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 18
The hard part is over! After a long day (or night) of traveling to Guatemala, our group is finally together, with a couple others coming tomorrow. After getting off our flights, we were able to eat at some typical Guatemalan restaurants, and head to Antigua! Tomorrow we’re excited to enjoy this colorful colonial city for some coffee, then head to Xela where our home base is located!
Buenas noches!
Adela – International Director
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 19 & 20
We’re so happy to be in Xela with every member of our GLA family! Yesterday was a beautiful day that started with a delicious breakfast at our Antigua hotel that consisted of beans and many other different breakfast foods!
Soon after, we headed to a Mayan Wedding Ceremony where we were taught the typical customs of an indigenous Guatemalan wedding, one of which consisted of the bride hand weaving beautiful textiles for her mother-in-law.
We then headed to a coffee farm where we learned about coffee plants and fruit, drying, roasting, grinding, and the history of how Guatemalans have typically incorporated coffee into their culture.
We ate a delicious lunch at the coffee farm, and did some activities with our mentor groups before heading out on a long drive to Xela, where home base is located.
It is rainy season here in Guatemala so we’ve gotten to enjoy most activities with a healthy dose of precipitation. Due to this, we arrived to home base around 8:00, and were eager to eat a quick dinner and go to bed!
This morning, we were excited to head to our first service day, where we started designing areas to paint in schools, and playing with the kids that attend them! No language barrier stood in the way of creating a playful energy.
A full morning of service lead to an exciting afternoon of chocolate and salsa. We started the chocolate factory with a full on fruit buffet accompanied by chocolate fountains followed by many courses of chocolate drinks, including hot chocolate, chocolate teas, and cardamom chocolate.
The chocolate experience energized us for our next activity, salsa. We danced until we couldn’t anymore, and headed home.
Upon arrival, we finished orientation, had dinner, did leadership activities, and finally headed to bed after a long but meaningful day.
Buenas noches,
ID – Adela
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 21
We woke up to the quaint sound of church bells in the cloudy mountains of Xela. After breakfast, we headed to our service sites where we painted a mural at a local school and gave English lessons to the children. After lunch, we went to a local woman-owned textile business and learned about the history of the civil war and its impact on the community. We came back to do some mindful goal-setting and self-reflective activities. After a quick earthquake, dinner, and mentor groups, we went to bed early in preparation for our volcano hike tomorrow!
¡Hasta luego!
Raphael, Oona, and Maria (leaders of the day)
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 22
Hey GLA fam!
Today we started our day early with a hearty breakfast to fuel us for our hike of the sacred Volcano Chicabal. We started our journey up the mountain in cow themed cars which was like a roller coaster ending at the peak of the volcano turned lagoon. After sightseeing , a quick picnic around the lagoon, and a long hike back down, we traveled back to our home base in Xela for lunch followed by a heated debate. Then we ended off the day with a filling meal and left to our rooms to pack and sleep early for our weekend excursions to Lake Atitlan and Chichicastenango market.
Ciao for now!
Adelyne, Yasmin, Onyx
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23
We started the day leaving early for the Chichicastenango Market. We were able to walk around, shop, and explore the culture of the everyday lives of people in Guatemala. We had a quick lunch right outside the market before continuing our journey to Lake Atitlan. We made a stop to see the beautiful view of the lake before continuing to our hotel near the lake.
We then went to a nearby town and were able to shop more, try some of the local foods, observe the local jewels and artifacts, and explore more of the Guatemalan culture. We then returned back to the hotel to eat dinner and talk in our mentor groups, solidifying our relationships within our smaller groups further. Overall it was a really fun day full of exploration and we’re all excited for what the next week of our trip will entail.
-Annie, Maggie, Bailey
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24
Today we ate breakfast at the hotel and then headed on a boat to San Juan where we walked around the town and shopped. We headed back to the hotel and had lunch and then drove all the way back to home-base. We had time to hangout with friends before dinner. We ended the day by playing jeopardy on Guatemalan trivia.
-Ava, Annie, Cami
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25
We started the day off with a delicious breakfast, before leaving for service at 7:30! At service, we worked on painting our murals and talking and playing with the kids that attend the school. At 11, we went to home base for lunch and got ready for the hot springs! Unfortunately, there was a storm and we were not able to stay in the water too long. (ID note – like thirty seconds!) After we changed into warmer clothes, we headed to Interplaza mall, where we stayed for a half an hour! Afterwards, we returned to home base for dinner, and finished the day with mentor groups with a poem activity! Adios!
– Caroline, Lily, and Natasha
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26
Today, we had a delicious breakfast around 7 AM. Afterwards, we traveled to service and finished up our paintings, and it was most people’s last day at that specific school. Once service was over around 12 PM, we ate a good lunch and had some free time before our city tour of Xela. We visited the first school GLA had ever fixed up in Guatemala, and also got to visit a cemetery that contained the famous legend of Vanushka (Margarita Mielos). We then walked around a popular cathedral, and proceeded to shop around the city square!
– Jack, Phoenix, Ari
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27
This morning we woke up and ate pancakes again for breakfast! Today, everyone went to the same school for our community service work which was a wonderful opportunity for the group to connect as a whole. During service, we continued our work painting the walls and then participated in traditional Guatemalan kids games. During lunch, we ate pasta, chicken, and potatoes before setting off to the small town of Momostenango which was about an hour and a half away from our home base in Xela.
At Momostenango, we learned about the process of tapestry making with wool starting from shearing sheep all the way to weaving the yarn into a rug. This process has been done for seven generations by a local Guatemalan family. We also made tortillas which were so delicious! We headed home and had hamburgers for dinner.
– Sierra, Nicole, and Alice
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28
Buenos Dias!!!! We woke up bright and early and had the most scrumptious breakfast made by the most amazing home base staff!! 😋😋
After breakfast, we were off on our adventure to the last day of community service at the local escuela! At the school, we finished all murals and played with the kids for the last time. The staff there had treats for us and the children made us paintings as a farewell. We had a piñata and danced with all of the kids before saying our sad goodbyes. They truly impacted us more than they will ever know. ❤️
We then came back to home base and ate a delicious meal before heading off for our afternoon excursions! We went to San Martin Xecula and learned more about the Mayan culture and religious practices. We saw the most beautiful churches and were welcomed by the sweetest tour guide who gave us homemade hot chocolate and fresh bread. Delocioso!!🥖☕️
We ended the night with the BEST PAPUSAS EVER!!! Afterwords, our last mentor group took place and we’re headed to bed early for our last weekend excursion! Although sad, we’re so excited to share all of our memories when we get home.
Buenos noches y hasta pronto!!🤗🤗
Malia, Alyssa, Chloe
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29
Today we woke up bright and early to eat pancakes, eggs, and yogurt. We jumped on the bus and road into the mountains to zipline. We broke into two groups to avoid rain and drove on the back of a truck (standing up) to the first platform. We ziplined and relaxed at a restaurant before heading back for our last afternoon at home base. We had free time, a reflection in the meeting room, and then began to pack. Finally, we did one last activity that got many emotional and ate a yummy dinner of lasagna and banana bread. Everyone spent some last time together at home base and then finished packing to prepare for our drive back to Antigua. Adios!
Amanda and Ellery
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30
We made it to the end! After two beautiful weeks, we have arrived to the last full day of our program. It started with an early morning wake up and drive to Iximche ruins. At the ruins, we were able to participate in a Mayan ceremony where we were able to give thanks and ask for abundance in our lives. We then were given a tour around the ruins and all the different Mayan plazas, and learned that the Mayans played a ball game that would determine political differences, land differences, and other conflicts. The tour was fast, as the rain came on and off a couple times, and soon we had a delicious lunch at a nearby restaurant.
Afterwards, we made the drive to Antigua where some people decided to walk around and explore the city. Soon after, we had our farewell dinner, where people dressed up to the tens. Afterwards, we headed back to our hotel and the first goodbyes were said, and many tears were shed. The next day will be full of more goodbyes and hugs, but only because we had such a wonderful time!
– Adela (ID)
