TIME CAPSULE LETTER
Written by Tinn Lee, Mentor & the SSS Team
Holá niños!!
It still feels bittersweet that our trip had to come to an end, but I hope y’all are enjoying time back home with family and friends, and eating all the pizza. We miss going to Playa Avellanas & Lola’s almost every day with you, surfing, swimming, doing service, and drinking smoothies.
It just wouldn’t be a GLA program without lots of Adventures! It’s hard to pick a favorite with a lineup of activities like goat farm tour, tubing, ziplining, surfing… But Catamaran Day stands out as a highlight as we tanned on the back of the boat, snorkeled with pufferfish (and our awesome guide who found Salma’s glasses), dueled on the blue floating mat, and Maya kept the vibe going on aux!! Even chilling at home base was a good time – whether it’s sipping iced tea by the pool, Theo and Derek’s budding bromance, playing cards with Teagan & Jada, or Cameron practicing the guitar (and teaching me some chords).
Not only did we have fun, but we learned a lot too. From sifting sand searching for microplastics to nurturing trees and fixing bikes for kids, it was a rewarding experience to give back to the local community in Guanacaste. Muchas gracias to Alexa & Isa for translating!
Each evening we gathered for mentor groups, sometimes working on becoming better leaders, and sometimes just having a good time. Who could forget Karaoke Night with Ili singing(?) “I know, I know, I know, I know” over and over, Morgan & Juliet’s rapping, Carly overcoming her fear of singing in front of a crowd, and Milena’s amaaaazing performance of “Stay”.
Though we weren’t without injury & illness, we’re proud of how everyone persevered and supported one another – starting from Jada re-spraining her ankle (but still hopping around) and all the way through Salma sacrificing her knee at Capture the Flag (Gray Team for the win).
Our OMG (One Main Goal) was to become educated consumers – we have confidence you’ve been working towards this by reducing consumption and making sustainable purchases, as well as accomplishing your personal OMGs. Feel free to share any progress in these goals with GLA as y’all become the change we know you can be.
We are grateful for all the special memories here in Costa Rica and hope you continue to practice gratitudes every day. Pura vida!
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
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.
Cell Phone Policy: The GLA cell phone policy is currently in place this summer to help foster meaningful connections between students. This means your student’s phone will be collected every day and returned to them after activities are completed to have with them through the night. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location and time zones. During designated ‘tech time’, your student may use their phones as they wish. Please note that your student may not always choose to use this time to get a hold of their parents. If you are not hearing directly from your student each day, you can assume that no news is good news! We strongly recommend you follow the blog to follow your students’ experience without talking to them every day. If you are a parent and would like to get in touch with your student directly, you can call us at +1-619-758-3031 and we can set up a formal time for you to connect with your student.
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 posts!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
Greetings from Guanacaste Costa Rica!
Today is arrival day and it was a long one. Majority of the students, 15 out of 16, have safely arrived at their home base at Angels Ecolodge. The first half of students got to enjoy the pool during this very hot day. When the last batch of students arrived, we headed towards Angels Ecolodge and had our amazing dinner by our kitchen staff.
After dinner we took our group photo and the students gathered to play some card games to pass the storm. Tomorrow we will be joined by the missing student
and have a day of orientation. We are all looking forward to our time at Surf Sports and Sustainability program and hopefully be awesome surfers by the end of the program. Pura Vida!
-Jesus, International Director
BLOG POST FOR JULY 17
Written by Cameron and Derek
Breakfast was held at 7:30 this morning, as pancakes, eggs, and fruit. we rode the bus to a farm tour, where we got to see the rainforest, and the goats. we were allowed to enter the goat pen to feed them leaves, and later give formula to the baby goats. we were shown how to milk a goat and got to try goat milk, followed by working on the composting and sustainability of the farm. afterwards, we got to try the different types of goat cheese that is made on the farm with crackers and tortillas. we drove home and had lunch at 12:30 consisting of carne asada and salad. at 2:20 we left for our first surfing lessons. we left late, so we left closer to 2:25.
At around 3:00pm we headed to playa avellana to go surfing. For most of us this was are first time, so we were all excited to learn something new. When we arrived, the instructors greeted us and gave us our boards. We then walked down the beach to a spot where the waves were more calm for an easier first experience. The instructors gave us a quick demonstration and had us practice a few motions on land before we headed into the water. After some trial and error with a few awesome wipe outs everyone was catching waves and have a great time. Once we finished surfing we walked back to the surf site and chatted with the instructors a little before boarding the bus and heading back to home base. Overall it was an incredible experience and I can not wait to go out again on Wednesday and catch some more waves.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 18
Written by Carly and Bree (ili)
Good morning! This morning we woke up bright and early around 6:30 AM to get to breakfast at 7AM. It was a delicious assortment of fresh fruit, oatmeal, peanut butter and Nutella for a good, balanced start to the day! Hopping on the bus, we played some music and got ready to tour the Center of Education and look at the beautiful Muerles that previous GLA kids had made! It is so beautiful! We then hopped back into the bus and to a beautiful resort! The same lady who brought us around the school also introduced us to the environment here! It is the only one of the hotels that cares about the environment and we went on a walk to see the mangrove trees! What makes this hotel so special is because it does not have a pool because they want it to be environmentally respectful and believe there is already a whole beach!
On the way to the beach, we walked through mangroves which was amazing to see how the wildlife grows naturally! On the beach, we picked up seeds to grow more of the seeds and then returned to the restaurant to get some delicious smoothies! Once back to the resort, we ate a divine meal that was Costa Rican style and then chilled out until we hopped back into the bus and went to the resort once more! There, we picked up trash and got to dive into the water, which was super refreshing ! We came back and ate dinner then headed to the market to get some snacks! A successful day!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 19
Written by Teagan and Jada
On day 5 of our Costa Rica adventure, we started bright and early in the morning to eat breakfast at 7 am. We had rice with beans, eggs, and fried cheese to eat before hitting the road. We went to a local school for a community service project. We helped out a man named Frank with repainting and touching up the sidewalks that had educational games painted on it (like hopscotch). We ended up going to the field in the back of the school to play a little bit of soccer and hanging out. When the kids came out for a break, some of us played volleyball and others played duck duck goose (or pato pato ganso). We went back to Home Base for lunch and some free time. We had chicken stir fry with rice noodles. Then we went on our way for another surfing lesson. After, we all went and got smoothies before dinner. For dinner, we had quesadillas with guacamole, pico de galo, and rice and beans. Then we finished off the day with mentor groups and free time!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 20
Written by Alexa and Isabella
To start the day, we have a delicious and nutritious breakfast filled with vegetables and fruit and toasts. After we eated, we headed up to the beach and had a little conference with our good friend Frank, who gave us a talk about plastics, micro plastics and the big bad impact they have on our planet, especially in oceans. Once we were on the beach, we did a service project on collecting micro plastics in different areas of the beach called callejones. Once we finished that, we headed up to some natural pools right beside the ocean and enjoyed some time in the waves all together like a group.
After that we head to our home base and enjoy the amazing lunch prepared by the kitchen staff. It was breaded chicken with rice, mashed potatoes and vegetables. After that we headed to avellanas beach where we relaxed and had a delicious afternoon snack. At the end of the day we went back to our home base and had a delicious dinner, after that we had our mentor group session where we learned that our goals are important and that we need the help of others to achieve our goals.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 21
Written by Cameron and Theo
Today breakfast was at 7:00 consisting of eggs, hash browns, toast, and assorted fruits. We then went to the beach to plant trees as a part of our service project. We planted trees in groups to help restore the mangrove forest, and clapped for everyone after they were finished. Frank helped us and showed us how to plant the trees.
Afterwards, we were allowed to get in the water for 30 minutes before heading back. Once we got back, we were allowed to stop at a restaurant named holas and order drinks before driving back to the place we were staying.
After lunch we had a visit from a professional surfer. She showed us a brief video on how her youth surfing program had changed the lives of many underprivileged youth. She demonstrated how sports can have a major impact on the development of character and responsibility in young minds.
After she left we participated in a brief group activity learning about our partners and finding out interesting facts thus furthering our sense of community. We then ended the night with a wonderful surfing movie and marked the day as a wonderful day for growth of character and community.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 22
Written by Maya & Morgan
We got an early start this morning with a cereal breakfast at 6:30. We left at 7:15 to get to the catamaran, and once we got there, a small motor boat picked us up to take us to the bigger boat. Once on the catamaran, the crew gave us a safety talk and we were on our way to a cove to go snorkeling! On the boat ride over, we listened to music and laid out to tan. When we got to the cove the crew gave all of us flippers and a snorkel, then sent us in after the guide. While snorkeling, the guide picked up a few starfish and then a puffer fish. We also spotted a manta ray which was super cool.
After snorkeling, we ate a lunch of chips and salsa, pasta salad, burritos, fruit, and topped off with a chocolate chip cookie. We had a post-lunch swim and hung out on the water pad. The boat ride back was similar to the ride out: relaxing.
When we got back to the home base we had some chips with beans, guacamole, and salsa before dipping into the pool. We tossed around a volleyball in the pool then had some free time to shower, nap, and chill. For dinner we had a delicious meal of pasta with alfredo sauce, broccoli, and mushrooms. We also had some rice and salad. For mentor groups today we talked about mindfulness and did some meditation before heading to our rooms for the night.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 24
Written by Theo and Salma
Today we started the day with a service project at the Guanacaste water centre. We were given an explanation of the work they do there and then quickly put to work. Some groups repotted plants, others moved large logs. All in all the groups accomplished a lot and definitely aided in this organization goals. Later that day, the group was greeted by a yoga teacher who brought us through an hour of mindful and meditative yoga. Many of us took to it quickly and later spoke very fondly of the activity. After dinner the group banded together for a competitive game of capture the flag. Which built team spirit and furthered the community of this GLA program.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 25
Written by Theo and Derek
Today we completed the final service project on our trip at the Guanacaste water center. We worked on planting and fertilizing different types of vegetation. We then had lunch at home base, and after a short break we headed to a nearby house of a Guanacaste local for a cooking class. While there we were able to make and taste homemade corn tortillas. After everyone had their fill of tortillas we headed back to home base for a short rest before dinner. After dinner for our group activities we did karaoke, and then headed to bed.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 27
Written by Maya and Morgan
Today is unfortunately/fortunately, depending which way you look at it, the last day! We started the day off with an amazing buffet breakfast at 8:00am. The buffet had almost everything from pancakes, eggs, and sausage, to banana bread, empanadas, and every fruit you can imagine! After breakfast we headed to white water tubing. It was a little rough at times; but that’s what made it so fun! The water was definitely cooler than what we were used to though. After tubing we headed back to the hotel to eat lunch, which was pretty similar to dinner the night before.
After lunch, we walked to get harnessed up and ready to go zip lining. There were a total of 9 zip lines, 7 of them where we had the option to zip upside down. Some of the zip lines require us to swing back and forth, rock climb, and slide down. It was very nice looking at all the views from the zip line. After zip lining we had free time that we spent going to the gift shop and getting ready for our farewell dinner. When everyone was dressed up we had a delicious meal at the buffet. For mentor groups tonight we did an appreciation circle and showed our gratitude towards each other and the staff. Overall we had an amazing last night here in beautiful Costa Rica. Thank you GLA!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 28
Today was our final day, aka departure day. We started off with our final breakfast as a group in Guachipelin and it was a somber one. Everyone knew that the day would end with difficult goodbyes after 2 weeks of service and adventure. After we finished our breakfast we loaded up our buses to our final destination – Liberia Airport. The bus ride was quiet with small chats here and there, but there were smiles all around. In the end students began to depart in groups and the goodbye hugs were dispersed. There were tears of joys due to the long lasting friendships and bonds that were created over our last two weeks. All the students hugged the staff as well and thanked us for the experience. Goodbyes are always hard, but I know some of you will continue to keep in contact and I’m sure some of you all will email me for a letter of recommendation down the line. Wishing you all the very best!
-Jesus – International Director