The Young Leader

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Cascade Crest Transitions – Peru Blog

Friday March 22, 2019

Hola!

We are so happy to say that the Cascade Crest team has arrived safely to Cusco, and has settled into home base. We made resting priority today but managed to squeeze in orientation, two home cooked meals, and even a trip to the bodega to get some snacks.

We have a long day of work ahead of us tomorrow. Hugh has volunteered to be our first leader of the day, which will be responsible for our blog posts, as well as a variety of other tasks, so you’ll be hearing from him tomorrow!

* Hill was napping during the group pic, don’t worry he’s here!

From team Peru – Juan Carlos, Adriana and Patricia

Saturday March 23, 2019

Today was a very productive and tiring day. We woke up (or at least attempted to) at 7:30am and had a filling breakfast before we headed out for a day full of service and sunburns! Everyone pulled their weight and worked hard. We made a ton of progress at the work site. Everyone is doing well with the altitude and we are all going to hit our beds a little extra hard tonight!

Sunday March 24, 2019

We started our second full day in Peru with eggs and really delicious homemade almond milk then quickly set off to check out some tourist/archeological sites on the outskirts of Cusco. People took pictures with cute baby Alpacas and we toured some pretty breathtaking ruins before heading into the center of Cusco where we ate a super fancy Lunch. After that we headed to the market where we spent a few hours buying some authentic Peruvian “Swag.” Then we took a quick bus ride back to the hostel where we ate our dinner and watched a movie. Everyone’s excited to go to the school tomorrow and meet the kids!

Monday March 25, 2019

Monday was our first day at the school. We spent the morning in classrooms with 4 and 5 year old students. Everyone enjoyed the art and English activities, practicing shapes and colors through drawing. Even with the language barrier, the children and our group laughed, played and connected.

After lunch we returned to the school to help make Christmas cards. Every year the school sells Christmas cards to donors internationally, raising money for the school and the students. Along with making over 320 cards, everyone painted picture frames and helped craft other supplies. These picture frames along with photos of students are gifted annually to parents, as photos and frames are expensive and uncommon in the area.

Dinner was followed by an amazing cultural experience- futbol (soccer) at a neighborhood pitch with locals. We lived up to the challenge of playing soccer for an hour at 11,000 ft above sea level! Getting back to the house, we enjoyed a post-game second dinner of pizza. Gracias to Patricia for coordinating the pizza delivery!

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The Greene School – Cuba Program Blog

Click here to jump down to recent posts!

Day 1:

The group has arrived! After a bit of a delay, and an overnight in Houston, everyone is excited to finally be here and get things rolling.
Traveling from the Havana airport, the group had their first glimpses of Havana including the infamous old cars, horse drawn carts on the road, and a stop at La Plaza de Revolución.
A brief orientation and a dinner out in Old Havana will complete the day.
All is well in Cuba! Hasta mañana!

Day 2:

Sunday was our first full day in Havana, Cuba. With highlights such as traveling to the beach, dancing with local community members, and playing a game of baseball, our international travel group enjoyed a stunning display of Cuba’s culture This however, was just a small sliver of what the country has to offer. We are excited to continue the wonders of the island. -Isaac

Highlights of the day included the really fun immunity art hangout where we had dinner and danced to rock music. The whole day was lots of fun! -Gunnar

Day 3:

Monday was an action packed day. From climbing in a cave, to visiting a tobacco farm, to riding horses, it was all great. Today was also Isaac’s birthday! Happy 17th! Overall today was about pursuing boundaries and personal limits and we look forward to what tomorrow brings. Hasta luego! -Monroe and MaKayla

 

Blog 2/19

Tuesday after breakfast, we strolled down to the fruit market and checked out the way locals purchase their fruits and vegetables. In the building next door, we saw the ration bodega where every Cuban can come to get their monthly allotment of basic ingredients. The two areas were vastly different: the vibrant, colorful market vs the barren, drab ration center. Later that day, we went to Mi Compania, a famous contemporary dance studio.  We saw a sneak peak of a profound upcoming performance.
We also visits Fusterlandia, where a local artist converted his home and parts of his neighborhood into a whimsical cultural mosaic.  Before dinner, we toured around Old Havana and had a discussion with Gustavo Arcos, a film professor from the Film Institute of Havana, about the controversial film Stawberry and Chocolate. It was another jam packed day and everyone went to bed happy and exhausted.
-Wila and Tristan

Blog for 2/20

On day 5 in Cuba, we went to a permaculture farm run by two very kind women. They showed us the garden and we collected fruits and veggies to cook our lunch. We split into two groups to do some service, one to cook and one to do some garden work. When we were done, we ate an abundance of fresh food.

In the afternoon, we returned to Old Havana and had the choice to go to the museum of Fine Art or the Revolution museum. We then had the opportunity to have some free time to walk around and explore a tourist market.

Before dinner, we returned to the apartment to participate in an advance studies class taught by Ava. It was a weird experience for Ava to run a class but it was a topic she loves a lot, art.

Lastly we all went to dinner at a very relaxed dinner and had a good time being together as a group.

-Ava and Augustine

Street cart snacks; one of the very few places where snacks can be found and purchased.

Getting ready to enjoy a communal meal with ingredients from the farm gardens, prepared by the group.

Harvesting lunch ingredients at a small farm outside of central Havana.

Blog for 2/21:

Thursday was our last full day in Cuba, which was also the longest day so far. We woke up at 7:30 and eat breakfast early to get a good start on the day. After breakfast, we were off to Las Terrazas, a community surround by tropical birds and amazing views. We went for a walk looking for birds and were lucky enough to find the national bird, El Tocororo. After the walk, we went zip lining around there area, over trees and a lake. It was such a cool experience! After lunch we were able to swim and rent boats to paddle around a lake. We also had the opportunity to watch one of our crew member’s presentation, Willa Philips, about birds in Cuba. After that we went to The Fortress, where we watched another presentation by Isaac Parker about the US invasion of Grenada. After the presentation, we watched the closing canon ceremony which included a reeanctmaent and the firing of a canon. The canon firing happens everyday single day of the year and the canon fires at exactly 9pm nightly To conclude our final full day, we had dinner out and got to enjoy traditional Cuban music and dance.

-Joaquin and Roger

Zipling in Las Terrazas

Enjoying boating and playing in the water at Las Terrazas

Departure Day

The end of the Cuban adventure has finally arrived…after 6 fast and furious, jam-packed days, the group is on their way home. It was an amazing week of experiences!Thank you to everyone that made this trip possible and get ready to hear some remarkable experiences.

Final group picture at the Havana airport

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Top Benefits of Joining a GLA Webinar Before Your Program

Calling all enrolled families! Our Pre-Departure webinars are kicking off in just a few weeks, and you won’t want to miss out. These live, online presentations are led by your Travel Coordinator and designed specifically for your program. If you’re on the fence about attending, read on!

Benefit #1: Get answers in real time. You don’t need to pick up the phone, or go to the trouble of composing an email–we’ll cover the most frequently asked questions and open the floor for Q & A at the end. Easy peasy!

Benefit #2: Meet your Travel Coordinator “face to face”. You’ve likely been emailing and/or speaking with her for weeks or even months now–it’s time to put a face to the name in your inbox! Our Travel Coordinators are passionate and experienced travelers, and are sure to have great tips to share on everything from packing configurations to how to get through an airport quickly.

Benefit #3: Jumpstart your travel preparations. Summer may seem like a long way off, but it will be here before you know it! Now is the very best time to start thinking about your program — it’s never too early to start completing any required vaccinations, checking items off your packing list, and getting mentally prepared for the adventure that awaits!

Topics will include:

  • Pre-departure requirements and paperwork
  • Travel logistics
  • Home Base and staff
  • Specific service work and excursions
  • Packing guidelines and tips

You can RSVP by following the link in your Welcome Email, or see our full schedule here. Can’t make it? You’ll be missed, but you can access the recording in the Travel Portal.

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Dominican Republic – Summer Search Seattle (Custom Group Travel)

Monday August 6, 2018

Today we went to a nature conservation area in the city of Cabarete. It was in Cabarete where we plated different types of trees that are native to the area. Afterwards, we went swimming in the underground caves. We’re in love with The DR! We love the beautiful landscapes, the kind people, and the adventures we’ve experienced so far. We’re having an amazing time!

Tuesday August 7, 2018

Today was a very productive day and we got a lot of work done. It was very hard work building the community center and mixing cement. The local children helped out which was a great opportunity to meet members of the community. Overall, the group had an amazing time in NY Chiquito!

Thursday August 9, 2018

Today was Day 7 and we went to Dudu Lagoon! We explored caves, zip lined 50 feet down into a beautiful blue lagoon, played volleyball, and took naps in hammocks. After Dudu Lagoon we went to Playa Preciosa and drank virgin pina coladas while relaxing on the beach!

Friday August 10, 2018

Today was our last day at La Grua and we were able to finish bottling the recycling center. It was a hot and long day, but everyone was in great spirits.

The kids of La Grua wanted to be very involved in helping with the project and were very friendly despite the language barrier. As the service day came to an end, we played music and danced with all of the kids before we left!

Tired from the hard work, we stopped at a supermarket for snacks. The air conditioning felt amazing and all of us stocked up on cakes, soda, and many well deserved treats.

Saturday August 11, 2018

Today was one of our most relaxing days. Although we had a slow morning, a good portion of the group went on a run and worked out. We got to take a scenic walk to the local school in the community of Las Cañas, which was really cool! After eating lunch at the lodge, we headed to Cabarete beach where we were able to swim, shop, and tan. We ended the night with a documentary, stargazing by the pool, and embracing the lizards in our cabanas.

Sunday August 12, 2018

Today we went to work at the community of Caño Dulce to plant and water banana trees. These trees will provide food security and a stronger sense of community as the community is responsible for taking care of the trees after we plant them. We ended our day in the community by playing basketball with our new local friends!

Monday August 13, 2018

Today we worked on cementing the community center at NY Chiquito. It rained on us a couple of times at the construction site, but it was nothing we couldn’t handle! After a few hours of work we headed to Playa Preciosa for the final time, where it also rained, but was still beautiful! We finished the day discussing the 7 Elements of human security.

Tuesday August 14, 2018

Today was our last day in NY Chiquito. We made a lot of progress and worked hard on the community center. After work, we took a tour of the community. It was beautiful and full of music and lively people as well as murals of the town and it’s history! The group has gotten so close in these past two weeks. We’ve been here and have started to dread our last day. Everyday in the DR has been so beautiful and amazing. We never want it to end!

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