PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
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.
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- 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
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BLOG POST FOR APRIL 10
Hola!
It is Spring Break here! And we are excited to start our fifth session of Costa Rica: Spring Break Service Adventure!
Today, our students made their way to Guanacaste Province in Costa Rica to jump into their adventures and learning opportunities that are coming along! We hope that you will enjoy using this blog as a way to experience this journey with us!
Our group has safely arrived and is getting comfortable in their new home on the beach of Junquillal. Most of the students shared that a long day of traveling tired them, but they are all super enthusiastic and looking forward to the adventure and service days to come!
We picked up our Costa Rica 14 students crew around noon. After their 1.5-hour van ride they reached their home for a coming week to get settled, walk around, and start living the Pura Vida. We are all excited to make meaningful connections and work at the turtle project and Guanacaste Water Centre.
We can’t wait for the week of service learning , lifelong memories, and deep friendships that awaits.
Pura vida from Mag (International director) and Juan Carlos (Local director) and our amazing staff members Eden and Lauren
BLOG POST FOR APRIL 11
This morning we woke up to birds chirping and the gleaming sun beaming in our faces. We started our day with a nutritious breakfast; then headed to orientation. We started off orientation with ice-breakers, that helped each of us get to know each other better. Afterwards, the staff had the students do interactive activities to become comfortable with the code of conduct. Once finished, we had lunch and enjoyed each other’s company.
After lunch we got ready, sat outside and prepared for the rest of the day at the beach. We took a thirty minute bus ride to a popular local beach named Playa Avellanas, beach of the hazelnuts. We applied sunscreen and had the choice of boogie boarding while being supervised by a lifeguard. After thirty minutes we came out of the water, spent time in the shade and went to the local restaurant on the beach to get smoothies and be at the souvenir shop. We were given the choice to have local fruit in our smoothie, named Guanabana. We had a 30-30-30 cycle, so after the thirty minutes in the shade we went in for our last thirty minute dip in the ocean. We then proceeded to leave the beach. As we were driving down to our hotel, our amazing driver and staff member noticed monkeys on the trees and stopped to let us see the monkeys firsthand. Everyone was amazed as the male dominant monkey started to defend his pack.
After the excitement of the monkeys, we headed to home base and showered up for the sunset-circle. During sunset-circle the group shared what they appreciated about the day, and what they wanted to achieve during community service the next day. We had dinner, then finished the night with a fun activity. We had a fun first day.
BLOG POST FOR APRIL 12
At 7:30, our day started with a delicious breakfast of juice, cereal, pancake, pinto, and sausage. By 8:00, we took a short walk to the Sea Turtle hatchery where we met the founder and local, Valeria. We learned more about sea turtles: the seven different species, their habitat, their behaviors, and more. After learning about how Sea turtles make their nest, we had our own activity where we had to find and dig sea turtle “eggs” as a team. The following service contained moving dirty and old sand from the egg hatchery and replacing it with fresh sand. In this way, it was like changing a bedsheet for the new sea turtle eggs.
Once we finished replacing the old sand for two sea turtle nests, it was time for lunch. The menu consisted of salad, vegetables, chorizo, and rice. The day continued after a small break and we traveled to a secondary forest. Macia, Lukas, Amuricio, were our guides for this service project. Marcia taught us about the importance of the water cycle and trees as well as their mission to restore Costa Rica’s ecosystem. By the end of the service portion, we had planted and watered 50 fruit and other types of trees. These trees are building the biodiversity of the ecosystem while serving as a habitat and food source for hundreds of species.
After a long and hard working day of service, we were able to enjoy ourselves by the pool. Although we were tired, we had fun by the poolside. At 5:45, we had our daily tie for reflection at the sunset circle. We asked “what did you get from today” and “what are you proud of today”. There was a consensus that we were all proud of our perseverance, teamwork, and our new knowledge of the environment and how we can act to save the environment.
BLOG POST FOR APRIL 13
Written by Grace, Emily, Anja
Hi parents!
Today we woke up early and got on the bus at 6:30! We had a long and fun adventure waiting for us. We had a delicious breakfast on the bus. It was a breakfast burrito with eggs, rice, and yummy vegetables! After getting a nice rest on the long bus ride we finally arrived at our destination. After we roamed around the area it was ready to hop on another bus to head to where tubbing starts. It was a beautiful way down to the river. There were many butterflies, a waterfall, gorgeous types of plants and birds.
While going down the river the landscape was extraordinary. We ran into monkeys swinging in the trees and lots of iguanas. The water was refreshing and going down the rapids was a blast. We got to experience things out of the ordinary and see many animals in their habitat. There were also many trees over the river keeping us cool with their shade. It was an amazing experience and one that we’ll never forget! After that we were all very hungry. We were so excited for the buffet. We were looking forward to trying the local Costa Rica food. We loved the vanilla cake they had and the wonderful fruit.
After lunch we got on our harness for ziplining. First we glided over beautiful Costa Rican trees. They siplined down a slide and through a gorgeous canyon. At this point alot of us had to overcome fears and get out of our comfort zones. After we were done we hopped back on the bus and sang to the radio. We got home just in time for sunset and reflected on our very adventurous day. After the beautiful sunset we enjoyed taco Thursday.
BLOG POST FOR APRIL 14
Written by Maddie, Tatum, and Marishka
Hello from Costa Rica!
Today we woke up for breakfast around 7:15, and had delicious french toast, with a side of cereal, fruit, beans, and yogurt. Then, we headed out to service around 8:00! We worked at the turtle nursery and did the same thing we did on Wednesday, cleaning out 3 nests. Since we finished quickly, we got back in time to swim in the pool for a bit. Right after swimming, we had lunch, which was chicken tenders, crinkle fries, and a salad. The meal was one of the favorite meals we’ve had so far. After eating, we all went to the second service site. We worked for the same organization as we did Wednesday, but did something different. We were split into three groups and drove to different rivers of the town. There, we set up signs of the names of the rivers in place. We were able to dig the holes in order to put the signs up and seal it in with cement. After coming back together, we had a reflection on the importance of water and how people take it for granted.
Right after service, we went to a local’s house where we made homemade tortillas. We learned the process of how to make it, and ate them afterwards. They were delicious and the only two ingredients were corn and water! There, we met three little girls. They told us about the farm animals. One of the girls mentioned they enjoyed making bracelets, and Tatum, Sabela, and Tess offered the girls their bracelets as a very kind gesture. Afterwards we went to a field and were able to play a game of soccer with the locals. We enjoyed being able to play with the locals, and it was an incredible experience. After we got back, we had dinner which consisted of stir fry with rice, and a salad. Tonight we are going to have a sea turtle debate, and some people are going on a night patrol for sea turtles.
BLOG POST FOR APRIL 15
Written by Frankie and Bella
Hi parents! Today was our last day. We had lots of fun and many said it was their favorite day of the trip. We first woke up early at 6:45 and left on the bus. On the 1 hour bus ride we ate empanadas and sang to the songs on the radio: We arrived at the beach where we were picked up by a small transport boat. That boat took us to the cateran, the lazy lizard, and we all went up to the front of the ship were there were two nets where everyone layed down. They played music and the sun was beaming, it was great. We arrived after a little bit to the Honeymoon beach where we hopped off the boat and went snorkeling. We saw many fish and coral. We swam back eventually and got on paddle boards and swam around. Some went to the beach where the sand was very mushy. We had lunch next where they served wraps, salad, pasta, fruit, and desert. They also served drinks, the most popular being the shirley temple.
After we hopped back in the water and some did flips into the water. The boat headed back and we played music and everyone sang. People danced and everyone was having lots of fun. We got back to the shore where we took a bus ride back to home base. When we got back we took about two hours to pack our bags and rest. Some kids took a break and ate snacks provided by the kitchen. Then we did an appreciation circle where there was an inner circle who stood up and an outer circle who sat down facing outside of the circle. We were given a prompt like “Tap a person who made you feel good about yourself this trip”. Then the inner circle tapped people on the outer circle. It was great and many kids shared that they felt touched and appreciated. Then we split into groups for our activity, one meaningful goal. The groups talked about their biggest takeaway from the trip and what they learned. They came up with goals to implement into their daily lives like environmental awareness and mindfulness. Then they came up with skits showcasing specific ways they will implement their newly earned knowledge in their daily lives.
We then did our sunset circle that lasted longer than normal and then ate dinner. We then performed the skits and laughed a lot. After Maggie surprised us with a pool party and everyone was laughing and having a blast. Now we are at the end of the day and it is a bittersweet goodbye to this trip. Every single person made a significant memory on this trip and it made them all grow as kids and humans.
