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 POST FOR JULY 14
We are here in Ecuador and ready for the adventures ahead! Check out the Andes in the background of our first photo! Stay tuned for more updates.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
Hello from Quito! My name is Nikki and i’m a senior from California who will be the first leader of the program. Today was our first full day and it was so nice to meet everyone from all around the country(CA, CO, LA, MD, IA, NY)! We started off with an early breakfast of eggs, blackberry juice, watermelon slices, and toast, then did a quick orientation on the deck. Then, we had a delicious lunch of chicken, plantains, rice, with passion fruit sauce, and then boarded a bus to go to the center of the world(literally)!
At the location learned about various native indigenous tribes, bought souvenirs, did equator-related activities(it is a lot harder than it looks to walk in a straight line and balance an egg there) and took a selfie with a llama(that we named carrot)! Afterwards, we picked up some Ecuadorian snacks from a local grocery store then headed back to the hotel for dinner. Thanks for reading the first blog post, and hello to my family and friends who are reading this 😉
BLOG POST FOR JULY 17
Today was our first full day on the island of Santa Cruz! We woke up to a delicious breakfast of yucca and star fruit juice! We loaded up on the bus and headed to our first day of service work! We helped to remove invasive species and made room for endemic ones by digging holes and putting rocks around them! We had many tortoise friends come and visit us throughout the day! For lunch we had many different things starting with a soup and then the main and dessert! After lunch we had more work and finished off our day at the refuge playing baseball with passion fruits and sticks! We ended our day covered in mud wishing for a shower to come our way! Then we showered!
Written by: Mia
BLOG POST FOR JULY 19
We started the day off early with four hours of service. Today, we managed to plant and water 78 trees, which puts us in first place for the most progress made! Then, we hopped in the bus and headed to learn about the sinkholes. Pictures definitely don’t do it justice. We spent some time exploring the city streets before a basketball game with a local Ecuadorian team. Although we’re not quite sure which team won, the boys and Ella played great and we all had a great time watching. We finished off our night enjoying a delicious dinner.
Written by: Alexa
BLOG POST FOR JULY 20
Today started off with a whole 30 MINUTES of extra sleep. Everyone packed up for a beach day at Tortuga Bay but we quickly discovered that this adventure was more of a hike than we thought, walking about 4 miles in total! After enjoying the beautiful white sand, clear water, and all that walking, we were greeted with a delicious lunch at base. After a few minutes of downtime we ventured back out for our final day of service!! We took the liberty of pre-celebrating all of our success by ordering empanadas at the lodge near where we worked. A few hours later and our work was complete, planting nearly 80 trees in total and setting a new record. Drenched in mud, rain, and even some tortoise 💩, we hopped back on the bus but got caught in a herd of cattle before making a crucial pit stop at a local bakery for plenty of delicious chocolate bread. Once we made it home we had yet another delicious meal to end the long day!
Writing and photos by: Dearbhaile
BLOG POST FOR JULY 22
Today we woke up bright and early to a delicious breakfast of chocolate banana crepes along with croissants from a local bakery. After breakfast we started our adventure to an interactive museum where we learned the history and discovery of the islands. During this, we learned about Charles Darwin and the formation of the islands. From the museum, we hiked to the exact spot where Darwin’s ship landed and spent time exploring the water with snorkels.
After lunch we hit town for shopping and ended the afternoon with a workshop where we were able to learn and then create jewelry out of recycled garbage. At night we played against a local soccer team along with another GLA group and completed the night with dinner and group time with cards and music.
Written by: Emma
BLOG POST FOR JULY 23
We started off our day bright and early and headed to breakfast at 7AM.
We wished our fellow GLA group a warm farewell and we walked down to the dock where our boat was waiting for us. We took the boat to a blue footed booby colony.
We snorkeled with sea lions and turtles after, and then headed back to our hotel where we had free time for a few hours.
We headed to play soccer with the locals at the park and went to a local bakery. To end our day we went to play ping pong and headed back to the hostel.
-Cruz and the GLA Team
BLOG POST FOR JULY 24
This morning we woke up a refreshing 30 minutes later than usual, greeted with a breakfast consisting of eggs, meat, and plantains. Shortly after we made our way into multiple taxis to begin our beach day. Once we arrived we walked about 5 minutes to reach our destination where half the group partook in snorkeling whilst the other half sun bathed. Shortly after a sea lion decided to greet us with sandy flippers. After the beach we returned to the hostel we’re currently staying in and enjoyed a nice rest. At 1:00 we had a meal of chicken and rice , needless to say it was not mid, but delicious instead. For a mid day snack we enjoyed some cake and ice cream.
About mid afternoon the group wrote about their goals for the future and collectively decided we would work towards being mindful in life, not only mindful of others but of ourselves and surroundings. That didn’t go as planned,but we are still working on our goals individually and as a whole. We had time to relax after we walked around the town before we headed to a fantastic Italian restaurant for pizza, swimming, and karaoke, ending our last night in San Cristóbal wonderfully.
Written by: Ella
BLOG POST FOR JULY 25
We started our day with empanadas for breakfast and then we had free time for our last few hours on the Galápagos Islands. Next we headed to the airport where we said goodbye to our naturalist guide and friend Fernando. Once we arrived in Quito a bus took us to the hotel where we had an awesome dinner and then we headed to bed.
Written by: Tara
