PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog updates per week from each program, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post every day – that’s totally normal.
- Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
Click here to jump down to the most recent post!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 19
Buenos días from Costa Rica! Emily here, the Animal Rescue Veterinary Project’s International Director! I am thrilled to report that our students have arrived in the beautiful country of Costa Rica! 🇨🇷
Karli, Cassidy, Ella, Ellie, Sophy and arrived early in the morning and spent the day with Ella walking around our amazing hotel called Lands in Love.
The rest of the group arrived later throughout the day. When we arrived at the hotel, we had dinner and played some games to learn each other’s names and get to know one another. We’re excited to meet Evelyn and Miles when they get to the hotel, as their flights are arriving a bit later than everyone else.
Tomorrow we are looking forward to orientation, swimming in the pool, and meeting some of the animals we will be working with!
Hasta mañana,
Emily!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 20
Pura vida everyone!
Today we were the leaders (Jordan and Cassidy). We started off the day with breakfast and then went to the conference room, Adrian lead everyone with physical and vocal exercises to wake everyone up, then began orientation. We divided orientation into different sections and would take breaks or on one of our breaks we went ahead and took the tour of the lands in love hotel. we got to see horses, dogs, cats, ducks, goats, and we got to see a pond. We both coordinated group photos for the day and then continued orientation. At the end of orientation we wrote down our values on a paper with a tree and explained why these are our values. Then we led a game for everyone to play. After we finished orientation we ate lunch, enjoying traditional foods of costa rica. We then did our swim checks and health checks and had downtime until dinner. After dinner we had a guest speaker come in, Samantha. She taught us about Costa Rica’s slang, culture, economy, and much more! We are so happy with how our first official day went and can’t wait to learn more!!
-Jordan and Cassidy
BLOG POST FOR JULY 21
The day started off with the group having breakfast, however they weren’t all together. The volunteer work for the dogs group consisted of walking and playing with them. The horses group cleaned the stables and brushed the horses, and to help the cats the students cleaned their cages and their dishes.
At lunch, we had the leaders choose seats and we picked our delicious meals in advance so we would all be happy with the food. After lunch, we had some downtime before going to our next destination so we played card games and chatted and showered before then. We then went and got food and drinks and any other items that would make our awesome trip better.
Once we were done shopping, we got back on the bus to go to a soccer/football game with an amazing local team. We had a really fun time playing with them and cheering each other on even though we lost by a lot (10-2). When we got back, we ate a yummy dinner filled with laughs and bonding and then got back to our rooms to get comfortable and clean before going to mentor groups. At the groups, we recapped our day as well as brought important items that meant a lot to us or symbolized something meaningful and we shared about it. After that, we came back to our rooms to sleep and prepare for the next amazing day!
– Taz and Charlie
BLOG POST FOR JULY 22
We started off our day with a lovely breakfast. We then did our service with dogs, cats and horses.
The service with the cats included cleaning and organising the cages as well as cuddling the cats.
The service with dogs included a bright and early wake up to walk some excited dogs. Then after having breakfast , they visited the rehabilitation centre and said hello to lots of friendly dogs.
The service with horses involved cleaning their stables as well as some beautiful braiding of their manes. We also had the opportunity to wash the horses and feed them hay.
After a delicious lunch we then headed out to a splendid cooking class where we learnt how to make traditional empanadas which was an unforgettable experience.
As we arrived back to Lands in love, we participated in a team bonding leadership base surrounding the topic of Social Media, and its effects on society.
Then we headed to dinner and afterwards had the lovely guest speaker, Samantha, introduce us to the Biodiversity of Costa Rica.
Gracias!
Hannah and Sophy
BLOG POST FOR JULY 23
Good evening from the Costa Rica Animal Rescue Initiative, today was an activity day! We started off the day with a chocolate tour, where we learned about the process of chocolate being created and tasted many chocolate combinations. Shout out to our tour guide, Chapó Guapo, for being such an awesome person while we walked through the cacao journey. After the tour, we went off to some beautiful hot springs. While we were there, we hung around in the naturally warmed pools and slid down the water slides, overall having a blast. On the way back to homebase, we stopped at a souvenir shop. At homebase after dinner, we had a group game night where we played games like Night at the Museum and Poison Dart Frog, which really helped us all hang out. Today was a great day and we wish you a goodnight.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 24
Hi! It’s Ella and Miles!
This morning Miles did wake up knocks, and then everyone enjoyed a lovely breakfast prepared by the lands and love cooks.
After breakfast we split up and did our service: Caring for the horses, helping with the cats and walking the dogs.
After lunch we had some free time to swim in the pool, visiting the special needs animals, and relax.
We had dinner then an amazing dance class where we learned three different styles of tropical dancing like salsa, bachata and costarican “swing criollo”.
We ended the night hanging out with friends and packing for the morning move.
We are excited for what is next.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 25
Hola! Today we woke up at 7:30 and packed our bags as we headed to a new home base. We had a delicious last breakfast at Land in Love. It was a bittersweet moment for all of us as we had to say goodbye to the staff and animals. At 9 o’clock we headed to our new location. With a long 5 hour bus drive ahead of us we sang songs and stopped for snacks. Once we got to Liberia we ate a delicious lunch and had our Vida orientation. The Vida orientation included a run down of what our next few days would look like at the clinic. We stopped at Walmart to stock up on yummy snacks and necessities.
We ended the day with dinner and mentor groups.
– Neeva and Ellie!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 26
Hey! How you doing, today? This morning we woke up at 6:30am, and had a delicious breakfast that includes waffles, eggs, and some gallo pinto. We started our first day of volunteering in Liberia with the Vida team at 8:30 this morning.
We started by helping the Vida team set up their clinic, helping them set up tabled, labeling instruments, and much more. As we finished setting up, the first few patients started to show up. We helped the Vida team settle our patients, the cats and dogs, as they started their procedures. As the patients were undergoing surgery we were able to watch the animals undergo surgery.
Once service was over we headed over to lunch at 1. After a long and hard working day we had a few hours of free time. As well as a strong debate between students, concerning the issue of animal rights within different communities. To end the day, we had a delicious pizza and pool party. The perfect way to end a hard working day.
– Lila and Nejhae –
BLOG POST FOR JULY 27
Hello my dear blog-readers!!!! This is Evie (and Jake), and I am going to tell you about our day today! Firstly, Jake and I woke up at the ripe hour of 6 in order to go around to all the rooms and make sure that everyone was awake and getting ready for the day! As he and I walked around the quiet halls, we discussed our excitement to participate in service today; today’s service would be the same as yesterday’s, meaning we would be helping out with spade and neuter surgeries at Vita’s makeshift veterinary clinic. Following everyone getting ready for the day and building up their eagerness to help out the community again, we all went downstairs to go fuel ourselves up with some gallo pinto, eggs, grilled plantains, and watermelon.
After eating all of the yummy food and talking with each other for about 45 minutes, we headed onto the bus to make our way to service. The 15-minute bus ride shortly came to an end, and before we knew it, we were setting up the clinic. Over the next 5 or so hours, we helped a total of 8 dogs and cats as they underwent their spay and neuter surgeries. From prepping them for surgery during intake to monitoring them as they arose from the anesthesia and cleaning them up during outtake, we assisted them every step of the way.
After all of the animals were done with their surgeries and the clinic materials were packed back up, we reloaded the bus and headed go lunch. We had rice and beans, pork, and salad. While we were all focused on playing a fun game of telephone, our amazing mentor Mae Mae vanished! Nevertheless, we carried on with our day and got ready to go to a lagoon river pond thing!! Once it hit 2:30pm, we hit the road! The drive was about 30 mins (though we were told it was going to be an hour!), and once we arrived, we couldn’t wait to jump right in! In addition to just swimming around, there was also a rope swing and a cliff to jump into the water from! It was a very exciting 2 hours, complete with meeting new Costa Rican friends 🙂
After our time at the water was over, we headed back to the hotel. We got some time to shower and chill, then proceeded to make our way to dinner, which consisted of spaghetti with bolognese or alfredo sauce, garlic bread, and salad. After we finished all of our food, we went back to the hotel for a couple hours of free time before we dozed off to sleep to get well-rested for our big day tomorrow at the Catamaran!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 28
We started our day extra early with breakfast at 6am. We had gallo pinto, eggs, waffles and fruit. After an hour and a half drive we arrived at the beach and met the crew who would be taking us out on a catamaran.
On the way out we saw dolphins and a turtle. After anchoring some people went snorkeling while others swam by the boat. There was a starfish, many sea urchins on the rocks, small fish, and a puffer fish that we got to touch. Others took out a paddle board and kayak. Everyone got back on the boat to have an amazing lunch consisting of burritos with eggs beans and rice, a pasta salad, chips, fruit and cookies! As we finished our meals we headed back to the beach where we got back on the buses and headed to another souvenir shop. A lot of people got bracelets and things to bring back.
Next was a much appreciated trip to starbucks and subway. After Subway and Starbucks, we headed back to the hotel and had some free time to refresh ourselves. Then after a relaxing hour of free time, we headed over to dinner where we had nachos! We ended the day with mentor groups. The mentor groups showed us a valuable lesson about how different upbringings create different needs, which reflects on what we see here during our service. Then we had some more time to relax before going to bed.
-Elise and Bentley
BLOG POST FOR JULY 29
Hello GLA parents, we started our day off today by waking up at 5:45 and getting to breakfast at 6:00. For breakfast we enjoyed eggs, cereal, and beans and rice. After breakfast we got on the buses to go to Vida, once we got to Vida we helped the workers during surgeries and watched.
Additionally, we helped take care of the animals pre and post surgeries. We also helped prepare and clean the tables and supplies needed for the animals. After our shift at Vida we went back to the hotels to shower and prepare for our additional service. Then we left for lunch where we had chicken beans and rice, and vegetables.
We then drove to the wildlife rehabilitation center and got a tour of the animals they keep, like ocelots, macaws, parrots, and finger monkeys. We broke into 3 different groups; diggings sand, collecting branches for the parrots, and cleaning the crocodile pond. After service, we got some time to rest at the hotel, taking showers and decompressing. At 6:00, we got dinner of hot dogs, rice, beans, and fries. And as a treat we went to McDonald’s and Taco Bell. Adios!
— Jackson & Katherine
BLOG POST FOR JULY 30
Today, we woke up at 6 for breakfast for our last day with Vida. After breakfast we continued our work with Vida, prepping animals for surgery and watching surgeries. We did this until 10:30 and after service we went back to our home base to take showers and get ready for zip lining and lunch. We had lunch at 1. At 2 pm, we boarded the busses and set off on the 1 1/2 hour bus ride to a zip lining course! We got strapped into our helmets and harnesses and began on the first zipline of the adventure! We went on many ziplines during our time, and even got to rappel down to the bottom of a rock wall and climb back up! We concluded zip lining with a visit to the gift shop, then got ready for the long journey back to the hotel. We had some time to shower and freshen up, then had a wonderful dinner! We finished our night with a leadership activity and some free time before curfew.
