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 20
Bienvenidos a Las Canas!
The Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative has officially begun! After a day of airport arrivals and excitement, our students arrived at our home base in Las Canas, where we were greeted by the lodge dogs. After settling into our rooms, we kicked things off with some poolside relaxation, just enough time to dip our toes in and start getting to know each other.
As golden hour approached, we headed down to the beach to catch our first Caribbean sunset. We splashed and ran around and tossed the Frisbee.
Back at home base, we shared a delicious dinner and met the local and international staff who will be guiding us through the weeks ahead. We also had two volunteers to be our first leaders of the day tomorrow, who will write the blog tomorrow.
Stay tuned as we dive into our medical brigades, cultural exploration, and community-building here in the DR. Thank you for sending your amazing kids to spend two weeks with us. ¡Hasta mañana!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 21
Hey friends + family! We just finished our first day in the DR!
We started by having breakfast (eggs, Dominican salami, bread, and fruit), the fruit was super ripe and good. After breakfast was orientation, where we learned more about the Dominican culture, GLA ambassadors, our staff, and what we would be doing in the upcoming two weeks. When we finished we went to the beach where we played volleyball, collected shells and sea glass, and waded in the water. We then had lunch which was pasta salad, moro de guandules, a traditional Dominican dish, fish, and more.
After lunch we had construction service where we split into sections and worked on building walls for a medical facility. One group cut up recycled bottles, and other groups nailed frames and cut chicken wire. After we finished we did our swim test, we all passed yay! The water was super warm and everyone enjoyed it.
Tonight’s dinner was pasta, chicken, veggies, and fruit. After dinner we learned about the medical brigade training we”ll be doing and how we will be incorporating preventative care into all the brigades. There were six stations: registration, vitals, clinical history, preventative care, doctor, pharmacy. In each of these we learned different aspects of medical care.
Today our leadership pillar was Uncover Solutions. Throughout the construction service we had to solve problems on our own and figure out the most effective way to complete the different parts of building the wall. From bottles to framework to chicken wire, every GLA student came in contact with a problem and they had to find a way to fix it.
From your leaders of the day,
Lily and Gabby
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team 🇩🇴🏥🏝️
BLOG POST FOR JULY 22
Hey everyone! We just wrapped another great day in the DR.
We started this morning with a great breakfast consisting of fried eggs, mashed potatoes, and fruit. Then we headed out to our very first medical brigade in Caño Dulce, which took place at a small church. We split up into 6 groups: registration, vitals, clinical history, preventative medicine, doctor, and pharmacy. In total, we were able to assist about 40 patients, providing free medical consultation and treatment.
We ate a well-earned lunch at our site, which was rudely interrupted by a chicken which ran through the church. Wilson came to the rescue and escorted the intruder out. Afterwards we visited the future medical clinic which we built walls for yesterday. 7 Elements is hoping to complete it within the next year.
After a busy day of work, we returned to home base and headed to the beach. Everyone had lots of fun playing volleyball, bodysurfing (at knee level of course), enjoying the sun. A fun beach day turned into a relaxing pool day, and wrapped up with our first mentor group meetings. We set SMART goals and wrote letters to our future selves.
We ended the day with dinner, which included Sancocho, a traditional Dominican stew, and a delicious and cold chinola (passionfruit) juice. Overall we had a great day and are looking forward to another brigade tomorrow. Our leadership pillar of the day was to be courageous, and as it was many of our first times providing actual medical care in a completely new environment, we think we crushed it, especially with the amount of Spanish our peers used.
After we chose our leaders of the day for tomorrow, we had karaoke night, where we all laughed, danced, sang, or cheered each other on. Maxine rounded out the evening with an amazing acoustic version of Linger!
Your leaders of the day, Kiran and Christabelle
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team
BLOG POST FOR JULY 23
Second Day of Medical Brigade completed!!
This morning started with some delicious pancakes, cocoa puffs and some spanish bops to wake everyone up. We all prepared for the second brigade in Guanábana, Gaspar Hernandez, a small community in the mountains with amazing views of the surrounding area. Our team assembled in the local comedor, with preventative care moved to the end.
We met and cared for 36 patients of all ages. During the brigade we had lunch, consisting of delicious salad, plantains, chicken and cabbage. Then, we had an engaging QandA with the general doctor, Dr. Fabián. He said, “Although the ambulances can’t reach them, the tight and caring community of Guanábana and DR as a whole, support each other in times of need.” We also learned of his process of becoming a doctor.
After packing up the Brigade, we headed over to the supermarket in the downtown area where we stocked up on snacks and sweets. We now know the conversion rate is about 50 pesos to one dollar!! We enjoyed our free time in the pool and at the beach, accompanied by CARDS!
We then showered with the blessing of water pressure from the pump, and prepared for the evening. We enjoyed the traditional Dominican food for dinner and played an all-spanish game of Heads Up 7 Up. Afterwards, we received a lecture from Dr. Dave about Global Health and human security in the Dominican Republic. Finally, we picked our new leaders of the day based on our goal to be courageous and use more Spanish every day.
Surprise! We got ice cream! Yum yum!
Buenas Noches!
Con amor,
Charlotte and Sophia
BLOG POST FOR JULY 24
Hey friends and family, today was a blast!
We drove an hour and a half listening to rock, rap, and country music on the way to DuDu Laguna. When we arrived we walked down to a cave for a group photo, and then we went to cenote, a natural lagoon, in a cave for swimming. We then took turns jumping–some of us even attempted our first backflips! We held competitions of biggest splashes and smallest splashes. Some of us had a chance to lounge in the hammocks and practice our Spanish with locals.
Afterwards, we went to get lunch at a restaurant by the beach. We had fried fish, fried chicken, salads, and fruit while we enjoyed the great view. We also got piña coladas and fresh juices. Afterwards we went to an amazing beach called Playa Preciosa with big waves. After body-surfing for a while in the waves, we walked over to another beach called Playa Grande. This beach was calm and had beautiful baby blue water. We relaxed there for a while before heading back. We then rinsed our feet, dried off, and hopped in the bus ready for the ride back.
After dinner, we played a quick game of mafia before we nominated our new leaders of the day. We had some free time to chill, play cards and play with the lodge dogs. Looking forward to another great day tomorrow.
We miss you!
Natalia and Carlos
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team
BLOG POST FOR JULY 25
Hello! Today we visited Puerto Plata. We started off by going to see Fortaleza de San Felipe where we learned the history behind the military fort which was used to protect the country during wars and from pirates. It then became a prison where Juan Pablo Duarte, one of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic was a prisoner there during the rule of dictator Rafael Trujillo. Now a museum, the fort is also the last standing building from the 16th century in Porta Plata.
Afterwards, we went to the Ambar Larimar Museum. At the museum we learned that Larimar is the national stone of the Dominican Republic and is only found here. Ambar is fossilized tree resin which is known to contain bugs resulting in the rocks having insects in it which increases its value. Right after exiting the Ambar Larimar Museum we walked through the Umbrella Street and then the Paseo Dona Blanca which is a pink street created to honor Mrs. Bianca Franceschini, one of the first people to bring tourism to Puerto Plata at the end of the 18th century.
Following this, we went to eat lunch as we were very hungry after having all this fun. Right after replenishing our energy we got on the bus and headed to Del Oro Chocolate Factory where we got to see the process that goes into creating chocolate. We were also served with chocolate samples throughout each section of the factory which everyone enjoyed having. Once we finished our tour, we had a chance to grab some of the chocolate we saw being made.
We rounded out the day by having mentor groups and partaking in a reflection activity talking about our rose, bud, thorn and gardener of the group. Then we got into pairs and played a get to know you game. After mentor groups Paula who lives down the street and owns an ice cream shop came to visit and we all got ice cream.
Our leadership pillar of the day was to connect and influence and we did that through bonding with our peers during the long bus ride to Puerto Plata and back to home base.
Your Leaders of the Day,
Nina and Jayden
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team 🇩🇴🏥🏝️
BLOG POST FOR JULY 26
Hello friends and family,
Today we had our 3rd medical brigade and it was our busiest one yet! We started off the day with an hour and a half drive to the community of Caraballo, the town where our brigade took place. We brought tables, chairs, and prescribed medicines and set up each work station: registration, vitals, clinical history, preventative medicine, shadowing the doctor, and pharmacy. We had the opportunity to see and help 71 people, which is more than all of our past brigades combined! We had the pleasure of interacting with people from the Caraballo community and learning more about Dominican and Haitian culture and history.
Additionally, we were given the opportunity to explore within the Caraballo community and learn more about it with the help of one of our directors, Wilson. He grew up in Caraballo and gave us the tour while telling us about the specific impact that programs like ours have on the community. Wilson talked about how the school he went to started off with only one room, and now has more than 7 with the help of programs like ours.
After our tour, we interacted with the kids of the community playing basketball, racing each other, and simply just talking. After Caraballo, we made a stop at a supermarket to stack up on snacks. Then, after our long but rewarding day, we made our way back to home base for a delicious dinner of coconut fish, coconut chicken, beans, rice, and fruit. Then, we had our mentor groups to reflect on our brigade experiences and personal growth to close out a tiring yet fun day.
We are looking forward to more fun tomorrow!
Your leaders of the day,
Zac and Paola
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team
BLOG POST FOR JULY 27
Hello friends and family!
Our major activity of the day today was to go ziplining at Country World located in Puerto Plata! This place featured 8 main ziplines that we all explored, including a zipline that was over 80 feet high, and over 2000 feet long! That sure took some real courage from everybody at GLA today. There was even a horse named Pablo that we got to say hi to and who helped us complete the course.
After the ziplining we had lunch which featured a traditional Dominican styled lunch with rice, beans, potato salad, fried chicken, corn arepas, fried plantain chips, and macaroni salad. We then had the opportunity to use a separate zipline over the pool. Many individuals bravely attempted and had fun in doing so. We were able to try quenepas, a fruit that none of us have had before. They are small, round, green fruits that taste similar to lychee. That concluded our activities and Country World, and we then headed back to home base on a 2 hour ride home.
Before dinner, some people headed to the beach behind home base to play volleyball and wade in the water while others stayed back to relax. For our nightly activity, we all participated in a GLA Debate which was a hypothetical human rights scenario where we discussed whether or not a soccer stadium should be built on a predominantly Haitian side of the city La Grua. Our leadership pillar of the day was courage, and everyone showed lots of courage today trying the ziplines, for some, this was their first time ever ziplining! That wraps up Day 8 of our trip. Thank you for reading!
Your Leaders of the Day,
Zephyr and Mailie
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team 🇩🇴🏥🏝️
BLOG POST FOR JULY 28
Hello friends and family!
Our main focus of the day was to tour the public hospital in Gaspar Hernandez. We were able to ask Dr. Fabian and Dr. Nuñez questions and learn more about Dominican healthcare and hospital dynamics in this area. People asked questions about ambulance availability, aftercare, and staffing. As we toured the hospital we were able to witness doctor and patient communication including an ultrasound and pediatric care. At the entrance of the hospital we saw nurses on strike protesting as they haven’t received their paychecks, proper compensation for their level of education, or the ability to retire with their pensions at a reasonable age.
After the hospital visit we made a pitstop at the town plaza in Gaspar Hernandez. While we were there, we stayed cool under the shade and got a sweet treat from a local ice cream shop named Heladeria Abigail. Soon after, we headed back to home base for lunch. Our lunch was typical Dominican food which consisted of rice, habichuelas, pork, plantains, salad, and potato salad.
Later, we headed out for another adventure at a local bee farm. Johnny, the beekeeper, led us through the jungle over a cable bridge and cacao trees to reach the bee hives. As he harvested the honey, Lily got to put on a beekeeper suit and step in on the action! Johnny offered fresh honeycomb to the group. It was an explosion of sweet and freshness that shocked our nervous systems. After we trekked back through the jungle we arrived at Johnny’s house where he offered us bottled honey to purchase. Johnny also let us taste cacao honey which some liked and some didn’t. We thanked Johnny and walked back to the bus where we stumbled upon a starfruit tree. Wilson jumped up and grabbed some for whoever wanted to try it!
Throughout the day everyone has been brainstorming ideas for research projects that are being presented at the end of our trip. After the honeyfarm, we got together in groups and jotted down questions to ask doctors and think about during the next couple of days visiting hospitals and doing our last brigade. We rounded out the night by having dinner at Chef Natalie’s house where we met her family and kids and had a dance party.
Finally, our leadership pillar was connect and influence, which we practiced by communicating with the doctors, connected with Johnny by supporting his business, and getting to know the staff and local community better.
Adiós amigos.
Mystery leaders of the day
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team 🇩🇴🏥🏝️
BLOG POST FOR JULY 29
Hello awesome friends and family!!
Our main focus of the day was visiting our 4th and final brigade in Polanco, where we saw 76 patients. We were there from 9:00 am, to 2:10 ish, where we did many different stations from vitals to pharmacy, etc. Throughout the experience we furthered our connection with the community, by helping them and making brave attempts at full usage of spanish in all interactions. After the brigade we bonded with the youth of the community by going to the corner store, playing basketball and forming friendships with them. Then, we returned to home base!
We then relaxed at homebase waiting for the intensity of the sun to wane before going to the Las Canas beach behind home base to do a beach clean-up, where we were supposed to collect bottles primarily for building the walls for a new clinic! However, a friend of our HB chef Diosis surprised us and brought a souvenir stand to HB, so we learned about Larimar and did some shopping instead and postponed beach cleanup for another day. After dinner we received a lecture from Tania about the experience of Haitians in the Dominican Republic, and then learned how to dance “Bachata”(a traditional Dominican style of dance) from her as well!
Throughout the day we were focused on the leadership pillar “connect and influence”, which we did by connecting and helping the community in a truly meaningful way, and influencing better healthcare and community outreach, as well as influencing meaningful actions from everyone in the group. Throughout the day we bonded as a group quite a bit, from connecting with children to having fun during free time in the pool.
¡Con Mucho Gusto, Adiós!
– Maxine and Dean
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team 🇩🇴🏥🏝️
BLOG POST FOR JULY 30
Hello friends and family,
Our main focus of the day was giving back to the medical community as well as cleaning the beautiful beach right in front of our lodge. We started building at 8am, cutting empty water bottles to fit into three quadrants of wood covered in chicken wire. These are made to then be filled with concrete, and are set to be eventually used in the medical clinic 7elements is beginning to build. After a few hours of building, the group took hour shifts going onto the beach to do our part and not only find more plastic water bottles to use for the walls, but also regular trash to keep our beaches beautiful! This also gave us a chance to communicate and bond with our community even further, as local community members also came to the beach to help clean it as well. Our group kept a positive mindset throughout the whole experience, forming friendships, and giving back to the community!
Our leadership pillar of the day was “connect and influence” with a main focus on optimism. We demonstrated these goals by connecting with the locals who helped us in our construction today along with building two more walls for the medical facility. In this way, we are connecting with the community here in the Dominican Republic and influencing better access to healthcare here. To exemplify optimism, we made sure to stay positive despite the heat, dust, and challenging service work. We encouraged everyone to stay on task and gave everyone a job to do in order to collaborate.
We miss you!
Mystery Leaders of the day (Lyla and Tilly)
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team🇩🇴🏥🏝️
BLOG POST FOR JULY 31
Dear friends and family,
Hello from the Dominican Republic! This morning, we got to sleep in and start our day with a later breakfast time of 8am, which was very exciting. We got on the bus and visited our first private clinic in Sabenta de Yasica. We got a tour from Dr. Fabian and got to see the topography machine, emergency rooms, and the insurance system of the clinic. It was a little toasty so many of us were very glad we brought our portable fans. We then visited another private clinic called Centro Médico Betel. It was surprisingly vacant, which led to many interesting and insightful questions about private healthcare in the DR. The hospital is rather new, so the community is still learning about access to it.
After our clinical visits, we hopped back on the bus for a rollercoaster of a ride on a windy road up the side of a mountain to the community of Joba to reach the woman-owned chocolate factory: Chojoba. The fruit surrounding the cacao beans surprisingly tasted like mango, and many went back for seconds on chocolate chips. After enjoying our samples and satisfying some munchies, we adorned our fabulous and fashionable hairnets and took a tour of the process and chocolate factory (which twas very warm). We filled our bags with chocolate chips, bars, and other goodies, some of which didn’t even make it back to the bus. We then headed back down the mountain (yay seatbelts!) and took the 40 minute drive back to home base, where we had a late but yummy lunch of a new delicacy known as beans and rice.
After lunch, we spent some time working on our final project of making posters to reflect on our experience and new understanding of Dominican healthcare. We then presented these posters after some free time spent at the pool and beach. Tilly lost her sunglasses, toenail, and deodarant, so wish the rest of us luck (she approved us including this dw).
In the evening we had Dominican night! We walked over to Dios’s house, dressed up for the occasion, and had a fun night of dancing, puppies, and delicious traditional food. Everybody had lots of fun and we were all exhausted by the end of the night. After catching a sunset, it was time to head to bed.
See you in a few days!
Your fav duo,
Josie and Charlotte
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team🇩🇴🏥🏝️
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1
Hello friends and family,
Today was our last day in the Dominican Republic! Some of us early risers started the day off by seeing the sunrise at the beach, where we took some nice photos while enjoying the beautiful setting, and started off our day of relaxation. When the rest of us were up, we had a breakfasf of pancakes, eggs, oatmeal and fruit and headed to our final destination: Sosúa.
While there, we rode a boat out to a two different reefs and snorkeled, swam and dove next to the boat until lunch. Through the crystal clear water, we got to see different species of fish and corals and some of us also jumped off the boat. After that, we ate pizza at the beach and swam around for a couple of hours. We finished off our time in Sosúa by souviner shopping.
Next we rode back to home base after this long but fun day. We ate our last dinner at homebase before rounding out the night by doing an appreciation circle and doing a bonfire with smore’s at the beach.
This is our final student blog post and our final day of the trip. We learned so much about medicine, the DR community and had a lot of fun while doing it! Despite our amazing time here, we’re excited to head home tomorrow. See you tomorrow!!!
Goodbye from your final leaders of the day!
~Paola and Zac
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team 🇩🇴🏥🏝️❤️🩹
BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2
Dear families,
Our final day in the Dominican Republic began with our typical breakfast of toast, eggs, meat, fried cheese, oatmeal and fresh fruit before students completed their last minute packing. Paola said her goodbyes as her flight was much later in the day and the rest of the students headed to Puerto Plata Airport. Everyone checked their bags and departed through security. Team Salt and Team 67 Mango Mustard, we hope you’re now settling in back home—carrying with you fresh perspectives on global health, new friendships that feel like family, stronger leadership skills, and a heart full of unforgettable memories from the past 14 days. Doki, Enki, Enlio, Johnny and Toussaint are grateful for all the love and pets you gave them and dearly miss you (and so do we).
-Mentors Christiana and Hannah
On behalf of the Dominican Republic Global Health Initiative Team 🇩🇴🏝️
