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
Click here to jump down to the most recent post!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Hola Famila y Amigos!
Arrival day has come and gone. We have all landed safely in Costa Rica and spent the first day slowly trickling in from the airport and beginning to get to know one another through lots of fun games and conversations!
At homebase, some of us played a utilized the volleyball court for a big group game and lots of us completed our swim tests!
We really enjoyed sampling our first few Costa Rican meals. It’s so exciting to try some things we haven’t ever tasted before (especially the fresh fruit juices)!
We’re going to sleep tonight anticipating an exciting travel day tomorrow: off to Montezuma we go! We can’t wait to begin our service projects and to explore the beautiful beaches in the region!
We have the most exciting trip ahead. The next two weeks are going to be filled with adventure, learning, and friendship — we are SO pumped!!!
As the Costa Ricans love to say,
PURA VIDA!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
¡Hola! We had a very active start to the day with 6 of us waking up at 6:30 to go on a 30 minute jog with Sawyer. Many others chose to begin their morning with yoga while others decided to catch up on sleep!
We had a delicious pre-breakfast of an orange and watermelon slice topped with nutritious chia seeds followed by a mini crepe, eggs, rice and beans, and plantains. Some of us made breakfast burritos! The juice option was soursop along with coffee, water, and tea options.
We all made sure to eat and drink as much as we could because we knew we had a long, but fun, day of service ahead of us.
Upon arriving at the ASVO facility, Diego gave us a presentation about the turtles we might find (the Lora, Tortuga Negra, y Tortuga Baula), their diets, sizes, tracks, egg count, and more. We also learned about the hatching and conserving process that is used to repopulate the turtles. After the presentation, the work began! We cleaned off the beach and began the process of transporting new sand into the hatchery. We learned the new sand is needed because the old sand has bacteria and microorganisms from the previous batch of turtles.
Next came an incredible lunch! The juice choice was banana and quass (a type of guava) and the option of water. The meal was a classic lentil dish the came with rice and fried plantain chips. Chilena (spicy pickled vegetables) could be added for some spice.
After lunch we had a nice hike across rivers and roots to a huge waterfall. Here many of us climbed and jumped off a ten foot rock into the waterfall’s pool (saltamos de un catarata). This was an afternoon of fun, cooling off, and socializing.
After the hike back to home base, many showered, read in hammocks, and played board games. We then gathered for a leadership activity revolving around the impact of social media in our lives.
We capped off the day of delicious meals with grilled red marlin fish, mashed potatoes, and salad with pickled carrots and beets. The juice with this meal was a delicious lemonade, and always water.
Finally, we had our first mentor groups of the trip; here we wrote letters to our end-of-program-selves. We miss you all and buenas noches familia de GLA.
From, Emelia and Kevin (11-0 so far in chess)
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
We started off day 4 with an amazing breakfast created by our awesome kitchen staff!!
Then we ventured to our service which consisted of picking up sticks to clear out the beach in order for turtles to lay their eggs. Covered in hermit crabs we powered through so we could make a nice space for the turtles.
After service we had a quick dip in the ocean and saw some monster waves. On the way back we were graced with by presence of monkeys which pathed the way back to our hotel. We chowed down on some lunch and made our way for our kayaking journey!!
When we arrived, we all shared a picnic dinner with a gorgeous view and listened to the sound of howler monkeys. After heading out on the water we were so lucky to see bioluminescence which was absolutely stunning.
We headed home and clocked out for the night after a long fun and incredible day.
Adios!
Carlos and Bridget
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Buenos Días GLA family!
Day 5 started with breakfast once again created by the awesome kitchen staff!!!
We then went onto our final day of service where we loaded bags of fresh sand into the hatchery.
Afterwards we went back to homebase for some lunch and then we headed out to the beach. We swam in the rain and played some beach soccer and volleyball and explored the tide pools.
Later on, we went back and started getting ready for our first night of night patrol to look for mama turtles and their nests. Although we did not see any, we were thankful for the day. We’ll head into night patrol tomorrow with good intentions and high hopes!
Buenos Noches!
Kenzie & Mia
BLOG POST FOR JULY 5
Hola!
We started off the morning with a healthy breakfast containing rice, beans, eggs, and of course Rice Krispy treats with a side of ice cream!
Then, we hopped on the bus and made our way over to Curu National Park where we took an hour long walk through the forest seeing crabs and tons of howler monkeys!
Afterwards, we had lunch at the beach in the national park next to some cute monkeys! We spent the next hour laying around on the beach and refreshing in the ocean before our next long bus ride!
We then took an hour long ferry which continued to an hour long bus ride where we stopped for some empanadas and hot chocolate! Before continuing on, we walked across a bridge to take a peak at some hungry crocodiles!!
After another hour long bus ride, we finally arrived to our next home base for the final week in Parrita! We enjoyed a delicious dinner and headed off to bed!
Hasta La Vista!
-Saydee & Brenna
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
Good morning!
we started off the day with a delicious first breakfast in our new home base then got ready to do service.
Today, we learned about the importance of planting trees on the coast, as it acts as erosion prevention. We planted dozens of coconut and almond trees as well as harvesting over 100 almond sprouts in a new home so they can grow!
When we returned to the hotel, some of us took a dip in the pool before indulging in a yummy lunch!
After a little free time, the group took dance lessons from Kenneth, learning several Costa Rican styles of dance. The vibes were super fun and everybody stepped out of their comfort zone to try something new!
Then, we did a fun leadership activity. We got into groups and when a question was asked, we picked the person who had most applied to. We had multiple funny impressions of people and animals, etc.
Later, we had a delicious dinner and started writing letters for everyone to read at the end of the trip. tomorrow we look forward to zip lining!
Love Bryn and Mackenzie
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
Hola Hola Familias!
We have been having the BEST time over the past couple of days.
Today, we left bright and early for one of our most highly anticipated days: Manuel Antonio National Park. We were all so excited because we knew we’d get to see all kinds of amazing animals (especially sloths)!
When we entered the park, we set off with our guides, some powerful telescopes, and the belief that sloths, monkeys, and other cool creatures would meet us along the way.
After our nature hike and animal spottings, we all but ran down to the beach in the park and spent the late morning swimming around in the blue/green waters surrounded by palm trees. The whole group got into the water and it was one of our favorite team bonding moments!
When we were all swam out and our stomachs were beginning to rumble, we packed up and grabbed our packed lunches to eat at picnic tables at the beach. It was such an incredible morning.
Returning to homebase called for an afternoon of pool time and games. We enjoyed some chill time before meeting back up as a group to play a competition game on the beach at sunset.
In the evening, we had dinner and split into mentor groups where we discussed our goals for post programming.
The day was everything we imagined and more and we are so grateful to have seen so many INCREDIBLE animals in their natural habitat.
Tomorrow is our last full day here in Parrita and we cannot wait to see what is yet to come.
Adios!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
Hi Family & Friends,
Today, we jumped back into service. The focus of the day was sign painting. We used our creativity today to design the signs and wrote important messages about conservation. It was super fun to tap into our creative and artistic sides for this project!
We returned to homebase for lunch and then headed right back out and into the community in Parrita to attend a cooking class. We had the opportunity to cook a meal with a local community member right in her very own kitchen in her home. It was so amazing to be so warmly welcomed into her house and to learn from her.
We made a traditional dish from scratch and drank some homemade juice and coffee. She even gave us some eclectic aprons and hats to wear while we cooked!
On the way home, we stopped at a fruit stand where we bought cacao, rambutan, mangos, fresh fruit juices, and more!
We enjoyed our last dinner in Parrita and then began our appreciation circle where we had the opportunity to recognize each other for all of our hard work & kind hearts shown over the past two weeks.
After dinner, we got ready for our surprise: a bonfire on the beach! We each threw a stick in the fire and announced one thing we would like to leave behind after this trip. It was super cool to hear everyone’s response and to understand ways in which everyone wants to continue to grow when they get home.
We roasted marshmallows and hung out on the beach around the fire for the night.
All of us can’t even believe that tomorrow is our final day!
See you all soon!
