Uncategorized - Part 72

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Costa Rica: The Initiative for Children (July 25 – August 7, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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

Here are a few things you can expect:

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

Cell Phone Policy: The GLA cell phone policy is currently in place this summer to help foster meaningful connections between students. This means your student’s phone will be collected every day and returned to them throughout the program during designated spaces of time we call ‘tech time’. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location. During designated ‘tech time’, your student may use their phones as they wish. Please note that your student may not always choose to use this time to get a hold of their parents. If you are not hearing directly from your student each day, you can assume that no news is good news! We strongly recommend you follow the blog to follow your students’ experience without talking to them every day. If you are a parent and would like to get in touch with your student directly, you can call us at +1-619-758-3031 and we can set up a formal time for you to connect with your student.

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 posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

Hola familias,

Can’t believe we arrived finally!

We feel so excited to start this new adventure together! After a long day of arrivals and airport pickups we had some time to eat at the city mall and get the bus ride to our beautiful homebase.

As soon as we arrived we were welcomed with a delicious spaghetti with homemade sauce and we were ready to go to our rooms and rest for tomorrow!

We are looking forward to it!

Jonathan, Isa, Kennedy, and Caprecia

BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

Bienviendos!

Today was our first official day at home base. We learned about Costa Rica, cultural norms, and what to look forward to on our trip. We also participated in team building activities where we were challenged to learn everyone’s names and their dance moves! As a group we celebrated Caprecia’s birthday with a delicious cake! Community is very important here in Costa Rica, so we took the time to think about what we need from each other in our community! Mentor groups officially started tonight and we discussed important objects in our lives and opened up to our friends.

We are excited for a new adventure tomorrow!

Adios,
Kennedy, Isa, Caprecia and Jonathan

BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

We sampled really good coffee in Costa Rica and learned its history and Benjamin the cat was a guest in our lesson. We swam into the pool and jumped off the dock! We had a heated debate on FIFA.

Yayyy- Alex July 2022

WoaAaAh- Sahara July 2022

BLOG POST FOR JULY 28

Written by Alex, Henry and Brooke

Today we woke up bright and early to prepare for our first service trip! We ate a full breakfast and loaded up the buses to head off the schools. One group went to a school down the street with 13 students. They painted the walls outside, and with help from some of the kids who were interested in painting, got a lot of the walls covered! They also spent time in the classroom helping the students learn their numbers and family members in English, and little did we know they’d be teaching us more about Spanish as well. The service time was finished off with fun games of soccer, duck duck goose, and red light green light. The second group went to a larger school and participated in similar activities, forming new and exciting friendships with the students there.

After our service time, we took a long bus ride to the top of Costa Rica to take a boat tour! We saw lizards, monkeys, a sloth, crocodiles, and many tropical birds including blue birds and a rainbow bird. Upon finishing the boat tour, we took a long bus ride home where we spent more time telling stories and getting to know each other. After our journey, we were delightfully surprised with a pizza dinner and now we are ready to take a nice shower to clean off the sunscreen and bug spray and get to bed.

I’ve met a lot of friends for Jax and Winston, miss you guys!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

Written by Téa, Alex and Wulf

We woke up to the sun peaking over the tops of the rainforest, ready to continue our service work. Today both groups went to the larger school, Terron Colorado, where the English Fest was taking place. Each grade put on a presentation with music, dancing, singing or poetry. We were regaled with a very moving performance of Baby Shark complete with the hand gestures. After that, the schools dance group put on a extravagant performance of their cultural dance style, complete with colorful skirts and synchronized swooshing. At the end of the performance the girls ran over to where we were sitting and grabbed many of our friends, pulling them onto the courtyard where they were preforming. All of us ended up on that courtyard, dancing with the schoolchildren with a mix of American and Costa Rican classic moves, including the universally loved ‘Macarena’. This dance party/mild mosh pit went on for around half an hour, and by the end we were all very sweaty and very, very smiley. The ever-energetic kids ran around with their notebooks, babbling to each GLA member in rapid Spanish and asking for phone numbers. Nobody could, or wanted to, say no.

At the end of our visit, we got to watch the kids try their best at the schools Spelling Bee, which we helped them study for yesterday. The energy and love radiating from the children was infectious and left all of us still fizzing with their electric energy. A few hours (and a few showers) later, we made the short trek up to the Spanish House, where we met our dance instructor. To say this man was simply “energetic” would be like saying a nuclear explosion is just “a mushroom”. He had us all hyped up faster than a triple espresso made by a minimum wage Starbucks employee. We were popping off like a pound of Pop Rocks poured into half a cup of water. By the end we all were both curing and blessing whoever invented the salsa. In all, today was a day full of hard work made easy by our incredible peers and energetic environments.

yes cap and dave, I did write this. xoxo, your third child.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 30

Written by Ella, Marshall and Alyssa

Today everyone got to sleep for an extra hour because we did not have service due to it being a weekend. We started the morning with a delicious breakfast. After we all got health checks we were cleared to not wear masks outside! Finally we all boarded the bus for a nice ride to a national park called Juan Castro Blanco. It was a vigorous yet scenic hike that led to a gorgeous lake where we enjoyed lunch with a view of Pozo Verde. We had a nice break with lots of photography. We hiked a downhill stroll exchanging laughter and conversation. On the bus ride back, people took time to wind down and rest. Back at home base, our GLA activity gave everyone an opportunity to open up and share facts about themselves. We had a scrumptious pork, mash potato, and rice dinner and headed to bed!

“Love you grandma” -Marshall

“If you’re reading this Chloe, Kennedy, sarah and I miss you so much!” -Alyssa

“Hey mom and dad!” -Ella

BLOG POST FOR JULY 31

Written by Jenna, Anylah, and Nate

Today, some of the girls started out the morning taking a quick yoga class by the lake with a couple of the mentors. Then, we got to enjoy an American classic for breakfast, pancakes! Once everyone’s stomachs were full of pancakes, we got our phones and boarded the bus to head to the hot springs. After arriving, everyone braved a little bit of rain and split up to check out all of the different pools. Many people enjoyed the water slide, and others got virgin piña coladas served in a pineapple! Others made the questionable decision to heat shock themselves by jumping between one of the hot and cold pools. After everyone finished up in the pools and went down the slide one more time, we headed over to the restaurant to have a great lunch that filled us up again. On the way back to home base, we stopped at a souvenir shop where some of us bought keepsakes ranging from key chains to even a guitar!

After the souvenir shop, we also went to a grocery store where we filled up our arms and a few shopping carts with any snack we could find. Goldfish and PopCorners were among the favorites of the group. Once we returned to home base, we had a GLA Activity in which we had to work together to grab each person’s water bottle which was placed a few feet from the group. This activity was by far one of the favorites. After giving our highlights of the day and shoutouts, we sat down to enjoy a dinner of chicken tenders, french fries, and the staple piece of rice and beans. To finish out the night, we celebrated one of the birthdays in our group, Sahana! She turned fifteen today, and instead of eating cake, we celebrated with chocolate chip ice cream. It was absolutely delicious! We finished off the night playing games and listening to some amazing music from Nate. We are excited to get back to service tomorrow!

“Hey mom ♥️”-Anylah

Hi mom and dad I miss you and the pups! <3 - Jenna

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1

Written by Owen, Elle and Lena

This morning, we (the leaders) were tasked with waking everyone up at 6:30 am so we could make it to service on time. Service this morning consisted of greeting the kids, painting walls around the school, working in the greenhouse (extremely hot), and finally playing English learning games with various students. Everyone looks forward to seeing the kids everyday. Following service, we enjoyed a delicious traditional Costa Rican lunch at a church close to home base, and made our way back to home base to get ready for our adventure in the afternoon. Our adventure today was visiting the La Fortuna Waterfall which was roughly a 90 minute bus ride away. To reach the waterfall, we had to walk down 400 steps (brutal) to eventually find ourselves in front of a massive jaw-dropping waterfall that was very cool to experience. We were allowed to swim in the surrounding waters which was awesome as well. The bus ride home consisted of laughs, Rihanna, dancing, and a good time! 😀 Overall, the first day of August here in Costa Rica was packed with enjoyment and fun times.

Love and miss you mom and dad -Elle 🤘

Love you mom and dad! – Lena

Sup Mom, Dad, Janie + EJ. See you guys soon👋 – Owen

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2

Written by- Bobby, Sarah and Jaidyn

We awoke bright and early this morning to get ready for ziplining. After a scenic trip, we were geared up and ready and zip, zap, and line. Then after touching earth once again, we visiting the Capi Capi Tribe where we were educated on the beautiful culture including art, jewelry, archery, and language. We then had a quick pit stop at the mini mart and souvenir shop. We ate a delectable lunch back at home base. After eating and tech time, we participated in an energetic dance circle, played a shoe game, and cleaned our rooms as the first event in the GLA Olympics. To end the night, the girls arm wrestled where they demonstrated their strengths one by one.

Love you all! Will see you soon ❤️- Jaidyn

I miss you guys and I am so thankful for this opportunity guys, love y’all! – Bobby

Love and miss you mom and Chloe!!- Sarah

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 3

Written by Julia, Eve and Shea

Today we woke up bright and early at 6:30 (the usual) and began our day with service! We split into two groups, one going to Saint Theresa school, which is just down the road, and the two others going to the school of Colorado. We worked in the greenhouse, painted walls, and played with the kids. We were originally suppose to take a volcano hike but due to the rain, we had a much needed rest hour, followed by a cooking class led by alfredo! We made empanadas and got to eat them once they were done. Later, we had fair-well dinner for kennedy and a birthday celebration for Owen. We all dressed in our nicest attire and shared our roses and shoutouts for the day. We stayed up late and danced!

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4

Written by Sasha and Lindsey

Today started off with a delicious breakfast of pancakes and fruit. Then we got on the bus to go to service. One group went to a smaller school just down the road from home base and the other group went to a new school. We painted, played sports, and taught the kids how to say the English alphabet and days of the week. after service we went back to homebase for lunch and said a very teary goodbye to our mentor, Kennedy. After that we got back on the bus to go to our adventure for today which was hanging bridges. Even though it was raining we had lots of fun. Then we came back and had dinner which was spaghetti. We went back to our rooms early to begin packing!

Shoutout to Meri! Miss you!!! -Love, Sasha

Love and miss you mom and dad! -Love, Lindsey

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5

Written by Rowena and Sadie

Today we woke up when the roosters belted out their symphonies. Some girls were up even before that to bask in the glory of the glistening transparent lake. We all joined together for the banquet that we call breakfast. Later we gathered with the youngsters in their place of Learning. Afterwards we toured a magnifique pineapple farm. Towards the end of the day we gathered together for words of affirmation in which we got to share our inner positive thoughts about one another. It was heartfelt and emotional. The sun began to set thereforth, we started packing for the rigorous journey ahead. Xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxo

Love u mom and dad and Abby and John – Rowena

Love and miss you mom dad and jace -Sadie

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6

To start off our last day here at home base, we woke up to the leaders Isabella Baldor, and Nayana Shah waking everyone up. Breakfast was at 8:30a, which was fruits, eggs, rice and beans (the usual). We then began packing before our last few GLA activities. This first one was called OMG (One Meaningful Goal), where we shared habits that we needed to stop, continue and start. We all came to the conclusion to stop overthinking and being negative, to continue including people and being passionate about the things we love, and finally to start journaling and living for ourselves. Our next GLA activity was called Appreciation Circle, where we anonymously got to share how other peers got to impact each other. Lunch followed concluding our meals at home base, which consisted of rice and beans, fries, and steak. The final moments of home base were spent saying goodbye to the kids, dogs, and the place we called home for the past 2 weeks. We started our drive to the hotel where we were happily surprised with hot showers and WiFi. We then went to dinner where we all dressed up, but had a variety of food trucks. We ended our meal with our last chow circle and peace and chow hand grabs. Where we all cried – even the guys LOL. We enjoyed our last day all together, where we made life long friends and memories.

Peace out Costa Rica, GLA 2022 the last group will miss you! 🙂

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7

And just like that, it’s over. Can you believe it? So much has happened since our first days in Costa Rica. Today was departure day and we had to say goodbye to this awesome community we’ve created along these trip.

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of fun and adventure. We laughed, we loved, and we cried. We got far closer as a group than we’d ever hoped we would. We (Jonathan, Kennedy, Caprecia and Isa) hope all of you students had even half as much fun as we did. If so, you are going home more than happy. If we had a chance to do it all over again, we would do it in a heartbeat.

As we return home, we want to challenge you to remember all of the things we have learned over the last two weeks and to continue to incorporate them into our lives. Remember the goals you set during the OMG activity, including being more open present and grateful. Live in the moment, be kind to others, appreciate what you have, and value your friends. Enjoy your time back home. We are sure you all have many more exciting adventures in your future.
We will always remember teaching English for the kids, swimming on the lake at homebase, overcoming our fears and ziplining together, all the beautiful waterfall and nature we’d seen and of course all the unforgettable friendships we made! We will always remember you for being you. You were an unforgettable group. You should all be very proud of yourselves.

Good job stepping out of your comfort zone, looking out for one another, shouting out one another for every good action you’ve done as individuals and as group.

Remember to be courageous, to live your values, to connect and influence, to voice your opinions, and as always, to have fun.

Leaders aren’t born—they’re made.
Cheers,
Jonathan, Kennedy, Caprecia and Isa

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Costa Rica: The Initiative for Children (Sessions Starting July 1, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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

Please Note: This blog is for the Costa Rica split session starting July 1, 2022, which includes both the 14-day and the 21-day student group.

Here are a few things you can expect:

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

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

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

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

Hello From Costa Rica!

Everyone has arrived safely to Hotel Alajuela. Due to the tropical storm we stayed at Hotel Alajuela for the evening. We will be heading to home base by 9AM tomorrow (July 2nd). We enjoyed spending time at Walmart, the local mall and Hotel Alajuela today. For dinner we had Chicken fried rice with beans and salad. For dessert we went to Mcdonalds to enjoy some ice cream! It’s been a long travel day for everyone so we are going to bed early to be ready for our departure to home base tomorrow.

Pura Vida!
Kennedy, Caprecia, Jonathan and Delaite (GLA Program Staff)

BLOG POST FOR JULY 2

Bienviedos!

This morning we left at 9 and started our journey to homebase. During the car ride we stopped at a beautiful waterfall, and we all took pictures. We then went to the local grocery store before getting to homebase to purchase snacks! When we arrived at homebase we met our roommates and settled in. For lunch we enjoyed pork, rice, beans, vegetables and mashed potatoes. After lunch we had time to unpack and settle in. When unpacking was finished we started orientation to learn more about the program. After orientation was finished we were able to play cards and get to know each other more. For dinner we had pasta with meat sauce and vegetables. Finally we ended the night getting to know each other through more conversation.

Pura Vida!

Kennedy, Caprecia, Jonathan and Delaite

BLOG POST FOR JULY 3

Written by Olivia and Malia

Hola Parents! We are so excited to share with you all of our amazing adventures ahead. Today we woke up to a nice drizzle and jetlag. We had a beautiful first breakfast filled with eggs, pastries, bread, rice, and sweet local pineapple. Then we headed off to orientation starting with a long but hilarious name-dance game. We don’t know how many of the names we will actually remember due to the large group and tons of laughter. 😉 We later created our group community agreement to solidify all the qualities we want in our cabinmates and mentors. It was great to see that we were all on the same page and were ready to live this adventure together. Finally, we ended our day with an amazing cultural and historical coffee talk from the one and only Alfredo (local GLA director and host). The coffee talk was so informative that we now know how to distinguish good coffee from bad coffee and how to properly drink it with NO MILK OR SUGAR!! Thanks Alfredo for the amazing talk and free coffee. We are all so grateful for your kindness.

With much love,

Olivia M. and Malia M.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

Written by Ethan and Claire

Today was our first day of service! We started off the day with breakfast and quickly got ready and headed to a school about 20 minutes away. For the first half of the day, we spent time working at the school and admiring the work that past GLA volunteers have completed. We switched off time working between painting different portions of the school as well as working at the greenhouse. The weather, although downpouring all day, had no effect on the enthusiastic volunteers and their spirit. After a few hours of service, we made our way back to homebase and enjoyed an amazing lunch. After lunch we got to travel to rio frio lago (river) on a boat tour where we got to experience our first sights of some of the animals local to Costa Rica including sloths and monkeys. We headed back to homebase and enjoyed a bonfire with s’mores to end the night.

From the greatest duo ever, Ethan and Claire. Happy Fourth!!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

Written by Charlotte and Lavi

We started the day off bright and early with a very warm wake-up call with pots and pans. We arrived at the school and began working on where we left off yesterday. We finished up painting the remaining walls of the school and mixing soil/working with compost in the greenhouse. Nothing is better than working together to insight change and complete difficult tasks such as not being tall enough to reach every nook and cranny. A long-awaited visit to the hot springs finally happened. We enjoyed various pools as we climbed up Costa Rica’s local volcano. Although the fun did not stop there, each pool was a different temperature, from slides to flips to souvenirs. A very special guest appeared today whom we haven’t seen in a while, the sun finally came out! For dinner, a taste from home filled our mouths with joy, pizza and hot dogs with a Costa Rican twist. A day that goes down in the books for sure!

Signing off. Your favorite soccer stars, Charlotte and Lavi.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Written by Malia and Jack

We woke up today to yoga, Eminem and a beautiful view. Then headed off to a delicious breakfast and a half day of service. We finally got to interact with kids at a local school where we played soccer, taught English, and painted the walls. It was so much fun to see all their smiles when we arrived and to bond with them. After service we went on a tour of a pineapple farm. During the tour we got to try their homemade pineapple juice, piña coladas, dried pineapple, and pineapple jam. We also learned the process of how it grows and the best way to eat and purchase it. NEVER PULL OUT THE CENTER LEAF, INSTEAD HOLD ON TO THE BOTTOM LEAF TO TEST IF IT IS SOLID. Also, DON’T BUY A SOFT PINEAPPLE, THE FIRM ONES ARE THE BEST. P.S. ALL pineapples are RIPE in the supermarket. Afterwards we ended off the night with a personality test to learn more about what kind of leaders we are: Architect & Analyst, Driver, Relationship Master, and Spontaneous Motivators. Goodnight all!

From your classiest duo – Malia and Jack

BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

Written by Barbie and Ken. Aka Aline and Evan

Today we realized that we are on our 7th day of the trip– it is amazing to see how everyone has come so far in building relationships and become more enriched by the culture of Costa Rica. We went to the local school previously mentioned yesterday and were able to continue to paint, play soccer, and teach math and English. Soccer was most of the people’s favorite activity in the service since we were able to bond without the problems of the language barrier. Afterwards, we went to an Animal service center, which contained many native species: monkeys, puma, baby leopards, parrots, and more. The animals and plants were beautiful, specifically the baby leopard, which was the main spectacle as it was BIg. We later took a long bus ride home from animal center and were able to take a long break. Many went on to swim in the lake or sing with their roommates. The views throughout the day in the drive and the lake were unforgettable.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 8

Written by From Trey and Emma

We went to a new school for our service today. We played soccer, helped with painting the outside of the school, and taught the kids some basic English words and phrases. After some down time, we had dance lessons in our local director, Alfredo’s house. Some of the dances we did were salsa, the cha cha, Zumba, and much more. We took the rest of the day off to relax. Some of our peers went swimming in the lake next to home base and others made friendship bracelets. To wrap up the day we finished up with a delicious meal and so well-needed sleep.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

We didn’t have service today since it was the weekend, so instead we went to the National Park Polo Verde, where we drove an hour and half, took a nice hike in the mountains and then ate chicken, salmon, or vegetarian food which was exquisitely prepared by the staff at the park. We drove back again for an hour and half and then we had a heated debate over the Brazilian World Cup and Olympics in 2014 and 2016 respectively. In an unprecedented turn of events, each party unified against the all-powerful judges in a great revolution. We then split up into our mentor groups and did our own thing, including, playing Mafia, Stop, and more. Finally, we had a nice change of dinner choice: Pasta!

Love,
Dani and Ricky, as well as the dogs, Randy, Randall, Hoagie, Scooby and Eddy!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

Today we went ziplining! The zipline course was fun and extremely beautiful (it was over a canyon). There were eight ziplines which made a total of 3 km of ziplines. They were surrounded by amazing vegetation and views, and we even got to see a monkey in the trees. At the end of the activity, we got to see a representation of an indigenous tribe called “Maleco” and some of us bought a souvenir to support their community. After that we went to a souvenir shop and a grocery store. Later, we had lunch and a bit of free time in which some of us went swimming. That was followed by some interesting GLA activities, and we finished the day with a treat: ice cream and oreos.

Bye,
Zoe and Mariana

BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

On July 11th, 2022, The Day started out with us leaders waking everybody up at around 7:00 am. The male leader had to go through a rainstorm to wake up the kids at the yellow cabin. The front door was locked though, so he had to wait. After this morning adventure, we had breakfast then headed to service. Each of the three service groups got to paint, play soccer with the kids, or teach. It was the 14-day kids last day at this school with these kids, so it was very emotional and meaningful. When we got back to camp, we had lunch and got our phones as well. Then, there was a nice, scenic bus ride to a waterfall. In order to get down there we had to descend 400 steps!

After the journey down, we were greeted with a beautiful waterfall. There was a very nice pool of water at the bottom that we all had a fun time swimming and taking pictures in. Many of the students got on top of some of the rocks and got their pictures taken. Timing couldn’t have been better, because right as we were leaving it started to down pour, causing all of us to rush back up those 400 steps. Even the students with towels were completely drenched from the waterfall. Once we returned to camp, we had a little bit of free time before all gathering again for a GLA activity. We played games and talked about the effects of tourism in Costa Rica. Finally, we had burritos for dinner and went to sleep.

Love, (miss all our peeps back home)

Drake and Kaylani

BLOG POST FOR JULY 12

Written by Arnau and Jaci

On July 12th, 2022, the last full day for the fourteen-day kids began. We started off service with a huge number of kids and taught English to them and played soccer with them under the rain. After lunch, we had the option to go swimming or kayaking in the lake or just hang around the campus. The kids who went in the lake were pleasantly surprised with a lizard who they saw in the distance. The kids who hung around campus relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company. By 5:00, we needed to be changed into our formal attire for a nice dinner and little dance party. Everyone looked incredible and enjoyed getting ready for the farewell dinner. Many people were emotional about the fourteen-day kids leaving as many of them had created strong relationships with each other during this adventure. But we all enjoyed the delicious dinner provided by Alfredo, and the dance party after. It was a fitting farewell party, full of dancing, singing, and crying.

Love to all of the fourteen-day kids!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 13

Written by Sam and Baptiste

Today was a very emotional day, because the fourteen-day kids were leaving. We were given pancakes as a nice going away breakfast, as we all prepared for our day. To start it off we went to the Hanging Bridges. It was a very exciting moment for some and stressful for others. It was also a lot of walking, but we loved it as our last excursion because it gave us a last chance to talk together. Once we got back to home base, we had our last lunch together. It was very hard to think about how some of us were leaving right after. While we were still eating, the fourteen-day kids started bringing out their bags. Then there was a big goodbye between everyone. There were many tears for our friends, and it was very hard to say goodbye. When the bus finally drove away, the kids that were left waved goodbye. After that, as our first trip without the whole group, we went to Santa Rosa to go shopping. It was a new experience for a lot of us and we enjoyed getting to see it all. While we are still missing our fourteen-day friends, the rest of us are still having tons of fun.

Miss you all!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 14

Written by Mia and Irene

Recovering from the loss of our fallen comrades (the 14-day group who departed) was quite the challenge today. To add we had to say goodbye to our good friends at Maelin School. For lunch we had our favorite, you guessed it…rice and beans! After lunch we changed into some long pants and tennis shoes and headed out to see some sloths. Surprisingly we saw quite a few more little critters than we bargained for. We saw a variety of spiders, birds, frogs and a brave bunch tried some live termites. Mother nature was not on our side today for we got pelted by rain bullets and flooded out of the trail. After wringing out all the water we could possibly have from our clothes, we took the hour-long bus ride back to home base. At home base we were met with our dry clothes and a refreshing shower. After resting from the escapade, we refueled for the night with some hot pizza and fries. Overall we are all still mourning our long lost friends but we have taken on the challenge and have started forming new connections with people we may not have originally gotten along with. This has really brought us all together as one.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 15

Written by Kate and Madelyn

This morning we woke up to a sunny sky and had a wonderful breakfast of fruit, eggs, rice, beans, and cereal. We were then very excited to go to service because we were going to one of our favorite schools the Copper school. At the Copper school we played soccer, painted, and educated the kids. After service we had a lunch of chicken nuggets, which were a taste of home. We had free time after lunch where we read, played outside, and talked to each other.

After free time we had a GLA activity called “see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil”. In the activity someone was the body and had a blindfold on, someone was the mouth which was telling the body what to do, and someone was the eyes which showed the mouth what to say. The game was a very cool team building exercise. After the GLA Activity we got our phones (during more free time) and spoke to our family and friends. Following the free time, we had a cooking class where we learned how to make empanadas. It was really cool to learn about and the empanadas were delicious. Next, we had mentor groups before dinner where we had an emotional debrief and we talked about our feeling, etc. For dinner we had Seafood Pasta which was very good. In all our day was incredible.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 16

Written by Olivia and Madison

Hi everybody! We hope that you all had a day as amazing as ours was today.

We started off the day with an extra hour of sleep. Thinking that it was going to be our only surprise today, another one came through: an excursion to the Los Lagos Hot Springs in La Fortuna. This activity felt unreal. The hot water, a view of the Volcano Arenal, a light breeze, bright smiles and pina colada (virgin, of course).

Later on, we had the pleasure to walk and enjoy the area around the Hot Springs, La Fortuna. That included having ice cream together and window shopping in one of the most touristy places in Costa Rica. The cherry on top of this was our evening GLA activity.

This activity consisted in translating certain words, emotions, or even ourselves into colors.

Overall, this day was filled with joy and warm water.

We wish you the best 🙂

Your very own Olivia and Madison

BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

Written by Errol, Bianca and Cristina

We started off the day with a lazy Sunday morning, taking our last extra hour of sleep before we are thrust into the final week of the program. After our matinal routine, we were headed out for our most anticipated excursion: tubing! The group was not sure that it was ever going to happen in the first place because of past downpours. Thanks to a turn in the weather, our amazing mentors were able to organize our rafting adventure. We once again worked together with the Go company (from the previous ziplining trip) to get our tubes and send us on our way to the river.

The rapids created a fun and entertaining challenge, as many of us flipped over in the rushing water — however, this was not a problem due to our talented guides, who were there to ensure a safe experience to all of us. We then arrived back at home base in one piece, though sopping wet. After lunch we had free time, allowing us to get some well needed rest and relaxation. The weather was perfect for tanning as a select few will attest to. Later we finished the day with an emotional and eye opening GLA activity, which required many to get in touch with their feelings. Thank you for reading this blog, we know you care for your children or loved ones, and they can’t wait to see you!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 18

Written by Malia and Mia ♥️

We woke up early, 6:00 AM sharp to be exact, to head on a 5 hour drive to the beach. Some of us looked at the beautiful view while others napped, but we all made it to the hotel successfully. We ended up having a couple hours before check in to head to the pool and have fun. Lots of piña coladas (Virgin of course) filled our mouths with happiness and delight. While others enjoyed the comfort of playing with a nice, strong volleyball. Overall, we all came out with big smiles on our faces. Afterwards, we headed out to the beach to swim in the waves and watch the sun set, which was such a pretty sight. Then we ended off our evening with a big group dinner at the restaurant we went to for lunch. Everyone looked so gorgeous in their dresses and suits and the buffet food was so good. The highlight though was the cheesecake and chocolate cake we got at the end. We all devoured it so fast that there was no way it was terrible. Love you all. See you soon.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 19

Written by Claire and Cristina

Today is the first day we woke to the beach on our trip here. Some of us woke up early to do yoga on the beach and a quick swim in the ocean before breakfast. We all met for breakfast, packed up our stuff and loaded into the bus where we headed to a catamaran boat ride. We spent a few hours sun tanning on the boat, swimming in the ocean, and snorkeling. While snorkeling we got to see starfish, fish, eels, and even some stingrays! We then had a delicious lunch on the boat and then headed back to the bus to start our descent back to home base. After a very long car ride, we made it back and spent the rest of the night packing and celebrating our first GLA birthday for Madison who turned 17! Going into our final days here in Costa Rica! Very excited to see all of our family and friends soon!

All the best!

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Costa Rica: The Initiative for Children (June 15 – June 28, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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

Here are a few things you can expect:

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

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

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

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 15

Hello from Costa Rica!

Everyone made it safe and sound to home base. We are just waiting for Sol to arrive and we will be complete! We are excited for everyone to meet her at breakfast tomorrow morning. For dinner tonight we had typical Costa Rican food which included rice, beans, fried yucca, veggies and some pork chops. It’s been a long travel day for everyone so we are going to bed early to take advantage of the sunny mornings around here. We will begin our programming tomorrow which includes the GLA and Service orientation and a lot of fun games!

Here is our first picture as a group. We will take another one tomorrow morning with Sol! J

As they say in Costa Rica,

PURA VIDA!

Brenda, Kennedy & Jonathan

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 16

Written by Sienna and Poppy 🙂

Hello from Costa Rica!!

We had a great first day at Home Base! It feels good to have a day completely unplugged from phones and spend time getting to know everyone! We played a lot of fun get-to-know-you games, and are beginning to remember everyone’s names. Tomorrow is our first day of community service and we are sooooo excited! Dinner was wonderful with burgers, fries, and a nice cold Coca Cola. It did rain a lot in the afternoon but the morning was beautiful and HOT.

Here’s our complete group picture, including Sol!

So excited for the rest of the trip! PURA VIDA

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 17

Written by Sienna and Carly 🙂

Hello again from Costa Rica!!

Our day started very early at 6am, in order to get in a quick breakfast before heading to the local school for our FIRST day of community service! Even though it was hot we all had lots of fun painting the school. We also got to watch the passing of the torch ceremony where the current student government officers pass on their positions to the new kids elected. When we got home, we all passed our swim tests (YAY) and then we learned about coffee culture in Costa Rica from Alfredo, our local director.

Tomorrow we are going on a hike to see a waterfall! And finally, we ended the day with a Birthday celebration for Solana (shoutout to cabin 3’s mothers Carrie, Jenny, Kay and Shelly. We love and miss you all) who turned 17, and a delicious dinner of pasta and garlic bread. We are all starting to feel like a big family! It was also nice being able to have our phones today for an hour. We will get to have our phones tomorrow morning as well so we can take them to the waterfall!

Here are some pictures from our activities and one of the birthday girl!

PURA VIDA!!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 18

Written by Chloe and Camila

Hola!! Tuning in once again from the marvelous Costa Rica! 🙂

We started off this weekend with a little extra time to sleep in and started our day eating breakfast at 8AM. We were well rested and excited to go on an amazing hike to La Fortuna’s waterfall. It was a 45-minute bus ride, but it went by fast because everyone was singing and admiring the beautiful scenery. We hiked down lots of stairs, following the sounds of the waterfall, and finally arrived at the bottom to get some great pictures with our cameras and phones! After seeing the waterfall, we made our way back up, little by little (there were a lot of stairs…) to be rewarded with fruit smoothies and a stop at the gift shop.

After buying some souvenirs, we made our way back to HB, making a stop at a local supermarket where we were able to buy snacks. We got back to Home Base, tired, but were able to relax, open up to each other, and get deep in our thoughts by responding to some prompts in our journals. Before dinner we did a few leadership activities where we got to know each other better and gain deeper connections. We ended the day with some delicious local pizza bought by Alfredo!! We can’t wait to go tubing tomorrow! Tomorrow we will have our phones again in the morning for the tubing!

PURA VIDA!!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 19

Written by Lusha and Harper

Greetings from Costa Rica!

We started the day off with a delicious breakfast of eggs, hashbrowns and gallo pinto. After breakfast we boarded the bus to head to ziplining. We were all buzzing with anticipation. On the drive we passed kilometers of lush rainforest and a volcano that loomed in the distance. On the drive, we were surrounded by swirls of white clouds and blue sky. This was a breathtaking sight. We had our phones to listen to music and take pictures of the beautiful drive. Once we were parked, we were greeted by a green tractor that led us up a rocky path to the ziplining base.

Once we all got harnessed up and took a group picture with the volcano in the background, we began to line up behind the first cable. Our mentor Kennedy- a first time zipliner- went first with the rest of us following. The views were amazing. Below our feet were miles of air and thick clusters of trees. We felt like we were flying. The next 7 cables went by in a blur of exhilaration, suspense and awe. After we finished ziplining we entered a small hut and relaxed with sweet homemade pineapple juice. As the family who lived in the hut explained their heritage, we absorbed their stories like the pineapple juice we drank. It is only day 5/14 but it feels like a ten out of ten.

Xoxo,

Lusha and Harper

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20

Written by Jordan and Myra

It was a very fun, spontaneous 6th day in Costa Rica.

Today was a very fun day for all of the girls. First, we had breakfast at 7am, and we walked to a local school. This was a different school, one that was walking distance with only 13 students and one teacher. We spent the day playing duck duck goose, soccer, Frisbee, and baseball. We practiced colors in English using balloons and practiced math on their whiteboard. We danced and arm wrestled, and then we ate popsicles. It was a chance to let them practice their English, but also spend the day outdoors enjoying each other’s company. By the end of our time at the school, everyone was very worn out from running around, and it was a very enjoyable experience to get to know the kids. Thank you Jonathan for buying us and all of the student’s popsicles! After, we walked back to Home Base and ate a big lunch.

Today we got tech time again after lunch, so we could take pictures of home base and contact our families before we got on the bus and took an hour long drive to Los Chiles, close to the Nicaraguan border. We got on a boat and took a ride through the Rio Frio. We saw many interesting birds, spider monkeys, bull sharks, and a sloth! The rain made the ride even prettier and showed us the beauty of Costa Rica. We drove back to Home Base and arrived before 7pm. We had burgers and fries for dinner, which were made by the wonderful chefs.

Shout out to all the dads for father’s day, including the dads of Room 3 (Mike, David, David, and Carlos) and also Myra’s dad (Doyle)! We love you guys!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21

Written by Lia and Natalie

We woke up early today for a delicious breakfast of gallo pinto, eggs, avocado and special donuts. We left for service at the community school after breakfast, around 8am. At the school, we broke into two different groups, one group continued to tackle painting the building, while the other group worked with the English teacher at the school to help teach English to 1st, 3rd and 5th graders. Service today was exciting, engaging and rewarding for everyone. Shoutout to cabin 3s and Harper’s pets (Emmy Lou, Berlin, Felix & Sassy and Carly’s fish x2, Blue the duck, Dudley, Luna, Olly, and Sparky), we really miss you all. Shoutout to Rosie and Poppy for bringing the string so we can decorate our water bottles! We departed the school and had lunch at home base around noon, we ate an amazing meal of rice, beans and Alfredo’s special pineapple pork recipe.

After lunch we had tech time so we could charge our phones for the pineapple farm. In the afternoon, we went on an extremely fun pineapple farm tour. We learned about the complexity of growing pineapple and why Costa Rica is such a perfect climate for pineapple production. On the tour we were surrounded by beautiful acres of pineapple plants and a refreshing rainstorm towards the end. We were surprised with many pineapples to enjoy throughout the tour along with virgin pina coladas at the end. Overall, this was such a fun and enlightening day, and we can’t wait for the following days to come.

Love from Costa Rica,

Lia and Natalie

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22

Written by Poppy & Solana

Bienvenidos parents!

We hope all is well back in the United States! For those of you who are curious of our adventures throughout Costa Rica and the delicious meals we have had the pleasure of eating you must read on… Today we woke up at what felt like the crack of dawn, the sun still asleep as the rain poured down ever so quietly. We were greeted by the swarms of bees buzzing and bats squawking on our way to breakfast. Our wonderful chefs whipped up a storm in the kitchen filling our bellies with pancakes, pastries, pineapple, eggs, freshly squeezed orange juice and of course gallo pinto! Afterwards, we prepared to board the bus and head on over to service. As we drove through the scenic route of rural Costa Rica, we were full of excitement. Once arriving to the school, we were greeted by the joyous sounds of children’s laughter, soon to split into our service groups and begin the day! We all took turns painting the school blush pink and coffee bean brown, working in the greenhouse and teaching English to the adorable second graders in the classroom (when we say adorable, we mean it, they were truly so cute!).

Around noon we began our journey back to HB (homebase) after receiving so many warm embraces from all the little kids. For lunch we had grilled pork served with a side of rice, beans, salad, bread and our personal favorite yuca root fries. After lunch we were given tech time so that we could charge our phones for the hot springs! Once done with lunch we quickly changed to make our way down to the hot springs. While there we relaxed in the soothing waters of varying temperatures and nearly flew out of the water slides that were there. Before leaving we ate some yummy ice cream and arrived home to a lovely dinner. Dinner was full of all the nutritious and delicious food groups, chicken fajita tacos! Before we bid you goodnight, we would like to say a quick shout out to some of our GLA girls’ siblings… Flynn, Caleb, Henry, Spencer, Olivia, Maddie, and Tessa we miss you all so much!

Love from afar,

Poppy and Solana 🙂

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23

Written by Sophia and Rosie

Greetings from Costa Rica!!!!

We had a delicious breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, rice and beans, and delicious pastries! After breakfast we got on the bus and headed to service at the local school. We split into two service groups and each got a chance to work in the classroom with the kids. While the other group worked on painting the school and helping out in the greenhouse. Everyone had so much fun and Rosie and I got to work with the same 1st graders as we did a couple of days ago. After a fun day of service, we headed home for a scrumptious lunch at 12:30. We had beans with delicious arroz con pollo and garlic bread!

After a short break, we hopped on the bus for about an hour with our phones until we arrived at the animal rescue/zoo. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as we planned! It was pouring rain with lightning and thunder. We managed to start the tour and get to see monkeys but then made the difficult decision that it was not safe to continue on. We ended our short tour with going to the gift shop where we dried off, got souvenirs, and bought snacks. After arriving at home base, we were given about an hour to dry off and shower. After, we did our leader of the day activity, which was charades. Jordan and Myra then lead their leader of the day activity, ninja, since it couldn’t fit in the schedule a couple of days ago. Kennedy lead an amazing writing activity where we each wrote our name on a piece of paper and passed it around for everyone to write one nice comment about you. For dinner, we had an amazing steak with traditional rice and beans, a baked potato, and garlic bread.

Shoutout to our dogs Sam, Lucy, Honey, and Harry!! Also to our wonderful parents and siblings as well!

Miss you all, Sophia and Rosie!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24

Written by Valentina and Sol

Coming in from Santa Teresa, Costa Rica: the daily blog…

We started our Friday off with eggs, cereal, potatoes, pico de gallo (also known as rice and beans), with an assortment of fruit. Then we embarked on our final day of service- although not the last time at the school, as we will be visiting on Monday to say goodbye. The time was spent painting the school, working in the greenhouse, and helping the English teacher. The cafeteria staff even treated us to some homemade ice cream! After many hugs, goodbyes, and even some tears, we headed back to homebase. Half an hour after our return, we had grilled pork, pico de gallo, and salad for lunch. After minimal downtime, the kids from the school we visited on Monday stopped by. Although not planned, the visit was a welcomed surprise. We then had a leadership activity followed by a dance class where we learned the basics of merengue, bachata, and salsa. Once we were back at homebase, we got an hour of phone time. After the hour was up, the phones were returned and placed in a safe. Later we had a group bonding activity called “The Color of Love”. For dinner we had pasta with sauce, salad, and bread. Hoping everything stays well in the far off land we call home!

Pura vida!

Signing off,

Valentina and Sol

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

Written by Lia and Sienna

Happy Saturday!

We had a very laid-back morning, waking up at 8:00 am (2 hours later than usual) and enjoyed a delicious breakfast. After we ate breakfast, we departed on a long journey to a local National Park. The park is located in the beautiful mountains at an extremely high elevation; therefore, it was surprisingly chilly. Following our hike, we had a freshly served lunch at the lodge on the grounds of the park. On the way home, we had an exciting visit at a supermarket, and stocked up on snacks we needed. After returning to home base, we had fun leader of the day activities (musical chairs and snake eyes). Finally, we ended the day with an enlightening leadership activity, led by our mentor Kennedy. We enjoyed a delicious, traditional Costa Rican dinner of beef stew and the usual rice and beans.

Shoutout to cabin 3’s grandparents (Bubbie & Zada and Dzia & Gram, Grandpa Joe & in memory of Grandma Carol <3, Myrna & David, Ena & Eugene) Pura Vida! Lia and Sienna

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Written by Rosie and Solana

Adios Amigos…

As we are excited to make our way back home in just a couple of days, we are also filled with deep sorrow as we are about to leave Costa Rica, the place we have called home for the past two weeks. Today we were able to sleep in and later enjoy our delicious breakfast of fresh fruits, sweet pastries, and of course gallo pinto! After breakfast we all got ready to go tubing, however due to heavy rainfall the waters were too rapid! Even though our day took an unexpected turn we made the best of it by hiking to a volcano! Our hike was nothing short of exhausting but rewarded us with beautiful views and a breathtaking experience. We headed back to home base for a late lunch, greeted with an array of scrumptious side dishes such as the traditional rice and beans, fries and salad served with chicken as an entrée.

Once finished with lunch we had an overwhelming amount of downtime where we packed, tidied our cabins up and rested/recharged for our farewell bonfire sendoff! At 7pm, we dressed up and gathered around the campfire, sharing laughs, taking pictures, singing, dancing and enjoying each other’s company one last time. For our farewell dinner we had a feast! We ate fried fish, rice and beans, fresh vegetables, shrimp and scallion soup, yuca root stuffed with cheese and beef, garlic bread and for our drink, sweet tea. Though bittersweet, we had a wonderful time tonight, and before we say goodbye here is a quick shoutout to some of the GLA girls’ families (The Browns, Cordons, Stewarts, Konas, Campbells, and Babbins), we love and miss you all so much!

All our love from afar,
Rosie and Solana

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

Sophia and Lusha reporting from downtown San Jose, where we are spending our last night in Costa Rica. We are extremely sad to leave, and will miss our peers and service experiences greatly, but are also excited to return home. We started today off with a delectable breakfast of eggs, plantains, gallo pinto, fresh fruits, and juice. After breakfast, we headed to the school for the very last time. We danced, talked, and took many pictures with the kids. It was a fun but emotional experience. After we arrived back at home base, we participated in an appreciation circle as our last GLA activity.

After eating a delicious farewell lunch and packing up, we were met with a special surprise. The kids from Santa Teresa School came by homebase and gave us hugs as we said goodbye. We then piled onto the bus for the ride to the hotel. Driving past familiar landscapes for the very last time was a bittersweet experience. Once we got to the hotel, we swam before eating our last dinner together. Dinner was rice, veggies, meat, and a delicious fruit juice. We plan on all saying our goodbyes to each other later tonight before lights out. Overall, this trip has been absolutely amazing. We’ve all learned, grown, and connected so much. We’re so grateful to have been able to partake in such a unique experience like Global Leadership Adventures, and will carry the lessons we’ve learned throughout the rest of our lives.

Pura Vida,
Sophia and Lusha

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

Adios Amigos! Thank you for an amazing two weeks. We will miss you all terribly! Safe travels and enjoy the hot showers at home! We hope you enjoyed the gift shops and Starbucks at the airport 🙂

Pura Vida,
Brenda, Jonathan, and Kennedy

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Costa Rica: Ocean Conservation & Surf Adventure (July 13 – July 26, 2022)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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

Here are a few things you can expect:

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

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

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

-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team

Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 13

Buenas noches,

This is Andrea Gallegos, the International Director for the Ocean conservation and Surf program in Costa Rica.

We are excited to have our students arriving for the first day of their 2-week adventure here with us. We have been picking up students since 5am, and we are still waiting for some students to arrive later tonight. We are staying in Alajuela, at a hostel about 20 minutes from the airport, and we will be leaving for Uvita, to our beautiful home base tomorrow at 7am. Today, students have been able to rest and start to get to know each other. Most of them were able to complete their swim tests as well. Furthermore, we have been meeting with students individually to perform a first-day health check, so we can see how to best support the needs of each student throughout the program.

Here are some pictures of happy and very tired campers!

Hallie, Kayna, Sean and Sydney are arriving later tonight – we are looking forward to having them join the group.

Hasta pronto!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 14

Hola familias!

My name is Natalie, I am one of the mentors of this program. We are so glad to finally have all of our students here, and after a night of much needed rest, we have started our program in earnest!

We woke up bright and early, ate breakfast, and piled into the buses to head to our home base for the next two weeks in Uvita – the Hotel Canto de Ballenas.

Uvita is a breathtakingly beautiful place on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, with rainforests, waterfalls, and beaches. On our way to home base we stopped at the Tarcoles River bridge, otherwise known as Crocodile bridge. People used to feed the crocodiles in the Tarcoles River from the bridge, and though that is no longer allowed crocodiles still hang out underneath and can be seen from above.

Our ride included a few other bathroom breaks and snack stops. Once we arrived to the home base we ate lunch, got settled into our rooms, and played a few icebreaker games to get to know each other better.

The rest of our day was mostly orientation, reviewing GLA policies and rules, as well as making our own community guidelines. We finished up the last of the swim tests and got to relax in the pool afterwards. Some of our students taught each other to make friendship bracelets, others played cards, and the rest just relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings of our home base.

Our dinner was delicious spaghetti, and for desert we had a surprise cake in celebration of Shark Day (July 14th in the USA) while we talked some about the importance of sharks within the ecosystem of the ocean and the meaning of keystone species. We finished the night with the students writing a “letter to myself,” which we will give back to them at the end of this program so that they can reflect on how their expectations and thoughts have changed since the beginning of our time together. Right now they are getting ready for an early morning of surf lessons.

After tonight, your children will be writing these blogs themselves!

Buenas noches!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 15

Written by leaders of the day: Eli, Kate & Anton

We woke up early in the morning to go surfing, it was so much fun!! We started our doing the basics and worked our way up to standing up. Everyone was able to stand up! The group has already made so much progress, and we have 3 lessons left. After a quick break, we went to a community walk led by Noi, a local guide who is working to integrate us into the community. We learned about the community, how it started and how it has changed over time. Then we hung out by the pool. After that, we ate dinner. Our surf instructor from this morning came as a guest speaker, and we learned important lessons on how to be responsible tourists by making a positive impact on the community we visit. Now we are ready to start community service tomorrow!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 16

Written by Augusta, Hensleigh, and Erik

Today we woke up at 7am and had a hearty breakfast. Then after that we did community service. This service included painting signs and chopping wood. We also learned how to use a machete! After that we had a fulfilling meal of fish and rice. After some free time we went to a man named David’s house for a coconut cooking lesson. It was so fun. We learned how to open, cook and make oil from the coconuts. We also learned how to make coconut milk (which is possible to do at home). Then we came back to our hotel and made grasshoppers out of leaves with our instructor Allan. Soon after, we had dinner and finished our night with a round of jeopardy and mentor groups.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

Written by Juliette, Kayna, and Sean

We started our day by going surfing and having a traditional meal of pancakes. We had lunch and played a fun game of man hunt. After that we went to community service and in the middle of it we went outside in the rain and had fun on the slip and slide. Then we went back to work on the service painting. After dinner we watched an inspiring presentation on plastic in the ocean. We ended the day with our highlights of the day with our mentor groups. Overall it was a really fun day!

P.S. We have also added in a blog post for July 15 – scroll up to read!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 18

Today was a little rough because it started off really rainy and we didn’t get to swim. However everyone decided to turn the day around and we ended up bonding at the pool and dinner. We all feel like we bonded as a group today and got so much closer. Everyday gets more and more fun and Costa Rica is starting to feel like home.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 19

Written by Ria

Hola Maes,

Just a warning, if you don’t understand some of these phrases its because I’m from England. We all woke up refreshed after an 8:30am lie in. Not quite sure that actually counts as a lie in though… We headed to the pavilion for a delicious breakfast of rice, beans, cheese and toast. Sadly no tea. Everyone filled up to make sure we had enough energy for the big day ahead. Half of us got kitted up and headed to the beach for our third surf lessons whilst the other half also went to the beach for a beach clean up. Some of the most interesting findings included a rusty old sign and some diapers that probably smelled better before.

About an hour and a half later group two headed back to home base for a quick lunch before getting ready to surf. Group 1 finished their lesson while group 2 began their surf session. At 3:30pm Group 2 once again went back to home base and relaxed by the pool (and made a video you will all see at some point on the blog). Group 1 returned at 4:15pm and we all had an hour of free time together. In the evening we had a pulse check to anonymously see how we were all doing in terms of wellbeing and lodgings followed by chow circle and dinner. We were all really excited for the dance class afterwards and rightly so! Ana, the dance teacher taught us 5 types of dances; merengue, bachata, salsa, swing crayole, and a traditional folklore dance. It’s safe to say we had a great time. That was it for today and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s activities!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 20

Written by Andrei

This morning we had pancakes and bananas. After that we went to a waterfall. We got to jump off a platform into the water and got to slide down the waterfall. Also we stuck our head behind the waterfall. Then, as a treat we got smoothies and empeñadas. We also went to a local market to get some souvenirs. After lunch we went to a coral conservation facility and they talked about their mission to preserve and rebuild the coral reefs. We went back to home base and did a shark tank activity. Finally, we had dinner, met with our mentor groups and went to bed.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

Written by Hallie

Hola Maes!

Today was a great day full of fun, adventure and learning. To start off today we all woke up at 6:45 for breakfast to get ready for our zipline adventure. Over the course of the Zipline tour the group got to experience waterfall views, rope obstacle bridges and much more. To end the adventure the group shared a snack and cheered each other on as we took turns on the Tarzan rope. After that we drove back to home base and had some lunch and free time. Next we had community service at home base due to an intense rain storm that hit our area and persisted throughout the evening.

We continued with our work of making environmental awareness signs that will later be put up around the local community. After community service us students took advantage of the rain. We set up a make-shift slip and slide with a tarp and some soap we found around home base. Following that we had a much needed dinner after a long day of activities. Later that evening the group decided to have a stay in night where we passed the time with many group activities such as Pirates of the Caribbean move night (which got cut short due to the rain storm making the power cut out), telling scary stories and having a relaxed dance class taught by one of our very own students Anton who is a pro in all Latin dance. After all our activities we headed off to bed to rest up for the next day of fun.

Adios!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

Written by Sydney and Alex

Buenas noches,

Today we woke up at 6:30 and started the day with some yoga at home base. So relaxing! Everyone then hung out at the pool and many got burnt. Today was finally sunny and we took advantage of the weather. We tanner and read and then played soccer with the local team. We were no match for this team of kids. We then walked to the nearest ice cream shop to cool off. Later we played card games until dinner and ended the night with a big game of family fued.

¡Hasta luego!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

Written by Lola

Hola,

We started the day with a surf lesson with the whole group which was sadly our last. But, it was so much fun! Then we had free time and relaxed. For lunch we had beans, rice seasoned chicken and vegetables. After lunch we had community service which was also out last, sadly. During community service we hung up the signs we have been working on for the past two weeks. On our way to the beach after service we saw alligators, monkeys and some chickens! The beach we visited was called the “Whale Tail”. It is called that because of its shape. We watched the sunset on the beach which was breathtaking. We then had dinner and reflected on our goals. what we aspire to be and changes we want to make. Then we went to sleep.

GOOD NIGHT!!!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

Written by Kate and Jess

Dear avid GLA blog post readers,

It is the 24th of July. It was our last full day at home (base) in Uvita and therefore will be the final student written blog. We started our day at 5:30 in the morning. By 7am all of us were loaded on our beloved bus with our favorite driver Oscar and we’re driven to the dolphin tour base. From there we went to the national park beach and filed onto our boat. Our hour and a half boat ride quickly turned into two due to the sightings of two manta rays, followed by three humpback whales escorted by a pod of dolphins. We arrived at Caño island and almost immediately jumped into the water with some fabulous snorkeling gear. We spent the next 50 minutes looking at and observing loads of beautiful fish, two turtles, a (friendly) shark, a star fish, a couple of sea urchins, coral and a yellow puffer fish.

After 50 minutes we took a break on Caño island which for many students became the most beautiful and majestical place on earth. After our short break a majority of the students headed back into the water for more snorkeling while a few chose to remain on the peaceful island. On their second time snorkeling, the students came across a third species of turtle, LOTS of sea urchins and coral. Meanwhile the students back on the island enjoyed a coconut which they opened using only their hands and a rock. Once everyone was back on the boat we headed back to Uvita for a late lunch on the beach.

After everyone’s belly’s were satisfied, we drove back to home (base) where we proceeded with our daily routine of phone time, which has dramatically decreased from our usage at home :), chow circle and dinner. After dinner our mentors surprised us with several final activities. These were: love letters to ourselves which were later burned in our small bonfire (small, due to a sudden downpour of rain) an appreciation circle which granted the space for students to anonymously appreciate their peers and friends, and a thrilling dance/kareoke party in the dark near our previously mentioned small bonfire. After this long list of activities we were all sent to bed, however, because it was our final night at home (base) the mentors pushed back our curfew. By 11:30 everyone was peacefully sound asleep.

From all the GLA students on this Costa Rica adventure – over and out.

June 8, 2022 by Ashley Welter

Costa Rica: Surf, Sports & Sustainability (July 26 – August 8, 2022) Group B

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

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Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

After some long flights and delays, we finally got all the students here, some early enough to enjoy some Costa Rican “casados” near Liberia, which they loved. Some arrived in the night and had a late night pasta dinner at homebase. We all got a nice nights sleep and awoke early to the sound of howler monkeys above us. After some games, orientation, swim tests and lunch we are headed to the beach for some swimming, volleyball and exploring. ¡Pura Vida!

GLA Staff – Clint, Abby, Levi, and Lisa

BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Written by Jasper Davidson and Nate Weingaertner

Waking up this morning was no easy task! The general wake up time this morning was 6:45. By the time breakfast came around everyone was just as tired as when they first woke up. Mason almost slept through breakfast! We were debriefed about the house rules, and then shortly later were let go to explore the camp. Lunch came around, and we had some absolutely magnificent quesadillas. Thank you to the chefs!

With full stomachs, everyone was looking forward to going to the beach. Prior to loading on the buses, we played a quick game that was based around communication, with one man being blindfolded and three others forming a team to help the blindfolded man navigate. The beach was no disappointment! The waves were colossal, and the shade provided from nearby trees were perfect for cooling down. Before leaving we all paid a trip to the tidal pools where we interacted with a lot of snails and hermit crabs.

After the beach we stopped by a local store in pursuit of local snacks that could fulfill our hunger. I, personally, went 0 for 3 on my snack/beverage selection. Was not a fan of any of my purchases. No hard feelings though, because after hitting the store we went to a football field and ran some footy with the locals. This was my favorite part of the day, with Nate and I both putting up MVP level stat lines. Despite losing in overtime to a gut wrenching penalty kick by a local 10 year old phenom, it was a great time that everyone loved.

To wrap up the day, we came home and took some much needed showers. For dinner it was freshly caught fried Mahi-Mahi fish with a side of fresh vegetables, rice, and beans. I thought the day would wrap up after dinner, but we were pleasantly granted our 30 minutes of screen time (which felt like 15).

To end the night we did an activity called “expanding your comfort zones” and afterwards had mentor groups and talked about what we want to get out of this experience, then headed for bed.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 28

Written by Charlie Miller & Alex Cordes

Nothing beats waking up at 6:30 preparing for the long day ahead! To start the day we had breakfast burritos and fruit. Following breakfast, we went Avellanas beach and mangrove preserve to help restore the wildlife and surrounding area. During this 3 hour adventure we helped pick up a total of 51 pounds of trash! Along with this we saw multiple cool creatures like geckos, iguanas, and crabs. Whilst cleaning up we were encountered by beach vendors who sold us delicious rambutan, empanadas and batidos (sort of between a smoothie and a shake). After we finished our service work we headed back to the main base to have lunch.

Lunch today was chicken fried rice with a side of beans. We followed this with some free time. Some took naps, some swam, some hung out, and others played cards. Next, we had a fun surf excursion at the same beach we had just cleaned. It was super fun with falls and laughs. We headed home after our exciting experience but of course we had to stop at a supermarket for snacks and drinks, trying some local things.

When we got home we got our tech time for the day, which flew by. Afterwards we had our small group meeting before dinner (chow circle) and had falafel salad bowls with sesame soy sauce on the side. When dinner finished we got to go to our rooms and got ready for our group meeting where we played an entertaining name game. Then we had a debate between ourselves about the safety of sea turtles in the surrounding community and what different groups think is the best way to help (small businesses, locals, environmental groups that all have different views). Finally it was time to go back to our cabins and get ready for bed after a long day.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

Written by Zephan Ryan and Quinn Harper

We woke up at 6:45 to eat breakfast and get prepared for our service project for the day. We went to do mangrove restoration and work with a project that is doing permaculture.
After the service we went to Reina’s chocolate and learned about all different kinds of chocolate. We got to taste a lot of varieties and to grind beans and see how the whole chocolate making process works.

We also walked through their exotic fruits garden and learned about different types of rare fruits. There was a lot of starfruit. Once we finished the chocolate tour we went to home base and ate Mahi Mahi tacos for dinner. We played sardines then went to sleep.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 30

Written by Will Musolino

This morning we woke up to the sweet sounds of loud birds and howler monkeys, a lovely morning started with eggs and potatoes. As everyone awoke we loaded up the bus and went to a fully sustainable garden while planting many things like mangoes, mangroves, and many other fruits and plants. The more we got tired from the humid heat the closer we got to leaving! Soon enough we had helped protect plants from erosion by stacking wood around trees, and then we were gone.

After a gourmet lunch of hotdogs and fries we had a quick one hour break while most chose to shlump over onto their bed and nap a little. Awoken by the knocking of Clint saying the bus was leaving, I found myself scrambling to find my cookout slides (grill master 3,000’s) and swimsuit. We bussed to the local beach as Gravy played a banger playlist, per usual. After arriving to the surf lessons my instructors joked with me in Spanish and then waves started to hit me like Mike tyson. I decided later to take a break and sat down at the surf club to chug a mango smoothie like my life depended on it while my fellow campers had fries and calamari, while Noah was talking to the locals. After a long lesson our savior Gravy picked us up and drove us home.

We had some games and mentor groups after dinner and then as the Group Leader I found myself unlucky enough to write this essay (during summer), and now I wish you all a good night.

BLOG POST FOR JULY 31

Written by Tanner Jones

Cabins 1-6 had laundry today, and the rest will have laundry day tomorrow. Service was measuring the amount of microplastics on the beach by taking random samples from square meters marked out at different locations. This information is uploaded to a global database so they can study the problem of microplastics in the ocean all over the world.

We visited a small town where locals brought food and crafts so we could buy local stuff. This allows us to get real local stuff and is good for them also. Some students had huge Costa Rican style tamales, others horchata and other things. I and many others got trinkets for family members back home, we hope you enjoy. We then went back to the beach where we previously surfed to see the sunset and enjoy the vibes of the surf club and beach. Later we played a little cards and went to bed early because tomorrow we get up extra early for a catamaran and snorkeling trip.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1

Written by Hank Weingaertner, Nash Mora

Early wake ups are never easy for anyone so especially waking up at 5:45. Breakfast we had rice, beans, eggs, and plantains, we took an hour long journey – starting w some almost offroading on a dirt road we don’t usually use through the jungle and then the highway through the jungle and citys of guanacaste to get to the catamaran at Playa Flamingo. After boarding the boat we sailed over to Honeymoon Beach, seeing sea turtles on the way, on to where we snorkeled and swam. After the catamaran and snorkeling we had brunch- burritos with sides of sour cream and green onions and pineapple salsa.

We then sailed back on the catamaran, tacking left and right because we were headed into the wind. We got back to camp around 2:00 and ate a second lunch which was rice and chicken and potatoes which was consumed in a matter of seconds. We had some time to play some cards, and a huge rainstorm blew through.

Afterwards we had a very cool guest speaker which was Andrea Diaz, she was the first generation woman surfer in Costa Rica who also started a non-profit organization to teach under-privileged kids how to surf. We learned lots of valuable lessons from her and she inspired us to keep following our dreams.

Then most of the group headed out to see the sunset on the beach and play beach volleyball. We went down the jungle path which was a hike through the wild jungle of Costa Rica. At the beach we played volleyball, which was an intense six on six match as the sun was setting and the last surfers catching waves in. Then we packed up our stuff and journeyed back to homebase to enjoy a nice dinner which consisted of pizza and homemade cake for Carter’s birthday! Finally, it was time to get ready for bed and head back to our cabins.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2

Written by Evan Thorpe

Today we woke up to eggs and toast on our plates. We got up extra early because we had a 3 hour surf lesson to get to. We surfed the glassy waves at Avellanas all morning. Then before lunch we had beach Olympics. These were a series of beach games. Levi’s group beat Abby’s group resulting in 10 extra minutes of tech time. We went back to the surf club and indulged in smoothies and food.

We made our way back to home base where quesadillas where waiting for us. Right after lunch we were ready to start service when it started a sudden torrential rain. We had planned to survey micro-plastics on the beach but rain was so heavy we made our way to the local community center and painted signs for the people in the city. We came back to home base after and enjoyed some free time to rest and play cards.

After dinner we went to the yoga room to listen to the owner of the retreat we are at tell the story of how he started it. He talked about his life story and how he had a difficult time when young and turned his life around and started this place and found his inner peace. He shared ways to channel aggressive energy into healthy assertiveness and led us through some exercises on this.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 3

Written by Mateo Ratheau

This morning we woke for service and after a quick breakfast left for service. We went to a covered community area in Las Delicias next to a soccer field to help fix some tables and chairs for the local school. We started off sanding the furniture to prep it for paint. This was a long and tedious process, but with many people working on it, we got it done fairly quick. Following the sanding process we took the furniture outside to start painting. Between these two tasks we went into the school next door and got to play with some of the little kids which was very fun. After this break we finished painting the tables and chairs and cleaned everything and headed back to home base for lunch.

We had a light lunch today (yucca frita and fish) because we have a cooking class and planned to eat the things we were cooking. For this cooking class we made some traditional Costa Rican lunches which included corn tortillas and arepas over a wood burning oven. We also had some buñuelos which are sweet and saw some of the antique farmhouse tools people used to use here, like a canteen made from the shell of a giant fruit and a corn grinder made from volcanic rock. Following the cooking we also went out to a soccer field to play with some locals. After playing for a little bit we got back on the bus and headed back to home base.

Once we got back we had our tech time and went to dinner. For dinner we had some pasta which was very good. Following dinner we had a yoga session with the owner of the hotel we’re staying at. This yoga was a new and interesting experience that most of us very much enjoyed. This wrapped up our night and we all got ready for the next day.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4

Written by Kaiden Armstead

We woke up at an early 6:30 to a combination of knocking from Clint and the screaming howler monkeys in the surrounding jungle. Then, the camp ate a delicious egg and cheese burrito along with passion fruit juice for breakfast.

Following breakfast, we drove to the local community center to finish our work of sanding and varnishing tables and stools for the local community. We also sanded and painted signs for community members to hang around the town. These signs ranged from protecting the river to slowing down while driving. Community service was short because of our pending excursion, but we progressed greatly. We worked up a sweat and completed the vast majority of the tables and stools.

Afterwards, we came back to Peace Retreat for an early lunch. Ensuing lunch, we had a bit of time to pack and get all of our belongings in order for our extensive road trip. I took this opportunity not to pack, but to take a refreshing nap. The nap was great… until I woke up and realized I was running pretty behind. I hastily threw my clothes into my backpack and set for the buses, where everybody was waiting. We set onto the road. A few minutes into the trip, we ended having to turn back because in my moment of hastily packing, I forgot closed-toe shoes. We retrieved my shoes and finally began the trip for reals this time.

The ride was enjoyable, but the roads in Costa Rica are bumpy and have a myriad of potholes. We arrived after a while El Jardín which had a buffet, a souvenir shop, and a mini-market. While the food at Peace Retreat is great quality, everybody enjoyed the big variety of Costa Rican dishes. I also enjoyed draining my bank account at the souvenir shop.

After another two hours of driving, we arrived at Blue River Resort. As we pulled in, honestly, it looked like a couple of shacks in the middle of the jungle. It didn’t scream resort. But this turned out to be just the front gate meeting point. Upon checking in and driving further into the property, it progressively got better and better. The dirt paths turned into tiled stone and the dark wood cabin-styled rooms surrounded by lush tropical plants became clear. We hopped out of the bus with our belongings in hand and waited to be assigned rooms. After walking into our assigned rooms, we further realized how nice this 24-ish hours was going to be. The beds were queen-sized with fancy bedframes. The showers were spacious and as a huge bonus, had hot water! We quickly settled in before heading out for our tour. We also had a TV!

The tour consisted of walking through a botanical garden with an abundance of plants along with signs describing the plants and their traits. We then continued along to the butterfly gardens which included many more plants (although really, there’s plant life everywhere in Costa Rica) and butterflies! The butterflies swarmed through the air and stuck to the walls. We walked further into the garden to find a butterfly nursery. A safe spot for caterpillars to form their chrysalises and begin their beautiful transformation into stunning butterflies. We exited the butterfly garden and continued on with the tour. We explored many of the natural volcanic hot springs, the pools (one even had a water slide!), and the mud bath (which smelled terrible, but felt amazing on the skin). We also explored a cave with a natural sauna.

We then had about two hours of free time to explore the resort and enjoy its amenities. Despite the sulfurous smell that refrained others from trying, I enjoyed the mud bath and felt its effects on my skin. I then hopped between hot springs, saunas, and the pools. Swimming in the rain was absolutely wonderful and it painted the brightest smile on my face.

We cleaned up and got ready for dinner. Dinner was wonderful. Incredible steak and pork chops and spaghetti with meat sauce and squash soup and salads. Which was refreshing. The food in Costa Rica is so amazing and it’s so insanely fresh.

After a long day of travel, sweat, and many laughs, we began to end the night. We all went into our rooms and got ready for bed. Many of us took advantage of the TV’s some as we fell into a deep slumber on the extremely comfortable beds and awaited what the next day had to bring.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5

Here are photos from our Friday excursion!

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6

Written by Mason Savell

We started out the day with a light breakfast, eggs and fruit. We left for our last day of service just after everyone cleared their plate and was ready to work. We arrived at La Huerta to see our friend Yerma standing in front with instructions on what to do. Since it was our last day, we got to show our creative side by painting and hanging up signs for the garden and community. The morning began slow, but quickly picked up steam when Yerma brought out her speaker and started jamming out. After work we said our goodbyes, and left La Huerta to go to lunch.

We arrived back at our home base to find burritos waiting on the table. After we finished we had free time and some went to the beach to play volleyball. Straight from the beach we went to our final surf lesson of this trip. We came to small speedy waves but with perfect clean conditions. After an hour and a half of surfing we stayed to watch the beautiful sunset and happened to run into a famous Tik-Toker. Soon after we headed back to home base for dinner.

Veggie burgers with plantain buns with a side of yucca fries were waiting for us on the table. Following dinner we got our phone time when a nice surprise was waiting for us in the kitchen. Kevin, the retreat owner gifted us a delicious chocolate cake for being such good residents for the past two weeks. After we munched we had a final group discussion where we talked about the impacts of the work we had done were. We also played a fun game (waiting for the final results tomorrow!). Afterwards we had a dance party in Casa Verde. We finally got to bed after our fun filled day.

BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7 & 8

Last full day! After a morning visit from Sarah who led the group in yoga and lunch, we visited Tamarindo, the popular beach town. Spent the afternoon swimming, playing beach volleyball, and exploring town. Then back for the farewell dinner with a Guanacaste marimba band and a last group gathering and time together, then to bed for the early morning ride to Liberia and the airport.