!

Happy arrival day everyone!

Today, we all arrived to our very first homebase in Costa Rica and we are so excited for everything that lies ahead in the next two weeks!!

We spent the day getting to know one another, taking our swim tests, and enjoying some chill time settling in.

We enjoyed getting a small taste of the Costa Rican cuisine and talking about what other foods we are excited to try!

Tomorrow we leave for our journey to Montezuma and we can’t wait…

We are looking forward to bioluminescent kayaking, waterfalls, surf lessons, and beginning our volunteer service!

Tonight, we are getting some good rest to prepare for a long day of orientation and travel tomorrow.

Hasta Luego, and as they say here in Costa Rica…

PURA VIDA!!!!

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 19

Hola!

Today was our first day of volunteer work, we started the day off by having breakfast, then headed to the beach. At the beach, we worked with a group called ASVO, who do sea turtle conservation projects to help protect the turtles eggs. Our job today was clearing an area that was filled with natural debris and litter, so that the turtles can lay their eggs in a safe spot that they feel comfortable in. We learned some fun facts about the sea turtles in our area before returning for lunch.

After lunch, we headed to a beach about five minutes away to get some sun and cool off in the water. The water was lovely with a bit of wind, and the sun came out for most of the time we were there. After a while, we headed back to home base, and spent some time relaxing in the hammocks before spending some time in a big group reflecting on the trip so far and what we look forward to.

Our discussion was followed by dinner, and a little bit more relaxing before we broke into small mentor groups to get to know one another better. We also wrote letters to our future selves that we will open at the end of the trip. After that, we all spent time chatting and relaxing in the common area. Today was definitely our first big challenge physically, but we all met it with excitement and enthusiasm.

See you Soon!

-Emmett and Claire

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

Hi parents!

Today we started off by eating breakfast at the home base and drinking the juice of the day, a strawberry and banana drink!

After breakfast we went to the local sea turtle hatchery to complete our service! We picked up plastic and debris off the beach while listening to Spanish music!

After rinsing off the sand and eating lunch, we headed to explore town. We went to the local supermarket and bought Costa Rican snacks. We got ice cream and bought handmade jewelry and souvenirs.

Later in the day, we drove to the kayaking location and enjoyed a picnic dinner. The weather almost canceled our excursion to see the bioluminescent algae, but luckily the rain stopped and we had a wonderful time.

When we got back from kayaking, we had a special birthday surprise for Lucy on the trip! We ate cake and other snacks, and hit a piñata (or didn’t in some cases). Lights out was at ten o’clock so we all headed to bed!

Pura Vida,
Max and Amelia

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

Hi everyone!

Today was an amazing day 5 in Costa Rica! We started the morning with a delicious meal of pancakes and avocado sandwiches.

We then headed to the sea turtle hatchery and cleaned sticks and logs up off the beach. We used our collaborative skills and strength to complete these tasks. After our hard work, we returned to home base to eat a healthy meal of rice, beans, meat, and salad.

After lunch we went on a challenging hike to a beautiful waterfall called La Cascada. This hiking trail was basically in the backyard of our hotel and was a 30 minute hike to the waterfall. Many students jumped into the water from a cliff!! It was so breathtaking and refreshing after a long day of service.

Home from the hike we had a leadership activity where we all planned goals for the rest of our trip. These were both individual and group goals. We then ate a quick dinner before we headed out to night patrol. We split into groups and search the beach for turtle tracks and eggs. Today was an amazing 5th day and we are excited for many more days to come!

Love
Lily and Lucy

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

Join us on today’s adventure! Our day started off strong with a guided tour in the wildlife refuge: Curú. There, we saw many local animals such as howler monkeys (who later took a trip to our homebase), coatimundis, crocodiles, and various tropical plants. During our exploration, we were given the opportunity to test our survival skills by trying termites straight out of their nest!

After the tour, we headed to a nearby beach where we settled down for a picnic and attempted human pyramids in the water with the company from the refuge’s jellyfish and iguanas!

After our monkey encounter back at home base, we practiced our leadership skills with a nature based debate that was cut short due to a bit of a storm. Instead of letting the water ruin our night we kept a positive outlook and used the shared experience to bond through singing and dancing!

After dinner, the leaders of the day hosted an epic base wide camera scavenger hunt which tested the contestants teamworks and forced them to step out of their comfort zone.

Lights out was at 10, to prepare for an exciting surf trip to Santa Teresa in the morning.

Tuanis🤙

Chloé & Theo

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

Today we had an early morning as we set off for Santa Teresa: a beautiful coastal town. While we were walking to the beach we saw some howler monkeys in a tree next to the pathway. At the beach were playing volleyball, swimming in the water and SURFING.

When you were finished surfing, we received a fresh coconut to replenish our energy. Once we were done with our coconuts, we set up a picnic at a different beach nearby where we made sandwiches, got juice boxes and had all sorts of snacks.

After we finished lunch we went shopping in the town of Santa Teresa where there were souvenir shops, a grocery store, boutiques, cafes, and even a place to get açaí bowls.

Once we had finished shopping we all headed back to the beach to watch the sunset. Unfortunately due to the rain, we didn’t get to see much and headed home a little early.

By the time we got back from Santa Teresa it was close to dinner time so everyone got ready for the final dinner in Montezuma. When we got to the dining room we were greeted by a surprise. There were live musicians playing guitar and the xylophone! The musicians played some traditional Costa Rican music.

Once dinner wrapped up we moved the tables so that people could dance. We even got to see one of the Costa Rican lady’s named Itza do a Nicoyan folklore dance.

After we finished dancing we started some karaoke where we heard some singing as well as some guitarist. Some songs we sang were riptide, a thousand years, and the cup song. On guitar we heard cigarette daydreams and the hardest button to button.

After we finished karaoke we went to our rooms to pack for our journey to Parrita the next day.

From,

Maddie and Emy

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

Hi everyone!!!

Today is our first day in La Isla, our second home base of the trip. Where we are surrounded by luscious nature, and are given the opportunity to swim in the pool on base and order fun mocktails.

We started our day with a slightly earlier breakfast starting at 7:30 in order to arrive at service in time.

After breakfast, we departed for todays service at the hatchery here, which is about an hour bus ride away from our current home base.

Before beginning service, we were given an interesting presentation on the contributions the hatchery is making and how the work we are doing will make an impact.

Today was a long and rewarding day of work, we helped the hatchery by shoveling dirt into planters and sand into future turtle nests, making sure to finish with a ping pong game and one last shovel of sand before leaving.

After service, we had our first lunch time meal at our new home base before getting ready for our next activity, which was our favorite….Dancing!!!

We were assigned a random dancing partner and learned 4 new dances from our talented and patient dance instructor.

After dancing and much fun, we were given free time for a couple of hours to explore our new home, most of us decided to cool off and enjoy pool time!!

We played games of volleyball and other bonding activities.

Our mentors took into considerations how much time we spend together daily and decided that we were going to spend 30 minutes of “selfie time”, which was time to ourselves where we got to choose to either read or journal silently in order to decompress and reflect on the trip so far.

Next we had a competitive leadership activity, where we were split into groups and had to compete with each other based on different questions made up by our leaders. This allowed for many laughs and strengthened our knowledge of each other.

After dinner, we split into our mentor groups and played the card game “we’re not really strangers” where we got to know and understand each other on a deeper more personal level.

Light outs was at 10, to prepare for an exciting day of zip lining!!!

Adios!

-Sophie and Caleb

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

PURA VIDA!!

Join us on day 10 of our marine conservation journey! We started off our day with a nutritional breakfast at 7:00 AM to prepare us for zip lining! Some of our friends decided to face their fears and do a front flip or going upside down.

After our zip lining excursion we walked through a butterfly sanctuary and at the end we saw crocodiles!! We made our way back to the home base and continued a leadership activity containing teamwork, agility, and problem solving skills.

We had a guest speaker come in and educate us on sea turtles and how to tell them apart. Maurillio Cordero taught us skills that we can use while preserving sea turtles in their habitats.

As we finished off our night, we practiced our pool skills in the common area. This has helped us grow closer together and bond more!

PURA VIDA!!

Chloe S. and Quinton

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Hola families!

Today started off with a 8:30 breakfast which gave us time to sleep in after yesterday’s long day and early wake up.

After breakfast we met up with our guest speaker from yesterday, Maurillio Cordero. He taught us about reforestation with coconut and almond trees.

Service was on the beach right in front of our homebase and was a mix of planting coconut trees and potting almond saplings to be planted in the future.

After service we had a good lunch and had free time to get ready for our afternoon activity of a cooking class!

We drove to Parrita and were warmly welcomed into a local community member named Lulu’s home.

In her outdoor kitchen, we learned how to make tortillas to be used in a traditional Costa Rican dish called Picadillo de papaya.

On the way back to home base we stopped at a local fresh fruit stand where we could buy things like cacao nuts, mango, fruit juices, and local sweet treats.

Back at the homebase we had a great dinner of mac and cheese with salad. We finished off the night with a leadership activity of a whole group goal, and then got into our mentor groups to think of personal goals for after the trip.

Pura Vida!

-Eva & Ella

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

Today was the final day of our 2 weeks here in Costa Rica and we spent the day saying our last goodbyes to our new friends.

We reflected on our last night and how much fun we had at our last dinner. We all got dressed up and enjoyed a final Costa Rican meal and took LOTS of pictures.

After dinner, our mentors handed back the letters we wrote to ourselves all the way back around day 3 and we got to look back on all of the thoughts, feelings, and emotions we were experiencing at the beginning of this journey.

Then, we received our envelope full of letters that we all wrote to each other over the course of the last few days. We read our kind notes to ourselves while sitting outside in a circle and there were many happy (and sad) tears!

We are leaving Costa Rica with so many new memories and incredible friendships!

See you all soon!

PURA VIDA

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

TIME CAPSULE LETTER

Pura Vida GLLP!

We cannot believe how much time has passed since our Costa Rica trip ended! It feels like yesterday that we were all together zip lining through the jungle, planting hundreds of coconut and almond trees, and having an absolute blast swimming and doing cool tricks in the sea! You’re likely back in school and back in the swing of your everyday lives, but we want you to know that we are still always thinking of you and thinking of our time spent together making an impact in Costa Rica!

You truly left an impact on the communities in Montezuma and Parrita with all of your hard work, curiosity, and open mindedness. The time you spent cleaning the beaches in Montezuma of plastic waste and natural debris left the sea turtles with the space they needed to lay their eggs. While we may not have actually seen any turtles on night patrol, you all put in the hard work of clearing crabs from the hatchery and replenishing the sand — we know that the turtles will be grateful for all your efforts later in the season! In Parrita, you learned about the importance of reforestation and planted hundreds of coconut and almond trees. We hope you realize that while you might not have tangibly seen the impact of all of your service, your hard work and effort will continue to serve the communities here for months and years to come as the trees slowly begin to grow and turtles come to shore to discover the newly cleared stretches of sand. We hope that the knowledge you all have gained from this experience will stick with you throughout your lives and that you will continue to educate those around you on the importance of marine conservation in order to protect and respect our environment and all those who inhabit it!

Another thing we simply cannot forget is all the crazy FUN we had together! You are truly such a special group and we are so proud of how welcoming and accepting you all were towards each other, towards us, and towards the local communities here in Costa Rica. We went trekking to a waterfall and cliff jumping, cooked local cuisine and tried so many new foods (especially all the fruit juices), and felt our stomachs drop as we fell fast on the zip line. At homebase, we spent nights doing tricks in the pool, hours playing at the pool table, and we showcased all kinds of strange talents during Send Me Your Champion. We spent mornings doing yoga, meditating, and going for runs on the beach.

We had countless beach days where we played huge group games of soccer and volleyball and you all COMPETED hard. We went shell hunting, splashing in small tide pools, and flopping on the sand like mermaids (special shoutout to Kevin)!

We’re so proud of how committed you all were to the program, to the local communities, and to yourselves. We so appreciated all of your genuine curiosity and desire to learn and grow as individuals throughout this experience. We saw the growth in all of you guys and hope that you continue to use what you learned during your time here to grow even more upon returning home.

On that note, who remembers our OMG – “one meaningful goal” we created together at the end of our session? — We pledged to clean up garbage and share about it on social media to encourage others to do the same in order to leave the environment around us a little bit better than how we found it. How has that been going? Has anyone gotten their community involved? We would love to hear about it!

Remember those personal goals you all created as well. We hope and truly believe that you’ll continue to BE THE CHANGE wherever you are in the world!

We want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for making these two weeks so special. Best of luck to everyone in the future and remember to always dream big and continue working towards all of your goals!!!

Much Love,

Taylor and the Costa Rica Team

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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

---

Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

Hola Famila y Amigos!

Arrival day has come and gone. We have all landed safely in Costa Rica and spent the first day slowly trickling in from the airport and beginning to get to know one another through lots of fun games and conversations!

At homebase, some of us played a utilized the volleyball court for a big group game and lots of us completed our swim tests!

We really enjoyed sampling our first few Costa Rican meals. It’s so exciting to try some things we haven’t ever tasted before (especially the fresh fruit juices)!

We’re going to sleep tonight anticipating an exciting travel day tomorrow: off to Montezuma we go! We can’t wait to begin our service projects and to explore the beautiful beaches in the region!

We have the most exciting trip ahead. The next two weeks are going to be filled with adventure, learning, and friendship — we are SO pumped!!!

As the Costa Ricans love to say,

PURA VIDA!

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30

¡Hola! We had a very active start to the day with 6 of us waking up at 6:30 to go on a 30 minute jog with Sawyer. Many others chose to begin their morning with yoga while others decided to catch up on sleep!

We had a delicious pre-breakfast of an orange and watermelon slice topped with nutritious chia seeds followed by a mini crepe, eggs, rice and beans, and plantains. Some of us made breakfast burritos! The juice option was soursop along with coffee, water, and tea options.

We all made sure to eat and drink as much as we could because we knew we had a long, but fun, day of service ahead of us.

Upon arriving at the ASVO facility, Diego gave us a presentation about the turtles we might find (the Lora, Tortuga Negra, y Tortuga Baula), their diets, sizes, tracks, egg count, and more. We also learned about the hatching and conserving process that is used to repopulate the turtles. After the presentation, the work began! We cleaned off the beach and began the process of transporting new sand into the hatchery. We learned the new sand is needed because the old sand has bacteria and microorganisms from the previous batch of turtles.

Next came an incredible lunch! The juice choice was banana and quass (a type of guava) and the option of water. The meal was a classic lentil dish the came with rice and fried plantain chips. Chilena (spicy pickled vegetables) could be added for some spice.

After lunch we had a nice hike across rivers and roots to a huge waterfall. Here many of us climbed and jumped off a ten foot rock into the waterfall’s pool (saltamos de un catarata). This was an afternoon of fun, cooling off, and socializing.

After the hike back to home base, many showered, read in hammocks, and played board games. We then gathered for a leadership activity revolving around the impact of social media in our lives.

We capped off the day of delicious meals with grilled red marlin fish, mashed potatoes, and salad with pickled carrots and beets. The juice with this meal was a delicious lemonade, and always water.

Finally, we had our first mentor groups of the trip; here we wrote letters to our end-of-program-selves. We miss you all and buenas noches familia de GLA.

From, Emelia and Kevin (11-0 so far in chess)

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

We started off day 4 with an amazing breakfast created by our awesome kitchen staff!!

Then we ventured to our service which consisted of picking up sticks to clear out the beach in order for turtles to lay their eggs. Covered in hermit crabs we powered through so we could make a nice space for the turtles.

After service we had a quick dip in the ocean and saw some monster waves. On the way back we were graced with by presence of monkeys which pathed the way back to our hotel. We chowed down on some lunch and made our way for our kayaking journey!!

When we arrived, we all shared a picnic dinner with a gorgeous view and listened to the sound of howler monkeys. After heading out on the water we were so lucky to see bioluminescence which was absolutely stunning.

We headed home and clocked out for the night after a long fun and incredible day.

Adios!

Carlos and Bridget

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 2

Buenos Días GLA family!

Day 5 started with breakfast once again created by the awesome kitchen staff!!!

We then went onto our final day of service where we loaded bags of fresh sand into the hatchery.

Afterwards we went back to homebase for some lunch and then we headed out to the beach. We swam in the rain and played some beach soccer and volleyball and explored the tide pools.

Later on, we went back and started getting ready for our first night of night patrol to look for mama turtles and their nests. Although we did not see any, we were thankful for the day. We’ll head into night patrol tomorrow with good intentions and high hopes!

Buenos Noches!

Kenzie & Mia

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

Hola!

We started off the morning with a healthy breakfast containing rice, beans, eggs, and of course Rice Krispy treats with a side of ice cream!

Then, we hopped on the bus and made our way over to Curu National Park where we took an hour long walk through the forest seeing crabs and tons of howler monkeys!

Afterwards, we had lunch at the beach in the national park next to some cute monkeys! We spent the next hour laying around on the beach and refreshing in the ocean before our next long bus ride!

We then took an hour long ferry which continued to an hour long bus ride where we stopped for some empanadas and hot chocolate! Before continuing on, we walked across a bridge to take a peak at some hungry crocodiles!!

After another hour long bus ride, we finally arrived to our next home base for the final week in Parrita! We enjoyed a delicious dinner and headed off to bed!

Hasta La Vista!

-Saydee & Brenna

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Good morning!

we started off the day with a delicious first breakfast in our new home base then got ready to do service.

Today, we learned about the importance of planting trees on the coast, as it acts as erosion prevention. We planted dozens of coconut and almond trees as well as harvesting over 100 almond sprouts in a new home so they can grow!

When we returned to the hotel, some of us took a dip in the pool before indulging in a yummy lunch!

After a little free time, the group took dance lessons from Kenneth, learning several Costa Rican styles of dance. The vibes were super fun and everybody stepped out of their comfort zone to try something new!

Then, we did a fun leadership activity. We got into groups and when a question was asked, we picked the person who had most applied to. We had multiple funny impressions of people and animals, etc.

Later, we had a delicious dinner and started writing letters for everyone to read at the end of the trip. tomorrow we look forward to zip lining!

Love Bryn and Mackenzie

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

Hola Hola Familias!

We have been having the BEST time over the past couple of days.

Today, we left bright and early for one of our most highly anticipated days: Manuel Antonio National Park. We were all so excited because we knew we’d get to see all kinds of amazing animals (especially sloths)!

When we entered the park, we set off with our guides, some powerful telescopes, and the belief that sloths, monkeys, and other cool creatures would meet us along the way.

After our nature hike and animal spottings, we all but ran down to the beach in the park and spent the late morning swimming around in the blue/green waters surrounded by palm trees. The whole group got into the water and it was one of our favorite team bonding moments!

When we were all swam out and our stomachs were beginning to rumble, we packed up and grabbed our packed lunches to eat at picnic tables at the beach. It was such an incredible morning.

Returning to homebase called for an afternoon of pool time and games. We enjoyed some chill time before meeting back up as a group to play a competition game on the beach at sunset.

In the evening, we had dinner and split into mentor groups where we discussed our goals for post programming.

The day was everything we imagined and more and we are so grateful to have seen so many INCREDIBLE animals in their natural habitat.

Tomorrow is our last full day here in Parrita and we cannot wait to see what is yet to come.

Adios!

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Hi Family & Friends,

Today, we jumped back into service. The focus of the day was sign painting. We used our creativity today to design the signs and wrote important messages about conservation. It was super fun to tap into our creative and artistic sides for this project!

We returned to homebase for lunch and then headed right back out and into the community in Parrita to attend a cooking class. We had the opportunity to cook a meal with a local community member right in her very own kitchen in her home. It was so amazing to be so warmly welcomed into her house and to learn from her.

We made a traditional dish from scratch and drank some homemade juice and coffee. She even gave us some eclectic aprons and hats to wear while we cooked!

On the way home, we stopped at a fruit stand where we bought cacao, rambutan, mangos, fresh fruit juices, and more!

We enjoyed our last dinner in Parrita and then began our appreciation circle where we had the opportunity to recognize each other for all of our hard work & kind hearts shown over the past two weeks.

After dinner, we got ready for our surprise: a bonfire on the beach! We each threw a stick in the fire and announced one thing we would like to leave behind after this trip. It was super cool to hear everyone’s response and to understand ways in which everyone wants to continue to grow when they get home.

We roasted marshmallows and hung out on the beach around the fire for the night.

All of us can’t even believe that tomorrow is our final day!

See you all soon!

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

TIME CAPSULE LETTER

Dear Alexa, Andrew, Auggie, Ava, Brisa, Caralina, Chloe, Elyse, Gracie, Helena, Grigs, Kara, Liam, Myah, Sam, Sarah and Tommy,

Whether you’re back home and planning your next adventure, or already ready to embark on a new journey, we want to take some time to reflect on this past summer together in Costa Rica.

This summer was filled with an endless amount of laughter and shenanigans that led us to understand more about ourselves and grow as young leaders in this world. From long, hot, meaningful service days shoveling sand, planting trees, and beach cleanups, to sunny days surfing the waves and ziplining through the Costa Rican jungle – our time together was priceless. We are exceptionally grateful for your willingness to trust the process and enjoy a foreign country in a new, unheard-of way. Montezuma and Parrita thank you for your dedication to service and hope that you continue prioritizing giving back as you explore the world around you.

Remember our ceremony around the fire. Time has passed so quickly, yet we aren’t who we were when we left Costa Rica behind. We’ve all now had time to integrate this new experience into our daily lives and, hopefully, have made a personal change if not also an impact in our communities. Are we still trying new foods, open to meeting new people and building strong connections, or pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone?

Together we have seen the realities of how garbage has consumed the natural places where turtles, monkeys, and even hermit crabs make their homes. Let’s look back on our OMG (one meaningful goal): to organize at least one community garbage cleanup in the next 6 months. If you haven’t yet thought about this, gather your friends with some gloves and garbage bags and remember how quickly we filled those bags at the beach. YOU too can make real CHANGE!

This summer was one to remember! We miss you all already and wish you the best as you find your place in the world.

¡Pura Vida, Mae!

Sawyer, Saylor, Sebas & Samber

---

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 JUNE 11

Pura Vida!

Today we arrived in Costa Rica to begin our Marine Conservation and Sea Turtle Expedition program.

We started slowly arriving to our first homebase near San Jose and spent a rainy afternoon relaxing and meeting some of our new roommates. Those of us who arrived earlier in the day enjoyed a delicious Costa Rican lunch that consisted of chicken, rice, beans, plantains, salad and garlic bread with some fresh fruit juices. Yummmm!

After lunch some of us took our swim tests in the pool and played a couple different card games with our new amigos.

Later in the evening we enjoyed another delicious meal for dinner, tried a new fresh fruit juice, and had a little dessert before turning in for an early night.

The rest of our new friends arrived later on and we’re so looking forward to meeting them all in the morning! Our late arrivals enjoyed dinner together as soon as they made it to homebase before also heading off to sleep to get ready for the early morning departure.

We’re so excited to venture off to the beautiful coastal town of Montezuma tomorrow morning where we’re looking forward to enjoying some sunny beach days and beginning our community service project. (We even get to hop on a ferry tomorrow to get there!)

We have a great feeling about all the adventure that lies ahead and we can’t wait to uncover the beauty of Costa Rica and develop meaningful friendships and connections along the way!

Buenas Noches!

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 13

It has been an exciting couple of days here in Montezuma.

We kicked off June 13th with our first leader of the day and a wonderful breakfast of pineapple slices, rice, beans, and some delicious fresh fruit juice. Everyone was buzzing with the excitement for our first service day! After breakfast, we got ready, loaded up the bus, and headed off, eager to see what the service site would be like.

After an amazing presentation about sea turtles, the group went to check out the hatchery (the place where sea turtle eggs can be relocated for protection against predators).

To keep the sand healthy and in the best condition for eggs, the sand needs to be replaced before each season. Everyone was so quick to join in on the hard work and lend a hand! Before long we had replaced a good amount of the sand and all felt very accomplished for the day.

We had another lovely lunch, after which we headed to a beautiful local beach where the group loved jumping and playing in the waves. Taking advantage of the time in the water to get to know each other more!

In the evening we did a super cool leadership activity where we explored social media usage and its impact on our daily lives.

After a dinner that was definitely a group favorite we got into our mentor groups. Here we reflected on the day’s activities and wrote letters to our future selves. Can’t wait to read them back at the end of programming!

Buenas Noches!

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 14

Buenas Dias!!!

Today’s leader of the day showed great enthusiasm from the very first moment, decorating the schedule with drawings and practicing their loud voice when announcing our plans for the day.

Day two of service had us clearing sections of the beach of debris and garbage. In order for a turtle to nest she needs to find the best spot for her eggs. So, we needed to clear the sand and create space for the turtles.

The group powered through the morning and was able to clear a large section of the beach. This activity really gave us the feeling that we were making a difference. After service, it was a race to the waves to cool off and enjoy some well-deserved beach time!

More and more of the group is embracing the culture of Costa Rica. Everyone was asking so many questions about every creepy crawly that we found during service, At lunch everyone is asking all about the food and trying things they had never had before!

After lunch laughter and smiles could be found in the “hang out room” (aptly named for all the hammocks that are hanging around) as card games, fun conversations, and friendship braiding took place. To continue the group bonding, we played some fun games that helped reflect on the work we are doing.

Dinner was taken to go as the group headed off on our first big adventure: kayaking in bioluminescent water! The group took off in pairs in their kayaks, some kayaking for the first time, to see this special plankton glow. Many of us even jumped in the water for a swim in the dark. It was SO cool to see how the water around us lit up with contact and movement. It was an amazing day!

Hasta Luego!

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 17

Hola Hola Famila y Amigos!

Today was an AWESOME and full day out and about in the beautiful town of Santa Teresa. We have been looking forward to this day since arrival!

First on the agenda today was… SURFING!!!

While some of us were already surfing pros, it was a lot of our first times out on the waves. So many of us were able to stand up on the board after just a short lesson!

When we finished our surf lesson, we were all rewarded with a fresh coconut. It revitalized us for the rest of our day in Santa Teresa!

We headed to another beach where we had a picnic lunch, played a huge game of volleyball, and jumped back in the waves.

Everyone was itching to head into town to do a bit of shopping and grab some food (the groups favorite location actually ended up being the local grocery store)!

After hanging in town for a few hours, we made our way back to the beach to catch the sunset. We played some more volleyball, dove back into the waves, and enjoyed our final few hours in the gorgeous town.

When we arrived back at homebase, we were surprised by a special guest performer. We had the most amazing barbecue for dinner and listened to some vibey music. When we finished eating, we all got up to dance and play instruments along with the performer. It was the perfect end to a long and exciting day!!!

Adios Amigos!!

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20

Hola, Buenas Días!

Today we put the ADVENTURE in Global Leadership Adventures with our ziplining excursion!

We left bright and early for the park where we strapped right into our gear and started our ascent into the trees. We weaved our way through the course flying through the stunning Costa Rican forest. A lot of us were super brave and flipped upside down!!

One of our favorite parts (or maybe the scariest for some) was the straight drop down a rope where you could feel your entire stomach drop!

We also loved finishing out the course by doing a Superman down the final rope!

After ziplining, we checked out the butterfly garden next door and saw some crocodiles! The butterflies were this super vibrant blue color that was AMAZING!

Back at homebase, we spent the afternoon listening to a guest speaker teach us more about sea turtles, participating in a leadership style activity, and playing a team competition game that had us up and active.

In the evening, we enjoyed our incredible homebase facilities with some of us playing pool, others competing in fusbol, and some of us just chilling.

It was the best day, but man are we tired. Heading off to bed to prepare for another day of service tomorrow!

Hasta Luego!

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22

Hi Hi!

Today was a day we were all tremendously excited for. We went to Manuel Antonio National Park and saw all kinds of incredible wildlife!

We set out with guides and telescopes and had the opportunity to see sloths, monkeys, iguanas, bats, snakes, and more!

After our trek to find wildlife, we had a chance to swim in the clear blue sea for the afternoon. We ate a picnic lunch on the beach and then returned to homebase to enjoy our last full day in Parrita.

The afternoon included a goal setting activity with our mentor groups and some chill pool/game time.

At night, we were surprised by an epic bonfire on the beach! We roasted marshmallows and reflected on our trip. We read the letters we wrote to ourselves at the very beginning of the program and were able to see how far we’ve come in the past two weeks.

It was an amazing way to conclude our time in Parrita. We had so much fun enjoying each others company on the most beautiful beach!

Talk soon!

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

TIME CAPSULE LETTER

Written by Abigail & the Costa Rica Team

What a trip – I bet you can’t remember how the program seemed like such a long time away from home that 1st day, and now, it’s starting to feel so far in the past! Can everybody say WOW? 1… 2… 3… WOOWW! (Thanks Ben.)

I for one am missing the frequent hikes surrounded by monkeys, birds and lizards, the squawking of the macaws, and the rumored ferocious feline. Though most of all, I’m missing you all, who truly made this trip the amazing experience it was with your humor, your generosity, and your curiosity about each other and the world.

Most of you will be back at school now (or some – cough cough Ellie, onto University (or College, for those in the US of A), and some onto stranger adventures still, I should expect. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, we hope that you, as we do, think back from time to time on the adventure we shared, the impact you had on us, and the time spent with Orlando, Gabby, Dianna, Anna, and all the local experts we had the opportunity to work alongside.

We all learned about the value of community, conservation, and research-driven work, and the importance of your place in shaping the future of our planet. We experienced the culture of Costa Rica, with bachata and merengue classes, cacao bean processing and arepa making, and experienced Tico Time and the pura vida lifestyle firsthand.

We ziplined alongside squirrel and spider monkeys, scoured for frogs and lizards with our headlamps on night hikes with our biologist, saw a (crocodile-free) crocodile bridge and a (water-free) waterfall, but always found the adventure anyway, with a new beach and rainforest lying in wait around each turn. We fed sloths in the pouring rain at the Animal Rescue Center, spotted toucans and mushrooms alike at Manuel Antonio Park, and got to ride out the waves and collect coconuts at some pristine beaches.

We cross-referenced new species to add for butterfly population management, set up camera traps and practiced the art and science of bio-inventory, and collected mangrove seeds and measured sea turtles, with a little time for sun (and rain)-bathing in-between. We got to experience the incredible beauty and fragility of the Osa Peninsula’s biodiversity, and join the people striving to preserve it. We learned about their diverse routes to their positions, and began to carve out our own paths to our future selves.

Remember the goals you set in the last session of the Internship Curriculum? What successes have you had since the program finished, and what roadblocks are there still to overcome? How can you take that next step towards change? Shoot us a message to share the personal goals you set with GLA, they’d love to see how you are BEING the CHANGE back home!

Start those dream projects, traverse down your career pathways, and don’t be afraid of a little left swerve every now and again. Most of all, I hope you remember, nourish and maintain the knowledge, wonder and ambition to make your impact on the world. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to grow alongside you and see a glimpse of the wonderful human beings every one of you chooses to be daily.

From the whole GLA team and Benjamin Mark O’Hanlon, International Director.

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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 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

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Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

The Costa Rican adventure has begun!

On our very first day, as students gradually arrived, we had the opportunity to explore the community of Alajuela, including some quaint plazas, and stocked up on some snacks at a local supermarket and bakery.

Students took the opportunity to ask questions about the upcoming program, each other and our international team and, a few activities to learn more about each other.

We’re looking forward to students exploring their various internship interests with sea turtles, butterflies and wild mammals Beyond this, we’ll immerse ourselves in the enchanting culture of Costa Rica. From exploring ancient architecture to wandering through beachside villages, students will try exotic fruits and discover unique local crafts.

We’re all excited to grow our budding relationships and the adventures of the coming weeks.

From Ben and everyone here on the ground in Costa Rica!

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

By Mia Vitale

Today we did introductions and toured the animal rescue centre from toucans to howler monkeys. my favorite were the sloths that will be released back to the wild soon. We learned about each animal’s rescue story and had the opportunity to prep their food.

Anna, our biologist, identified loads of plants and taught us more about the different animals! We looked over the code of conduct and were introduced to the program majors. We quickly went over the research project that we will have to present by the end of the trip. The research project will allow us to explore potential future careers and deep dive into a specific topic of our choice! We ended by breaking off into our mentor groups to debrief the day. Mia took the initiative to volunteer as our first leader of the day. We are excited to be assigned our majors and interact with the animals.

Jack gave us the quote of the day:
“Those who rush only waste time.”

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Written by: Jack Lenkowsky

Pura Vida!

Another day in Costa Rica is in the books. Here are some highlights.

Photo 1: A couple students were given the opportunity to enter the Blue Macaw enclosure. We provided them with enrichment by dancing with them to “Firework” by Katy Perry!

Photo 2: This was one of many free roaming sloth sightings, apparently they can move quite fast when it means escaping the rain!

Photo 3: Check this duo out! These are two of many capuchin monkeys, and they are a sight to see. These beautiful creatures stand out from the other animals in the center for their seemingly infinite energy, and their unpredictable antics.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

Today the volunteers continued their work in the Costa Rican animal rescue. From feedings, to cleanings, to tasks around the rescue, the students worked tirelessly to give the animals the attention and care they deserve. The amazing life stories of Fay, one of the volunteer coordinators, and Kaitlin, one of the vet interns on site, were shared, and students were given the opportunity to ask them questions about them and how they ended up where they are. Also, as it was the last day at the rescue, the students organized a mural to leave behind the GLA 2024 trip legacy. Finally, the day was ended with a fun night out at a local restaurant where the volunteers learned to salsa with the help of Lauren, the lovely local director for this trip. Overall, this day presented amazing opportunities for the volunteers to learn and give back while balancing it out with a bit of well earned fun! Here is to hoping there are more amazing days like this one as the journey leads us closer to the OSA peninsula.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

Today was one of our first adventurous days. Starting with a morning drive to Manuel Antonio National Park but with a stop on the crocodile bridge to spot any in the bright morning. Starting the trail walk at the national park with a spotting of a Toucans. Catching a very beautiful waterfall. On the way back we got to see a Sloth with green patches showing the moss and algae growing on it.

After the amazing park we got to explore finding different insects, wild animals and fungi we got to enjoy the Manuel Antonio beach. Enjoying the fresh coconut right from the trees surrounding us. And stopping by to the local grocery store grabbing some new snacks to try. Spending time together in the clear cooling water, laughing together every minute.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 12

Author: Nathan Fox, student

Today we visited Grijalba II and Batamabal archaeological sites. After a lovely breakfast prepared by the staff, we walked through pre-Colombian settlements of the Diquís people. After lunch we went to the Finca 6 Museum and learned about the significance of the man made stone spheres, Costa Rica’s first UNESCO World Heritage site. They were used for religious purposes and to denote rank. On the way to the Osa Peninsula we visited an old train that used to transport bananas.

After our lengthy bus ride, we finally arrived at our final home base, the Osa Discovery Lodge. After a quick tour, we sat down for our first dinner in our new dining room. After eating, our guest speaker, Spencer, arrives to inform us on how conservation issues are directly correlated to socioeconomic issues. This was followed by a late Chow Circle where we gave our shoutouts to others in the program and picked the next leader of the day. On our way to bed, we are finally given our long awaited majors that we will be studying for the rest of our trip, and we then settle into our new bunk beds and end our day.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 13

Pura Vida, Today we woke up at the OSA discovery lab and found out our majors. Mammals, Turtles and Butterflies. People doing mammals did two hikes to see and take photos of animals and plants to be later identified. The people doing turtles woke up early and went to the beach to plant mangrove seeds in pots and plant half grown mangrove trees. Then the butterfly crew went in the garden and researched different types of butterflies and hanged baby butterflies. Then we played mafia with a water gun. Lastly, we did mentor groups where we talked about ethics of nature at the end of the day.

Written by Aidan Burman

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 14

Author: Mateo Perales

The day started with an optional hike.

At 8 everybody had finished with breakfast and was ready to continue the day.

The mammals research group had a hike that started at 9:00 and ended at 1:30. We were able to see much more things such as: butterflies, fossils, caterpillars, insects. And the hike was very nice and had certain parts were you needed to get wet because of a river we needed to cross.

Before leaving the place we needed to take SD cards from the cameras but one got stolen.

After that we had lunch and rest time. Afterwards we took some time to research the animals and plants that we had taken pictures of.

Turtle research project:

We walked a very long way around the mangroves to find seed and we picked up 112 mangrove seeds and we also picked up 2 tea seeds. And we were lucky to see turtles in the water and some dolphins in the distance.

Butterflies research project:

We spent time researching which butterflies are able to be kept in the garden.

This included finding which host plants each species use to lay their eggs and for feeding the caterpillars , it also included finding which butterflies share similar host plants to save space and so each species could live together. An idea for an edible garden also made us find many edible plants such as peppers, lemons, passion fruit, and lemongrass.

As a reward for finalizing the set of butterfly species for the proposed garden, we went to a local chocolate maker to get cocoa with coconut, oranges, ginger, and more.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 15

Author: Wyatt Messer

Pura vida!
Today was the second day of major projects including the sea turtle, mammals, and butterfly group each having specific tasks for the day along with unique adventures for each.

Butterfly group started the day with a hike to a river to collect butterflies along the way and at the river. They caught a variety of butterflies and added them to the butterfly garden to add to the collection. Later, the group returned to home base and met with the caretaker of the butterflies, Diego, to move larvae to new leaves.

The turtle group found and caught a 110 pound turtle and identified it with the tag it had. They took a break from a long day with a quick swim in the ocean.

Today the mammal groups continued to observe wildlife in the Osa peninsula by hiking up a mountain in the area, there they saw scarlet macaws. They then returned home to identify which animals they observed while hiking.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 16

Author: Tess Philbin

Hello and pura vida! Today we woke up and split into our major groups.

Turtles got an early start and walked the beach looking for mangroves before potting mangroves. We took a lunch break and then hiked out to monitor and measure previously planted mangroves. On the way we saw tons of scarlet macaws, vultures, pelicans, turtles, and even a rare roseate spoonbill.

Butterfly’s also got an early start today beginning with planting host plants for their numerous species of butterflies. They later collected the butterfly eggs for population growth and monitoring.

Mammals had a super interesting day and started off by going to the beach. It was high tide so the students took a boat across to take their hike. They found a spider monkey skeleton, a sloth, and lots of other flora and fauna. After their hike they all stay down to identify their findings.

In the evening we all were surprised with a trip to a local restaurant for dinner. We all got dressed up nice and and headed out for a fun adventure to end our day.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

Author: Kendra Robertson

Hi everyone!

Today was our first minor day which gave us the opportunity to explore and learn from the other majors. Six people from the mammal major went to work with LAST to track sea turtles and the rest went to the mammal group.

The new turtle group had a great day setting out nets and learning about different turtle species in the area but none were caught today. Even though none were brought in, we made the most of it, hearing the other volunteers stories and learning about LAST as well as relaxing on the beach and in the water.

The new mammals group went on a hike with our guide Orlando and had a very eventful day. They spotted a tayra, several squirrel monkeys, and even a wild horse. They ended their day identifying all of the plants and animals they saw that day.

And after dinner, as a group, we worked on our internship curriculum looking at the lesson “Keep it Glocal” We did some research and gave a short presentation on the sustainable development goals and how they change country to country. We also celebrated Nate’s birthday with some confetti pancakes, music, and laughter.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 18

Today we split off into our major groups in the early morning! We got some breakfast and then quickly headed out, either to hike with mammals or to plant mangroves next to a gulf filled with turtles. During the day with the mammal team, the group ventured deep into the forest, crossing muddy mountains and cold water rivers. They saw monkeys and different species of birds. While doing the identification later in the day, we found ocelots, anteaters, a skunk and much more. The turtle group planted mangroves right by the beach, and measured the ones that had already grown to see their progress. They then recycled bottle lids, helping keep the environment clean and healthy. Both groups were successful with their service, coming back to a warm dinner in the home base!

Written by Malaika Khanna

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 19

Written by Tess Philbin and Mia Vitale.

Turtles started off the morning by hiking out into the mangroves to measure and monitor their growth. Once we got back we started building a second mangrove nursery. We had a lunch break in which we took a moment to swim and cool off and headed out to a recycling center. There we sorted various recyclables and learned about the process as a whole.

Mammals went on a hike with Orlando, the ranger on the preserved rainforest land, through the jungle to identify plants and animals we saw. When we got back to homebase we updated the data inventory and looked through all of the footage from the camera we set up last week.

Then, butterfly crew went into the butterfly lab and learned how to make jewelry and preservation techniques with butterfly wings. I was able to make two necklaces! Then we circled with the entire group for announcements and to discuss our day.

In the evening a group of students participated in a cooking class. Helena taught us how to cook a variety of things such as quesadillas, hot dogs, fruit and more.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

Written by: Priscilla Saldivar-Mora

We woke up really early around 5:30 to prepare for our long day. We hiked the rocky trails for a few hours at Matapalo. The outcome can be interpreted in different ways. Although it was a very nice natural atmosphere the small trickling waterfall was a disappointment for those expecting a large spectacle because it was unfortunately drier at this time. However, it was a very exciting journey that still rewarded us with an opportunity to see different breeds of monkeys as we walked on the trail and enjoyed beautiful natural scenery. Later on in the afternoon we headed to Playa Preciosa and enjoyed a variety of fresh scrumptious fruit while others enjoyed their time swimming in the blue water under the rainbow.

We had the chance to buy souvenirs from local artisans, from traditional masks to butterfly jewelry to local craftsman, and ended the night with reflection in our mentor groups.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

Written by: Lilianne Hung

Today we went to a coffee shop in the town so we can enjoy the studious environment. While savouring the comfortable atmosphere at the cafe, we enjoyed delectable coffee, ice cream, smoothies, and we spent several hours deeply engrossed in research for our final project on our dream careers, taking advantage of the peaceful setting to focus. Then we went to a local souvenir shop that held many beautiful artisan items and gifts.

In the evening, we learned how to make handmade Venezuelan arepas for dinner with fresh produce. The process was fun and educational and the end result was delicious. We enjoyed our homemade meal together.

Finally, we ended the day with a dancing lesson where we learned bachata, salsa, and some choreography. The instructor was energetic and patient, making the experience enjoyable and engaging.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

Written by: Kayla Mead

On July 22, we woke up bright and early for our second, and last, minors day. After breakfast, we left to work in either wildlife monitoring or sea turtle tracking.

Our wildlife monitoring group trekked the usual path through the rainforest where they took down their camera traps. Sadly, they found that the camera had been set up incorrectly and they were not able to gather any new footage to research.

Our turtle crew had an eventful minor day, where they managed to capture a turtle from their nets. They identified the turtle as a Hawksbill and collected their needed measurements and information before releasing it back into the ocean. They added tags so the turtle’s health and behavior can be monitored.

In the afternoon, half of us went to the beach, while the other half worked on pinning butterflies for research and collecting butterfly eggs for repopulation. We spent our extra free time at the lodge working hard on our final projects and ended the night with a guitar and singing session.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

Written by: Kennedy Holland

Today we woke up for a later breakfast and headed out to a beachside restaurant to work on our research projects. While there, we went kayaking. After a few hours of working and kayaking, we came back to home base for a delicious lunch. We then had a few hours of free time to continue working on our research projects before doing a fun get-to-know-you activity as a group. Afterward, our biologist, Anna, led a plant workshop where she showed us various exotic plants that she found in the jungle of Osa Peninsula. She showed us one plant in particular that released a blue dye when boiled, and we painted with it. After our activities, we ate a quick dinner and headed back to the beachside restaurant for our second dance class where we learned the salsa, bachata, and the merengue. Today the group got to learn a bit more about each other through our activity, and strengthened the friendships we’ve made over the past three weeks.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

Written by: Luisa Kazanjian

Today we went flying through the jungle on zip lines. Between the zip lines we saw spider and squirrel monkeys! Afterwards we went to a traditional tico farm where we made tortillas with masa, and harvested coffee and cacao beans. We learned about traditional farming from a local Costa Rican, ground cacao beans down and made our own hot chocolate, and saw 3 toucans.

We met with a professor named Ed from Portland State University who is establishing an eco research station up in the mountain by the farm. We skipped stones along a small stream and ended the night by inviting Orlando, our mammal guide, over for dinner. We celebrated all 3 birthdays, Ellie, Priscilla, and Tess together with tres leches cakes and flan.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

Written by: Max Ordonez

Today was the 2nd to last day of this amazing adventure! We got to wake up later than usual, and we made pancakes for Tess’s birthday 🥳

We then all dressed up and got ready for the final project presentations on our dream projects in our future careers. Every presentation was amazing and interesting to listen to, and everyone had creative and inspiring ideas. The projects ranged from sustainable architecture for hurricane victims in Puerto Rico, to starting a Biosphere in the Yukon. Others included an ethical primate rehabilitation center, zoonotic disease development, and recycled plastic clothing lines. Students’ career aspirations ranged from veterinarians, field researchers, Chief Sustainability Office, ecologists, environmental law, and more.

Later on we finished with all the presentations after a delicious dinner, and we went on our last night hike in Costa Rica! We then played an emotional goodbye game to appreciate one another, and after that we listened to two more beautiful songs played by Ben on the guitar.

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 26 & 27

Written by: Mia Vitale

Our departure day arrived faster than we’d like!

We packed our bags and left the Osa Peninsula, our home base and research focus. We each received our Airplane Letters, notes written to us by other students to read on the airplane home to remember and reflect on the memories we made together, and maybe shed a few tears over.

After a dramatic goodbye, I realized how amazing this trip was. I was able to ID all the animals we saw, work on tagging turtles for research, and learn about Costa Rica in general. I was able to make friends with people who have similar interests and do so many fun activities thanks to the staff. One of the most impactful things we had to do was make a presentation for our “dream careers”. We had to deep dive into the jobs we chose, figure out what steps we need to take to achieve that goal, and do a case study. Overall, this trip was an amazing experience with amazing people, all in one of the most biodiverse parts of the world.

Here are some of our favorite photos from across these incredible 3 weeks together!

Pura Vida!!