Our last blog post spoke of belonging as a responsibility to push back on systems and structures without repercussions. This month, we turn to give thanks and appreciation for that which we are grateful, in this season of Thanksgiving. For me, that is family; there’s no place better to experience a sense of belonging. But…
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8th Grade students from The Langley School (McLean, VA) were full of excitement and nervousness as they arrived for a week in northern New Mexico and a chance to learn and explore. This year a group of 60 students and staff joined GYLI to study the cultures and landscapes of the Southwest and dig deep…
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Where do I Belong and does it matter? Where do I belong? What is my own definition of belonging? Why does it matter? That question–”Where do I belong?”– is one of the driving questions for teens all over the world and from all backgrounds. That question drives our choices of high school, college, work, activities…
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We came together for our last year of GYLI excited to see our old friends and experience the many sites and sounds of Costa Rica. Our first stop was the unique and beautiful campus of United Wold College Costa Rica. There we engaged in some sessions led by GYLI students, such as 10Cs of awareness,…
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The beauty of New Mexico takes your breath away. Students arrive in Albuquerque and take the scenic drive up to Taos, sandwiched between the Rio Grande River and the mountains. Our cherished and long-standing partner with Weyakpa Najin Win, Woman Stands Shining, one of GYLI’s Native American speakers, welcomed our group with a water ceremony. Weyakpa…
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Living on and learning on a Tallship is new for all us, and that is what we got to do o the Year 1 programs. We came together during our two sessions in Connecticut to learn about our ancestors, and to experience days and nights on the Long Island Sound. The beauty of the water…
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After starting our day with a fulfilling breakfast at EATH University, we managed to conquer the three hour bus ride back to United World College. There, we were given some free time in which many of us went into town to enjoy some of the things that Santa Ana has to offer such as the…
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After a super early wake-up, we said our last farewells to our homestay families. Then we made our way into a crowded bus and endured a rollercoaster of a car ride down to the river where we went whitewater rafting. Throughout the seventeen-mile expedition, we had many ups and downs, and even some splashes. Finally,…
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We spent the last two days visiting the students and chaperones at their respective homestays. While each homestay is special in its own way, we were pleased to find a common thread among them all— the students were having an absolute blast! Everyone was quick to share stories about life on the farm as soon…
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Today we got a first-hand look at peri-urban farming. Hillary and Jean-Claude, our Rwandan guides, explained various ways of cultivating crops in the absence of soil. Students were eager to eat everything they saw growing, including cilantro, lettuce, cacao, and mamonchinos. We also explored an organic farm on campus. In keeping with the ethos of…
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