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
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BLOG POST FOR JULY 30
Hello from Costa Rica!
Everyone finally made it safe and sound to homebase! We are currently staying at an eco lodge that is just footsteps away from the beach! Since everyone arrived at different times today, we had a pretty relaxed afternoon. Some people took naps, some did their swim tests and some even played football and volleyball in the rain! Those who arrived to homebase in the afternoon got to go to the beach and watch the sunset. For those that arrived late, don’t worry, we will definitely be going again to watch another sunset. We took a big group picture today but we are missing a few so we will retake another one tomorrow! For dinner we had grilled chicken, rice, beans and salad. After dinner, we played some games to get to know each other better. We are a big group so we will be playing a lot of games!
We’re so excited for these next 10 days. There are going to be so many amazing adventures waiting for us!
Pura vida!
-Brenda, Greta, Luis, Warren, Jocelyn, Bryan (GLA STAFF)
BLOG POST FOR JULY 31
Today was our second day at Beachside. It was our first full day with all of the students. We started the day eating a delicious traditional Costa Rican breakfast, Pinto, along with some fruits and eggs.
We then went into orientation, where we learned about water safety, community service groups, community agreements, sexual harassment, covid protocols, health and hygiene, and program curriculum. It was a long day of orientation with many ice breakers in between to get to know each other better.
We also went to the beach to watch the beautiful sunset and had pork loins with mashed potatoes for dinner along grilled vegetables and salad. We got an hour of tech time to call our parents and friends and finally got to meet our mentors along with our mentor groups.
Today was a great day and can’t wait for tomorrow when we will finally start our first service day!
More photos coming soon!
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1
Written by multiple students
My cabin mates in Iguana and I started our morning a little earlier than most others. In that time we just chilled and relaxed at La Playa Negro, which beauty never ceases to impress us. And then later on we had our first official day of service, my group Verdiazul centers around the sea turtles. We learned that every year out of the 38,000 turtles released only about 36 will survive. And out of the seven species of turtles in the world, five are here in Costa Rica at. Including two endangered species. So the work we did and will do really will make an impact even if it’s just one more turtle. To start our first official day we walked the beach, and followed the patrol route that the workers walk on every night. As we walked on the beach, we picked up trash along the way and moved logs as well. We did this in order to help the turtles that will come later on to lay their eggs in the sand. Later on after a special guest speaker we actually found out about some turtles hatching. So we raced over to the beach to see these turtles being released, in fact we even named some of them, their names are Turbo, Poke, and Crush.
– Quin, Peter, Daniel
GWC was another service program, this one focused on water purification through the use of trees and vegetation. As we arrived we were greeted by Marcia and Alberto, they introduced us to the water cycle and seeds. We were taught local ways of how trees transport water to a water shed which many Costa Ricans depend upon. Some water sheds you may know but are not limited to, are the Mississippi River the Nile River, and the Amazon River. GWC also focuses on the conservation of ground water during the dry season, which lasts for about 6 months. -Sabrina & Xanathan
Another service program is UC, this focuses on community conservation through art and messages. At first I was painting a fence by myself but that didn’t last for long as I met a new friend Antonio. He not only helped me but later chased me around with paint. I gave him a piggyback ride, and we sprayed water on each other. He even gave me the nickname El presidente. This allowed me to engage with a community through more than just art.
– Braden
Later on following our services we all went to La Playa Blanca. although very rocky with big waves we all had so much fun, From the volleyball on the beach to the music video we were in for another student here at GLA, – Daniel
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2
Written by London, Rod, Hannah, Hugh, Harry, Heidi, David
Today was a very fun day at beachside and at home base! After the mask mandate was lifted this morning and then service, the group went to the chocolate factory and tasted a variety of chocolate, and learned about the process of making chocolate. It rained most of the day resulting in many fun games in the “Ranchito” including a sing-off and volleyball.
The GEA group saw alligators, continued painting signs, and their beach cleanup. GWC worked with more plants, including transfering plants while learning more about water conservation. The UC group continued painting the border around soccer field, and made progress on the mural in the community space while working more with locals. BEA finished painting the signs they’ve been working on, and made new ones too. VA replaced the sand in the hatchery, and practiced teamwork with an assembly line to share the work load. They also did a beach clean up and removed obsticals such as logs.
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4
Today we woke up extra early at 5:30am to empanadas- an INTERESTING Costa Rica breakfast food. We packed our bags and hopped on the bus for the two hour bus ride to our adventure day. When we arrived, we harnessed up and received a safety briefing before zip lining across waterfalls all morning. One of the zip lines even involved sliding down a slide. After zip lining, we took a short hike to lunch where we saw lots of animals, including butterflies, and even a monkey in the tree! Lunch was a delicious buffet, followed by another hike to a waterfall. Some students even climbed up to the faster running water to explore as a group.
We then traveled down to the rapids to our tubing adventure. A few students fell in and faced their fears, but climbed back on the tube and continued down the 5k of rapids. On the bus ride back to home base, we had a sing a long to our favorite songs! We then went to the souvenir shop and for ice cream before heading back to the home base. We were all pretty tired from the day, but it was a really fun one!
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5
Written by multiple students
Today in the GEA group, we painted signs with environmental messages and hung them up around the beach. We also cleaned the beach and picked up trash around the water and trees. Frank, one of the locals, taught us about the different types of Mangrove trees and why they are important for the environment. He also told us how it is up to our generation to correct the mistakes of our ancestors in order to save the environment. It was a fascinating experience and lessons were learned that will be remembered forever. – Healey & Kate
The GWC group had a unique experience today. We plucked plants from the ground, made fertilizer, and then replanted the planted plants in the scorching heat. After our group finished planting the plants, we planted more plants until all the plants were planted. In the end, our amazing host Marcia and Alberto taught us about our water usage. We indulged in an activity to hypothesize our daily water usage which taught the group a lot about the amount of water we use. -Nick
Today at service, the Bule Flag project planted new trees and pulled out in various weeds to preserve the green. We dug signs in the ground to let locals know where to park cars. We walked along the beach after the tough workout from digging back to camp for a delicious lunch.
-Stephan
Today at VerdiAzul service we cleaned out a nest because some turtle eggs hatched! We also created invitations for the local kids to come to our last day of service and play games! We had a pool party and it was fun 🙂 – Indie
From August 3rd:
Today, Verdeazul went to service and cleaned out the hatchery. There are a lot of bonfires started on the beach and those could be a danger to the turtles. So, clearing out the flammable items will help in preventing that. We also helped sort single use plastic from garbage. Plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose and is able to be used in the building of homes. This helps remove it from our oceans and beaches. – Amber
