Archives for June 2014

Ready, Set, Explore

“We are all very excited to experience a new culture in a place we’ve never been before, and we’re also all pretty excited to see some sea lions and penguins! This is the adventure of a lifetime, and I can’t believe we’re actually here!”

Environmental Army

“As a group, woke up at 7am, and went to the worksite. There, we encountered a large field of vegetation, and had to remove it all. Machetes in hand, we cleaned the landscape. Removing thorn-filled raspberry plants, trimming the branches of banana and orange trees was tough. We even brought down an entire tree with just a machete!”

Exploring the Sea

“We went down to the harbor to snorkel and kayak. While snorkeling, we swam with the Galapagos penguins, sea turtles, squids, and sea lions. We also saw the blue-footed boobies and baby sea lions while kayaking. Both of these days included important work that benefited the natural habitats here in the Galapagos. Not only were these activities beneficial to the environment, but they also have had positive effects on all of the GLA participants.”

For the Tortoises

“Today we started our first day of service work at a giant tortoise nursery.  Our guides told us about some of the work we will be doing and why it is extremely important to do for the tortoises. We learned that there are many introduced plants that are taking over the area where the tortoises’ food source grows. This work is so important for the native species of St. Isabella to thrive!”

Exploring a Lagoon

“This place is beyond incredible– the wildlife we’ve seen in such a short time here is insane!”

Want to learn more about the Ecuador: Preserving Nature’s Wondersexperience?  Check out the program guide and put yourself in the shoes of our volunteers in this amazing South American oasis.

Curious about what you’d have to pack?  Rain boots or sunscreen?  Jackets or shorts?  Read The Young Leader’s take on the ultimate packing list and get ready for your future travels.

Headed Home

All students are on their way home after an amazing program!

Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation

Today we visited Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation, a hospital specific to the Asian Elephant, particularly those who suffer from abuse, abandonment, lack of nutrition, as well as serious leg injuries such as missing limbs from Burmese landmines. This elephant hospital is the very first of its kind, and is quite famous for its aid to a 50-year-old female elephant named Matala. Matala had lost one of her front legs from the scattered landmines on the boarder of Burma, where she would have died if she had not been taken to Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation. We had the opportunity to see Matala, and elephants in similar health conditions, walk with prosthetic legs, a medical advancement that is unique to this elephant hospital.

We served the Friends of the Asian Elephant Foundation by painting fences and sanitizing the concrete flooring where the injured elephants call home. We then returned to the GLA base to the smell of fried papaya and pouring rain.

Planting at Patara

Today we helped plant rice in the paddy farms near Patara Elephant Farm. The first step was pulling the seedlings, removing the dirt from the roots, and making bundles to prepare for planting. Here Hannah and Madison are pulling and preparing for planting!

Next came the fun part! In the mud we went and planted the seedlings that will be harvested around November 10th 2014. It was a very educational and fun day!

Dreams & Teamwork

Today we all focused a lot on the themes of dreams and teamwork. The activities we did and the bonds we created today were a great reflection of that. Starting in the morning, we began by helping the Mahouts cut and plant sugar cane on Patara’s Elephant Farm. Then breaking to eat a fantastic lunch filled with grilled chicken, fresh avocadoes, and purple sticky rice served on giant banana leaves! Our feast was a great reward for our hard work. Continuing into the afternoon, we all fell in love the little six and a half week old baby elephant named Ju and his mama.

We then visited a Buddhist temple, one of the oldest in Chiang Mai. Finally, to wrap up the day we played a team building activity; we worked together to catapult a box with each of our dreams (goals) written inside out of the “lava” circle, using very limited tools and communication skills. The hard work and amazing cultural experiences we had today has helped us bond more than ever. Also unknown at the time, our sense of team unity tied in with our theme of dreams. Being able to work and communicate with everyone helped us to achieve our goals/tasks more efficiently. From what I saw today, our group is filled with amazing, hardworking leaders with a passion for elephants. I can’t wait to see how we grow together and make our own dreams come true by making impactful changes on Patara’s elephant Farm and throughout the community of Chiang Mai.

Amazing Elephants!

Today we had the chance to spend time and take care of these amazing elephants. We washed them, learned to check their skin, toenails, and even poop to make sure they’re healthy! In the river a few of the babies were playing and running around and it was SO adorable. I think it was funny when we rode the elephants up the rode. As people drove by they didn’t pay much attention but if that was going on in my town… people would go crazy! We learned so much today and it was the coolest experience!

Coming all the way across the planet and finding ourselves here in Thailand is really surreal. This cohort of people is the only group of people that will experience this GLA program. Lot’s of people interact with elephants, taste Thai food and appreciate this country but, this group is a moving body of young people who will get to know each other and move as unit through time. That’s one of many things I love about these sort of programs, we can tell stories that will never really paint an authentic picture that’s why all of us being here, now is so important. The real things we will experience as a group over the next few weeks are ours to take with us! Thanks for checking in on this blog!

We’ve Arrived!

Stay tuned for blog updates and photos!