Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures Custom Group 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
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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 8
Welcome to the Dominican Republic! The Prospect Hill group has officially arrived, and we are excited to begin our adventure together. After clearing customs, we stopped for lunch at Pizzarelli where everyone enjoyed a variety of pizzas. It was the perfect opportunity to relax, refuel, and connect with one another after a busy morning of travel.
Following lunch, we continued our journey to the historic Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo, the oldest European settlement in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along the way, students got their first glimpse of the city and began experiencing the Dominican Republic’s vibrant culture, architecture, and energy. Our group explored the cobblestone streets of the Zona Colonial, learning about the area’s rich history, admiring centuries-old buildings, and visiting important landmarks that shaped the history of the Caribbean and the Americas. Students had the opportunity to ask questions, take photos, and begin immersing themselves in the local culture.
The evening concluded with a group dinner and orientation, where we shared what we are most excited about for the week ahead. We are grateful to have arrived safely and cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings!
-Rudy and Pedro
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 9
¡Buenos días! Today, our group woke up super early for a delicious and traditional breakfast at the hotel. We packed our things and headed off, leaving Santo Domingo behind. Along the way, we saw more of the countryside and noticed large sugarcane fields. We arrived to San Pedro and did another town tour where we started at the local history museum. We learned about sugarcane mills, old ways of communication, old-style paintings, and learned about famous Dominican baseball players.
Afterwards, we went to a Catholic church and walked along the malecón de San Pedro. By this point, we were really hungry so lunch consisted of grilled chicken, egg salad, rice and brown beans. During lunch, we saw local children playing baseball! Feeling energized, we headed to service in Monte Coca. After service orientation, we started mixing cement to help finish the foundation of a house for a local family. It was difficult due to the heat, but as a team we were able to get a lot done. We even had a system of cement mixers, bucket scoopers and a formation line to pass the cement. After 3 hours of service we were ready for a shower! Our home base is beautiful and we had dinner. We took our swim test and ended the evening with reflections on the past two days. ¡Buenas noches!
-Ariana and Genesis
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 10
Hola buenos días! Today was a sunny day and we had a big breakfast at our home base to leave by 8am. Our first stop was a tour of a sugar cane field where we learned about the history of sugar cane workers and how the fields are cultivated depending on the season and machinery used. It was interesting to learn that the Dominican Republic was once a key country for sugar. We took pictures and our tour guide Domingo gave us sugar cane to eat and it was delicious!
Our tour of Monte Coca, the bateye we are doing service at, started at the community center where Roberto elaborated on how the community helps each other. We visited a few families in the bateye and before we knew it was time for lunch.
After lunch we headed to the beach! We swam, ate mangos and pineapple, bought souvenirs and played games. It was the perfect way to cool off.
Our day ended back at home base to shower, eat dinner (Dominican tacos) and we participated in our first GLA leadership activity called the Dangers Of Social Media. We discussed how social media impacts our daily life and how to use it in a positive way. We wrote in journals and had a bit of pool time. Goodnight everyone.
-Arshley and Ryan
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 11
Día 4: After a quick breakfast we headed to our full day of service. We picked up trash around the bateye, prepared cement mixture, moved sand and prepped a wall for concrete bricks. For lunch we had fried chicken, rice beans, mixed salad and a Dominican pastry. After lunch our final hours of service started. We continued mixing cement, adding bricks to the wall and celebrated all the work we did over the past days.
At home base we had pasta and had a really fun dance class where we learned a few bachata moves. We were surprised with an ice cream treat and ended the day in the pool! We can’t believe we go home tomorrow.
-Micah
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 12
Wow what an adventure! Pedro and myself are grateful to have shared this experience with Prospect Hill Academy. Our final day consisted of an appreciation circle, GLA survey, pool time, packing and the best lunch that consisted of goat meat, shrimp, beef, pasta, rice and habichuela.
We wish you a safe journey home and how we say in Spanish “hasta la próxima!” Until next time.
-Rudy and Pedro
