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 1
Hola y Pura Vida from Costa Rica!!!!
We are excited to welcome the students to the Marine Conservation and Sea Turtle Expedition. Everyone has safely arrived at San José Home Base and successfully connected with a parent or guardian.
Everybody in the group is very excited about our upcoming journey in the country of “Pura Vida” (the good life). From night patrols to beach clean up days, we will be working hard and having so much fun. Today has been a day for Orientation and getting to know one another.
Starting tomorrow, our leader of the day will take over the blog. We will be sharing reflections, photos and updates of our journey in the coming days, stay tuned:)
¡Pura Vida from Costa Rica!
Best,
Alan, Valeria, Isa, and Peggy
BLOG POST FOR JULY 2
This morning we woke up and had a delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel. Although we were exhausted from traveling, we were ready to get to our first destination stop! We drove to Parismina which was originally planned to be 3 hours but turned out it was longer because of construction and traffic from the banana factory transporting the bananas across the road! We arrived at Parismina where it was pouring rain on us as we brought our luggage to the place we will be staying for the next 4 nights. We then had lunch at about 2 and were introduced to the home owner of the eco-lodge, Jason.
We then unpacked and had some down time, where people had great naps in the hammocks. A group of us also got to go see the beach we are just steps away from! On our way back, we got to see a giant sloth up in a tree! After dinner, we did mentor circle and an activity related to connecting to Mother Nature inspired by our director, Alan.
We are now getting ready for bed and preparing for what the day has in store for us tomorrow! Tomorrow we’re going to have a farm tour on the home base we are on and then we are going to get to meet the Association of Saving Turtles of Parismina (ASTOP) and begin our night patrol where protect turtle eggs and hope to see some turtles!
– Emily
BLOG POST FOR JULY 3
Hola y Pura Vida from Costa Rica!!!!
This morning we woke up at 7:30am. For breakfast we had varieties of fruits, scrambled eggs, and toast. After breakfast Jason, the owner of the lodge/ tour guide for the farm brought us to the farm. We were able to try lots of fruits, we all got the chance to pick some of the fruits from the tree using a long stick. Some fruits were mamonas, lemon, sugar cane, yucca which they pulled out from the ground. During the farm tour, we were able to see the Cayman and turtles swimming in a pond. At the end of the tour, Jason cut down coconuts for us to try. Which we all were very grateful and full. After the tour we came back had lunch. For lunch we had rice and beans, Picadillo which is small potatoes and meat and pineapple.
Once everyone finished lunch, it was time for Mentor group and write our core values. Once we finish, it was free time. Some of us stayed behind and relaxed while others walked the beach. While walking the beach we were able to see Portuguese Man War Jellyfish laying on the sand. While at the beach Peggy our mentor watched Belen, Keira, Siena and Sam knocked down coconuts from the tree. They made sure to bring some for the rest of the group. After coming back from the beach with coconuts the entire group sat and did some reading time.
At 5:30pm Macó from Astop which stands for Association To Save Turtles Of Parasmina, came to the lodge and did a presentation about turtles and night patrol. Dinner was at 6:30 pm. We had mac & cheese, veggie bowl and sausages. Later tonight we are heading to night patrol which we are all hoping to see sea turtles cross our fingers. When we come back around 10pm we will jump in the pool and go to bed. Everyone is looking forward to the next day.
-Belen
BLOG POST FOR JULY 4
It was a rainy day today. We had to be flexible leaders as our schedule was adjusted and changed due to the weather. After breakfast we were split into teams to prep for our evening debate. Then we had a dance class. We learned salsa, bachata, the electric slide, and other dances. At the end of the class we taught the teacher a few of our dances. After lunch we went on a two hour boat tour. We saw howler monkeys, spider monkeys, iguanas high up in the trees, and tons of birds. Then we headed to the beach to pick up litter. We filled three trash bags. Then we hung out on the beach and played games. We had a spirited debate about sea turtle before free time.
Azura and the mentors
BLOG POST FOR JULY 5
Good evening from Parismina! Today was an exciting activity filled day. We started the day bright and early with a breakfast of toast, eggs, and a variety of fresh fruit such as watermelon and mango! With breakfast at 8:00, we had some downtime to enjoy the early morning weather before we headed out of the lodge at 9:15 set towards the town center of Parismina. We walked along the beach for about 10-15 minutes to meet our truck that drove us into the town, and drove on top of their small runway for the town. Upon arriving we met our volunteer, Nuirca, who was very sweet and showed us their turtle hatchery, and around the town all though some parts were partially flooded- still a great experience. After our walk around town we headed to work with a local cook and made our own empanadas that turned out great. We then headed to a pavilion where we ate burgers for lunch and bought smoothies. We then walked to the beach and relaxed for a little before heading back to the pavilion to see local vendors and purchased handmade gifts for ourselves and to bring home! After doing so Belen and Keira got their hair woven in yarn from a local vendor, before we headed back to the truck and walked on the beach back to home base. At home base, we played games in the pool, packed up in preparation for our final night, and did dinner circle. After a dinner of potatoes, rice, and beans, we connected with our families during downtime and prepared for night service at 8pm. We then did night service by walking the beach until 10 with local people also interested in helping the turtles. Then we enjoyed our last night in here at the Parismina home base, ready for a long travel day ahead to Cartago tomorrow!
More soon, Yvess!!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 6
Today we had breakfast at 8:00. After breakfast, we took all of our luggage to the boat. After a rainy ride on the boat we spent 4 hours on the bus to Cartago where we had lunch while we watched the world cup Spain against Portugal. Spain obviously won and after that we went to the hotel with amazing views, a pool and a cute cat. Then we had free time until 17:00 when we did mentor groups where we reflected about digital agency and our core values. Finally, our day ended with dinner and watching the World Cup, USA against Belgium.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 7
Today we had breakfast at the hotel and then drove to a volcano. We had a tour guide while walking to the volcano to show us its unique kinds of plants and tell us about its history. One takeaway was the unique kinds of plants and vegetation which were all very rough and dry. Next, we explored the gift shop near the volcano. Then we made our way over to a restaurant for lunch. Many of the people there were very excited about the World Cup game playing on the TV. After lunch we headed downtown for a town tour. The same tour guide showed us around
the town. Our first stop was an old sacred church. We learned about the holy virgin and how it was found. We saw many different offerings to the Holy Virgin that acted as prayers or thank you’s. After learning about the church we walked to a traditional Costa Rican market. In the market, we split into two groups and practiced our Spanish by trying to find the most exotic fruit we could find. After our town tour we said goodbye to our guide and headed back to the hotel. Many people relaxed by the pool or in their rooms before meeting up for a check in before
dinner. As a group we discussed how the trip is going so far. Then, we had a delicious dinner and packed up our bags because we have an early travel day tomorrow.
-Kiera
BLOG POST FOR JULY 8
Today, we started the day very early at 5:30 to get on the road out of Cartago. After breakfast, we left at 6:30 and made a few stops on the way like Walmart and Burger King for an early lunch. Once we got out food, we arrived at the ferry to Montezuma. The group spent about an hour and a half on the ferry, killing our boredom in any way possible. Once we arrived to Montezuma we got settled at the hotel and had a snack of some sandwiches and fruit juice supplied by the very nice cooks of the hotel.
After getting cleaned up, some of the group went on an adventure to the beach while others stayed back to rest. Once it was dinner, we dug in on spaghetti bolognese making sure to keep some leftovers for the puppies of the hotel. After dinner, we met upstairs for mentor group in which we learned about the different struggles of sea turtles and different ways parts of the community are helping out such as research teams, voluntourism, education, and law enforcement. Once mentor groups ended, we settled into our rooms for a good nights rest.
– Sam
