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
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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 15
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! 🇨🇷
Mae, Ati, and Madison arrived early in the morning and spent the day with Ella, our program’s amazing mentor, walking around our amazing hotel called Lands in Love and creating welcome signs for the remaining students!
Emma, Ebin, Addie, Elizabeth, Lucy P, Ave, Zoe, Nina, Lucy B, and Caroline arrived later and on. When we arrived, everyone unpacked and we had a traditional Costa Rican dinner of rice, beans, plantains, and “chicken” (everything at Lands in Love is vegan, so we ate soy-based meat!).
After dinner, we played some games to learn each other’s names and get to know one another.
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 JUNE 16
Buenos Días! Emily here again!
Today we started off with breakfast and got straight into orientation! Over the course of the day, we talked about what to expect on the trip, guidelines to follow, and how to stay safe with discussions and games. After that, we toured the property and got to see where we will be working with the animals tomorrow! We saw dogs, cats, and even got to pet some horses and goats.
We also had some pool time and after that we spoke to Alón, one of the founding members of Lands in Love. Later on, we had dinner and had a guest speaker come and talk about the culture of Costa Rica!
We are so excited to start our community project tomorrow working with the dogs, cats, and horses!
Pura Vida,
Emily!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 17
Hi, it’s Caroline and Madison, today’s leaders of the day! Despite it raining all day, today was really fun! We started with breakfast, and then service with the dogs, cats and horses. The dog group woke up extra early to walk the dogs. The cat and horse groups helped clean cages, and do dishes. We then had lunch, then some free time.
After that we took a trip to downtown Costa Rica to buy some snacks! When we went back home for more free time, and then dinner! Yum! After that, we did a salsa dance class where we learned three different types of dances. Then we went to bed after a long day.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 18
Hey guys it’s Mae and Lucy P here!
Today we started our day off with breakfast then went into 2 groups, one to walk dogs and the other to take care of horses. After service, we ate lunch and went to a cooking class and made empanadas! Que delicioso! We then drove back and saw parrots on the way, then ate dinner. When we got back, Stella had arrived, so happy she finally made it! After dinner, we had our second guess speaker and learned more about the ecosystem and biodiversity of Costa Rica. We’re quite excited to visit the hot springs and do a chocolate tour tomorrow!
Peace out,
Lucy and Mae
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 19
Hey! It’s Addie and Elizabeth here!
Today was a super fun day! We got up bright and early and had breakfast then headed on an excursion to a chocolate tour where we learned the process of how to make a chocolate bar and then we headed over to the hot springs! When we got back from our fun day out we had a delicious dinner, did a quick activity, and went to bed after a long day!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20
Hi, it’s Averie and Zoe here!
Today some of us started off with service for the cats, dogs, and horses at the shelter! Through helping clean the cat cages and playing with all the unique cats we were able to see some white face monkeys playing in the trees above us! The dog service group got to see the special needs unit for the dogs which was a really inspiring experience. Meanwhile, the washing horses group got lucky enough to get to wash Toby the sheep in addition to the horses!
Then we had our lunch which followed with lots of free time to socialize with each other, including swimming in the pool and playing water volleyball! We also did mentor groups and had a pulse check today. Finally we ended our laid back day in Costa Rica with our final vegan dinner and a special dessert before we head out tomorrow morning to Liberia!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21
Hi it’s Lucy and Nina – the leaders of the day! Today was very relaxed and leisurely. everybody woke up bright and early at 6:30am. We said our goodbyes to the Lands & Love staff, and headed on our way to Liberia. As we drove we made a few pit stops on our five hour drive. We finally made it to the Vida dining hall, got acquainted with the staff we will be working with for the remainder of the trip. Some of us relaxed in the pool and others unpacked in their rooms. We made our way to dinner, had a short Spanish lesson at the park, and then we split off into groups for those who wanted ice cream. We are getting rested and ready to work for tomorrow.
Buenas noches – Nina and Lucy!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22
Hi, it’s Ati and Stella here!
Today was our first day of service at our new clinic location in Liberia! We first started off our morning early at 6:30 am for breakfast, and left to the community at 7:00 am. At the clinic, we observed surgeries and helped prepare and monitor patients going in and out of operations. After our service we had lunch and lots of free time to relax after a long morning for work. We ended our day with a debate on animal rights and argued the different perspectives on political circumstances for obtaining pets.
Lots of love,
Ati and Stella
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23
Hello blog it’s Emma and Ebin!
Today we did day 2 of VIDA service which was very successful and was the first day that we had a cat as one of our surgeries.
We also helped another dog who suffered an injury to the neck after being sliced by barbed wire and we sewed the cut shut and made sure he was happy and healthy. It was really interesting to see a surgery other than spays and neuters.
After completing that, we had lunch and went over to the waterfall. Though we weren’t able to swim because there was crocodile, the view was super pretty. On our way back to our hotel, we stopped at Starbucks!
We then got to the hotel, took showers, went to dinner, and finished the night off playing Uno.
Can’t wait for tomorrow!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24
Hey blog it’s Mae and Caroline!
Today we had a great day at the beach. We started early and drove to another town about an hour and half away. When we got to the beach we got on a catamaran, and drove farther out and snorkeled for a while. Then we had an amazing lunch on board. When we got back to land we went to a souvenir shop and then got some food! We had a great day and we are super excited for zip lining tomorrow!!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25
Hi from Costa Rica!! It’s Lucy and Lucy here.
We woke up bright and early for our daily veterinary service with Vida. We are so thankful that we got to help these cute dogs and cats. Afterward, we had a delicious lunch before heading off to a zip lining trip in the rainforest. We then had some to relax and hang out before enjoying our tasty dinner. In the evening, we did a reflection activity to reflect on how this trip has changed us and what we will do in the future to improve our actions. It was the perfect day, and we’re excited for tomorrow.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26
Hey it’s Addie and Avery and today we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel, and then drove to service, which was a short service today. We neutered/spayed for cats and four dogs and dewormed four puppies, then went back to the hotel to change and get ready for the next service which we got a tour of a wildlife center and saw animals, such as parrots and wildcats, ocelots, and alligators. Then, we came back and went to Starbucks then drove to dinner and then we came back to the hotel to pack and get ready for tomorrow at the next hotel.
