PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
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 13
Yassas!
Today we welcomed our 29 young leaders as they arrived in Athens—ready to embrace a new environment, a new culture, and to show us what true leadership looks like.
We picked up students throughout the day at the Athens International Airport, greeting each arrival with excitement, big smiles, and plenty of anticipation for the next 12 days. A few of our students were dropped off by their very supportive family members.
Before dinner, everyone gathered for our little get-to-know activities and orientation. Dinner was a delicious introduction to Greek cuisine. After eating, we returned to the “mezzanine” for our first chow circle sharing our highlights, takeaways and shoutouts for today. Couple hours later, Margherita and Isaac arrived at homebase after their delayed flights.
We cannot wait to see these leaders in action as they explore Greece, learn from local partners, and grow together as a community.
So dear parents, family, and friends—please continue supporting our leaders by checking our daily blogs and sharing your love in the comments below. Your encouragement means the world to them.
Efcharistó!
GLA Team
BLOG POST FOR JULY 14
Hello from Greece!
We had a great day today! We started with an interactive orientation and got to know each other a little more with some fun games! After that, we took a quick break for health checks, the final swim tests, and some rest time before heading out into the big city of Athens! We walked through Omonia to get to Monastiraki Square, which was the beginning of our food tour. We split into groups and explored new parts of the city while tasting some amazing Greek specialities like tzatziki, gyros, spinach pie, and loukoumades. Once we were full to the brim with delicious cuisine, we wandered over to the commercial area of Athens, Ermou Street! There, we shopped for new swimsuits, items we may have left behind, and also some fun jewelry! We even donated our extra food to people in need!
After shopping our little hearts out, we walked through the gorgeous historical area of the city called Plaka. It was so pretty, and made us even more excited to shop on Kefalonia. Then, the Acropolis came into view, and we started our ascent to the ancient sacred temple. On the way, we rested in the shade of olive trees while listening to the incredible history of the Parthenon and the people of Greece. The history was fascinating and made the view at the top ever more memorable. Big thank you to our Local Director and guide, Evi! Following a brief time to wander and take photos, we made our way down the hill and back to the hotel. On the way, we passed some of the other historical sites such as the Parliament, the Athenian Academy, and even got to witness the changing of the guards.
We ended our day with dinner and our second chow circle, where we nominated our first leaders of the day for tomorrow!
We can’t wait to wake up and make our way to Kefalonia tomorrow!
Sincerely,
GLA Staff
BLOG POST FOR JULY 15
We started our day bright and early with all of our bags packed and ready to go. After heading downstairs for breakfast, we got onto the bus for a four hour ride. We got to sit next to our friends which made the ride really relaxing and enjoyable. The bus was also super nice and comfortable. Along the way, we stopped at a turtle hospital. We started with a lecture where we learned so many interesting facts about sea turtles. We then got to tour the hospital and see the turtles in their tanks. We even saw one that was recovering after being injured by a speedboat. It was really cool to see the turtles up close and learn more about how they are cared for during their recovery. After the turtle hospital, we got back on the bus and continued driving before stopping for lunch. We had a delicious and quick meal with kebabs and french fries along with bread and sodas. There was also a small supermarket where we got to buy and try some local candies. After lunch, we continued our journey to the ferry. Once we arrived at the port, we unloaded our bags and waited for the ferry while our mentors surprised us with delicious chocolate covered ice cream bars. When the ferry finally arrived, we were so excited to get on. It was huge and really nice. We spent the next few hours enjoying the ride before finally seeing the beautiful island of Kefalonia in the distance.
Once we arrived in Kefalonia, we headed to our hotel and then went straight to a beautiful waterfront dinner. The view was stunning. We enjoyed a meal of meat and rice followed by watermelon for dessert. It was the perfect way to end such a long and exciting travel day. After dinner, we finished the night with a chow circle before heading back to the hotel to get a good night’s sleep. Overall, it was an amazing day filled with new experiences and beautiful views. We also had so many fun moments with friends. We especially loved getting to visit the turtle hospital and arriving in Kefalonia by ferry. It was such a memorable day. We were so excited to finally be on the island and see what the rest of our adventure would bring.
By Rayna, Chloe, Sienna
BLOG POST FOR JULY 16
We got up bright and early to leave our hotel at 5:30 am. On the bus we were split into two groups to do the morning survey of the beaches. One group got off on the first stop, and the second group had to travel a little further down the beach so the two groups could meet at the middle. One of the groups found two non-attempts at a nest, where the turtle came onto land to try and nest, but something happened, and they went back into the sea without trying to nest. After walking farther along the Lourdos beach, they found a turtle nest and dug it up and discovered 74 eggs. They relocated the eggs to a safer hatchery on the next beach. Both groups met up at Kalani beach, learned the process of relocation and had a digging contest. Katy, one of our leaders of the day, won with a perfect nest that was 40 centimeters deep, and 20 centimeters wide. Second place was another leader of the day, Abby, with a hole dug 42 centimeters deep, and 19 centimeters wide. Finally, third place went to Theo, who dug a hole 44 centimeters deep, and 20 centimeters wide.
After the digging contest, we enjoyed the beautiful beach we were at. Some held chicken fights, some finished swim tests, some played with rocks, some took pictures, and some simply relaxed on the beach. We hiked along the coast to our lunch spot. After a tiring day at the beach, we went back to the hotel for siesta, or a mid day nap. Everyone was up and dressed up for our turtle seminar. Wildlife Sense came and not only told us everything we should know about turtles, and what we will be doing to protect them moving forward. After we finished the amazing seminar, we got to walk from our hotel to dinner, and had some great food, before doing our daily chow circle, and going back to the hotel to rest up for another exciting day.
By Katy, Abby, Rowan
BLOG POST FOR JULY 17
We started our 5th day in Greece with an early morning beach trip where we conducted our snorkeling survey by breaking up into teams and collaborating to collect valuable sea floor data. We enjoyed our snorkeling time and learned so much about the ecosystem of Kefalonia. As we headed back to home base, we prepared for lunch and fun shopping around the town.
Once completed, we returned to home base where we relaxed and gained some much needed rest. Straight after, we participated in a debate activity that challenged many points of views. We later enjoyed and informational seminar conducted by Wildlife Sense, where we learned about different species of seagrass, animals, and more. Later, students went for a nice dinner in the town square, where we ate delicious skewers along with nutritional salads. Additionally, a chow circle with high energy consisted of fun dances and cherishing moments throughout the day with people. We got some free time to enjoy deserts and hang out around the town square.
The walk back to the hotel lit the mood with singing and dancing with friends. When asked to describe the day in two words, students mentioned an array of words including “pretty salty”, “shopping spree”, and “sunny snorkeling”. We all enjoyed this day so much and hope to have many more like it.
Sincerely,
Ila, Margherita, Theo, and Luna
BLOG POST FOR JULY 18
We started our day, bright and early with breakfast and a harbor survey watching and documenting the turtles. We noted when two or more turtles had interacted with each other, the most interesting part was when four turtles had started fighting over food that was giving by fishermen. We ended the harbor survey by all gathering together to collectively search for a turtle with fishing line stuck to the back right flipper of a baby turtle. As a group we were able to get lots of photo and sent them to Wildlife Sense to get the turtle the help it needs.
After the survey, we had a meeting with our mentor groups, learning valuable lessons that could help us become better leaders. Following this, we headed over to a cooking class, watching and learning up close how to make pita, greek salad, and more traditional Greek dishes. Along with that, we learned the process of making olive oil by professionals, got to do an olive oil taste test, and got to purchase some delicious olive oil! After that, we all got to sit and enjoy the good food we made together.
After a long day of work we took our siesta, which was our break during the day to regain our energy. Some decide to nap, read, catch up with their friends, or a group was allowed to walk to the pharmacy to pick up some goodies. Then we took a group survey of the camp to get a feel on how everyone is doing. We were given various questions on WhatsApp and were given as much time as needed to answer them. To end the perfect day we ended with a perfect dinner and ice cream. Our dinner was Gyros and Caesar salad.
Keaton, Elise, and Ella
BLOG POST FOR JULY 19
Greetings from Kefalonia!
Today we woke up bright and early to leave at 5:30 AM for our second morning survey of the beaches. We did not find any nests but we did take coordinates of both sides of the beach to keep track of coastal erosion.
After our service, we walked to another part of the beach and started our GLA Beach Olympics! We began by splitting into our mentor groups to be our teams for the rest of the games. Our first “event” was a teamwork game where everyone was blindfolded and each mentor group was assigned an animal sound to make to find the rest of the group. After that challenge was done, the mentors drew two lines in the sand. We had to pass a stick to each other, but we couldn’t touch the gap between the lines. After every round, the gap got bigger, so the rest of the team would hold on to the grabbers legs, arms, and waist to make sure they don’t fall. Our gap ended up larger than any other GLA group achieved!! Then, we did a sporty part of the Olympics. Each team had three representatives, one who would attempt the best cartwheel, the fastest sprint, and the longest jump. Afterwards, we had a trivia contest, with categories ranging from Disney to Geography. Lastly, we had to make sand art that represented our experience in Greece, judged by our local director, Evi.
After our mini Olympics, everyone got to enjoy swimming in the sea or relaxing on the sun beds. We had a nice break and then walked to a lunch spot close to our service area. After lunch, we drove to Melissani and enjoyed a brief boat ride around, taking in beauty and marveling at the stalactites on the top of the cave.
Finally, we had a quick drive to a camping area where we enjoyed hanging out in the pool, where people played volleyball, chatted, and relaxed in the sun. We concluded the evening with a yummy dinner by the pool and some pictures in the sunset!
Sincerely,
Katia, Sabrina, and Eloise
BLOG POST FOR JULY 20
Hello friends, family, and fans! Today was our 8th day in the wonderful Greece paradise. This great day started off at 7:20, bright and early – we quickly headed to a cove to begin our snorkeling adventure. It consisted of depth measurements, compass navigation, go-pro photos, and observations of animals and sea grass in the sea!
One group saw a few turtles! We then took a break at homebase followed by a delicious pizza and selection of cakes. Soon after, we did a short shopping before resting during our afternoon siesta which we prepared for our succesful coastal clean up. During this all students were able to learn about the impact and long lasting effects of plastic on the environment and the ecosystem. We then rushed to a beautiful lighthouse to take some sunset photos by the sea with all the friends we made along the journey. (Thank you RJ for the photos!)
Finally, we enjoyed pasta for dinner, followed by gelato and said good night to all of our friends after trying a viral Greek sweet treat gifted to us by Evi on the rooftop of our hotel. It was the perfect way to spend the last full day in Greece before our beloved Soraya leaves early!
Sincerely,
Marisa, Sofia, and Soraya
