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 24
Hola,
We are so excited to share that everyone has arrived safely in Costa Rica. Our first day together has been filled with fun and bonding as we prepare for the incredible adventures ahead.
Tomorrow, we’re headed to Parismina, and the excitement is visible! To kick off our journey, we took a tour of our current lodge learning about its owl program and butterfly garden. As the sun began to set, we gathered for our Sunset Circle. This was a special time where we got to learn everyone’s names and share what we’re most looking forward to during our time together. It was heartwarming to hear everyone’s hopes and dreams for the days to come. We spent the evening playing a few lively rounds of UNO which quickly became a group favorite. We also enjoyed some chill vibes listening to music, which set the perfect mood for our evening activities. It’s clear that we have an amazing group of individuals ready to make the most of this experience.
PS. Once we get to Parismina we’ll be detaching from our phones more, embracing the jungle, and appreciating the beach. We’ll send a daily blog but won’t be calling or texting daily. Of course, our directors can be reached 24/7 if anything comes up.
Pura Vida!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25
Today the group began our journay to Parismina, After 2 hrs, we stopped for lunch to engage in a leadership activity to gain on understanding on how everybody feels being disconnected from their electronics. We asked the group various questions to disagree or agree if electronics are essential part of their day. Once we-arrived to homebase, we swam in the warm oceans, played games & began orientation. After that we had dinner, did our community agreements , and played bonding games, such as “the wind blows…” which showed us that were more similar than we think, we ended the day seeing a monkey and sloth outside. We’re very excited to see what the rest of the week holds for us
Written by Jordan and Ayda
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26
Today we started off with a group breakfast at 8AM. All the food here is so delicious and nutritious, we’re very grateful to our chefs here at home base. After breakfast we had free time so some of us played soccer on the beach, and went on walks around our home base. There were so many monkeys and beautiful flowers!
After lunch, we broke up into roles for our sea turtle debate. In this, we had a simulated discussion where we got to step into the shoes of the locals of Parismina. This opened our eyes to different perspectives regarding the poaching of sea turtles in the community.
Next, Michael, our local directors relative visited our home base and educated us on the sea turtles living in and around Parismina. He touched on their nesting habits, roles in the ecosystem, and how the percentage of turtle hatchlings able to make it out to sea has increased from 2% to 68% thanks to ASTOP (Association of Saving Turtles of Parismina). We’re thrilled to be doing our part for a greater good. All this knew knowledge will be useful for our first night patrol tonight. We hope to be a presence on the beach tonight and help protect the turtles of Parísmina.
Written by Gabi and Sophia
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27
To begin, we went on a tour of Jason’s (Local Director) farm where we were exposed to the diversity of wildlife in Costa Rica including various different plant species. During the farm tour, we had the opportunity to taste a fresh coconut along with the meat and the water found within the plant. Furthermore, we tried cane sugar and heart of palm while Jason explained the health benefits along with the growing process of each plant. After the farm tour, we had some free time where we collectively competed in a beach volleyball tournament that involved teamwork and communication.
Additionally, we went on a beach clean up where we divided into two groups and indulged in picking up trash ranging from micro plastics to larger plastic objects. During the beach clean up time, we were enlightened on the struggles of Parismina as well as the experience of local/ traveling volunteers as they assist in cleaning the community. To end the day off, we participated in a night patrol with the goal of seeing sea turtles in order to ensure they make it out of sea.
Written by Paige and Isabella Jo
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
We had an early start to our day with a surprise sea turtle release. We sent off five baby leatherback turtles into the ocean to start their new lives! Afterwards, we had breakfast and hopped on trucks to head to the town. Two of the ASTOP leaders gave us a tour of the hatchery and of the town of Parismina, including a cooking class where we made empanadas. Then, we ate lunch and got smoothies and ice cream. Later, we went to the market to check out the local shops and buy gifts for our families. Some of us got their hair done as well! Then we played a few games of beach volleyball with some of the locals and headed back to homebase. It was really cool to see how the locals lived and to learn more about Parismina. Later, we had dinner and completed a reflection on our trip so far. We then played some charades and other camp games. Afterwards we went to bed to end our day.
Written by Shivali and Tommy
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
Hola from Costa Rica!! Today was the 6th day of our GLA Adventure. We first woke up and had eggs, watermelon, pineapple, arepas, and fruit juice. After we ate, we went straight to the boat and saw a tour of all the canals and rivers that are surrounding us. We saw tons of wildlife including different types of monkeys, baby alligators, birds, frogs cows. All the animals were super cool and were appreciative to be able to see such amazing creatures in which we never would have seen. Once we returned, we had chicken fried rice for lunch. After lunch we had free time until Jason’s brother introduced us to local and organic farming of vanilla in costa rica. He taught us that the pineapple and banana farms were harming many different types of wildlife including sea turtles and other species. He also informed us to only buy organic bananas and pineapples as the non-organic alternatives are extremely harming to the environment. Soon after that presentation, we participated in a leadership activity similar to shark tank in preparation for games tomorrow.
Today we started off by playing a speed dating inspired game. This game taught us to remember the little things about one another and improved our communication skills. Then we walked out to the beach for our daily sunset circle. We returned back to home base for a delicious dinner which was pas with tomato sauce, garlic bread, salad, ana monade. Lastly, we finished out the night by going on a night patrol walk for sea turtles from 8pm-12am. That’s all for today!
Adios, from Molly and Niki!
Written by Molly and Niki
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
We started our day with breakfast and got ready for a day of activities that the students came up with. We played three games in total until we went to the beach.
When we got back from the beach we had lunch. After that we played two more games, one of which included cleaning up the beach. All the games we played demonstrated and helped us learn leadership skills such as communication, teamwork, and more. Next, we got together in our mentor groups created fans with compliments on them for our peers. We went to the beach once again after that.
Once we got back from the beach we had a dance lesson. We learned many new dances including the salsa and cha-cha slide. After words we met for sunset circle and later had dinner. We are curre getting ready for our last turtle patrol. We hope to see another turtle after an eventful patrol last night where we found a hawksbill sea turtle, Adios!
Written by Lila and Dylan
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
Today we went white water rafting pretty much the entire day, it was much more intense but entertaining than we antcipated. We went down a bunch of “level 4″ out of 5 rapids which meant that the intensity level of the rapids was high. Our raft guide was super helpful and had us easily get our boat through the waters. At the midpoint of our rafting journey, we had lunch, where we made our own tacos burritos, before we continued down the river. One highlight was a canyon area where we were able to get out of the water and float in it similarly to otters. When our rafting journey was complete, we drove back and had our leadership activity where we created a community goal for our group.
Our community goal ended up being “Leading the community to awareness and proactivity by educating and volunteering”. Reflecting on the day, it was an incredibly fun and exciting ride, both literally and figuratively, and it was wrapped up with a leadership activity that brought our closely-knit group even closer as a community.
Written by Simon and Torin
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Written by Lyla and Nora
6 A.M. was the earliest this group had ever seen the sun. By boat and bus, we made it to our zip-lining destination! GLA and zip-lining staff guided 21 students through their fears of heights, bugs, and humidity. All students and staff safely made the trip by soaring through the sky, deep in the Costa Rican jungle. By the end of our thrilling zip, we all filed into the buses and vans that would take us back to the Robledal hotel.
There, we prepared for our departure tomorrow, said tearful goodbyes, and celebrated the birthdays of students with piñatas and cake. Just before dinner, the leadership awards in six different categories were announced and given, along with meaningful moments signed by every student. While the students will miss their time in Costa Rica, they are all eager to return to their families, friends, and pets.
Adios, Pura Vida!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
Dear Costa Rica and GLA,
Today is our final day with you. The first group already said goodbye, as they had an early start and left Home Base at 4:15 AM. The others enjoyed one last breakfast at Home Base and left at either 10:15 AM or 4:30 PM, depending on their flight time. This adventure was truly incredible. From releasing baby turtles to playing volleyball with the locals of Parismina, we learned so much about what we’re doing and how it affects other communities. We will try to be more conscious and proactive in our own communities and strive to be better leaders. Everyone had so much fun with you, but it’s safe to say we were also all excited to get back home. Goodbye and thank you, Costa Rica. It was nice visiting you. Pura Vida!
Written by Callia
