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 23
Buenos días!!
Wow! What a great start to an amazing adventure! We are so excited to begin!
Although starting with a little bit of rain, we were excited to get the whole group together finally and start our exciting 10 days to come! With only a few delays, the first of us arrived on Home Base in the afternoon and we jumped right into getting comfortable living in our little jungle resort and meeting our new friends! It´s definitely hot and humid in this new home so a nice dip in the pool was a welcome refresh from traveling from all corners of the world to get here.
As the sun started to slowly set, we gathered the 34 of us who had made it here to go and say hello to the ocean for the very first time! Only a two-minute walk from the front steps of our two bungalows, our beach is big and beautiful and invited us with the mixing-colored skies of the sunset. What a lucky sight to see here in Costa Rica! It was one of the most beautiful we had yet and definitely a sign that this is going to be a great session together!
Sunset was followed by a traditional dinner of chicken with rice, beans and maduro frito (sweet bananas) which everyone seemed to enjoy! Afterwards, we played games to get to know each other and had the last few hours of the day to do check-ins at home before going to sleep for the night.
So much to come and already feeling the good vibes! Still eagerly waiting for two to arrive so that we can be our complete Tico family! Talk to you soon family and friends! Stay tuned for more daily updates coming soon from our Leaders of the Day!
Pura Vida! – Sending lots of love from the Beachside Service Adventure Team
Michelle, Milena, Emma, Laura, Melissa, Andy, Mireia, Cris, TJ and Marcos!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25
Hey all!
This morning, we enjoyed early empanadas on the long bus ride to our adventure day. First, we put on the safety gear provided for tubing, and grabbed our tubes to head down the river. Some fell off their tubes, many got stuck in the rocks, but we all got to know each other better in the process!!
After thrilling river rapids, mixed with calm waters, we dried off and headed to our next destination, ziplining! During ziplining, we zipped through the jungle. Some even dropped into a canyon and rock climbed their way back up to the next zipline. As we made our way back, we tried our best to communicate in Spanish with the workers and we all got to know each other better as well. We all finally made it to the end and had a delicious buffet-style lunch together.
Later on, we arrived at a shopping plaza, and shopped for souvenirs, snacks, and some delicious ice cream. On the long drive back to Home Base, we encountered a heavy downpour and engaged in social connections amongst the mentors and our new friends. Back at home base, we enjoyed either alfredo pasta or spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread. We grouped up with our mentors and engaged in team building exercises. After a fun, long day, we all created a strong bond.
“Rafting was extremely fun, and I made new friends through our moments of being stuck” -Coco
“I enjoyed meeting everyone and making memories that will last a lifetime.” -Ava
“Tubing and ziplining were tough, but I persevered and made new friends.” -Briggs
“The quality time spent with my new peers will forever be cherished.” -Nash
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26
Hello everybody!
Today we ate a great breakfast consisting of rice and beans, fruit cups, and pancakes. After wrapping up breakfast we began our first day of service. Students volunteered at the Verdiazul turtle conservatory helping to prepare clean turtle nests and learning about turtle habits. Students also volunteered at schools, helping to both paint and clean up the area while engaging with local students. Another group of students went to the Guanacaste Water Center, helping to repot and sort trees. After some tasty chorizo and rice, all students went out for a walk on the beach, we walked to wave pools and found all sorts of exciting creatures! Next the students participated in the grand debate. We learned about the ethics behind the pineapple industry and were able to speak on all sides of the subject. Next was dinner with tasty chicken with a side of fries and mango juice. Finally in mentor groups we discussed the qualities of being a leader.
“I enjoyed making new friends in service groups!” -Caroline W
“Working in the schools around the little kids was such an amazing opportunity!”
-Kaitlyn M
“I loved being able to connect be inspired by the surrounding local community!”
-Ayo S
“I enjoyed being able to preserve and keep baby turtle eggs safe!” -Sam T
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27
Hi Everyone!
Getting up at the usual time, we ate a delicious breakfast with amazing refreshments. We separated shortly after into our service groups, each of us having different tasks ahead of us. Verdiazul began the day with creating a sea wall for the hatchery, continuing on to clean up a local park. Uniendo Comunidades started the day with a beach clean-up and learned the dangers of microplastics. At the Guanacaste Water Center we mixed up concrete and placed signs on the road to inform drivers about rivers and transplanted trees. Finally, Grupo Ecological Avellanas travelled to a school, learned of the dangers of greenhouse gases, created signs to hang on the beach tomorrow and attended a local science fair at a school.
The latter half of the day was spent playing rally games and learning how to make empanadas. We closed out the day with a delicious stir-fry dinner. We’re excited for our next day listening to a guest speaker, and are realizing that this life-changing experience is already half way done!
“It was amazing to see how such a small action of picking up trash at the beach has such a great impact on the environment”
-Helena
”Today with Frank and GEA we learned how it´s never too late to make a difference in our world and how its up to our generation as well as the ones after us to make that change. ”
-Grey
“Although it was hard work, building the sea wall in the rain was a fun and satisfying experience that produced an effective barrier for the turtles.”
-William K.
“Working with plants and trees for the last couple of days has been so inspiring! I´m super excited to learn more about different things! ¨
-Sadie
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Hi everyone!
After getting straight out of bed and heading to breakfast at 7 am, we had an amazing breakfast of french toast, gallo pinto, fruit, and cereal. After breakfast, we headed to our service groups for the morning. In the GEA group, we picked up trash around the street, and stopped at the beach for a quick swim and dip in the ocean. We also weighed our trash that ended up totalling 43 pounds! We then travelled to a nearby school to make a compost.
After finishing the compost, we picked mangos off the trees to give to the kids of the school and the community. Verdiazul travelled to the local turtle hatchery to help clean out turtle nests and clean the beach around the hatchery. After digging out the dirty sand from the turtle nests, we swapped the sand for clean ocean sand. Uniendo Comunidades focused on cleaning up a community center and planting native species in the garden. We also created pots out of tires and dug them into places to make the area beautiful!
The second half of the day, we visited a sustainable farm that had a variety of farm animals and sustainable ways to produce Costa Rican food favorites. We got to feed some of the animals, such as the goats and pigs, and many of us even got to feed the baby goats with bottles. Also we got to try the homemade goats cheese, yogurt, and milk. After we had a guest speaker come visit our home base and tell us all about true Costa Rican culture and ways we can make an impact on society and the world we live in. It was a busy but great day!
“In a small way you can make a big impact not only on other people but the world as well.” -Nico
“Believing you can means your already half way there” -Evan
“Saying yes to every opportunity allows us to expand our knowledge of all the world has to offer and all we can do to make a change” -Chloe
“Using what you have and all we have is still enough to make a change in someone’s day always spreading love in the process” -Natalie
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
¡Hola¡
There was a lot of rain today, but we were flexible and made it work! We got up for a regular breakfast consisting of cereal, scrambled eggs, and pinto. Due to the excessive rain, we had to cancel service and used the time to catch up on rest instead. We gathered in the office and watched Jurassic Park until the rain slowed down, and then took a quick beach walk before lunch. After lunch we got more beach time at Playa Blanca. There, we got time to practice our acts for the upcoming talent show. After lunch we got some free time to shower and clean up before a wonderful, beyond exciting, most magnificent dance class. In the class we learned the salsa, reggaetón, and a traditional Costa Rican dance. After the dance class we had a splendid dinner consisting of chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. Following this, we ended the day with a delightful talent show. There was dancing, singing, magic, acrobatics, etc. Then at the end there was a special guest, Nico, who played the guitar and sang for us. This was a great note to end the night on, as everyone is looking forward to the boat day planned for tomorrow.
“I loved how many people put effort and stepped out of their comfort zones to participate in the talent show.” -Naina R.
“I loved exploring a new beach in Costa Rica” -Natalie H.
“Even though the day started on dreary note, we made the most of it and had a great time at the beach and talent show.” -Natalie E
“I really enjoyed the movie today and I make so many great memories with everybody I am around.” -Justin S.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
¡Hola!
Today was an adventure day! We finally got to enjoy some sun after two days of rain. The locals haven´t seen this type of rain in over two years! To start of the day, we had breakfast burritos on the bus to the catamaran at Tamarindo beach. As we boarded the boat we were welcomed by the smiling faces of the ship’s crew. After a long journey to a private beach, we got to enjoy the water of the Costa Rican coast as we jumped off, and swam to shore! Following this, we had an amazing lunch courtesy of boat captain and his crew.
We then soaked up the sun on the front of the boat, as the waves splashed around beneath the net holding us up from the ocean. After plenty of delicious drinks made by the bartender, we made it back to the beach and hopped back on the buses and headed to the next location, a beach called Avellanas. Here, we had the chance to buy from local snow-cone vendors and swim in the ocean which was refreshing, due to the extensive heat. After this, we went home, rinsed off, and got ready for a nice beach walk. During the sunset walk, we had chow circle, and said a special happy birthday to Chloe H. We finished the night off with a nice dinner, mentor groups, and some free time.
“The sunset walk was amazing, also because we got to spend time with our friends.” – Lawler J.
“Thank God for sunscreen” – Leah C.
“I like jumping on the waves” – Rhyan H.
“It was so fun being at the beach” – Maddie M
