PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
TIME CAPSULE LETTER
Dear Jaxon, Isabella L, Amelie, Camden, Mateo, Jessica, Christian, Delilah, Isabella P, Anthony, Luella, Abigail, Marah, Isa, Jorja, Katie, Ella, & Evan –
WE MISS YOU!!!! We can’t believe so much time has passed already since we were together in Playa Junquillal for Spring Break! 🌴 🤙
As we reflect on our time together, we remember the amazing time that we had and how you inspired us with your hard work, friendships, dedication, and growth as leaders in Costa Rica. We were so impressed by how well you all bonded with one another and with how much of yourselves you brought with you to service and to the program. We remember the relationships you built, the information and trust you shared with us, the ways you kept up laughing, and the mark you left on the community here!
From long, hot, meaningful service days with Marcia and Alberto and playing freeze tag and soccer with the kids at Guapote School, all the way to sunny days on the beach and snorkeling off the catamaran – our time together was priceless. We are so proud of how much growth you showed during your time in Costa Rica. Thank you for your leadership, your smiles, your hard work, and for making us smile every day.
We hope that you are out there living into your leadership this year! We know that wherever you are, you are using your energy and actions to shine bright in the world 🌍 We hope you are finding ways to be involved in your local communities and thinking about your actions from a global perspective. And we REALLY hope you are keeping in touch with one another!!! ♥️
We will always cherish the times we spent with you during Spring Break. We think of you often!
Keep making a difference in the world! We can’t wait for the day that our paths cross with you again in the future ✨
Pura Vida,
Your Costa Rica Spring Break Service Adventure Team
Sarah, Marco, Milena, and Juanca 🌴
OMG Goals
One Meaningful Goal: Become more conscious of our surroundings and actions to create a greater impact.
Stop: leaving things for tomorrow.
Continue: Taking initiative to self improve.
Start: Having integrity in our personal actions.
One Meaningful Goal:
Use less water
Stop 🛑: Stop taking long showers.
Continue 🟡: continue using reasonable amounts of water.
Start 🟢: Start turning off the water when it is.
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.
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 APRIL 1
Hola familia y amigos!
We have arrived in Playa Junquillal, in the beautiful Guanacaste province of Costa Rica! It’s time for Spring Break Service Adventure to begin. 🌴
16 students arrived at home base today to see our rooms and explore the hotel that will be our home for the next 7 days. 2 more students will be joining us tomorrow, and we are excited to meet them. There is a pool here, a restaurant, and a beautiful beach across the street!
After we settled into our rooms, the first group got to swim in the pool, watch the sunset, and wait for the others to arrive. Once the second group arrived later in the afternoon and found their rooms, we went up to have a delicious dinner which was a traditional Costa Rican meal called a “Casado,” with chicken, salad, rice, plantains, and beans.
We ended the night with some fun games to learn everyone’s names, and then we had some time in the pool 🏊
We’re off to bed for the night! Tomorrow is orientation day, and then we go to a local beach in the afternoon. Can’t wait to swim in the ocean and learn more about our service projects!
Pura Vida,
GLA Spring Break Service Adventure 🌴
BLOG POST FOR APRIL 2
Hello! Here is a little about our day:
Food:
We started off our day strong with a delicious meal consisting of home cooked eggs, yogurt, fruit, alongside rice and beans. As the day went on and lunchtime came around, we had a scrumptious stir fry of chicken and vegetables with breakfast potatoes and salad. Finally we finished off our day with an authentic Italian meal of pasta and garlic bread. Don’t worry parents we are being well fed.
Beach day:
After going over the rules for our trip with GLA, we adventured to the beautiful beach, la playa negra. The water was crystal clear and a refreshing change to the intense Costa Rican heat. This extraordinary scenery made for unforgettable memories of playing in the gorgeous ocean waves.
Dancing lessons:
After a refreshing day at the beach we came back to learn some traditional dances such as the salsa, the “baila de toros”, and “baila regatone.” This was done in Spanish with little English to immerse us in the local language. We then had a silly dance battle using an upbeat style dance. After our competition we came up with our own choreography, consisting of the dance moves we learned. Overall, everybody had a good laugh at the hip shaking and the “baila de toros” dance which had some interesting vocals – the traditional Guanacaste yell. We’re excited to share our new skills with you after our long trips home.
– Costa Rica Spring Break Service Adventure Leaders of the Day – Christian, Jorja, and Delilah 🌴
BLOG POST FOR APRIL 3
We started our day out today bright and early with breakfast at 7:00 Am. We ate pancakes which were awesome! Then after we took the bus to the Guanacaste Water Center in which we worked very hard to help preserve the land and help with compost, plants, and make trails. During lunch which we ate at the Water Center we had Arroz con pollo and were able to watch the Howling Monkeys.
Once we got back it was nap time. We were all exhausted from our hard days work so after we had a “siesta”. After nap time we all hung out and then took a stroll to the beach to watch the sunset in which many of us took photos. Afterwords, to our surprise we had chicken wings and many of the boys had a wing eating competition. After our eating we had a trivia match. We learned so much about our mentors! Today we learned so much and helped out the environment. All of us at GLA are having so much fun and can’t wait for tomorrow.
– Costa Rica Spring Break Service Adventure Leaders of the Day – Mateo, Jessica, and Ella 🌴
BLOG POST FOR APRIL 4
Today was a day full of events. Today we woke up had a delicious breakfast and got ready for the day ahead of us. We started out the day with zip lining which was fun for most of us and for others they had overcame their fear. Next we had a great and nutritious lunch and then got ready for our next fun activity. We headed for the beach and got ready to tan, swim, and drink some delicious pineapple smoothies.
Afterwards we headed back to relax and get ready for even more fun. We went to the beach and did a calming sunset walked which included pictures, socializing, playing soccer, and splashing in the water. We ended our sunset walk with a chow circle and shared our experiences from the day. We went up to the dinner tables where we were severed some amazing tacos (many of of went back for more and many of us ran away from a tarantula hawk) and then ended the evening with a pineapple activity where we got into groups and learned about pineapple industry’s and their harmful impacts on the environment, consumers, farmers. It was a really insightful learning experience and we closed off with a group discussion and we are ready for what tomorrow holds for us.
– Costa Rica Spring Break Service Adventure Leaders of the Day – Camden, Marah, & Amelie 🌴
BLOG POST FOR APRIL 5
We started our day bright and early at 7:00 AM to participate in a service day at Guanacaste Water Center. After a few hours of work, we improved roots on a certain plants as well as cleaned out leaves from areas to help roots retain more water. We also prepared new bags of soil to plant more seeds. Over 100!! It was a hot day but after having a delicious meal of chorizo, rice, vegetables, and salad, we visited a local school. We played with the children, visited the garden, and then headed off to our cooking class.
We went to a local house and all learned how to make authentic empanadas filled with potatoes and beans. We used the dough made by corn grinds inside of banana leaves to form the shape, making corn tortillas. They were muy delicioso!! Everyone enjoyed a filling empanada.
After, we headed to home base and witnessed a turtle release through the local hatchery. During sunset, everyone got the opportunity to release a baby turtle held through a coconut shell. We even named them. It was very memorable and fascinating to witness. We ended the day with a delicious dinner and show and tell!
– Costa Rica Spring Break Service Adventure Leaders of the Day – Abigail, Anthony, Katie, Luella, & Isabella 🌴
