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
Click here to jump down to the most recent posts!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25
After a delicious local breakfast of gallo pinto and tropical fruit we are off to our first beach side location, Montezuma. We are already enjoying the many colorful birds and butterflies we have seen so far in our time here in Costa Rica. We will keep the blog updated with our adventures to come.
¡Pura Vida!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26
Written by Liam
Hello families!
Today was our first day on he service site here in beautiful Montezuma. We began our project of clearing out any wood or trash on the beach in a turtle nesting area. This makes it so that turtles have a clear and protected area to lay their eggs. After finishing two and a half hours of beach clearing we went back to our hotel to have a delicious meal of chicken, beast, and rice. After eating we spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach and swimming in the ocean. We had such a fun day today and we are all greatful for our amazing counselors and mentors!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27
Written by Lola
Today we cleaned the beach from organic debris and worked together as a team to lift heavy tree trunks. We also visited town and were able to do some shopping. We ended the day with a magical experience in bioluminescence waters!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Written by Owen
We started the day with an omelette and rice. After breakfast we hiked to service crossing a stream on the way. For service that day we moved sticks and picked up trash at the ASVO organization to help find polymer eating parasites. Lunch consisted of homemade fish soup with coconut milk. For the afternoon activity we went to the closest beach and swam. We finished the day with meat, beans, and rice. The fearless team leader lead group through all the days activities.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
Written by Alana (Lola)
We woke up and said goodbye to The La Cascada Hotel, our first home base. We drove about an hour to the ferry and then another hour out to lunch after we got off the ferry. Close to the restaurant where we ate lunch, we walked across the crocodile bridge and saw four amazing reptiles. Then, we got back on the road and arrived to the new hotel at around four. We settled in a bit and then got together at our meal place to celebrate one of our camp counselors birthdays, Katherine! We had a fun first night with cake, karaoke and a talent show for Katherine to start of our new stay at this hotel.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
Written by Axel
We started the day with a delicious breakfast and headed off for our first day of service in Parrita. We planted almond trees and more species of plant to prevent erosion on the beach through their roots connecting underground. We had a delicious lunch with some homemade ice cream and afterwards we had some beach/pool time with some well deserved hammock time after. We ended the day with dinner with more ice cream free time.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Written by John
My favorite part of the day was the dance lesson. We learned four different dances that were super fun. The dance lesson pulled me outside of my comfort zone in a good way, and because I kept an opened mind, I ended up having a ton of fun! It was a great way to get rid of extra energy from sitting inside all morning because of the tropical storm. The only thing that could have made it better would be a clear sky!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
Written by Rebecca
In the morning we ate French Toast and finished painting the signs we made for the community beach area. The signs were to promote protection and care of the coastline and mangroves within the community. After lunch, we were off to the beach where we enjoyed a sunny day and cooled off in the salty water of Parrita. This was really exciting after waiting for the weekend storms to pass. After dinner, we grouped into teams for a trivia game, with categories like music, Costa Rican culture, geography and Disney! We went to bed excited for zip lining!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 4
Written by Jackson and Andrés
We started the day off with the best wake up call to date. We then headed off to our zip lining adventure. The zip lining included a few different types of adventures: the Superman, repelling and even some upside down zip lining. After that we had some scrumptious lunch and then went and got some close ups of some crocs, butterflies and even some snakes. We had a sleepy
bus ride back but then got some quality pool time to bring our energy back up and prepare us for the cooking class with lulu! We learned how to cook up some delicious chorreadas, a traditional Costa Rican dish featuring corn… that’s it, simple but good. We finished it off with some agua dulce and some black coffee. Here we are now writing this after a great dinner and we are going to finish the night with some chill time.
Here are lots of photos from the last several days!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
Written by Lilliana
Today we all painted a mural at a school of a tiger. We also painted birds, flowers and even a lizard. We also picked up weeds around the school to clean it up. We had a yummy snack in the middle of our service empeñada de frijoles with lemonade. After we took a group picture of our work. We then had a bus ride to our next location in Uvita. When we got there we had a lunch of rice with chicken and salad. Later we went for a community walk to learn about the history of Uvita. Our tour guide was Noi and she was super nice.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
Written by Keegan and Christian
The morning began with a bang, or rather a scream. In the early eves of the morning george and Jackson found a bat in their room. They later fell asleep again after they placed bedsheets over their heads and we’re consoled by Liam. Then we were waken up early and we began our walk to the waterfall, whilst we picked up trash along the way. We had a great amount of fun there swimming and splashing. We were able to jump from and slide around the rocks. There were a few close calls. Then we took the bus back to the hotel where we were met by lunch. Then, after a rest, we headed out to ballena national marine park where we were taught how to surf in two groups. The first group went out to the water and surfed after a lesson. The second group in the meantime walked, swam, or enjoyed the spectacular views. Then they switched and played around until a soft pink sunset. We then returned to the hotel ate and then slept.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
Written by Anna and Inés
Waking up today was rather uneventful compared to yesterday- we woke everyone up for breakfast before taking the bus to town on a surprise trip for the feria. We saw the awards for the dog race where we were able to meet both the people and dogs in Uvita, along with some shopping. After purchasing lots of souveniers for our families back at home, we embarked on a heated scavenger hunt where hearts were broken but luckily few tears were shed. We returned for lunch before heading back to town to watch a special indigenous dance and purchase additional items for home. We went back to then prepare for the other surprise of the day- a nightime amphibian walking tour. There, we saw many amazing creatures but also discovered some of our fears along with new ones related to a deathly spider… We then headed back to sleep soundly after an adventurous day, well, most of us excluding those kept awake by dreams of nocturnal critters.
Here are lots of photos from last week!
