TIME CAPSULE LETTER
Written by GLA Mentor Team
Hola chicos!
The whole team -Nicole, Jorge, Alysse, Remy, and Diego- misses you already. You were fabulous group. We wanted to reach out now that you’re back to your daily lives in the U.S. and let you know that you’re still on our minds and to remind you of all the adventures we shared together this summer!
Firstly, we want to thank you for all of your hard work. Our service was difficult! Service to the school, Juan Rafael, was hard work refurbishing chairs for the students. At Terron Colorado, we worked hard to elevate the vegetable garden to improve yield of crops! At both schools you also had opportunities to work with students in English learning and activities of fun!
We are so proud of each and every one of you. Your efforts to integrate yourselves in the culture by trying new foods or speaking Spanish were recognized and appreciated. We remembered seeing each of your faces when the whole fish was served to you. No matter your level of Spanish language you all showed great efforts when communicating with students in the schools.
Beyond our service to the schools, there are experiences we shared during our days together. All of your unique personalities had an impact and created moments unique to our 14 days together. Although we can think of endless such moments, here are some of our favorites:
- Jam sessions with Dj Bigotes (Downtown)
- Clubhouse hangouts
- Endless hugs at the schools
- Breakfast pancakes!!!
- Soccer with the kids
- Day at Baldi hot springs
- Our poop tea times
- Group naps the couch
- Chiky’s!!!
- Petunia the carrot
- The room 3 cockroach
- Bursting the pipes of you lovely mentors water
- All of the met gala drama
- Fishing for lunch
- Don Alfredo “este café es basura!!!”
- Sardines
- Hot seat
- Water slides
- High key and lowkey
- Our extremely heartwarming appreciation circle, and the feelings that come with recognizing others and being recognized ourselves
Whether we mentioned you by name in this letter or not, we hope you know that you each made a lasting, positive impression on all of us. You showed heart and soul in your general attitudes and your friendships with one another, embraced the challenges of the program with humor and poise, and (thank you!!!!) behaved yourselves all the while. We’re excited for what each one of your future brings, and hope all of your dreams come to fruition.
All the best from your GLA team!
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
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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 12
Hola from Costa Rica!
We had a successful arrival day as we received all of our students with smiles and excitement! Unfortunately, we had one delayed bag, but Pura Vida, we are making the most of the situation with flexibility and continued good attitudes! 😊 (We are expecting luggage arrival tomorrow 🙏🏼)
We can’t wait to share this beautiful country with our students.
All of our students arrived safe and sound. We had a long travel day as we took 2 separate buses to our home base 3.5 hours from the airport. Our bus rides were filled with lots of giggles, get to know you games, beautiful mountain views, some essential first day information, and of course, a few naps.
We had a smooth drive and all arrived safely settling into our new “home” quickly. It’s hot and sticky so we’re excited to get through orientation tomorrow so we can enjoy the beautiful property’s homebase – including a gorgeous lake with lots of water toys!
We ate our first Costa Rican meal of pork chops, french fries, fresh avocado salad and of course, rice and beans. 🙃
We did some group introductions and settled into our rooms for a good night’s rest to begin our fun-filled schedule for tomorrow!
Pura vida!
-The staff: Nicole, Jorge, Alysse, Diego, and Remy
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 13
Written by Anvita and Austin
Hi Families,
We had eggs and sausage for breakfast which was super yummy. We had our orientation today where we learned about service projects, customs, and some phrases in espanol. We also went to the lake and swam in some warm water. We ended the day with dinner and a discussion about the impact of English in Costa Rica. We will be posting daily!
In our photos you can see:
-The Tallest Tower winners: Towers made out of spaghetti, marshmallows, and tape
-Our group Community Agreements
-Our discussion groups and Moderator Team
-And just in case you’re wondering what it looks like when we call home…. we have to stand in the middle of the field to get cell reception. 🙃🙃🙃
See you tomorrow!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 14
Written by: Sophia and Valentina
Hi Families!
We started our day with a nice selection of local food for breakfast
Then we got ready to head to our service project. The group is divided into two schools. Two groups heading to each school – The first school was dedicated to refurbishing chairs and teaching English. The second school was focused on working on the vegetable garden and helping students decorate masks for an art festival.
Then we headed to HomeBase (HB) to have a delicious lunch of typical “arroz con pollo” (rice, vegetables, and shredded chicken) mashed potatOes and fresh vegetables.
Then we had a coffee workshop highlighting the coffee production of our HB owner’s coffee farm. We learned about the history of coffee production, were able to sample some coffee, and were gifted some coffee to bring home.
We had some free time followed by tech time where students contacted their loved ones. The group then split into small Mentor Groups where we journaled about our first day of service.
We had burritos, taquitos, and empanadas for dinner. Then we faced a power outage due to heavy rainforest rain. We gathered at the club house for some team bonding time that included some fun games and sharing the rose and thorns (highlight and low) of our day.
Overall, we were super excited to start our first day of service, and cannot wait for the rest of this week!!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 15
Hello from Costa Rica!
Today we woke up for breakfast and had pancakes and fruit. Next we headed to community service to clean chairs, teach English, and work in the garden (planting trees!).
Then we came back for lunch to have pork, rice, and beans. Then we headed for the boat tour and wildlife excursion. We saw birds, monkey colonies, cayman, and sloths. We took the bus ride home and had bonding time!
Next we had a candle lit dinner (because power was out again) with pasta and salad.
We had tech time to call our family and friends. Then we played Sardines to end the night.
Pura Vida!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 16
Written by Jadyn and Manon
Hello Families!!
Rise and shine at 6:30! We ate breakfast as a family and then left for our community service.
We worked in the garden and planted lettuce. We also went to the kids’ science fair. The other group finished painting chairs and drew with the kids.
We then came back to home base for lunch and had rice and chicken. Then we had free time until it was time for the scavenger hunt. We were split into teams and were tasked to find items and pose and take pictures with them.
The winner got extra screen time and then we got screen time for 30 minutes. We finally had dinner which was rice and pork. We finished the night off with mentor groups and free time.
Peace out!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 17
Written by Audrey and Enrique
Hello Families,
Our day started at 7am. Breakfast at 7:30 consisted of gallo pinto (typical rice and beans for breakfast), sausage, fresh fruit, toast, and coffee or orange juice.
We then packed our bags and headed to La Fortuna Waterfall. Our bags were packed with rain gear, sunscreen, bug spray, towles, a change of clothes, and a water bottle.
When we arrived at the waterfall, we had to walk down 500 steps to reach our destination. The waterfall was surrounded by beautiful scenery – great for taking pictures! The water was freezing but it made for a refreshing swim.
An hour later, we walked back up the 500 steps catching our breath at the top. We took turns in groups looking in the gift shop at the top of the steps.
A short bus ride and we were at the Baldi Hot Springs. When we arrived we ate a buffet-style lunch at the resort consisting of various meats, pasta, rice, fruits, bread, etc. Many of us were thankful for the wide selection of cakes for dessert.
After lunch, we headed to the hot springs to relax, rejuvenate, and ride the water slides. The hot springs felt especially nice because it was pouring rain.
After swimming, we headed ot a souvenier shop full of snacks. On the bus ride home, we played Taylor Swift and bus games. We came home to ind our sheets washed by the amazing staff!
After our 30-minute tech time, we had dinner. Dinner was rice, beans, fajitas, beef, mango juice and tres leches for dessert.
Overall it was a great day with delicious food- a relaxing way to mark our halfway point of our GLA adventure.
We can’t wait for the next half!
Sent with love from ALL of us!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 18
Written by Bella and Enya
Hola Families! Pura Vida!
Today we had breakfast at 8am and then we started to get ready for our hike at Juan Castro National Park. We had about an hour long car ride where we played music and games with our fellow campers. Once we got to the national park, we went fishing and learned how to fish with only a piece of string, a hook, and a piece of bait.
The fish that we caught doubles as our lunch, which made it that much more exciting.
After we were done fishing, we began hiking. We saw many amazing factors of nature, including the smallest orchid in the world. We finished the hike and went on a quick walk to see the dairy cows that provide milk to the community.
We then started driving to the town to get souvenirs (mainly for our dads – happy Father’s Day!). We went shopping for about an hour and then got back to home base for a delicious dinner of taquitos and hot dogs. Another great day at GLA!
Sent with Love from ALL of us!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 19
Written by Brielle and Ruby
Hey from Costa Rica!
Day 8 was filled with fun, starting with breakfast, which was rice, beans, eggs, toast, and more. Today began a new service week, with our groups switching schools. The Juan Rafael School group helped out with more chairs, and the group at Terron Colorado School continued working on the garden.
After service, Don Alfredo prepared a delicious fish lunch, and then the group enjoyed about an hour of free time filled with cards, showers, and lots of laughs.
Then the group drove to the animal rescue center and saw snakes, pumas, wild cats, tapiers, cappybaras, and more during our tour. We learned about the center, the animals, and Costa Rica’s government. We got to shop for souvenirs and snacks, followed by the drive back to the Home Base.
For dinner, we enjoyed chicken-chickpea soup along with rice and beans and salad as well as mango juice.
After dinner, the group headed over to the clubhouse where we had fierce competition in the GLA Olympics. All in all, today was another great and meaningful day in Costa Rica! Pura vida!
Sent with Love from ALL of us!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 20
Written by Levi and Orla
Buenos días from Costa Rica,
We started our morning with some rice, beans, and eggs.
After that, we went to service and helped the kids by fixing the garden and chairs. It was super rewarding!
Then we went back to Home Base, where we had lunch, which was chicken with rice. Yum!
After some free time, we went to the pineapple tour where we sampled some fresh pineapples and virgin piña coladas.
We went home for dinner and had sandwiches with pasta salad and rice and beans. At the end of the day, we had a bonfire and played games and made s’mores.
Sent with Love from ALL!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21
Written by Ellie and Marguerite
Greeting from Costa Rica!
Today we woke up early to go tubing on river Arenal. The rapids got progressively faster and more fun as we went down.
We visited a cultural hut and met natives. We shared some natural juices! Next was a short bus ride home to have lunch and get ready for our dance class.
We learned several Latin styles of dance, including salsa, merengue, bachata, chacha, and more! We even got to partner up for fun dancing with our friends!
We came back for a little free time to shower and then had dinner! Olla de carne was for dinner, which is a traditional Costa Rican soup, of meat (typically beef, but we had a chicken option, with lots of vegetables like carrots, yucca potatoes, and squash vegetables)
It was lovely for a windy and rainy Costa Rican day. We are excited to enjoy the last few days of our adventures here in the land of Pura Vida.
Sent with Love from ALL!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22
Written by Ayla and Nina
Hey from Costa Rica,
Today we had eggs, fruit, bread, rice and beans for breakfast before we went to volunteer at some schools. Some of us went to continue working on the garden. Today at the garden school we worked on the garden before going to work with the English class. We helped learn about different devices and their functions. Others were helping to decorate for an under the sea art festival and renewing chairs.
These last two weeks the group had repaired about 48 chairs for the kids!
After service we had some lunch which was pork and multiple sides like rice, salad, and fruit. Then we had some free time which many used to swim, kayak or paddle board in the lake behind home base.
After free time we went into tech time that many people used to call home, call friends, text, and play music. After tech time we had soup with rice and plantain chips on the side for dinner.
Thanks for reading!
Sent with Love from ALL GLA students!
