Life changing experience!

This summer I got the chance to travel to Turrialba, Costa Rica with 21 other Bay Area students through the Global Glimpse program. As someone who is not super outspoken and shy and had never been out of the country before, this trip changed my life. Not only was it my first time out of the country it also allowed me to make long lasting connections with 21 other incredible students. During my trip I got to involve myself in new things and learn about the country I was staying in. I got to go out of my comfort zone when we worked on our CAP (Community Action Project). I have never had to mix cement before or do work like that in any capacity. And being able to do it there in Costa Rica where it would benefit a school was completely worth it. I would step out of my comfort zone 100 times over again if it meant I got to do work that would benefit the people of the community I was able to stay in.

Some might be skeptical of how once you arrive within the country you are traveling to, your phone gets taken away. Having my phone get taken away was personally a good thing for me. It allowed me to live in the moment with all my peers and really take in all that was around me. Costa Rica is such a biodiverse country so I'm glad that I didn't have my phone or else I feel like I would've been buried in it. Also because my phone got taken away, I was able to connect with the people on my trip more. If we all had our phones I feel like none of us would have been as close to each other as we are. So I am grateful that on this trip it was a no phones environment so I was able to take in my surroundings and genuinely bond with all the people I was there with.

Some of my favorite moments while in Costa Rica was during the free time we had while at the house. It was so nice to be able to bond with everyone when we had free time. We would play games, do a little bit of drawing, or just talk. Being able to be so close with all the people on my trip and getting to call them all my friends was incredible. Towards the end of the trip, a couple days before we had to leave, some of us sat down and drew pictures of each other. This is something I will always remember because it was just so much fun to draw with everyone and goof around. After we did our drawings, we hung them up all around the kitchen and up on the fridge. This was one of my favorite bonding moments. Another one of my favorite moments was during Community Day, where we got to spend a day with a local family in the community. I was so grateful to be able to spend a day with a local family since I got to see how another family lived. They allowed us into their home for the day and treated us just like we were apart of their family. They took us on a hike and we got to see the nature that they live around everyday. After the hike we got to eat a meal that they made and then made tortillas with them.

Being able to travel through Global Glimpse to another country and then assist the local community was a life changing experience. I made lifelong friends and I gained experience that will stick with me forever. I was able to have a successful trip where I learned about Costa Rica, leadership, and myself because of the four Global Glimpse Leaders that accompanied us and made sure we were all safe, learning, and having fun.