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.
- 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.
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 FOR JULY 1
All our students have safely made it to the middle of the world! With empanadas in hand we’ve made our way to home base and look forward to a full day tomorrow touring some of Quito’s treasures. GLA students were already sharing music and laughs by the time we reached them as they all traveled on the same flight. Here’s the first round of roommate groups.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Written by Annalise
The morning was filled with icebreaker activities such as “Where the Warm Wind Blows” and group discussions; everyone became close within hours. After a delicious lunch, we became immersed in the Ecuadorean world of chocolate, participating in an informational seminar tasting of course. Alex directed our group in a wonderful tour of the Virgin Mary statue that overlooks the entire capitol city, educating our group about the several magnificent Catholic Churches in Quito.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
Written by Charlotte
Today was an early wake up call at 4am for our official arrival in the Galapagos! We spent about 3 hours flying and continued our action packed day on the island. We explored the town, sighting lots of native wildlife already. We started our exploration with the museum of San Cristobal and finished with a night on the town. The mayor of Miami was visiting the island so the town square was filled with ice cream and music.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 4
Written by Ellie
Today was our first full day in San Cristobal! After breakfast, we started the day off with going snorkeling. The group saw multiple huge sea turtles among other wildlife. Once everyone was done snorkeling, we headed back for lunch. After lunch, we did an activity where we reflected on our goals for this trip. Our afternoon activity was going to a recycling workshop with Local artist Caty where we made recycled rugs or bags out of t-shirts. Following the workshop, we went to dinner at the usual restaurant. To finish out the day, the group went to a local soccer field to practice for our game tomorrow.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 5
Written by Jordyn
Today was packed with lots of activity. We stared off with snorkeling. We saw TONS of super cool animals. The sea lions were definitely the highlight. In the afternoon we headed off to play soccer. Before our actual planned game, we played some unanticipated matches against the Ecuadorians. A few hours later, it was time for the moment we all waited for: the soccer game. After a long and hard battle against the very skilled kids, the game ended in a 3-3 tie, making our record for the day an impressive 5-2-1.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
Written by Meghan
Although we had to wake up super early, today was SO fun! The boat ride to Loberia was initially so beautiful and on the island we saw blue footed boobies and got to go snorkeling off of the boat! In the water the sea lions were so playful and we even saw jellyfish. Later we got to go back and play soccer and ended the night with Karaoke which everyone got super into! It was so fun watching everyone have so much fun singing together!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
Written by Myra
After the 2 hour boat ride we had heard so much about (that wasn’t actually that bad), we saw tiny sharks and stingrays swimming under the dock. We got to see our new hotel we’ll be staying at for the next few days, then got ready for service at El Chatos Ranch. We dug holes, moved rocks, cut branches down with a machate, and watered baby plants. Then we got cheese empanadas and saw two male turtles try to mate!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
Written by Sofia
Today was a very active and in day! We started our mornin off with a good breakfast before we headed to Las grietas to swim and jump into their natural pool. After a good hour at the natural pool we headed to a nearby beach to relax and even got to use natural exfoliater from the rocks. Lastly we headed back to El Chato Ranch and continued our work from the previous day.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
Written by Sean
Today was a very special day because we were able to celebrate Jordyn’s birthday. Today we went to the El Chato Ranch for many hours, digging holes, moving rocks, and cutting down invasive trees. After work, we had a scheduled basketball game against a local team, that we won. Next, we came back to the hotel to eat dinner. Finally, after dinner we went into town to souvenir shop and explore the island of Santa Cruz.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 10
Written by Devin
This morning we planted endemic plants at El Chato. We ate wild guava and passion fruit they were delicious! We enjoyed knowing we helped preserve the Galapagos ecosystem. In the afternoon we visited the Charles Darwin center and learned about the many varieties of tortoises and iguanas on the islands. We finished the day off with a delicious plate of pasta.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 11
Written by Lukas
Today we started the day off by heading to Tortuga Bay at 8:30. There was a little bit of a hike to get to the beach, but it was worth it.
The sand was phenomenal and the water was so blue. Everyone took pictures together on the beach for the last time and eventually we headed back for lunch, which was ceviche.
After lunch, most of us took a nap until it was time to go to the supermarket and we bought brownie mix, which we baked after dinner.
We hung out together after dinner and prepared for our flight on the following day (and eventually went to sleep!).
BLOG POST FOR JULY 12
Written by Sam
Today was an exciting day because we were able to celebrate Calista’s birthday. We started our day off with a yoga session and a delicious breakfast before leaving to the airport to fly back to Quito. After we arrived at the hotel, we set up festive decorations and shared chocolate cake for Calsita’s birthday.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 13
Written by Theo and Talia
We started our morning with a pre travel covid test and an energetic salsa lesson. Then, we traveled to the center of the world or 0 latitude on the Ecuador line. We also learned about the cultures of the different groups living in Ecuador. After this, we had a great lunch at Crepes and Waffles and went souvenir shopping at a local artesanal market. Once we finished up with our shopping, we walked back to the hostel. We had dinner and a closing ceremony to complete our adventure here in Ecuador.
