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 JULY 5
¡Saludos desde Toledo!
It has been a long day, but a positive one as we began our Spanish Language Experience program!
The staff team – James, Teresa, Fernanda, Gina, and Greta – had an early start to the airport, about an hour’s drive from our home base in Toledo.
Students arrived at various times and in different terminals but the staff team all came together to collect everyone and shuttle them back to home base in a couple of buses. There the staff received the students to get settled in their dorm rooms, eat lunch, and have some chill time in the cool, air-conditioned common areas.
This evening we began our GLA orientation with a name game ice-breaker and later talked about the program, home base, and policies, making it interactive with some skits!
We finished our long arrival day with “chow circle” where we gave shout-outs and discussed the day’s highlights before eating some comfort food for dinner at home base. We wrapped up with some more chill time before hitting the bed early so that we’ll all be fresh and ready to go for our first full day in Toledo tomorrow!
We’re anxiously awaiting the arrival of our last two students, Nikki and Emmie, who will make it to home base tomorrow so that we’ll be a full team!
¡Hasta pronto!
The GLA Staff Team
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
Hola from Toledo!
Today was our first full day of program! We all got some really good, much-needed rest after our long travel days. We had a filling breakfast at the home base and then rolled right into orientation part two where we made our list of community agreements, writing down what we wanted to see as a group in the program. Some examples are being present and engaged during activities, being inclusive and non-judgemental, and respecting nature and the environment.
After a short break we took a bus into town to explore the historic center of Toledo via a fun, competitive scavenger hunt in groups! We searched for famous monuments and statues, practiced Spanish with locals, and even had to act out a scene from a movie in front of a local theatre. We cooled off during a nice lunch in the center before taking our private bus back to the home base.
This afternoon we met our Spanish teachers for a placement test. Afterwards, we split into our Mentor Groups to just discuss the types of conversations and activities we will typically have in these small groups.
We spent the hottest part of the day at a nearby private swimming pool, enjoying the refreshingly cool water with an amazing view of the historic center of Toledo in the distance. We were excited to have Ellie join us as soon as she and Greta returned from the airport!
Back at the home base this evening we ate dinner then sat down as a group to watch a bit of the Spain vs Portugal World Cup match before calling it a night after a fun and full day!
We are still waiting for our final arrival, Nikoletta, so we can be a full team!
¡Hasta luego!
The GLA Staff Team
BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
Hola!
In the morning, we had a delicious breakfast of toast, fruit and pancakes. That was very filling and gave everyone the energy needed for the chaotic morning with the summer camp. After breakfast, we had time to get ready for the day and also clean our rooms. To win the ‘cleanest room challenge,’ the cleanest room wins. The winner will be announced on a random día by our cleaning lady, Carolina, so people have to stay on high alert with their room cleaning.
At the camp we played with the kids as we switched through stations. The stations included music, computers, art and more fun activities. We also got to practice our Spanish by talking with the young campers because they spoke little to no English. All the kids were very sad to see us leave by the end of our time.
After summer camp service, the group went back to the cafeteria to eat some comida. Lunch today was paella and fish sticks. The side was the best bread ever. Ruben had at least five pieces of it.
After lunch we had a little break time before our first Spanish class. The two Spanish teachers, Alfredo and Rosa, were amazing. We played bingo with animals, made collages about us, and listened to Bad Bunny.
After 3 hours of Spanish we got ready to go to the pool for the second day in a row. It was close to 100° so I’m sure all of us were ready to hop into the pool. After swimming for a little while, we split into our Mentor Groups and did an activity on our core three values in which we had a long list of attributes and had to narrow it down to only 3, which was very difficult.
We then walked back to the school to wrap up the day. Dinner was pork ribs with potatoes and more amazing bread. Overall, today was a great day and we’re so excited for tomorrow!
Hasta luego!
Jackson and Sydney
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
Hola!
In the morning, after a filling breakfast we went back to the summer camp to spend another day with the same group of campers. We started by playing water games together, which was a great way to cool off and have fun. Later, we danced with the kids while playing “Just Dance,” and everyone had a great time! Throughout the morning, we also practiced our Spanish by talking with the campers, since most of them spoke very little English. It was fun getting to know them better and becoming more comfortable speaking Spanish. We even performed a couple of songs and dances to the campers which we learned during Spanish class.
After camp, we went back to the cafeteria for lunch. Today’s meal was pasta with turkey, artichoke and french fries, bread and fruit which was a nice lunch after such an active morning. It was another fun day filled with laughter, learning, and unfortunately saying bye to the campers.
Next, we had Spanish class where we learned the difference between “por” and “para,” talked about the famous San Fermín festivals in Pamplona, and then worked on some Spanish tongue twisters (or “trabalenguas”). This afternoon we enjoyed some “siesta” time before getting on the bus to go on a historic legends tour of Toledo. We walked throughout Old Toledo, learning about the historical significance of different buildings. To end our day, we went out for dinner and dessert at a vegetarian restaurant in Toledo.
We came back to home base to pack our day bags as we planned to have an early start the following day!
Adios!
Joe and Priyana
BLOG POST FOR JULY 9
Hola!
To start off our day, we woke up bright and early for a 7:00 am breakfast. We came down to the cafeteria fully dressed and ready for the day with our essentials. The breakfast was pretty good consisting of toast, eggs, and bacon. We later hopped on the bus around 7:50 am for a two-hour ride to the Lagunas de Ruidera. The ride was long but we had fun, playing music and some of us played cards. Once we arrived at the lake we changed into our bathing suits, put on our life jackets, and got into our 2-person kayaks. We spent an hour and a half in the kayaks, with some people splashing each other, others kayaking leisurely, and some just relaxing. We had a kayak race over to some waterfalls which were very beautiful. After we were done kayaking, we dried off and ate lunch by the water. We all had pre-ordered different meals but they were all delicious.
After a fantastic lunch, we went swimming in the Laguna Salvadora. During swim time we spent time in the sun on the beach and some swam to the waterfall. After swimming we hopped back on the bus and made our way to the Molinos de Consuegra, or Windmills of Consuegra. At the windmills, we learned about the history and how the historic windmills appeared in Miguel de Cervantes’s famous book, Don Quijote.
We returned to the home base and had some siesta time and a short Mentor Group before dinner. For dinner we had pizza, hand-cut fries, pasta salad, yogurt, salad, and bread. After dinner we played a game in our and made our way to get ready for bed.
Hasta luego,
Emmie and Brendan
BLOG POST FOR JULY 10
Hola!
This morning we woke up and ate breakfast at 7:30am, an early one. After eating, we went on a quick bus ride to town, to the banks of the Río Tajo to help The Red Cross with a trash pickup. The area did not look dirty but we found so much trash once we started looking. Today we were lucky because it was not as hot and it was a little cloudier. Over the course of about two hours, the GLA group along with some Red Cross volunteers ended up picking up 11.68 pounds of plastic, 4.3 pounds of paper, 6.15 pounds of miscelaneous trash, and 29.5 pounds of glass. We were very successful! After that we went to lunch as a group in Toledo.
After lunch, we came home, had a short break and then went to Spanish class, where we dissected a famous Spanish painting and played a directions game where a blindfolded volunteer had to navigate the classroom.
Later this afternoon after some swimming, we had a Spain-themed debate about the country’s official language. There were 4 groups, each vying for different languages to be added or taken away from the Spanish education system. We had a great time with the debate, starting to believe in whatever role each group was given, and talking about the final verdict during the entire walk back to home base.
Back at home base we ate dinner and then had some free time to shower, hang out in the sala, and watch the Spain vs Belgium World Cup match before heading to bed, excited about our upcoming trip to Madrid!
Hasta luego,
Thomas and Raja
BLOG POST FOR JULY 11
Hola!
We started off the day with a later wake-up time and a delicious breakfast consisting of eggs, yogurt, fruit, and some churros. After that, we boarded the bus to Madrid for a ride lasting a little over an hour, arriving in the city around 11am. Once dropping off some of our stuff in the hostel, we met with our guides for the tapas tour and headed first to the San Miguel market to try all kinds of food. We tried foods like croquetas, different kinds of cheese, pinchos, and an authentic calamari sandwich for the main course. It was very fun and immersive trying all the different kinds of Spanish food. We finished with traditional churros con chocolate for dessert.
After a full meal in beautiful Madrid, we returned to the hostel to check into our rooms and rest before meeting downstairs to split into our mentor groups. We reflected and wrote letters to our future selves, dedicated to the end of 2026 in our journals. Following this activity, we walked to a nearby supermarket where we bought yummy and traditional Spanish snacks! Then we walked to a flamenco class where we learned the basic techniques and movements of flamenco dancing. We practiced proper posture, arm and hand positions, footwork, and rhythmic steps while listening to traditional flamenco music. We worked on staying in time with the music, expressing emotion through our movements, and performing a short dance combination with the class.
Afterwards, we walked to a nearby mall where we got to shop and grab some desserts. Afterward, we watched a live flamenco dance performance, where we saw experienced dancers, including our instructor, showcase the powerful footwork, graceful movements, and emotion that make flamenco such a unique and expressive art form. To finish off the full day we had a great dinner at a buffet near the hostel!
¡Buenas noches and hasta mañana!
-Ruben y Claire
BLOG POST FOR JULY 12
Hola!
Today started with us waking up at our hostel in Madrid before enjoying a delicious breakfast to get ready for the day. After that we headed to Parque El Retiro via the metro for our own version of the Olympics. We rotated through three stations, competing in fun challenges like trivia, keep-the-volleyball-up, charades, a statues scavenger hunt, making shapes with our teams for pictures, and a nature challenge. It was a great way to work together and have some friendly competition.
For lunch, we stopped at Tierra Burrito Bar, Spain’s version of Chipotle, which gave us the energy for an afternoon street art tour. In the afternoon, we walked the streets of Madrid’s Lavapies neighborhood, taking in the incredible works of street artists that make the city come to life. We were then able to take this inspiration and put it to work. We went to a park and created our own street art by spray painting tote bags. After customizing our tote bags, we strolled through a nearby neighborhood, shopping in unique stores. We walked through the weekly Madrid outdoor markets before taking the metro to our cooking class. We made delicious chicken and vegetarian paella dishes and a traditional Spanish cake called Tarta de Santiago. We were right in the center of Madrid’s shopping district, near La Gran Vía. After eating the food we made, the girls and boys split up to do a bit of shopping before picking up our bags from the hostel and leaving Madrid. We hopped on the bus to Toledo, returning home for another great dinner to end a full day of adventure, all excited for what the next day might bring.
Adiós!
Jade y Declan
BLOG POST FOR JULY 13
Hola familia!
Today was our first day back in Toledo after our overnight trip to Madrid. We woke up to a delicious breakfast from the amazing kitchen staff. We then proceeded to the summer camp where we spent the next three hours playing games with the kiddos! We taught the kids games like Sharks and Minnows, Duck Duck Goose, Freeze Tag and so much more. After much fun we found our way back to the cafeteria for lunch. We then had a short siesta before our Spanish classes where we learned about the “cuerpo” (body) and made Gazpacho, a refreshing spanish soup made from fresh vegetables.
After Spanish class, we had a siesta for an hour (4:30-5:30) and then we headed to the pool! At the pool everyone grabbed ice cream and played games like UNO, Imposter, and Signs. We had a lot of fun! After the pool everyone went to dinner. While eating we sat with our mentor groups and brainstormed Spanish songs to sing for karaoke!
Dinner was cut short out of excitement for karaoke night, with both mentor groups breaking off to go practice. At 9pm, karaoke night began with Gina’s mentor group singing Un Poco Loco from Coco and Fernanda’s group singing Gasolina. After the mentor groups had their share, we took turns singing our hearts out to our favorite songs such as “Since You’ve Been Gone,” “Unwritten,” “Lush Life,” and many other classics! After a long day we all showered and went to sleep, excited for zip-lining tomorrow!
Hasta luego!
Olivia y Nora
BLOG POST FOR JULY 14
Hola familias!
This morning we had a scrumptious breakfast of pancakes, avocado toast, and fruit. After breakfast we had a bittersweet final goodbye with our friends from the summer camp. Saying goodbye to them is something we will cherish forever.
After our goodbye we took a short bus ride to old Toledo where we went shopping for souvenirs for our families and friends. After taking too long in the stores we had to rush to the zip-lining over the Tajo River. Zip-lining was an exhilarating experience for all of us even though there might have been a couple people hanging in the air a bit longer than others, it was still a very fun time.
After zip-lining we went to a pizzeria where we enjoyed pizza, pasta, and even venison!
After lunch, we headed to our final Spanish class with Alfredo and Rosa. It was an amazing final session! We learned “sevillanas,” a traditional Spanish dance that originated in the Andalusian region. The two girls teaching us were incredibly sweet and patient, which we definitely needed since we weren’t natural dancers!
After class, we had a few hours of free time to go to the pool or play board games at home base. Some of us walked down to grab ice cream, while others stayed back to play Spoons and Uno. We also used this time to start packing for our upcoming train ride to Barcelona.
To wrap up a long, fun day of activities, we had a delicious dinner of pasta and tortilla de patatas, followed by watching the exciting football match between Spain and France.
¡Hasta luego!
Addy and Mack
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
Hola!
We had an early start this morning, getting up around 5:30am to pack our last few things in preparation for our trip to Barcelona! After room checks, we brought our bags downstairs, ate breakfast, and then loaded up on the bus for the drive to Madrid. Once we arrived at the Atocha train station, we easily found our gate and soon boarded our high-speed train to Barcelona. It was a smooth, 3-hour ride where we played games, relaxed, and napped.
Once in Barcelona we dropped our bags off and headed straight to lunch at a restaurant near the hostel. After a filling lunch, we headed to the hostel to check in and get settled. This afternoon we took the metro to meet our walking tour guide to take a tour of Park Güell! During our tour we learned a bunch of history about Barcelona, the famous architect Antoni Gaudi (designer of the park), and the park’s history itself. After the tour was over we stayed and took pictures for a while, then walked through the nearby neighborhood of Gracia to arrive at a small tapas restaurant, which is one of our mentor’s favorites! At dinner we tried many classic tapas such as patatas bravas, fried zucchini, pimientos de padrón, jamón serrano, and many more! Over tapas, we shared a nice sobremesa and had many engaging conversations! As the dinner came to a close, we headed out of the restaurant and walked back to the Generator Hostel.
We had our chow circle then went to the rooftop terrace and caught a quick view before heading to bed, excited for our day tomorrow!!
Adios!
Olivia
BLOG POST FOR JULY 16
Hola!
To start the day, we woke up at eight for a big breakfast in our hostel. After some time to pack our essentials, we headed to La Sagrada Familia. Our tour guide led us there, explaining the historical significance of different landmarks along the way. After a quick wait in a security line, we entered the church and had some time to take it all in, our guide explaining the significance of many hidden details of Gaudi’s most famous work. After the tour, we walked around and took pictures inside before heading out to a nice restaurant nearby.
At lunch we had a delicious lunch and sang happy birthday to the international director, James for his 41st birthday. We gave him a homemade card with a bunch of nice notes from all of us that he greatly appreciated.
After lunch we had two options: go back to the hostel for a siesta or go shopping. Many of us chose to go shopping at Sephora, Mango, Brownie and other stores where people bought clothes, makeup, and cologne.
When we got back to the hostel, we had some time to get ready for the beach. Before leaving, we did an activity with our mentor groups where we reflected on our time throughout the program and learned more about each other.
At the beach some played volleyball with locals while other played in the water or learned to play this game called ‘signs’. We all enjoyed swimming in the Mediterranean Sea!
For dinner, we went to a buffet with a wide selection of food and practiced ‘sobremesa,’ where we put our phones down to connect. After dinner we took a short walk to the hostel for our chow circle before heading to our dorms to sleep.
Adios!
Sydney y Joe
BLOG POST FOR JULY 17
Hola família! It is sadly the last full day together in Spain but we made the best of it. We started with a delicious breakfast at the hostel. This was followed by a bike tour where we saw the many wonders of Barcelona, including the marina, seafront promenade, and the neighborhood of Poble Nou, stopping along the way for photos and explanations of various famous sights. We stopped at a halfway point to try some traditional horchata (cinnamon rice milk) and gelato.
After finishing the bike tour we had an amazing Vietnamese lunch at Loto, where we talked about the beautiful ride. We then skipped through the Gothic Courter’s small shops, picking up souvenirs for family and friends.
We then went back to the hotel for some relaxation time before our last but not least leadership activity. We started the activity by taking a journey through our last two weeks with all of the special moments, places visited, and memories made. We then participated an anonymous appreciation game, where we tapped on the shoulders of friends who have made a positive impact on us!
Lastly we went to a fancy dinner together to end the trip on a positve note. Our last day was full of fun, laughter, and excitement. We are so grateful for the opportunity to create an impact here in Spain!
Adios!
Nora y Jade
