Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
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.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
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 after activities are completed to have with them through the night. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location and time zones. 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.
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 posts!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 12
Buenas noches,
The students and staff have been getting to know each other as each person arrived throughout the day. With Ethan as our first arrival from another GLA program this morning at 8am, we have slowly been forming into our full group. We have 14 out of 20 students with us now and the other 6 are being picked up tonight by Sam (Mentor) and Olivia (Co Intl Director) from the airport. Our team is feeling so excited to get started on the expedition tomorrow and to wake up to our full student group! After a slow breakfast we will be hitting the road to Montezuma. Cheers to new adventures ahead!
Ciao from Alajuela,
Briley (Co Intl Director)
BLOG POST FOR JULY 13
Buenas noches,
The students and staff have been getting to know each other as each person arrived throughout the day. With Ethan as our first arrival from another GLA program this morning at 8am, we have slowly been forming into our full group. We have 14 out of 20 students with us now and the other 6 are being picked up tonight by Sam (Mentor) and Olivia (Co Intl Director) from the airport. Our team is feeling so excited to get started on the expedition tomorrow and to wake up to our full student group! After a slow breakfast we will be hitting the road to Montezuma. Cheers to new adventures ahead!
Ciao from Alajuela,
Briley (Co Intl Director)
BLOG POST FOR JULY 14
Written by Sadie
Today, our group began with a yummy breakfast consisting of eggs, rice and beans, and more. We then started the day with surf lessons and a hike along the beautiful beach. When we got back we all took a quick shower and enjoyed a delightful meal including lentils and rice. We also enjoyed MANY homemade plantain chips. After, we headed down to the sea turtle hatchery for an introduction. We learned all about the service we will be doing for the next few days. On our way back, we got gelato from a local shop, and picked up some new furry friends. Two dogs walked beside us the whole walk back and one of them is still hanging around the hotel.
After a shower, we did some leadership work and had a debate about Costa Rican legislation. Tiring us all out, we hung out in the afternoon and chit chatted. Some of us laid in the hammocks reading while others got to know each other better. Once it was time for dinner, we all gathered to eat another great meal, once again with fish, mashed potatoes, and a salad accompanied with a mango juice. Now, we are ending our night with mentor group meetings and then we will head to bed to get ready for a busy day tomorrow. Pura vida from Costa Rica!!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
Written by Tanya
This morning we started off bright and early with some yummy breakfast which was an omelette and some toast. The people in the kitchen also made us some strawberry juice which was DELICIOUS. Thanks to them for making all of the unique juices for every meal. After that, we made our way to the beach to help with the turtle hatchery partner and worked together to clean up. We moved sticks, rocks, and garbage from the beach and after a few hours, the beach was looking clean and ready for the turtles to lay their eggs (music helped a lot). We got back to our hotel and took a shower and got ready to eat lunch. Lunch was greatly cooked fried rice and a side salad with some more juice. Soon after, we got all ready to go shopping in town!
We stopped by a nearby market and met some cute dogs. There was so much adorable homemade jewelry that was up for sale. We checked out a few more stores to gather snacks for the next few days and then headed back. We had some free time and we all hung out and then it was time to leave for bioluminescent kayaking. We talked and sang the whole ride there and looked at the wondrous greenery outside. Once there we all had some pasta, beans, and chips and got ready for kayaking. We were introduced all to it by a great leader and just when we paddled soon in the water, we saw the bioluminescence. Putting our hands into the water, it looked just like fairy dust. It was magical with all the splashes. We experienced it all and then when it started to rain, we headed back. We rinsed off and got on the bus and now we’re on our way back to home base.
After a long day full of hard-work, we will get a good night’s sleep and be ready for tomorrow morning with more work with the turtle hatchery. Fun fact we learned: the bioluminescence we saw has the same chemical protein that fireflies have! Hence the light both show off! Pura Vida 🙂
BLOG POST FOR JULY 16
Surprisingly, saving turtles is a lot of heavy lifting!
On this beautiful morning in Costa Rica, our crew was helping out by hauling away fallen trees and debris. Apparently, turtle eggs need the sand to be changed every once in awhile to prevent erosion and rot. Therefore, we passed bags of sand into the nesting area while others filled them. Resting from our day of work, we decided to take a trip to a nearby waterfall. Rugged as the trail was we all managed to find ourselves in front of a huge waterfall, towering towards the sky.
As everyone was drenched and tired we slowly made our way back to enjoy the luxurious beach right outside the hotel. Taking in the clear waters and the bustling streets and the boats flowing down the sea line, we rested our bodies appreciating the time off. Coming back to Home Base we played a heated round of UNO. Everyone happy and joyful, we all are looking forward to what tomorrow brings.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 17
Written by Cora
This morning we had breakfast which was avocado toast with eggs 🥚. Then we took an hour bus ride to curú reserve, where we took a hike 🦀 and swam at the beach 🏝️. We then took the bus back to the hotel 🏨. After that we had lunch, casado (Salad, Beans 🫘, rice 🍚). Then we did our leadership activity which was a visualization practice 👁️. My favorite of the day was some of our mentor groups activities, we did a blindfold challenge combined into a hike 🧚♀️, we practiced communication with the people we haven’t talked 🗣️ to as much, we reached a waterfall that was really pretty and headed back. We had free time once we got back to the hotel, some people went to the beach 🐟 and others stayed at the hotel and hung out. Suddenly, it was dinner 🧍♀️, we had barbecue and salad. Once dinner was over we had live music combined with dancing 💃 🕺, people dressed up 👗 and had a lot of fun. The music was really pretty. Unfortunately the day is over, however it was a good day 👍.
Thank you for reading 📖
Pura Vida – Cora
BLOG POST FOR JULY 18
Written by Josie
We started off our travel day with a delicious breakfast before driving to the ferry. After a lunch break, we peered over at the massive crocodiles below a bridge and continued our journey to Parrita. We ended the night with burritos for dinner and a viewing of an interesting documentary on sea turtles in Costa Rica.
– Josie
BLOG POST FOR JULY 19
Written by Kai
Today we started with breakfast at 8 am which quickly turned into service at the beach filling sand bags to build walls. This was to help prevent waves from eroding a sand cliff right in front of a house. We left covered in dark sand rich with iron. Once we got back to the hotel it was pool, beach and hammock time which recharged our mental battery to engage with our guest speaker. He gave a very informative presentation about the many turtles in Costa Rica.
After the speaker we ran to the store for a snack run. The poor grocery store that we chose had to deal with kids down ever isle filling cart with snacks, drinks, and many cup noodles. There was plans of a BBQ in the boys’ room that were quickly shut down due to lack of barbecuing equipment. After our arms were full and our wallets were empty we returned to a beautiful sunset on the beach. Once we had taken every photo imaginable we ate a delicious dinner.
After dinner we all started to fall into our food coma. Our mentors called us over for “mentor groups” which we all assumed would just be laying down and writing in our journals, but they exceeded our expectations by setting up the most intense games of untangle the knot, telephone, and more. Now I’m ending off the night with a game of pool and getting destroyed by Ethan in foosball. Then off to our rooms to stay up a couple more hours talking about drama that day and winding down from our sugar high.
– Kai
BLOG POST FOR JULY 20
Today was totally radical. We ate breakfast. Then we proceeded to go to service. At service we did some cool painting of signs as well as making same fences to keep turtle eggs in.
We got to release some baby sea turtles at the hatchery. This was very cool because we raced them and got entertained while releasing and helping the turtles.
At lunch we had some yummy fish and fries. I guess you could call it fish and chips and salad if you wanted. But instead of chips we got fries. It was cool.
Then we had some free time. 😁🤩😞😅🤪😞😅🥸. We went to the beach. There is not much to say except we also did have fun with the monkeys too. Now we have to had a walk along the beach in the for the sunset. It was cool because we had to actually go in the water. It was rad. we got some pics for the gram.
Now a little bit ago we had dinner 🍲 it was some good Mac and cheese.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 22
Written by Taleah
Hey! This morning we started off with french toast, eggs, and fruit for breakfast to fuel us for our service. We transported palm and almond trees and planted them on the beach to prevent erosion. While we planted the trees we all sang and worked up an appetite! After all our hard work we got to drink from fresh coconuts on the beach!
Later in the day we had lunch, and then went to Lulu’s house (a local community member) to learn how to cook empanadas. Lulu and her family were so kind, and welcoming as they treated us with common Costa Rican drinks like agua dulce, different juices, and locally sourced coffee. The empanadas were so good and it was so fun to be able to cook with all of our new friends!
When we returned to the hotel, some of us went on a sunset beach walk, which was so beautiful. After a relaxing walk, we enjoyed dinner and are ending the night off with karaoke and ice cream to say goodbye to Sam, one of our mentors, prior to his next job!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 23
Written by Gemma & Poppy
This morning we woke up hungry for a great breakfast. I guess you get what you wish for because it was pancakes, hash browns, and eggs! At 7:30 we all loaded up on the bus to head to Manuel Antonio National Park. We were all relieved when we got there in an hour instead of 2 hours like the map said we would! Especially because our speaker wasn’t working on the bus so we couldn’t listen to any music. As we got off the bus and walked up to the entrance we were so tempted to shop at all the stores we passed, we had to hold on our urges to spend all our money!
We spilt up into 2 groups and each group got a guide to walk them around the park. The walk in total was about an hour and a half and we managed to see bats, sloths, lizards, monkeys, and so many cool insects! We finally reached our destination which was a beautiful beach colored by many different shades of blue. Everyone enjoyed having chicken fights and splash wars but also relaxing on the shore. We were sad to leave but excited for some lunch. It was silent for about 20 minutes and all you could hear was the rustling of bags and crunching of chips as we all devoured our delicious lunch on the bus.
Now we were well fed and ready for some shopping. We split into groups of 4 and had 30 minutes to fill our shopping void! We came with money and left with our hands full of jewelry, shirts, coke & candy (2 very popular items on our trip), and every souvenir you could think of! Lots of naps were taken on the bus ride home but also lots of singing as we figured out how to turn on our speaker! Once back at the hotel, we were ready for 3 hours of free time which everyone spent in different ways but mostly making cup o’ noodles and watching the only channel on our tv in our room that’s in Spanish! We always have fun spending time with each other in our rooms by playing games, sharing snacks, singing, and sharing so many laughs. Everyone decided to make popcorn and stay inside warmed up in hoodies as we listened to the rain and thunder outside our hotel rooms. Our free time was followed by a leadership activity in our mentor groups where we read an article, annotated, discussed our opinion, shared ideas, and enjoyed listening to our peers. After mentor groups we had a short period of time before dinner where we had some intense fusball and pool table games. Everyone took their seats and a smile appeared on our faces when we saw that we were having bowls with rice, pork, avocado, beans, and chips for dinner! We hope to end the night with some scary ghost stories and more games!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 24
We started the day with some eggs and toast for breakfast, then headed off to the tree nursery for some service. We did a variety of jobs including replanting saplings, removing dead leaves, and then finally combing the beach for micro-plastics.
We came back to the hotel for some lunch – fish with rice and salad – and then mentor groups. Each group took turns doing a challenge in which we have to get everyone through a web of string without touching it. The catch is that once a person makes it through a gap, no one else can use it, so we had to get a bit creative. Our group ended up using human step ladders and lifting people through gaps as high as our shoulders. Overall, it really tested our ability to work as a team (and our patience).
We had a bunch of free time afterwards, and then went on a relaxing sunset walk along the beach before dinner. Dinner was chicken, mashed potatoes, and some veggies. Our local director, Katherine, had some Costa Rican candies for us to try, which were very yummy. In a short while, we’ll have a bonfire by the beach before settling into bed at our last night in Parrita.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 25
Written by Ruby
Today was a travel day from Parrita to Uvita. We all awoke at 8:30 to drop off our luggage next to the busses before heading to our 9 am breakfast. Our group started off the day with a hearty breakfast of rice and beans with tortillas. We all enjoyed our free time playing fuseball. Klara and I won a very intense game against Ethan and Kali before boarding the bus to begin our two hour travel to Uvita.
The two busses were filled with silence as the small bus enjoyed our time listening to music while the big bus napped before arriving to Uvita. Everyone was ecstatic to enjoy the new location and room situations. We ate a delicious lunch of fish, rice and salad before getting our roommates and luggage into the rooms.
After we enjoyed our free time we headed down to the town of Uvita to enjoy a community walk. The tour guide was informative and helpful when explaining the past of Uvita while expressing the importance of conservation and cleaning up plastics off the streets. We boarded the bus after our community walk and headed back to the hotel to enjoy our free time before eating dinner of chicken rice. We joined after to listening to our guest speaker as they talked to us about humpback whale conservation and the importance of conservation in Uvita. After that we enjoyed our free time watching Netflix and went to bed to rest up for surfing.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 26
Written by Ale and Kali
On todays blog , we bear excellent news: your children’s frail earthly constructs finally got the privilege of sleeping in. After a lavish 9am wake-up call, we proceeded to enjoy a hearty breakfast consisting of a wide variety of plump exotic fruits for some and chocolate sauce drenched toast for others. We then proceeded to the local beach where some chose to surf on the waters while others preferred the simple amusement found only in the repeated battering of ones body by waves. We watched a bunch of rays body surf through ocean, a musical group in perfect symphony.
After a healthy helping of various snacks- chips, heaps of cookies…- we returned to the hotel under the watchful gaze of local fauna(6 monkeys). Once restored, we proceeded to service as a thunder storm sparked in the cloud ridden skies, bony knees clattered and hearts came to a near stop as divine flashes shattered the heavens. Under the tin roof, we set ourselves to the tasks assigned to us: painting, nailing, sawing and even machete-ing! Then we rushed to our last snack trip in which we planned to let loose our every penned up capitalistic urges. We bought half the store. We managed to fill the bus with so much food that we found ourselves struggling to sit. It is unlikely our provisions will last more than 3 days.
We then had dinner, an authentic italian dish: spaghetti and cut up sausage! We were then made to sit in utter silence and contemplate the most wretched confines of our pubescent minds by our lovely directors: Liv and Briley. We wished to stargaze , but the thick clouds barred both our view and desire. Now, we prepare to fall into a deep slumber where our limp bodies will be interrupted from their regenerative rest by a torturous 7:30 wake up.
Much love, Ale ❤️and Kali ❤️
BLOG POST FOR JULY 27
The day started with a delightful breakfast quickly followed by our departure to the waterfall.
We arrived after a short bus ride and it was a beautiful place, I took several pictures that I am very proud of.
Lower downstream there was a place to jump into the fresh water it was probably great but I didn’t participate so I will never know.
During my time messing around the stones, I found a beautiful rock that had the shape of an egg, it was smooth, round, it was beautiful.
Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to keep it (very unfair) and I came back to the hotel empty-handed.
We had a nice lunch and soon after we started group games, a mix of physical, intellectual and spiritual challenges ensued.
My team did pretty poorly at all of them but it was still fun overall.
Following this we had a lot of free time where I was (not) very productive.
Then a lovely dinner led us to our final activity of the day : mentor groups.
In my group, we played the card game “President” and I won most of the time, today was a good day.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 28
Written by Marley
Unsurprisingly, today was another great day in Costa Rica!
We began the day with a terribly early start (we had to wake up at 6:00!), but it was SO worth it! After slathering on as much (mostly) reef safe sunscreen as we could, we spent a whole hour on the worlds fastest (and bumpiest) boat to Caño Island. We saw so many dolphins on the way! And then we snorkeled around the reef and saw so so so many cool fish and (unfortunately bleached) reefs and at least 3(?) different turtles. It was a great time, but it was so exhausting that quite a few people managed to actually fall asleep hanging over the side of the wildly bumpy boat ride on the way back.
After getting back to the hotel, we rinsed off (in the dark because the power was out again), and then absolutely passed out (some of us to the delightful sounds of Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse) for the remainder of our free time before dinner.
We also continued to make friends with the tiny adorable crazy little kitten (whom I’ve named Baby), and watched the sunset (it was so orange we thought it was a fire).
That’s all! See you all soon!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 29 & JULY 30
July 29
Today we woken up to our last day in Uvita. We got up at 7:30 and went to breakfast at 8. The hotel provided sweet pancakes with different sauces to choose from and many delicious fruits including: pineapple, bananas, and papaya. With a nice breakfast in our stomachs we went to community service at 8:30. In service we all helped by planting trees and painting signs to help make sure the trees will grow to be strong and healthy. Other people nailed wood together to make the signs and filtered sand.
After service for a few hours, we had the privilege to visit a coral reef sanctuary and a turtle nursery. We learned how to tell turtles laid eggs and how to safely protect them, and all about the biology in the coral reef habitat. After the amazement, we finally got back to hotel and enjoyed a beautiful lunch. We ate some Mac and cheese, rice with beef made into balls, and a nice salad. After being wiped out, we got to be able to have some rest for about an hour before we head out again. At 2:30 we all left to enjoy a walk on the beach on the famous whales tail. It was so beautiful, with an amazing view. We all swam for as long as possible until we had to leave. Everyone had an incredible time, I wish I never left.
Walking back to the hotel, we were able to visit some shops and be able to buy something. There was so many cute stuff, it was hard to choose what to want. When we got back from walking, we had some time to be together before dinner. At dinner, we ate some amazing burgers and fries, with a mix of vegetables. We drank some good fruit juice too. Being full, we are all able to have free time after dinner until the night comes to an end in uvita. We are all super sad about the days coming to an end, it truly doesn’t feel real. Pura Vida 🙂
July 30
Today started with an awaking at a 7:00am as we prepared for our departure from Uvita. We munched on scrumptious and very original rice and beans with a side of fruit. After shoving our faces full we said goodbye to the whales tail and zombie horse.
The journey was long and easy going. We sat in solitude for what seemed like an eternity which gave ample time to reflect on the trip this might be due to the fact that we had no service. Sleeping also became a struggle with each bump and pothole; luckily the rain over the mountains made the drive worth it.
Soon we arrived at the colossal sized souvenir shop, where we payed for materials to keep our memories safe. After a long shopping break we returned to the bus. This ride was much more bearable as we snacked on the holy grail; Chips and Salsa. Back at Alajuela we settled back in our first home base. It felt nostalgic as just three weeks ago we knew nothing about each other and now we know everything. We then munched on our favorite, you guessed it, rice and beans.
We then set goals and reflected on how our three weeks have changed our mindset. The goal made was to use less plastic inspired by the trash cleanup in Montezuma. Afterwards we lounged by the pool and even meet another GLA trip. After some laughs, life plans and giggles we ate Rice and beans. We continued to laugh even during dinner. In the last daylight hours we played games with our mentor groups. My group played salad bowl, a mix of charades and chaos. We then ended the night by playing truth or dare with the other GLA Trip. We will miss Costa Rica so much.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 31
Written by Maddie, the last leader of the day!
Today we woke up bright and early on our last day together to travel to the Poas volcano. After our final breakfast of pancakes, hash browns, and of course rice and beans, we headed up the mountain to see the beautiful volcano and lake. We even got a taste of chillier weather due to the high altitude of 9000+ feet.
Afterwards, we journeyed back to the bus to enjoy a delicious lunch at a restaurant nestled in the mountains. When we arrived back at Hotel Robledal, we all decided to pack up our things and prepare to depart later this evening or tomorrow morning. Before our dinner and final dance party, we had an appreciation circle to acknowledge how much we’ve learned and grown from this trip and from each other.
All in all, this marine conservation trip has been an amazing experience filled with adventure and memories that will last forever.
