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 MARCH 22
Dear GLA Costa Rica Spring Break Service Adventure Families,
Hello – We are so glad all students have arrived!! Yesterday we got settled into our beautiful beachside resort in Junquillal, Costa Rica. We will be busy over the next days with orientation, our first day at the beach bodyboarding and maybe beach volleyball, ziplining, learning local dance moves in a dance class, making some local dishes at a cooking class on a local farm, and a catamaran trip with snorkeling.
Our first service day is tomorrow at the Guanacaste Water Center where the work changes with the seasons. We will work with their tropical plant nursery, learn about and mix different kinds of organic soils, and sort and prepare seeds for the seed collection of different species that are useful for watershed management, habitat, and as foods and even medicines.
Student leaders of the day will be writing a blog post every one to two days to keep you updated about all the great things they have been up to. Our schedule is packed so besides the blog we won’t be on phones very often. We truly hope the students enjoy a break from their phones and immerse themselves in life on the beautiful Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.
We have 3 staff directly with the students, plus the support of our very experienced homebase staff, and of course the 24/7 support of the office staff. We look forward to a great program and keep your eyes open for the first student blog!
Best,
Clint, Juan Carlos and Nina
PS- Just as the first students arrived we had baby turtles at our turtle conservation program!
Just after getting settled into their rooms the students got to go to the conservation area and release the baby Olive Ridley turtles and watch them waddle down the beach and slip into the waves. Fun!
BLOG POST FOR MARCH 23
March 23rd was the first full day of the GLA spring break adventure program. We woke up and began our day enjoying a wonderful Costa Rican Breakfeast. It is called Gallo pinto. This meal includes a mixture of black beans and rice and locals tend to eat it with many meal of the day. After breakfast we had an orientation related activity that helped bond the GLA group and improve our leadership skills.
After lunch time we headed over to the beach and spent time boogie boarding as well as adventuring on a volcanic rock formation. The rock included a naturally made cold plunge. When we were at the beach we enjoyed playing volleyball with the staff members and drinking tropical fruit smoothies. We headed back to home base around 4:30 pm to enjoy another wonderful meal which included pork loin with applesauce bbq, mashed potatoes, and salad. We spend free time bonding or swimming in the pool! Later we had a mentor group meeting and then to bed because we have an early morning starting service tomorrow.
Alexia Soare and Hayden Bashein
BLOG POST FOR MARCH 24
We began our day with delicious pancakes with sausages, fruit and yogurt before heading off to the Guanacaste Water Center to complete our first full day of service. Upon our arrival we began by learning about the water center and how it helps the environment, and getting to know the Water Center team.
Marcia, the director gave us challenging but rewarding tasks to begin our work. We moved and watered plants, learned about important species and collected and sorted seeds for their seed bank, and helped create compost and good soil. After we finished our these jobs, we had a typical Costa rica lunch of Arroz con Pollo (chicken, rice and veggies) and played an educational treasure hunt. This required us to go around the gardens and forest and gather information about the environment, the world wide watersheds and importance of trees.
Our favorite part of the day was learning how to start the growing process of the plants, which will grow into trees and be donated to local families and schools. Schoolchildren are taught what the different plants are good for and then choose one for their home. In conclusion we all contributed and played an important part in helping support the environment.
After returning to Homebase we feasted on pasta before diving into a Costa Rican culture talk. Where we learned all about Costa Rica and expanded our Spanish vocabulary.
As leaders of the day we made the toughest days easy.
Charlie Fashny and Marlise Touw
BLOG POST FOR MARCH 25
We woke up and went to breakfast. We talked about the word of the day, which was Amigo and Amiga. Later, we headed over to the zip line place, where we learned a lot about nature and zip lining through the trees. On our way home we stopped to explore a supermarket to see what Costa Rican snacks they had. After that, we went dancing and had a dance class.
Then, we had dinner, and we had tacos. They were great! After the tacos, we saw a short video about local development and environmental issues with interviews of locals, for example about how tourism can affect the nature in this country. We then split into groups representing different groups such as locals, builders, government, tour guides, and environmental groups and had a debate about a property being built in Costa Rica and whether or not it’s a good idea. Then, we played a little game of murder mystery, which was interesting. Now, it’s bedtime. My favorite part of zip lining was the adrenaline.
Luke Fashny and Connor Kulis
BLOG POST FOR MARCH 26
March 26th was the 5th day of the GLA program. Today we woke up and enjoyed delicious French toast made by the kitchen. Quickly after we headed straight down to the beach to help our local sea turtle hatchery and complete more community service hours. We dug holes up to 7 feet deep and carried buckets full of sand back and forth across the beach. We had a fun time helping the Costa Rican community! When we got back home we enjoyed pico de gallo with rice and lettuce. We then completed a research activity individually. Everyone was given a turtle to research and make a presentation about. We learned many new facts about turtles!
Did you know there are 7 turtle species, with 5 able to be found in Costa Rica!!
For the last part of our adventure today we learned how to make empanadas. We used potatoes and beans and they turned out to be very tasty. After enjoying empanadas we played soccer with some local kids and had a very fun time with them! Last but not least we had a delicious stir fry for dinner.
Lexi Soare and Ella Leung
BLOG POST FOR MARCH 27
Today we set off by 6.45 am, headed to the beach to meet our catamaran. We took a smaller boat out to the catamaran, and then enjoyed an hour long cruise out past the islands and then anchored at one of the islands with an arch through the rocks and a tiny beach. It was a windy day but we snorkeled some and saw some fish and then all climbed onto the giant lily pad tied to our boat. We enjoyed swimming and trying to stand up paddle board in the waves—which involved a lot of falling into the water 🙂
Then we had a big lunch of fresh fruits, wraps, pasta salad, different kinds of fresh salsas such as pineapple jalapeño and a sour cream one. After a big lunch we enjoyed the cruise back along the coast. We then stopped in a little town to explore the souvenir shops and stores. Then we hiked along the coast to a secluded white shell beach called Conchal. We all had a swim in it for a while with its funny waves that floated us back and forth back and forth from the shore- because it is a shell beach it is much steeper so the waves are really different.
Then we hiked back to our bus and went back to homebase to cool off and pack and clean before dinner. Before dinner we all went out to our beach for last beautiful sunset together, taking pictures and just enjoying being together on the beach. Then a nice dinner together and some farewell activities to reflect on our time together and all the things we’ve done and accomplished. Up early the next day for our last breakfast and headed to the airport all together.
