Dearest Ava, Brady, Carl, Emma, Jacobe, Jazmin, Jody, Katy, Kenny, Kenzi, Lily, Makayla, Maleiya, Meg, Quentin, Sara, Taylor, Tea, & Yobany:
Hey, everyone! (Or as David would say, “Hey, good people!”)
We hope this letter finds you all living your best lives with sweet adventurous memories of our time together in Ecuador with GLA.
We truly accomplished a lot together from bonding as friends to giving back to the communities that so graciously accommodated us to learning so much about Ecuador and the Galápagos! Y’all were true rock stars for the duration of the trip, and we hope you feel a sense of pride when you look back on how well you adapted and maintained positivity outside of your comfort zones. That is, after all, what GLA and travel are all about!
Some of our favorite memories include:
-Ava’s flawless and ultra serious rendition of “The Fox” during lip sync karaoke while Emma supported her with lots of paw-licking… “Is this correct?”
-Brady’s determination to try fried guinea pig regardless of how his stomach was feeling
-Carl’s endless comedy; best soccer goalie and Spanish student ever!
-Emma’s incredible ability to “tan” and “not get sunburned”
-Jacobe’s affinity for peaches as well as his passionate performance of “Hotel California” for the group
-Jazmin’s dedication to both her veganism and to building the sand wall on Isabela
-Jody’s ultra-downness for each and every activity and adventure
-Katy’s toughness and sweet flailing moves during the ant attack at the tortoise preserve
-Kenny’s triumph over the Sea Baby on the second and third boat voyages – keeping it down!
-Kenzi’s blossoming over our 2 weeks together – and her desire to buy ALL the things at the market
-Lily’s trendsetting abilities…the sisterhood of the Ecuadorian pants
-Makayla’s sweetness, consistency, and determination to conquer the Sea Baby, even if it meant sacrificing her travel pillow
-Maleiya’s near perfect Miley Cyrus performance and consistently taking an abundance of photos
-Meg’s commentary on Christopher Columbus as well as her amazing lighting engineer skills during lip sync karaoke; also, Woman Crush Wednesday even though it was aSaturday
-Quentin’s excitement over crepes and willingness to be helpful and learn as much as possible about well, everything!
-Sara’s warrior-like persistence during service, even when she was wounded by a stump that fought back
-Taylor’s scheme to get his mom lots of chocolate in the hopes of chipping away at days of being grounded
-Tea’s demonstration of how to barter in the market and showing the group how to really beach with ceviche and a coke after snorkeling
-Yobany’s creation of a unique handshake with everyone and his amazing snowman socks and tropical swimsuit
As our first group of the summer, y’all set the bar very high for the next groups! We feel fortunate to have gotten to kick off our summer with this great group of future leaders. We, El Sueco, Wilson, Fernando, and the tortoises thank you all so much!
When we really miss y’all…YES!!!
We’d like to leave you with a quote:
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
-Howard Thurman
Stay curious, stay kind, and follow your hearts always! (And stay in touch!)
With love,
Jenny & David
Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.
