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
Click here to jump down to the most recent post!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 13
We’re so happy to finally have this group here on the program with us! Our staff team has been excitedly preparing and awaiting. All 13 students in the group have arrived safe after their long journey.
The bonding has been pretty instantaneous amongst the group with our bus ride back from the airport full of laughter and games.
When we arrived at home base we shared a Balinese dinner and learned some new words. After dinner students connected with their roommates. Most were ready for an early night to recover and prepare for tomorrow’s “Amazing Balinese Race” where they will explore the local area and learn a lot about the culture here.
What a great start to this journey!
Students will have busy days fostering in-person community. To keep you looped in, we’ll send regular blogs and be available as a staff support team 24/7.
Our blogs will start with myself Amanda, International Director, and Gustavo, Mentor, as authors then transition into student written narrative.
Thanks for trusting us with your teens, it’s really an honor to work with them.
Amanda and Gus
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 14
Today was such a fun and exciting first day! We kicked things off with orientation and a few icebreakers, which helped everyone get to know each other and feel more comfortable right away. We also learned about the rules, what our upcoming projects will look like, and the incredible impact GLA has made in communities around the world. It was inspiring to hear about the difference we can help create during our time here. After that, we had a quick language lesson where we learned a few Indonesian words and phrases, which made us more excited to connect with the local culture.
The next thing we did was a scavenger hunt through the local town, giving us a chance to explore and work together while taking in our beautiful surroundings. One of our favorite parts of the day was meeting local Indonesian people, learning more about their culture, and trying some delicious exotic fruits. We wrapped up the afternoon with a swim test in the pool and finished the day with a yummy dinner shared with new friends. It was the perfect start to what is already shaping up to be an unforgettable experience!
-Avery and Giuliana
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 15
Today was an amazing experience that made all of us see Bali and the ways all humans contribute to the ever growing trash pollution in a new light. We split into two groups led by our leaders of the day to kick off our community service. Milly led one group to Maggi Farm food waste center to see maggots at work and Alisha led the other group to paddle board in the mangroves and collect trash.
We started off our morning with a yummy breakfast at 7, and took a (surprisingly fast) one hour bus ride to Magi Farm. When we got to the farm, we met its owner and listened to a presentation about how food waste and trash has affected life in Bali. In the US we have the privilege of not really needing to worry about what happens to our trash after we throw it out, but we learned that in Bali the government doesn’t really help with waste management, and even closed down a large landfill. We learned that at Magi Farm, people use maggots to get rid of food waste and make it easier to compost. After our presentation, we started making meals to later hand out to people who made a living from scavenging the trash sites. We ate a delicious lunch of rice, corn fritters, tempe, watermelon, and egg. After eating, we got a tour of the farm and learned about the different life stages of the Black Soldier Fly, the type of maggot used. We were then able to touch some of the maggots! After the farm, we stopped by the scavenger village and were able to hand out meals to the people. After that, we went to a convenience store and got to try some new candies. We then debriefed about what we learned and hung out for a little.
Today we learned about mangroves and how they help the environment, but also trap trash that didn’t get sorted properly. We got the opportunity to go paddle boarding into the mangrove to clean up trash that had gotten tangled in their roots. It was an eye-opening experience to see how much trash was hidden behind the illusion of such a beautiful ecosystem. After we had to sort the trash into three different categories, based on the type of material that the trash was made out of. We accidentally picked up a few crabs in our trash and we named the smallest one Sebastian like the lobster from the Little mermaid!! Our group also spent time taking photos by the beach, tanning, and swimming in the water. On the way to our service and back to our homestay, our group had a very lively karaoke session to Disney songs.
Right before dinner, we were able to try on a traditional Balinese sarong with help from the local staff. After our yummy meal, we did a fun team building activity involving organizing items for space, and hung out until we went to bed!
BLOG POST FOR JUNE 16
Today was another amazing day. Can’t believe we’ve already been here for 10 days already. We started the day off up early again and headed back to Biosphere where we had breakfast. Then, we went to a good spot for collecting trash.
In the afternoon, we had a delicious lunch and then got some rest time. After, we were off again to go snorkeling at Biorock before we entered the water, we learned how they revitalized the coral reefs in the area using a technology that facilitated coral growth. They began their journey in 2000. At Biorock they make sculptures out of metal and place them on the ocean floor to act as a metal skeleton for the coral to use as a crutch to start rebuilding after being destroyed from many things such as ocean acidification, tourism which causes the corals to get stressed, pollution of course and many other factors that take part into the corals being damaged.
We went out in groups and got to see the amazing sculptures. Afterwards we got some free time at the beach before we headed over to the turtle hatchery where we got to see baby turtles. We went to the market for snacks afterwards and then had dinner before splitting into our groups for our preparations for our teaching service tomorrow.
