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 posts 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 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 JULY 7
Greetings from Costa Rica!
We are thrilled to announce that the majority of our students have safely arrived in San José and are settling into our temporary Home Base. It’s going to be an exciting summer filled with adventure, learning, and growth.
The group is buzzing with anticipation for the days ahead. Students are eager to experience zip lining through the lush rainforests, immersing themselves in Costa Rican culture, and forging strong connections with their peers.
Although Will, Noah, and Noah have not yet arrived, they are on their way and will join us soon. Once they do, our Sea Turtle Group will be complete, and we can fully embark on this incredible journey together.
We will leave early in the morning to participate in our first adventure—ziplining! Stay tuned for more updates as we dive into our activities. Pura Vida!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
Today we traveled to Parismina and it was a lot of fun! Our group got to meet each other and get to know each other more.
It was an early morning for some of us , waking up at sunrise to swim before getting on the road. We experienced the cultural food gallo pinto of Costa Rica in morning breakfast.
After breakfast we travelled to the ziplining course. There we walked through a butterfly garden and also saw some frogs and snakes. Zipline was amazing, it was fast and exciting. The longest Zipline was around 700meters which was really cool to fly for so long! The wildlife at the zipline was also awesome. We saw Toucans, Coatis, and even a Sloth.
Later on we took a boat ride to home base, a very cool ride full of nature and even some baby crocodiles around as well. Now at Home Base we continue to get to know each other and have lots of fun!
PS: We are working to disconnect from our phones this week so you might not hear from us every day. But don’t worry, no news is good news! We will do calls home the afternoon of day 5. Of course, our directors will have their phones 24/7.
Photos coming soon!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
This morning after 8 o’clock breakfast we played a group game called 20 questions. This game was where you anonymously write a fact about yourself and have others match the groups facts to each person. This helped us get to know fun facts about our peers and get to know each other better.
After lunch we had free time students spent their time resting, playing game’s, or just chatting. After some free time we had a turtle debate. This debate had four teams all taking different roles and was focused on a bill that impacted every groups role. The debate holders would trade off asking questions and then groups would answer them based off of their roles.
Next, we did an activity where people would write down something they liked about them and then put it in a bag. Right after the activity a speaker came in to tell us more about turtles, protecting them, and what his job is. From this we learned information like how turtles lay their eggs, at what time of year, and the importance of protection them. one thing that we learned as well was how Sea turtles have a “built in gps” to guide them to where their eggs were before they hatched. Next we had dinner and after dinner we had our first night patrol where along the beach where the turtles lay their eggs, we all were excited that we got to see a green sea turtle on our first night patrol. Overall today we learned a lot about turtles and the importance of this program.
Pura Vida!!
Written by Emi and Noah B
BLOG POST FOR JULY 10
We started an early day . Everyone was a bit tired because of the night patrol that finished late but with a great reward : we saw out first Green Turtle lay its eggs and return to the ocean! For being our first day on beach patrol , we were very lucky.
After a good breakfast, we went on a tour of the farm surrounding home base. We saw different types of fruits, like pineapple, soursop and jocote. We got to pitch our ideas in a turtle tank and ask for out own thought activities to be included. We all relaxed until lunch, and then we had a beach clean-up, where we found lots of plastics and trash to fill around 5 bags. We swam in the ocean for a while, and hung out again until dinner. Tonight we will have our second night patrol.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 11
Hola! Today we woke up for breakfast and went out to see some animals on our boat tour, we really enjoyed the boat trip by seeing monkeys and reptiles. We saw Poison Dart Frogs and they looked small and red, which are poisonous to even humans. After lunch, during the vanilla explanation we found out how much time it takes for plants to grow and be harvested. We also learned that the standard for organic vanilla is higher in Costa Rica. We also enjoyed the dance lessons and we learned a bunch of fun dances like the Boogey Woogey and bachata. Our group is having a blast during this trip.
Pura Vida
Written hy Jaiden and Hayden
BLOG POST FOR JULY 12
Note to families – we are having trouble sending photos with the WiFi, but we will add more photos as soon as we can.
We started off the day by eating arepas. Then we got ready to go into town. We had an extravagant tour of it and learned a lot about the place. Afterwards, we moved towards a nice local house and enjoyed a cooking class. We made delicious empanadas with the help of two women and ate them after.
Once we finished cooking and eating we went from store to store and bought drinks and smoothies. We then ate cheeseburgers for lunch .The burgers were delicious and we were given an hour of phone time.
Half of the group got their hair braided by the local artisans and at last we also enjoyed playing a Volleyball and Soccer game with the locals.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 13
Hola from Costa Rica!
This morning after breakfast we started playing some leadership activities that pairs from the mentor groups created, the first one was called Sharpen Your Eyes which consists of finding a hidden stuffed animal in the area chosen. we used this activity to develop our observation and eyesight skills which are important to spot different creatures in Costa Rica. We then did telecommunication
in this we have to whisper a sentence to the person next to you but the person has to change a word every time without changing the meaning of the sentence.
After lunch, we did capture the coconut. 2 teams were created, these teams had to take the other teams coconut and bring it to the their base. We learned and strengthened our skills in communication teamwork and trust and respect for our fellow teammates.
Then we did the beach build. One person instructed a blindfolded builder to build a castle in the sand. The groups were judged by staff who gave it a score out of 10. We learned communication and teamwork skills from this activity. After this we did Inside outside. The group shared how they viewed themselves and how they wanted to be viewed. Using a bag to represent this change. This activity showed us openess and honesty. After dinner we enjoyed free time and packed our stuff for white water rafting tomorrow.
Pura Vida
Written by Noah R and Agnese
BLOG POST FOR JULY 14
Today we started our day earlier than usual by having a delicious breakfast around 7 at home base. Soon after, we hopped on the busses and headed to the river. We got in our groups and started to make our way through the rapids. On our way, we rafted through canyons and enjoyed the beautiful scenery around us. After getting to the bottom of the river, we had tacos for lunch and talked about our exciting adventure.
Finally, we loaded on the buses one more time to go back to Parismina. We celebrated our last night at the Green-Gold Eco-Lodge by taking about our week and watching movies. It was a great day full of laughter and excitement, but also a time where we got to reflect on the friendships we made this week.
More photos coming as soon as WiFi will allow!