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 JULY 30
Students arrived today and the anticipación of getting to home base was finally setting in after a couple of hours of waiting for the rest of our members to land. As we continued to trickle in, some.of us got the chance to head to our home base earlier than others. Peace Retreat is a retreat for sure, it’s beautiful greenery amazed us and the sense of calmness cane over us.
As we anticipated the arrival of the rest of our team, we were all greeted by the great sounds of nature along with the laughter of many friends that would soon become our family members for the next 14 days. Tomorrow is an exciting say as we will start our journey, but for now all we can do is rest after a long day of traveling.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 31
Pura vida from Costa Rica!
Today we had a a leisurely morning with a late start. After a big travel day, everybody was so ready to experience what Costa Rica has to offer! Today started with a big splash as everybody completed their swimming lessons. Following this was opening orientation as we learned a lot about the island and what it has to offer. Tiffany emerged us in the Costa Rican lifestyle as we got to experience new fruits.
After finding some new favs we got to enjoy an amazing lunch provided by the staff. Soon after we found ourselves back in the pool, seeing who could make the biggest splash.
Then we headed off to a local park to play some kickball and basketball. After the sweatiest kickball game of our lives, we went back to home base to reset. Followed by the most anticipated part of the day, the the beach sunset, which took our breaths away. Finally back to home base for dinner and our first leadership sessions.
Luke and Becca out!
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1
Today, August 1st at GLA camp, we started our day with fresh-squeezed fruit juice, a juicy, warm omelette, and in place of a ‘dessert,’ a fruitcake! The meal was thoroughly enjoyed by the members of the group, and all were satisfied and ready to surf. When arrived at said site for our surf lessons, everyone was jittery with an anticipation for the lesson. Everyone caught a wave, everyone was able to stand up thanks to the helpful coaches provided.
Afterwards, we reenergized with a smoothie from a local restaurant, and half the group indulged in a soccer game!
At free time, most people either took a nap for an extra rejuvenation, or used up the remaining energy at the pool. There were burgers for lunch, and then the group learned about the earth at our mangrove walk. We saw plenty of wildlife including howler monkeys, various species of crabs, sand dollars, and plenty of snails. It rained a few times during the walk through nature, but to be honest? It was refreshing! There really is nothing to complain about here.
We finished the day off with a nice beef stew and salad, with an extra option for soup. Afterwards, we split into our mentor groups. My group (Noah) played a family game where we had to guess other people’s fake names. You guessed the right person you joined their family. The person with the most family members wins. We also wrote a message to our future self on our achievable goals. It was a fun day. 🙂
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2
The day started off early as we ate eggs and rice and beans. After breakfast, we took a short bus ride to one of the most sustainable ranches in Costa Rica. When we got there, we toured the property and greeted the pigs, chickens, goats, and dogs. We then all took a turn milking Bubbles, the female goat. We then all drank a shot full of Bubbles’ milk. We started our sustainability by planting the goat’s favourite food, grass. We then practiced meditation in the studio learning to control our breaths and thoughts. After a quick dip in the pool, we stopped by a local grocery stores to pick up snacks and drinks. We then took a ride to Playa Negra, a local beach with some of the biggest waves we’ve seen. We finished the day learning about sustainability in our mentor groups.
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5
This morning, we got an extra hour of sleep to wake up to some pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast we went to our third surfing class of the trip. It was fun but a little harder because of the treacherous water. Following surfing was pizza for lunch which everyone enjoyed. After lunch the group took a small break before heading into a yoga and reflection session. In this session we discussed two different types of people which are “people pleasers” and “perfectionists.” We talked about the flaws of each type and then practiced responding to each archetype with partners. Then we finished with some spine focused stretching which symbolized strengthening our backbone which holds one’s values and self worth. Next, since our group did such a superb job in the yoga session with the teacher Kevin, we got to go to the store to buy some snacks. Right after this, we went to the field to run some soccer or “football” if that floats your boat and basketball. When we finished this, we drove back and right away had chow circle and dinner. The dinner was a hard tortilla dish with cheese sauce and it was delectable. We played some games and headed to bed.
Cohen and William
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6
This wonderful morning we ate burritos and fruit, then we left early to get to work on collecting trash. We were destined to pick up as much trash as we could because we learned that microplastics can be harmful to fish. So we walked down the beach looking for anything we could find that wasn’t made by nature. After, we got some refreshments and played a heated game of volleyball. Once we returned home we had a delicious lunch of chicken and rice. Then we had a much needed hour of rest after hard work, after getting rested we left home base to get lessons from a local women who thought us how to make empinadas from scratch. We learned how to use a metate in order to mash the corn for the empinadas. After adding some ingredients we cooked them and ate them.
After that we played a game of soccer to let out our energy before returning to chill by the pool until dinner which was our favorite spaghetti. After dinner, we went into mentor groups, and Noel instructed us through a ritual in which is done under a full moon. Where you write down things you wanna let go of and or gain, after which you symbolically place them in a fire and watch them burn. Since we’ve been such a great group, we were rewarded with s’mores after.
Tyler and Eivin
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7
Today we started with an early morning with a 7am breakfast, we ate empanadas and a fruit bowl along with eggs and other sides. After breakfast we went to Oropopo and learned more about the mangroves and the community. Afterwards we went as a group to collect trash and clean up the mangroves to clean up both the beaches and mangrove forest.
After service, we went back to the peace retreat to eat lunch and relax. For lunch we had Casado, a traditional Costa Rican dish consisting of rice, meat, beans, and plantains. Following lunch, we relaxed and then made our way to the beach for surfing. We spent an hour and a half surfing, and then another hour getting smoothies and playing soccer as a group. Next, we came back home to eat dinner which was Sweet & Sour Pork. After that we did mentor groups where we drew signs to motivate the kids during sports in 2 days.
Wyatt and Max
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 8
Today we had a late morning with a breakfast of omelette and fruit at 8:30. After breakfast we headed to our last surf lesson of the trip. It’s sad to see that this trip is coming to an end. After our lesson we headed back to the peace retreat for a yummy lunch of hamburgers. Following lunch we left to go do more service. We headed to Oropopo. There we painted signs to put up in n the area to raise awareness and spread messages to help the planet. After Oropopo we went back to the peace retreat.
Later in the evening we headed out to La Esquina. La Esquina is a market where there is restaurants and many small shops and local vendors. Many of us ate dinner there and did some souvenir shopping. We headed back at 8:30 to relax for the rest of the night to have a great day tomorrow!
Until then,
Catalunya and Liv
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 9
Today we had a 7am breakfast which was avocado toast, banana bread and a good orange juice. We went to the local soccer field and played soccer with all the club kids, all of them were very happy that we played with them. After we finished playing with them, we gave out signs that we created for them. All the kids were very pleased. Afterwards, we returned back to home base and enjoyed pasta.
After that we had an intense mediation where we did breath of fire breathing technique and then woke up from it and went to the beach for a sunset swim. We enjoyed another game of soccer while on the beach and then returned back to home base. On the way home we stopped to get ice cream at the soccer coach’s local shop, which he uses to fund the kids soccer club. We ate enjucados for dinner and other side dishes.
After we ate, we reflected on our goals we created when we first arrived. Then, together as a group, we created a smart goal to take home.
Hudson and Colin
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 10
Between last night and this morning, we had time to pack up and move to our new Homebase. Some of us had our luggage ready to go, while others woke up early to finish packing.
At 8 a.m. we had breakfast of French toast and Gallo Pinto, and by 9 we were off on our next adventure: a four-hour drive up into the mountains of Guanacaste. The scenery changed a lot as we drove, from dry tropical forest by the coast to tropical rainforest as we climbed higher. We stopped halfway in Liberia City and grabbed some fast food since the wraps we brought weren’t exactly filling.
When we arrived, we were surrounded by huge trees and our new lodge, which has hot springs and a pool with a slide. We spent the afternoon playing in the water and just hanging out.
Dinner had a few different options, and we even got an extra pizza for the really hungry people. Tomorrow is our last full day, and we’re super hyped to go ziplining and make the most of it!
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 11
This morning we woke up at 7 o’clock. Ate breakfast at the restaurant in our new hotel and set off on our riveting afternoon adventure. which entailed a hike to a waterfall through a jungle full of dinosaurs (statues) and a infamous bright blue river, where we then swam in said waterfall. After drying off from our rejuvenating swim, we then hiked to a zip lining adventure the lines were up to a mile long through the canopies of the jungle. After being rained on we came back to home base dried off, had lunch and some time to rest. Then at 3 o’clock we met for a snack hour, followed by a relaxing mud bath and natural steam room at our hotels Hot Springs. After washing off the very stinky mud and feeling silky, smooth. We had more time to rest and then we met for dinner after dinner we had our final mentor group. In which we had heartfelt goodbyes and played games of appreciation to end the very fun and meaningful session.
Eivin and Dylan
