PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
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.
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 throughout the program during designated spaces of time we call ‘tech time’. Actual tech times and regularity will vary greatly by program location. 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.
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 JUNE 24
Akwaaba, Welcome to Ghana!
An exciting summer for our young leaders have begun! 11 of our GLA students have arrived in the afternoon at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra. The weather was amazing as we drove back to our homebase, seeing a lot of the local scene and impressive nature along the way.
Juan, Sebastian, and Brooke came a little late today, and we’re waiting for Fiona to arrive tomorrow afternoon, then the whole Ghana team will be complete!
Parents, families, and friends, please follow us on this blog as we feature the daily adventures of this amazing group of leaders! Peace y’all!
RJ, GLA Mentor
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25
Today was an amazing day for GLA students! We started with some orientation games, then went to meet with a local seamstress. They taught us the importance of traditional African clothing then measured us to get some of our own custom-fitted dresses and shirts.
We ate a great lunch then headed out to the town. We walked through the streets of Krobo where locals gathered and waved hello. Soon after, we walked with goats to the school where we will be working soon. We then circled back to the park where we were met with many children. One by one kids started introducing themselves. The next two hours were filled with lots of hugs, hand games, and football between many new friends.
The afternoon ended well with good food and full excitement towards the days ahead. We also celebrated Remi’s birthday with a special cake baked at the homebase!
– Sam
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26
Written by Jerry
Today is our third full day and it was an amazing adventure. Today I led as a team leader for the first time. We ate breakfast and did an icebreaker to get to know the group. Then we did another activity with just before lunch. The activity was to see how well we know ourselves, our values, and what do you believe in. And then we got to go play at the park with the kids for an hour and a half. We did multiple games including soccer, big group games like duck duck goose, red light green light, and volleyball.
After the park we ate dinner and it was very delicious. Then we went outside and had a bonfire. During the bonfire, we danced to local Ghanian music and talked to each other while making s’mores. The final icebreaker activity we had is where you had to talk about yourself for one minute and what were your interests and hobbies. Overall today was a really good day! Drone shots of the beautiful Krobo courtesy of Juan.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27
Written by Ruby M. and Meg
Today was our fourth day and it was as amazing as ever! Prior to our delicious breakfast, Meg and I taught the crew some crucial signs in ASL (Yes, no, hello, goodbye, please, thank you, sorry, again, water, and bathroom)! Everyone did a phenomenal job!
Henry took us to Cedi Beads where we learned about the culture of African beads and what it takes to make them. Then we made our own with different pieces of glass and crushed up glass. We got to play games while we were waiting for the beads to be ready. Later, we went back home and enjoyed an amazing lunch.
Once we finished lunch we paired up with families from the local village of Krobo and they showed us their homes and taught some Krobo. Later in the day we got to get Krobo names and we were painted with clay to be more a part of there culture. This was really cool because we were really surprised and had a good time.
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Written by Phoebe and Raphaelle
Today we did a lot. We started on construction at the school. We shoveled concrete and started building a pillar for a school building. Then we headed to the classrooms and did some introductions and activities.
After lunch and a siesta we watched an educational video on the dangers of stereotypes and where they come from. We then headed to the park where we always have fun playing with the kids and learning new games. We concluded the night with lesson planning preparation for the days ahead of us, with the help of two local teachers, Nana Ama and Daniel. Then we had a mentor group session right before bed. It was a great day!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
Written by Brooke and Ruby T.
Today was an exciting and productive day!
We started off our morning with a delicious breakfast before heading over to our service site. There, we continued with our construction work and created a second pillar. Next, we had our first full day in the classroom!
After we were done, we came back to home base and had a wonderful lunch. Then, we played in the backyard with some of the children until it started to rain! We had a blast playing in the rain. We ended the day with dinner (with the best pancakes ever) before we sat down and learned all about Krobo’s history.
Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
Hey y’all!! It’s Natalie and Remi. We started off the morning bright and early with breakfast at 7 AM. We had hot dogs, French toast, and muffins, along with our favorite: mango and sobolo juice! Sobolo juice is made from hibiscus and is a popular delicacy in Ghana. Then we got our WITS (water, insect repellant, toilet paper, and sunscreen) together and had a pleasant walk to the school, as it was a beautifully cool morning from the rain last night.
Once there, we met Sammy, our local construction director, and started to work on our third, and final, pillar of the new teachers lounge. After working for two and a half hard hours, we took a break in the school library to cool down and change from our concrete covered clothes. We also spent that time recharging and telling riddles and jokes.
At 11:00, we separated into our teaching groups and went into our classrooms. Basic 3 (3rd Grade) is taught by Natalie, Phoebe, Meg, and Brooke. Basic 4 is taught by Ruby M, Maggie, Sam, and Sebastian. Basic 5 is taught by Juan, Ruby T, and Samara. Lastly, Basic 6 is taught by Jerry, Fiona, Remi, and Raphaëlle. Today, we all taught our classes verbs at whatever skill level they were. For example, Basic 3 was taught that verbs are “doing words”, whereas Basic 6 was taught how “y” turns to “ies” for certain verbs in certain conjugations.
Afterwards, we drove back to Home Base, courtesy of the amazing Henry, as we were too worn out to walk. We then had lunch— rice, bread, grilled chicken, and LOTS of fruit. Once we ate, we had a much needed 2.5 hour break. Some people napped, whereas others played card games and socialized. Overall, it was a very restful start to the afternoon.
Then, we walked to our host families’ houses and learned more Krobo words, such as the days of the week and parts of the body. We were also quizzed on the words we learned last visit. After, we walked back through the park to say a quick hello to all the kids, and then returned to Home Base for showers.
At 6:15, we had a wonderful dinner of French fries, pasta salad, oven roasted chicken, and pineapple. Shortly after, the Universal Music and Dance Group came to perform for us. We watched and learned cultural Krobo dances and listened to them as played their drums. We even jumped in and danced with them a time or two. Finally, we enjoyed popcorn in our mentor groups as we settled down for the night.
We’re so excited for what tomorrow will bring!! Good night!
– Remi and Natalie
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
Hi everyone, it’s Maggie and Fiona here! Today was an action packed day full of hard work and creativity, aside from the upset stomachs. Fortunately we are all pulling through and supporting each other through this uncomfortable time.
This morning we woke up at 6:30 and made it down for breakfast at 7:00. Luckily everyone was on time for breakfast today. We ate eggs on toast with cereal and watermelon. A fun new game was introduced that involves eliminating other players in the group through handing an object to a certain person in a certain place. This is bringing anger, laughter and sneaky tricks to the table. So far 8 people were eliminated with Maggie being the first to go thanks to Fiona, who was later eliminated as well. The group looks forward to the next two days of “Assassin.” We then went to the service site carrying planks of wood along the walk. During construction we finished half of the floor with another batch of concrete. Following this was another day of teaching. Today all the classes learned about verb tenses in different forms of games, exercises and songs.
For lunch today we ate Jollof Rice, Beef Stew and fried fish. The game Assassin made its impact on lunch with Ruby getting eliminated by Raphaëlle. After the delicious meal we learned about Batik, which is a fabric design custom to Krobo. We all made our own Batik print on fabric which will later be dyed. The process consisted of dipping a wooden stamp into very hot wax. We all finished with a slight rain shower and headed off to the park. After playing with the kids for a period of time we headed back to the homebase for chill time and dinner.
For dinner we ate plain rice, grilled chicken, tomato stew, meatballs and mango. We all gathered around in the den for story time. Henry came in and told an elaborate story about how a black ant came to have its awful smell. A young dancing group called the amazing dancers came and joined us to teach us more modern dances. We watched and learned and then jumped in to all dance together. We thanked them goodbye and headed up for showers and bed.
Overall today was a great day and we all had a lot of fun. Tomorrow we are excited to head off to the waterfall!
– Maggie and Fiona
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Hello to anyone reading the blog, it’s Samara and Sebastian writing today! We had another full day full of exploring and fun. The GLA students are feeling better and ready for the rest of our trip.
This morning we got to wake up an hour later, as breakfast was at 8 am. For breakfast we had oats, scrambled eggs, fruit, and mango-pine juice. On top of that we had the usual toast and casava chips. Then we packed our bags and left for the Boti Falls. The van was full, but we managed alright. We drove through the fields, and on very bumpy, unpaved, dirt roads. The drive took around an hour and a half, and so we arrived around 10:30. Before we left for the hike, we did some stretches. The hike was on a trail which required some scrabbling, but overall I think that everyone had fun. On the way we stopped to see a cave, where everyone wrote their name. We hiked for a while up until a big rock formation that displayed a beautiful view. There were locals selling fresh fruits and drinks around the rock. After we took a small break there, we continued to a small village. In the center of there village, there was three headed pine tree, on which we could take photos. Surrounding the tree were some carved rocks. We hiked back the same way down the hill. When we arrived at where we started we walked down the hill a bit more to the waterfall. As you can see in the photos the waterfall was extraordinary big, and you could feel the mist from quite far away. After everyone took their photos we headed back up, had lunch, and got to drive back to homebase. After the hike and waterfall everyone was very tired and so most people slept in the van on the way home.
After some resting time, the park was brought to our homebase due to a soccer game at the park. The kids came out front to play different games, like “keep away”, volleyball, and soccer (football). We all headed downstairs for a dinner of fried chicken, vegetables, noodles, and watermelon. After our dinner, we moved onto our night activity, which was karaoke! We all had a blast, and some of us even made up dances to go along with our singing. We learned different songs in Spanish and even Swiss-German. After a fun, yet tiring night, we relaxed until heading to bed at 10:30.
– Samara and Sebastian
BLOG POST FOOR JULY 3
Hello my name is Juan, I’m from Spain and I am the one that is writing the blog today…
We all had a longer night because it was Sunday and we got to sleep in, and some of us really needed those extra hours. We had breakfast at 9 in the morning and after that we all got dressed in our best outfits to go to church.
We headed to church at 10 and the experience there was really good. We experienced how they practice their religion and its celebration. We all enjoyed the time at the chapel, in fact we all sang a song that we prepared the day before.
Lunch today was special, the kitchen surprised us with a demonstration on how they make “fufu” before we ate it. Fufu is a traditional Ghanaian dish made with cassava and plantain. After having that spectacular lunch we all had our Sunday siesta.
Before we went to the park we went to visit our host family. We enjoyed our last opportunity to learn more Krobo words. Krobo is the language that they speak and they have been teaching us since we arrived here to Ghana. After that we went to the park and played with the kids just like every day.
Towards the end of the day we had dinner and met with our mentor groups to talk about our hopes and dreams. Then we enjoyed some free time to end the day. See you tomorrow!
– Juan
BLOG POST FOR JULY 4
Written by Sam and Jerry
We started today by going to the Sajuna Beach Resort. We spent all morning swimming, playing volleyball, and ping pong. After hours of games and activities we went on a boat cruise to see the famous Adomi Bridge crossing the Volta River.
Afterwards, we went to a local bead shop and got a lot of gifts. We came home and and happily rested before dinner. Then we played a competing game of “Riff-off” against each other and ending the night with mentor group.
P.S. Happy 4th of July!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 5
Hi, everyone! Ruby here – I was the Leader of the Day today!
Today was a productive day full of hard work and creativity.
We woke up at 6:45 for delicious and nutritious breakfast at 7:00. Luckily, we were all on time for breakfast today! We got the rest of our bags packed, and headed off to the service site. Today was our last day of service! We mixed a ginormous mound of concrete, which was enough to complete the floor and make the beams. After a break at 10:30, we had our final day of teaching. As a farewell, we made sure to play loads of games such as Hangman, Simon Says, and Charades (for educational purposes, of course)!
We headed back to home base at noon, waving “hello” to children on the way back. Once we returned, we received our clothes the seamstress had made us. Once any alterations were completed, we had a much needed lunch.
After we had some food in our tummies, we headed upstairs to decompress while a craft market was being set up in the basement. There were so many different types of trinkets, and our shopping bowls were filled to the brim!
After shopping, we headed down to the park! We played to our heart’s content, and then made our way back to home base for free time at 5:15. We ate a scrumptious dinner an hour later following a brief power outage and Chow Circle.
After eating, we broke off into our mentor groups, where we talked about setting One Meaningful Goals for the foreseeable future. We had some free time until 9:45, and then headed to bed.
Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow!
– Ruby T.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
Written by Meg
Our quote of the day was “It’s ok to not be ok.” I want to mention this because by the end of the night, that’s what we were living by.
Today was our last full day and it was amazing. After breakfast we went to the second largest food market in Ghana. We split into three teams to conquer a list of food to get for the kitchen. Once we got back to home base our finds were evaluated and the winners were determined. Shortly after we split into our mentor groups and each group spent ten minutes learning the art of hawking and Ghanaian cooking.
In the afternoon we went to the park and said our goodbyes to the kids, it was heartbreaking. Before dinner we had a fashion show where we modeled our outfits from the seamstress and took lots of pictures. After the show we had a very special dinner before doing the appreciation circle and watching a beautiful video that RJ made of our trip. Most of us were in tears by the end when we realized that was our last night. The relationships that were created here and the bonds we all formed are like no other, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Saying goodbye tomorrow won’t be easy, but… “It’s ok to not be ok.”
BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
Today is the last day of our young leaders here in Ghana! The day was filled with bittersweet goodbyes to our local team, the school where we did our construction and teaching service, and to each other.
We arrived in Accra in the afternoon, went to the craft market and the Accra Mall to do last minute souvenir shopping. After that, we then went straight to the airport to check-in and wait for the departures.
Overall, it has been an amazing and life-changing 14 days for everybody in this program. We have learned a lot from each other and the interactions that we had with the community. May these lessons help us be better individuals and make decisions that would benefit not just ourselves, but the people around us, and the world we’re living in.
We are proud to present a short presentation of this memorable journey of our GLA students here in Ghana: VIEW HERE.
-GLA Ghana Team
