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 JUNE 30
Author – Amanda Mallory, International Director
Greetings from Greece!
We’re so happy to have all these great students here on program with us. 28 of our 30 students have arrived in Greece with two more joining us tomorrow. It’s a packed itinerary with tomorrow’s highlights being a city tour, Acropolis visit, and food tour. Today we had arrivals, naps, delicious meals, and pool time on our hotel roof top overlooking Athens and it’s archeological sites. Expect many more photos to come!
We shared some laughs and got to know each other throughout the day. What a great start to this journey!
Our blogs will start with myself along with Kyle, Oliver, and Sofia (group mentors) as authors then transition to student written narrative.
Students will be busy during the days fostering in-person community and have their phones at night to reach out and connect with home. I recognize this time zone difference might be a challenge when you want to reach your student so we’ll send regular blogs and be available as a staff support team for you and them 24/7.
Thanks for trusting us with your young leaders, it’s a really an honor to work with them.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 1
By Olivia, Mia, and Kedrick
Hello from Athens!
To start the day, the group had orientation, where we discussed the GLA mission and values, and exciting upcoming events ahead. Shortly after, we rode a bus through the beautiful city of Athens. We passed by the Panathenaic Stadium, drove by the guards of the Greek parliament, and made our way to the Acropolis, learning about the history of Athens along the way.
Once arrived at Acropolis, we stopped above a few flights of stairs and learned about the history of the Greek gods and why the parthenon was built. We walked up the rocky hill above Athens and stopped in front of the building. We heard so much about the history and why the people of Greece find it so important to preserve their past. It was so fun!
After our trip to the Acropolis, we embarked on a food tour around Athens. We walked around the center of town, hopping from restaurants, the meat and fish markets, bakeries, and fruit and vegetable markets. Some of the most delicious foods we tried throughout the day were gyros and kebabs, olives, classical Greek cuisine, loukoumades, and more!
Tomorrow we will be leaving Athens for the island of Kefalonia!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
Today the journey was long; however, the views seen from the bus and ferry made it worth it. The day began at 07:00 with breakfast. After breakfast, we got right on the bus, and in a little more than hour and a half we made it to the turtle visitor center. There, we leaned how turtles can get injured at sea, and also how they get treated for head and stomach injuries!
Firstly, we were an incredibly lucky to see the only green sea turtle conservation which has a history of nearly 30 years operating since 1994, founded by ARCHELON. This unique and insightful excursion provided an educational learning experience, highlighting the footprint of mass fishing and consumeristic culture.
Consequently, we visited the 3 primary species of turtles found in and around the Mediterranean Ocean, and became educated on the migration patterns of each type.
After the presentation, some of our peers bought turtle related items from the gift shop. These proceeds went to the conservation center. When we got back on the bus, we took a two hour bus ride to a local Greek restaurant where we had cell phone piles so while we ate we weren’t on our phones. After lunch we had another two hour bus ride to a ferry in Kefilonia where we unloaded our suitcases and ran to the ferry where we played games, buying souvenirs, enjoying the view, and eating snacks.
– Tori, Naomi and Anthony
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
Hi everyone. This is today’s leaders, Summer, Jojo and Cayley. Today we started our morning at 4AM! It was still dark out when we left for our turtle nests survey. We separated into 2 groups and we headed down to different beaches to start surveying for nests. After a long time of searching , one of the groups came across a full nest of 94 eggs! We had to relocate these eggs due to a sand-sweeper that would’ve disrupted the nest.
We learned about the specific types of tracks the turtle make and how the baby turtled memorize where the beach they hatched on is located. After a very long morning, we were rewarded with a beautiful swim in the warm waters of Kefalonia. After all the fun in the sun, we made our way to lunch, where we celebrated Stella’s 18th Birthday! Happy birthday! Then we finally had time to shop. Finally, after our much needed downtime, we will be heading to dinner and then to a turtle conservation talk.
See you tomorrow!
– Summer, Jojo, Cayley
BLOG POST FOR JULY 4
Written by Stella, Annabelle, and Maeve
Today we went to the Kalamia beach to go shore snorkeling to take pictures of the bottom of the sea floor. This helps the Wildlife Sense team in their conservation of seagrass. We went in four teams for around 45 minutes each. Each person on the team has different jobs and obligations. One person was in charge of holding the camera that took the pictures, another held the depth distance stick which was recorded every 1 minute, another kept track of time, and the final team member was in charge of navigation.
As we were snorkeling we went in two teams with each team split in to 4 people for either side of the paddle board we were holding on to. While the first team was snorkeling the second team was on the beach playing volleyball in a circle trying to keep the ball in the air or relaxing in the shade. While snorkeling we saw schools of fish, some octopuses, and one person even saw a sea turtle! Everyone had so much fun and really enjoyed the snorkeling as well as hanging out with our fronds playing volleyball and talking and laughing on the beach.
Once we had lunch at a local Greek restaurant we walked to join our mentor groups and did a fun team building activity. We answered questions to reflect on how we present our leadership skills and the way we interact in our groups and our impact as leaders. We then all came together and decided whether we wanted to get ice cream or head back to the hotel, to wash and get a well-deserved rest after our service day. After getting ice cream and some essentials from a grocery store near the hotel both of the groups met up and went to their rooms to refresh.
After our free time we had a presentation from the Wildlife Sense group about seagrass and fish breeds, which we saw while we were snorkeling in the morning. We learned about all of the benefits of seagrass and how it is threatened, and how different breeds of fish can be differentiated from each other and the ways they’ve adapted to survive.
We ended the day with sunset circle and dinner at an Italian restaurant, where we got salad, pizza, and pasta. Overall it was a great day full of fun activities!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 5
Our names are Carley, Dana and Manon, and we got to be your team leaders for the day! We woke up today for breakfast at 7:00, we then took a bus to the same beach we were at yesterday. We got to participate in a sea grass survey which is important to conserve as it is our sea turtles food. In groups of four we suited up in life jackets, flippers and masks to grab our recording gear. Using a go pro and a depth meter we went out in shifts of an hour and a half to GPS map all the sea grass in the bay. After a few hours we played volleyball on the beach and swam through the beautiful rock arches filled with little fish. Once it was time for lunch we bussed back to our hotel just in time for lunch!
At the hotel the group split in two: one half went on an enriching cooking class, where they were immersed in Greek cuisine, making classic staple dishes like Tzatziki and beetroot hummus. They even made gyros from scratch, all the way down to seasoning the chicken and making the pita bread the gyros were wrapped in.
The other half participated in an intense debate about the pressing water crisis in Greece. The debaters immersed themselves in different roles, becoming familiar with the perspectives of government officials, local farmers, tourist board officials and environmental activists with us group leaders as facilitators.
In a couple of days the groups will switch so the debate team will get to go to cooking class and the cooking people will be able to debate.
Once the group reunited and they had some free time, they all set out to have some beef kebabs at dinner with a selection of cakes to top it all off!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
Hello GLA Families and Friends!
We started off our day today by having a delicious breakfast while wearing our volunteer shirts. After we walked to the harbour near our hotel to volunteer and search for sea turtle interactions! Everyone split into groups and many of us saw lots of sea turtles near the fish market. During the sea turtle interactions we completed written surveys to retain the interesting information. Once the volunteering came to an end, all of us quickly stopped at the hotel to grab bags and head for the caves!
After the hour in the bus we arrived to Melissani Cave. The water was amazing and very blue, it looked like gatorade. We split into groups and took boat tours through it. Once done in the caves we took a short drive to a campground and ate a lunch of chicken tenders and pasta. The food was great. After everyone was done we spent an hour or two into the pool and beach. The water there was also gorgeous.
After all the activities we got back on the bus to head back to the hotel, making a pit stop on the road above the most beautiful beach on the island for a group photo. After arriving at the hotel we were given a few hours of free time where we could hang out and get ready for dinner, which we had at a restaurant near our hotel. Once dinner was over we walked back to the hotel where we had a quick GLA activity and sunset circle before we went back to our rooms for bed.
Ari, Isabelle and Kate
BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
By Logan, Sam, & Jagger
Hello from Kefalonia!
We started the day off with breakfast at the hotel, then we got on our bus and started heading to the beach where we completed our last day of snorkeling. We started with half of our group going out and collecting more data for Wildlife Sense. Our first group spotted a turtle and followed it for a few minutes which was very exciting. Shortly after that group returned the second group went out and collected more data. We did a quick beach cleaning, and then got back on the bus to the hotel.
After arriving back at the hotel, we split into two groups, one going to the cooking class and the other going out to lunch and participating in the water conservation debate. In the cooking class, we made delicious gyros, Greek salad, hummus, and other traditional foods and sauces. In the debate, we each took a role of someone who is an active part of the Greek community (government, farmers, environmentalists, etc.) and debated how to solve Greece’s long lasting leaking pipe problem.
After our afternoon activities, we walked as a group to a secluded beach on the other side of the harbor that is commonly used for turtle releases and rescues. There we had a presentation about climate change and its effects, specifically on the island of Kefalonia and other parts of Greece. Then we picked up some trash through a small beach clean up before heading back to the main street in Argostoli and eating dinner.
Overall, this trip has been an incredible and rewarding experience that we will never forget. We’re excited to keep working hard and end the trip strongly.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
Today we woke up early to go to the beach service site. We went for a nest survey for the turtles to see if there were any new nests. After we recorded some turtle tracks and lots of digging, we found eggs. Once the team protected the eggs with a barrier, we had some beach time. It was a blast because we got to swim out and then relax on the beach. After that, we took the bus home.
After a bit of free time to freshen up, we took a bit of a trek to a new lunch spot. We all enjoyed lunch in a bit of shade and were excited that a bus came to pick us up. Afterwards, we all had a great hour for shopping, most buying a few souvenirs or a scoop of ice cream, then we had another two hours to de compress and rest to make up for our very early morning and late night.
We had our final talk with Wildlife Sense (our community partners) after our resting hours in which we summarised our knowledge and put on our best accents to answer various questions about sea grass and turtles. We said goodbye to the community team and headed out to dinner at a familiar spot. Everyone dressed up in fancy outfits. We then headed back to quickly pack and get a decent nights rest.
– Elle, Stella O, Coral
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
In the morning we woke up bright and early to catch a bus. The bus views were breathtaking with the water and hills on either side. Once we got off the bus we hopped on the the ferry to take us back to the Greek mainland. The ferry was about 3 and a half hours and many of us caught up on some well deserved rest.
In the afternoon our ferry docked and we caught another bus to a delicious lunch stop right on the water, where we had a choice of pastas and chicken and a Greek salad on the side. After lunch we went on another bus, where the views were once again gorgeous. Soon we arrived at our final tourist destination. A bee farm! We learned how to safely help bees and how to take care of them! We then put on our bee suits to help protect us from stings and we got to interact and some people even pet some bees!
For dinner we went to a restaurant called epkouros. The view had mountains and we were able to watch the sunset from our seats. In the restaurant, for our ententes there was a cheese pastry and a salad consisting of shredded carrots, lettuce, and dressing. For the main meal we had roster and local pasta, for the vegetarian option there was a stuffed and cooked tomatoes dish called yemista. For dessert we had a Greek cake.
– Lydia, Blake & Autumn
BLOG POST FOR JULY 10
Andrew, Bea, and Will
Hello from Athens!
We started the day by waking up and eating the hotel breakfast buffet from 8-9 am, including a variety of foods such as cereal, toast, and more, including honey, that we had learned to admire from the bee farm the afternoon before. After our meal we proceeded to shop around Delphi and buy clothing, foods, and gifts for our lovely family, friends, and of course, ourselves.
At 11 am we departed with all our luggage towards Athens to arrive at our location for our next hearty feast – today’s lunch. For lunch we feasted on beef patties, fish, along with salads and fries. After lunch we continued our journey towards Athens, arriving around 4:30. Exhausted, we rested a while before we all went up to the roof for a final activity at 6:45. We filled out our program evaluation surveys, and received a printed picture of the group and everyone had a good time getting people to sign them. We reminisced on all the good times we had and it was really meaningful. We left for dinner at around 7:30 PM.
For dinner, we went to the top of a hill for a Zafiro Experience, which included buffet style Greek foods and desserts. We watched and participated in Greek traditional dances, smashed some clay plates (Opa!), and enjoyed the beautiful sunset! We also celebrated Mia’s birthday! Some of us were even able to dress in traditional Greek dancing outfits. After dinner and a short dance party, we returned back to the hotel for some late-night goodbyes before our flights tomorrow!
