Archives for June 2024

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures Custom Group program!

Here are a few things you can expect:

1. We typically receive 2-3 blog posts per week here at GLA Headquarters from our program staff and students, so please don’t be alarmed if you don’t see a blog post daily – that’s totally normal.
2. Blog updates sent on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
3. Due to many factors, including but not limited to internet accessibility, photos may not always be available to post onto the blog. Sometimes onsite program staff are only able to send text back to Headquarters, where our team updates the blog.

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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Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 10

After a long morning of travel, Prospect Hill arrived in the Dominican Republic! After arrival, we headed over to the beautiful Santo Domingo to eat some pizza for lunch. We then received a tour of historical places in the Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo. After our tour, we got changed and headed over to our orientation. We then completed our day with some souvenir shopping and writing our daily journal entries. We are so excited to head over to our home base tomorrow and begin our first day of service in the Bateyes!

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 11

Today we began our work in the Bateyes of Monte Coca!

We began our day bright and early eating a traditional Dominican breakfast. We then began our commute to Asccala, an NGO in San Pedro. We learned the stories of the work that they do in the community and even heard stories of people who have been supported by the people of ASCALA. We then ate a great lunch of rice, beans, and fried chicken! After filling our bellies, we headed over to the Bateyes. We learned about the impact of the work we were going to do, how long the work has been done, and met one of the organizers that has supported families receiving rebuilt homes in the Bateyes. We then began working; starting to place cement to a home floor, beginning to put cement blocks to the foundation of a home, and even learning to make cement! We ended our evening shopping for goodies at Jumbo, received a tour of the town of San Pedro, eating dinner, and learning more about Bateyes in our mentor group!

We are excited to continue our work in the Bateyes this week!

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 13

Today, we woke up and ate breakfast until 8:30. From there, we headed over to Monte Coca. For our service project, we have two groups working on two different projects. So, to begin today one group worked on Junior’s house, making the walls/foundations of the building. The other group made cement and carried it over to several houses where the workers laid it out. After the first service, we ate lunch consisting of rice, beans, macaroni salad, chicken, and more. We then returned to Monte Coca to finish the afternoon. Afterwards, we participated in a sugar cane tour. We were even able to try some of the sugar cane! After, we ended our day and went back to the home base to eat dinner and prepare for the next day.

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

TIME CAPSULE LETTER

Written by Amy & the Utah Team

Hello everyone,

We hope you enjoyed the rest of your summer and that the start of your school year is going well. Now that we’re a few months out, we wanted to take a few moments to reflect back on the 10 days we shared together in Moab and on the Colorado River. Do you remember arriving into Grand Junction and stepping outside to the blistering 105-degree day? I think we all were surprised by how hot it could feel in the desert! As Nick and I were reminiscing about the trip, these were some of the memories that stuck out in our minds that we hope you still cherish as well:

Remember the drive along the river, through castle valley, and up into the La Sal Mountains as we headed to our first day of service work? How beautiful it was to wind our way along the river we would soon be rafting down? The stunning mesas, the haribo gummy bear. And finally getting an escape from the heat as we arrived to Warner Lake, having ascended 5,000 feet on the drive. The hike into the Whole Enchilada Trail seeing the aspens rustle in the wind, the beautiful array of wildflowers, the cows wandering alongside us. The feeling of accomplishment after having groomed the section of trail that is so important for the local economy and for mountain bikers and tourists from around the world. It was such a privilege to get to work alongside and learn from the US Forest Service and give back during our first few days on the program.

Following our service days, we had the opportunity to visit the renowned Arches National Park. Another stunning drive getting to view the unique geological formations, learning from Brett and other CFI guides about how they were formed and how old each layer of sediment was. Then taking off on our own hike to see three of the arches: Landscape, Partition, and Navajo. Getting to relax and stare out at the expansive views through the arches will desert critters crawled by. While our visit to Moab was short, I do remember how refreshing that first bite of shaved ice was after a very warm hike.

Then finally came the day of everyone’s rosebud: rafting! Remember showing up, getting our safety talk, rigging the boats for the first time, unsure what the river and next 5 days would bring? Going from learning how to paddle, proper techniques, setting up a camp kitchen, cooking meals, rigging a boat, setting up a tent….just slowly learning how to thrive in the backcountry and in this tough environment. We got to experience our first sunset atop our Cottonwood campground and start to really get a sense of where we were and how small we are in this world. While we all struggled, battling the mosquitos, we won’t forget that first moment, looking out at the wilderness and embracing these moments together.

Then came the moments of real trial- lightning storms, tent poles breaking and tents attempting to escape us, skating around the newly formed muddy clay in our campsite, discovering a potential fire in the distance. We survived that night with much laughter, not aware that the real challenge was coming for us the next day while at Black Rocks. Remember the adrenaline pulsing through our veins as we saw new plumes of dark smoke billowing above the canyon walls, helicopters flying overhead preparing to scoop out water from the river nearby to help fight the fires, quickly loading up the rafts as we evacuated from the potential fire coming towards us. We were all hoping for more time on the water and this unexpected situation allowed us a magical afternoon/evening float as we passed by new plumes of smoke in the distance. We arrived into our new campsite at Westwater to a gorgeous sunset and although y’all were bargaining to head to a hotel, we knew that we couldn’t wait for the next day, the day we were all waiting for, when we’d get to raft through the rapids of the Westwater Canyon.

Westwater Day! The most thrilling day of the trip. Remember waking up that morning, the excitement building up as we charged towards our Class II, III, and IV rapids. We didn’t really know what to expect but were ready for some action. As we approached the canyon, we noticed the landscape change, the walls becoming steeper and more jagged, the river narrowing. We worked as a team, navigating the gnarly waves and features of the rapids, getting soaked and splashed from all sides. I know a highlight for one boat was almost tipping the raft and watching as Chase, Tyler, Marjory, and Alexander swam down the Sock-it-to-Me rapid. Coming out of the rapids and arriving at our final campsite – remember that last evening? The beach, the sunset, the laughs, hanging out on the rocks together, truly taking in our last moments together on the river and in the beautiful canyon. We finally admitted that although the week had many challenges, we were grateful for the opportunity, the experiences we shared together, and the magic of being on the Colorado River.

We’re so thankful that you all decided to join us in Utah this past summer and hope you look back on in with smiles and happy memories. I know we do.

We wish you a wonderful next year and hope you enjoy more time in nature, giving back to your community, and finding more adventures that bring you joy.

-Amy, International Director & Nick, Mentor

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Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things to know and expect:

1. 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.
2. We typically receive 2-3 blog posts 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.
3. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
4. 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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Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Hello from Moab!

We are so excited to welcome everyone to Utah for the next 10 days. All 14 students arrived safe and sound into the Grand Junction airport and we made our way back to our home base for the next 4 nights. The day was filled with several airport pickups, a delicious Chick-fil-A lunch, beautiful views along our drive, a yummy dinner of chicken fajitas, and a little bit of orientation and icebreakers. The early arrival group also got to go on a little adventure to Mill Creek! We’re looking forward to starting out service work together and getting out to explore the area more.

Here are a few pics from today:

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

This morning we started our day with a yummy pancake, bacon, and hash brown breakfast prior to our adventure up the La Sal mountains to begin our service work. After a beautiful drive along the Colorado River and through Castle Valley, we met with Lisa from the US Forest Service to learn about our project and get trained on the tools we would use. There’s a very popular and scenic mountain bike trail called the Whole Enchilada that was in need of trail maintenance. We assisted by clearing branches and leaves that were growing onto the trail to ensure the trail was safe for bikers as they zoom down the mountain. The part of the trail we were working on was about 1.25 miles from the parking lot so we got to enjoy a beautiful hike through the Aspen trees to get there. We also had a picnic lunch along a stream. After a productive day of service, we drove back down the mountain, taking in the sights of the valley and Castleton Tower from above, and headed back to Home Base for dinner. Gigi, Andy, Miles, and Rien grilled burgers, baked french fries, and put together a pasta salad for everyone to enjoy. We ended the evening with a fun icebreaker, goal setting and community agreement activity. We’re excited for another day of service tomorrow!

Amy, International Director & Nick, Mentor

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 11

Today we woke up at an altitude of about 4000 feet and watched as the beautiful sun overtook the mountains. At around 8:30 we left in the van for a scenic drive to continue some trail work at about 10,000 feet. We cleared about 30 football fields of debris and overgrowth off of the beautiful trail and were able to have an amazing impact on the trail. While heading back to Moab, we ran to the grocery store and another store for forgotten supplies and added snacks. When we got back, we had a lot of fun tonight connecting through games: Human Knot and Yeehaw, which ended in fits of giggles on all sides. Unfortunately, Nick’s team won the human knot race, with Amy’s group not far behind. I can’t wait to continue playing these games throughout the next week and continue growing closer to our group.

Thank you for sending your kids. We have met amazing people and it is only day three.

Sincerely, Lotte and Christina (leaders of the day)

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 12

Today we went hiking in Arches National Park. We learned about things like erosion of the rocks. We afterwards went into town and got things like shaved ices and noodle bowls. We went over set up for the rafting tomorrow.

-Cameron, leader of the day

Just a quick note – we will be headed to the river tomorrow and will be out of service for the next 5 days, until Wednesday late afternoon. Please reach out to GLA headquarters if you need any assistance during this time. We’re so excited to finally embark on our rafting adventure!

-Amy, international director

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 15

Just a quick update from the river — day 3 of rafting turned out to be quite the adventure for us! After a relaxing two days floating down the Colorado River and spending time at various campsites, we made it to our 3rd night camp at Black Rocks. After spending the morning hiking, swimming, and learning about canyons, we were getting ready to unload the rafts and set up camp when we saw smoke in the distance. After connecting with the BLM (Bureau of Land Management), we made the call to vacate that campsite and float about 10 miles downriver to the Westwater Ranger Station campsite.

Along the float, we got to witness helicopters and planes flying overhead, headed towards the fire to help with suppression. While we never saw the flames, we saw some smoke in the distance. We have now arrived safely at camp, ate a delicious dinner, and are headed to bed. We’re excited to raft the whitewater tomorrow in the Westwater Canyon! We’ll be out of service again for this last river portion, but stay tuned for more updates in a few days!

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 17

We made it off the river! After the exhilarating day of escaping the wildfire (which has now grown to 215 acres!), we had an amazing final two days on the river. Yesterday we got to finally experience the rapids of Westwater canyon. The crowd favorite was Sock it to Me rapid, where 4 of the group ended up taking a swim! We stopped for the night at a beautiful campsite after the rapids that was tucked away in the canyon with lots of rocks and sandy beaches. The group got to spend quality time hanging out together and watching the final sunset and sunrise on the river, some even sleeping outside under the stars. We rowed the final 4 miles today and then headed to our hotel in Fruta, where everyone was eager to take their first shower in 5-6 days. After a tasty pizza dinner, we did some final closing reflection activities and enjoyed the pool and hot tub at the hotel. We’re sad to say goodbye to our new friends but are so grateful for the memories that we’ve made this week and the experiences we had together.

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

TIME CAPSULE LETTER

Written by Alexa & the Thailand Team

It’s hard to believe it’s already been half a year since we last met in Thailand! We hope you are all doing well. We imagine most of you are halfway through your high school, college, or gap year by now. Do you remember all of those wonderful days at the hospitals? Especially observing surgery! We still reminisce on all the memories created together from the time we picked you up until we dropped you off at the airport.

Once we were all settled into our first homebase in Bangkok. We met Todd and learned all about our hospital visits. It waa great trying all the different Thai food and all those cool places Khaotoo picked for us to eat. Wad kept us on track with our schedule. From observing and shadowing at hospitals to shopping, temples – all that gold! – and cooking classes, (are you wearing your elephant pants?).

Let’s not forget our time at the beach in Ko Samet. So much sand and sub and that great boat ride back from snorkeling. We took a quick flight to Chaing Mai and settled into Away Hotel. Our days in Chaing Mai were busy with temples, shopping, and hospital visits. We painted bags, fans, or umbrellas – Are you using yours?, learned a bit of Muay Thai, and had so much fun taking pictures at Art in Paradise. Our trip ended with a visit to the elephant sanctuary and a farewell dinner on the muddy (chocolate) river. It’s amazing to look back at all that we did in just three weeks.
We’re curious to know how you are doing. Let GLA know about your progress on your goals!

Thanks so much for all the special memories that we created in Thailand!

— Alexa, Jose and Peggy

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Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things to know and expect:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
4. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
5. 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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Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 21

สวัสดี ทุกคน (hello everyone!)

Hello from Bangkok! We’re happy to report that all 20 of our students have safely arrived!

Over the next three weeks, students will rotate through various hospital departments, learning from skilled Thai doctors and nurses. Outside the hospitals, they’ll immerse themselves in the rich culture of Thailand. From exploring beautiful temples to wandering through colorful street markets, students will enjoy delicious Thai cuisine and discover unique local crafts.

We’ll keep you updated with regular blog posts from our Student Leaders of the Day, sharing their experiences and insights.
Rest assured, your children are in good hands, exploring and growing in the wonderful land of Thailand. Enjoy your summer!

ขอบคุณค่ะ/ครับ (Thank you!)
Alexa, Jose, Peggy, and Ryan

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

สวัสดี (Hello) from Bangkok, Thailand!

This is our first daily blog written by Soph and Vinay. Today we are happy to announce that all 20 students have safely arrived!

Starting off the day we had a delicious breakfast at the hotel after breakfast we began our orientations. The first presentation was learning about the staff and program itinerary. Following was a three course which included a beet salad, pork, and fresh lychee served with coconut ice cream. Stuffed, we continued presentations about our hospital rotations and GLA’s rules and regulations.

To experience Bangkok for the first time we took the BTS( their version of the metro/subway) to a local market where we had refreshing thai iced tea and the opportunity to shop. Already hungry we headed back to the hotel where we got to eat authentic thai spring rolls with chicken and rice.

To end the night, we were introduced to our mentor groups and played a competitive game of “Who knows their mentor better.” We hope that you all enjoyed learning about our Day 1 experience! Stay tuned for future updates in Bangkok!!

ลาก่อน (Goodbye:)

Sophia Nuciforo and Vinay Verghis-Khan

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

สวัสดี ทุกคน (Hello everyone!)

Today’s blog post is from Raina and Emma!

Everyone woke up bright and early (and everyone was on time too) for our first day at Thammasat Hospital. Our four departments today were orthopedics/ophthalmology, pharmacy, OB/GYN, and general anatomy. Everyone got to visit two departments, and will visit the other two in tomorrow’s visit. We all learned from today’s experience that Thai medicine can be both very similar to western medicine – and completely different – at the same time!

Before our second shift today, we all visited the hospital’s canteen to choose our own authentic Thai lunch😋! We had a large variety of options, but most chose delicious Thai noodle soup – and of course Thai iced tea!!

After our work was done and we refreshed back at the hotel, one of the local staff members (our good friend Wadd), taught us all about Thai culture and history. It was a brief intro, but it was certainly packed with info😉!

After, we were then taken out to eat at a family Thai restaurant which served delicious food too! And last but not least, Ryan gave a presentation on sustainable development goals, which taught us about the impending goals for the future of the world (Very cool, we know).

It’s lights out for us over here in Thailand now!…

Cheers!
Emma and Raina

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

Today’s blog post is from Nate and Aliena!

We began today bright and early for our second and last day at Thammasat University Hospital! We rotated through the four departments (Orthopedics, Opthalmology, Anatomy, Pharmacy, and Ob/Gyn) , every student seeing observing a new department. We observed the inner workings of a hospital; everything from lasiks to cesarian sections.

Before our second shift, we visited the hospital’s canteen, where a large number of us opted to have Kentucky Fried Chicken on account of the complimentary bucket hats! For our last day at the canteemany students explored a variety of traditional Thai cuisine ranging from papaya salad to milk teas.

Another day conquered, and then it was time to relax. The amazing local mentors prepared a fruit party where we had the opportunity to taste a variety of unique flavors and textures.

Following the fruit party, we had a brief team building exercise hosted by Peggy and Jose, where we put our knowledge of our fellow interns to the test, before winding to start reflect on our individual styles of leadership, and prepared to start yet another existing day in the lively city of Bangkok.

– Aliens and Nate

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

After eating breakfast at the hotel, we went to the Kasemarad Parchachuen Hospital in Bangkok. This is a private hospital that is a part of the BCH, Bangkok Chain Hospitals. In the morning, we toured the Chinese Medicine Department and learned more about treatments like acupuncture and cupping. We also toured the ER and the OPD area of the hospital to gain incite on how the hospital runs in a daily basis.

After eating lunch, we listened to a presentation given by UK medical student and former GLA student, Sola Kim before taking a CPR course and reviving our CPR certification. Sola spoke about the process of getting into and learning in a medical school and shared her advice.

After spending sometime back at the hotel and in the pool, we all went to dinner at Villa Market in Ari to end the day!

– Cammy and Anaïs

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

Hey GLA family and friends, it’s Cece and Maddie!

Today we toured Ekachai Hospital. In the morning we saw a variety of clinics, including Chinese medicine where we got to extract cups from our wonderful staff in a traditional cupping demonstration. Afterwards we were able to meet with the hospital director, Dr. Amnaj. He gave insight into the medical field and how to advance and evolve into the profession. Back at the hotel, we had a pizza party to celebrate the end of our hospital visits in Bangkok. Excited for tomorrow for our Bangkok city tour!!

– Cece and Maddie

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

Hey GLA families, it’s Bella and Luciano!

Today we started our day out with breakfast at 8:00 AM. Then we had our first city tour of Bangkok, we saw emerald Buddha at the grand palace and then we went to the temple of the reclining Buddha.

It was very hot outside and we had to wear long respectful clothing to respect the temples rules.

We went to a market for lunch and went shopping there as well. After lunch we went to the temple of dawn for 30 min and returned back to the hotel. We were going to go out to eat but the weather had different plans for us so the local staff brought the food to us and we ate at the hotel, as we got a lecture about the Thailand’s government given by one of the local staff.

Much love,

Bella and Luciano 🙂

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 28

Hello from Thailand, it’s Shio and Atticus!

Today, we had a later breakfast at around 8:15, and we’re off to a local temple. We arrived at the temples dock, where it was teaming with local fish. We each received a loaf of bread which we fed to the many catfish that resided in the river. In thai culture, it is seen as good karma to do things such as feed the fish, and there were even markets with live animals people buy to free in the river! Then, we got a a water taxi, and we were off the culture center.

Upon arrival, we each got a sweet drink, and were set free to explore the art in the center. Then, we walked to the Siam mall, where we were let loose in the food court. We then relocated to Central mall, the largest mall in bangkok! After four hours of shopping in the endless corridors filled with clothes and delicious foods, we ended the busy day eating again in the malls food court. We then took the sky train back to the hotel, where we got right into the lesson, learning more about our project during the program. Now, we are relaxing by the pool, and Iselin and Camy are having desserts.

Goodnight!
Shio & Atticus!

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

สวัสดี (Hello!) from Bangkok!

Today was a fantastic day filled with spirit and laughter! We started the morning off by going to Rajavadee Boy’s House for Disabled Children to play fun and exciting games with the boys. We played everything from red light/green light to musical chairs with lots of dancing involved. After a tasty lunch, we engaged in some community service work by pulling weeds and washing windows around the home. We ended our stay with a high speed, high stakes doodle-off, sending us off on a lively note.

Following a brief downtime, we quickly re-energized with a Scottish Cèilidh (traditional dance) lesson from our very own Scottish staff member, Ryan. We ended our break with some passionate karaoke and Just Dance before heading off to a scrumptious dinner at a local restaurant. Our evening closed off with a mouthwatering, classic Thai treat of mango sticky rice.

ขอบคุณ (Thank you!) for tuning in today to hear about our adventures in Thailand!

This is Iselin and James signing off 😎

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 30

Hi everyone, it’s Ally and Kritika!

Today was our last day in Bangkok and our first in Koh Samet! Our day started out around 7:45am with breakfast. Soon after, we were out the door limping with our luggage looking forward to that 3 hour bus ride! 🥲

About an hour in, we made a quick pit stop to grab some snacks and stretch our legs.

After a lengthy bus ride, we arrived at the dock where a bumpy boat ride awaited us. For some, with each crash of a wave, the sea sprayed us. It left us drenched, but we laughed it off.

Upon arrival at our new hotel, we ate lunch, and went shopping and swimming at the beach until 6pm.

As dawn approached, we had dinner and relaxed for the rest of the night.

-Ally and Kritika

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 31

Today’s blog post is from Kayla and Guillaume.

Our first full day at Koh Samet started off nice and late at 9:00am. We left the Koh Samet to go snorkeling at a new island. We stayed there for the majority of the day and saw some interesting fish such as clownfish, eels, jellyfish, and sea urchins. At lunch we had tasty teriyaki chicken with rice as well as pineapple and watermelon.

After our stomachs were, full we went on a small hike to a viewpoint. The groups split up with people going hiking and people relaxing at the beach. After a while, we returned to the island of Koh Samet with a very, very bumpy boat ride, it was great!

Upon arrival the group went back out to relax in the ocean and also played some volleyball on the beach. While the day was packed with fun, we all felt the strength of the sun making us turn red like lobsters. Finally we went to dinner and sang happy birthday to our lovely local staff member, Care; Happy Birthday Care!!!!!

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1

สวัสดี (Hello) from Koh Samet, Thailand.

This is our fourth blog about our days in Koh Samet in written by Soph and Vinay.

We started off the day with a fantastic breakfast buffet at the hotel. After breakfast we went to the local medical clinic on the island.

Whilst at the clinic we learned about the local medical practices and issues they have been facing. The most pressing issue they faced was chikungunya, a type of disease carried by mosquitoes. They deal with this by spraying the houses with a medical grade insect repellent.

After the clinic hunger set in and we walked to a beachside restaurant. We had an array of traditional Thai seafood such as fried shrimp cakes, glass noodle salad, and papaya salad. Full from our meal we got the choice to either stay on the beach and relax or go back to the hotel for a quick nap.

Concluding the day we went for another quick swim at the beach in front of our hotel. Hungry from swimming and playing beach volley, we headed off to dinner which was right next door to the hotel. Even though it was a long day we all had a lot of fun and are forward to our time on Chang Mai.

Stay tuned for more updates from Chang Mai! ลาก่อน (Goodbye:)

Sophia Nuciforo and Vinay Verghis-Khan

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2

สวัสดี ทุกคน (Hello everyone!) Today’s blog post is from Raina and Emma!

Today was a travel day for us. Some of us started our day with a group sunrise watching, but most of us chose the option of sleep…lol…7:00am was a quick breakfast and baggage drop off. After, we said goodbye to Koh Samed and took our ferry back to the mainland. We had a group 3 hour car ride with some good tunes and conversation to keep us occupied. We got to the airport way in advance (and with no issues), so we had lots of time to eat and relax.

Our domestic flight took about 1 hour (although it felt like only 10 minutes!). We arrived in Chiang Mai and went straight to eat. Dinner was spectacular – and desert was even better!!
Tomorrow we head for a city tour and cooking class – so stay tuned 😉

– Raina and Emma

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 3

Hey there, it’s Nate and Aliena with the daily blog!

This was our first full day in Chang Mai!

We began the day bright and early with breakfast at the hotel and then headed to a cooking class!

When we arrived at the Asian Scenic Thai Cooking Class, we were split into 2 groups, and had the opportunity to learn how to make some of our favorite Thai dishes! Each of us had the chance to make their stir fry, curry, and soup of choice, as well as deep fried spring rolls. It’s safe to say that lunch was amazing, with us even being sent home with mini cookbooks so we can recreate our delicious meal at home!

After our homemade lunch, we hopped in our vans and took a wonderful tour of Wat Chiang Man, the first Buddhist temple to be constructed in the city of Chang Mai. The temple displayed different positions of the Buddha based on the day of the week you were born. After Wat Chiang Man, our amazing local staff navigated us through the tunnels of the Wat Umong temple!

All in all, our first full day in the northern city of Chiang Mai was amazing, and we can speak for the rest of the group when we say that we’re all excited to see what’s up next!

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 4

Hey GLA friends and fam!

Today we had an enlightening discussion with a monk about Buddhism. Afterwards, we headed to the mountain where we hiked to the peak and got coffee and tea. On the way down, we visited a Hmong village and saw the local shops. We saw a mountain temple, wat prathat doi suthep; where some of us were lucky enough to get blessed by a monk and see our future fortunes. Then together we all went to see the lookout of the city of Chiang Mai.

In the evening we walked to a night market where we got to go souvenir shopping and get local food. During dinner it started pouring elephants (lol). We navigated the market in the rain like true locals!!

Cece and Maddie

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 5

Hey GLA family’s, it’s Bella and Luciano once again!!

We started off our day going to the maharha public hospital at 9 am. We shadowed many different fields, including surgery, pediatrics, general medicine, orthopedics, ETC. After our first rotation and lunch, we received a presentation by a telemedicine nurse Film who started off her career in customer service. After the presentation, we finished off with our second rotation.

After the hospital we went to a mui tai class for about an hour and had so much fun. We then went back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the beautiful riverside dinner. After dinner, we presented our projects on our STGs we chose at the beginning of the program. After the amazing presentations performed by all the beautiful students, we ended our day with a chow circle.

Thank you for reading Much love Yours truly, Bella and Luciano

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 6

Hey friends and families of GLA!

It’s Cammy and Anaïs 🙂 After eating a nice vegan breakfast at the hotel, we ventured out of the beautiful Chiang Mai and into the province of Lampang. We went to the Lampang Hospital and we immersed ourselves in many different topics of medicine including OB GYN (where we had the chance to watch a C Section birth), Pediatrics, Surgery, and General Medicine.

After our morning shift, we ate a delicious curry lunch at a beautiful garden. Next, we had our second shift at the hospital where we had the opportunity to switch topics for the afternoon.

Following this academic immersion, we left to pursue a more artistic achievement: painting. We each got to personalize either a fan, a mini umbrella, or a tote bag. This was extremely fun and next we hopped back on the road to go to a Michelin Star restaurant. Here, we ate various traditional northern Thailand dishes and a scrumptious coconut ice cream dessert! We are now on our way to bed to rest up for another great day tomorrow! ‘Till next time!!!

– Anaïs and Cammy 🥳

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 7

สวัสดี ทุกคน (Hello everyone!)

It’s Atticus and Shio!

Today we woke up early to go to our third hospital in Chiang Mai: Rajavej Private Hospital. We were split up into small groups and visited five departments: ER/labs, radiology, hemodialysis, dental, and physical therapy. Each department was very informative and we all learned a lot! After the morning shift, we went to a boutique hotel for lunch, where we all either had delicious pad Thai or Khao soi. Then, we rotated to another department within the five groups with the second shift. Thanks to Wadd, one of our local staff members, we were able to visit a cafe inside the hospital and buy some ice cold drinks!

Following the hospital visit, we went to a medical clinic for Chiang Mai locals. One of their staff gave us an excellent presentation on everything about the function of the clinic and how it is useful for Chiang Mai.

Then, to everyone’s excitement, we were able to go to a local Chiang Mai market where there was a variety of unique goods. Some of us purchased dried fruits, while others got traditional clothing.

After the market, we all went straight to a delicious restaurant for dinner. On the menu, there was crab fried rice, grilled salmon and rice, khao soi, and many more options. The restaurant was very relaxing, as some of us were able to sit in fluffy pink and orange chairs!

Finally, once we returned to the hotel, we all received the opportunity to listen to a presentation by a family medicine resident. She provided us with very valuable information and may have persuaded some of us to pursue a family medicine career. She also told us about her medical school experience and gave us tips for future aspirations.

It is now time to head to our rooms and get a good nights sleep! See you soon!

– Atticus and Shio

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 8

สวัสดี (Hello!) Again!

Welcome to our official second-to-last day! This morning we set off bright and early for our final day of hospital rotations! After our morning shift, we set off to lunch, where we had a special presentation from our national director, Todd, who spoke about the differences between healthcare in the United States and in Thailand. After our yummy lunch, we returned to Mae On hospital for our final round of rotations, a bittersweet moment.

Following our rotations, we ventured off to “Art in Paradise Chiang Mai,” a super cool 3D art museum. After walking through the museum and taking photos, we ended our visit with some tasty drinks from the museum’s 2D cafe. We had some spare time before dinner, so our staff briskly took us on a trip to a nearby mall, which was super nice and fun! Our evening came to a close with a lovely dinner at a “spunky” restaurant, followed by final reflections with our International Director, Alexa. Our amazing mentors, Jose and Peggy, surprised the group by taking us on a thrilling night market to buy some last-minute goodies!

ขอบคุณ (Thank you!) for checking in today to hear about our final few adventures!

This is your final goodbye from Iselin and James 😎

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 9

Writing today’s blog is Guillaume and Kayla.

Today was an eventful day that started at 7:00am. It was an incredible day at the elephant sanctuary! We started off by giving the elephants some delicious watermelon, which they absolutely loved. It was amazing to see them munching away happily.

After that, we went on a hike with the elephants through the lush forest. Walking alongside these gentle giants was a truly unforgettable experience. Later in the day, we had the chance to bathe the elephants in the river. Splashing around with them and helping them cool off was so much fun, and it was clear they enjoyed it too.

To end the day we had a delicious meal on a boat where we celebrated several birthdays. Overall this was an amazing experience and everyone got along well.

Thank you GLA families.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Blog updates received late in the evening or overnight will be posted the following day.
4. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
5. 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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Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JUNE 23

สวัสดี ทุกคน (hello everyone!)

Welcome to our first update from Thailand! We’re delighted to share that all 19 students have safely arrived in Bangkok, eager to begin their adventure.

We were greeted with an amazing Thai lunch and dinner from our kind local staff members. Some students played games while most rested and settled down in homebase.

Over the next three weeks, students will rotate through various hospital departments, learning from skilled Thai doctors and nurses. Beyond the hospitals, we’ll immerse ourselves in the vibrant culture of Thailand. From exploring temples to wandering through colorful street markets, students will savor delicious Thai cuisine and discover unique local crafts.

Throughout the program, we’ll keep you updated with regular blog posts from our Student Leaders of the Day, sharing their adventures and insights.

Enjoy your summer knowing your children are in great hands, growing and exploring in the beautiful land of Thailand.

ขอบคุณค่ะ/ครับ (Thank you!)

Alexa, Clara, Gwang, Care, Meen, and Thongtong

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 24

สวัสดี ทุกคน (hello everyone!)

Greetings from day 1 of our Thailand health internship program!

We started our morning off with breakfast at the hotel and went to the intercontinental hotel for orientation led by Todd, our local program coordinator and Alexa, our international director. We discussed the hospital rotation schedule for the program, created questions to ask physicians for the shadowing visits, and tried traditional Thai snacks! Our favorite were the coconut rolls!

In the afternoon, we had a delicious 3 course lunch at the hotel, went on a city tour to see the where we took the BTS (Bangkok Transit System) to see the victory monument and got Thai iced tea at a local market. We returned to the hotel and completed our swim test.

We finished the night off with a yummy Thai dinner at homebase and nominated our first leaders of the day, Amelia and Vitoria (woohoo!) who will also write the blog tomorrow (stay tuned!)

We are excited for our first shadowing day at Thammasat University Hospital.

เจอกันพรุ่งนี้(See you tomorrow)
GLA Staff: Alexa, Clara

Local Thai Staff: Gwang, Care, Meen, & Thongtong

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 25

Hey Family and Friends it’s Amelia and Vitoria!

We woke up around 6:30am and had breakfast and left around 7:15am to get to the hospital before our 9 am morning shift. We were split into 5 groups at the Thammasat Hospital consisting of orthopedics, OB/GYN, anatomy, pharmacy, and opthamology. Each shift was 2 hours long before we came together as a group for lunch.

We practiced our Thai and thanked our doctors after each session.

After Lunch, we switched shadowing groups for the afternoon rotation. During OB/GYN we were able to watch a natural live birth, scrub into Cesarian-sections, and listen during appointments with pregnant women. During Anatomy, we had a hands-on anatomy lesson where we were able to see a human cadaver to explore the organs of a human body— some of us held a human brain, lungs, and intestine! During Orthopedics, we were able to listen in on doctor appointments and learn about various orthopedic conditions. During Ophthalmology, we were able to see different eye health checking devices and learn about the common issues found specifically in Thailand. In Pharmacy we were able to play games to figure out what was wrong with a prescription and a pharmacist gave us a presentation. These were all amazing, hands on, and an educational experience.

After we came back to Home Base to eat dinner and had amazing Pad Thai. After dinner, we participated in our second GLA internship curriculum activity. We assessed our strengths in order to have a conversation about who we are characterized as in a team setting and also as a leader. We explored what advantages we have with our strengths to become a more successful leader and team member. We love it here and Bangkok is so beautiful. The staff is amazing and the locals are so kind.

Love,

Vitoria and Amelia

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 26

Hey Family and Friends it’s Breylen and Ella!

Today we woke up to fried rice and coffee which gave us energy to visit Thamastat University Hospital. At the hospital the doctors kindly gave us a tour and a look into patient care at Thamastat and what it is like to be in its various fields.

Some of our favorite stations from today were learning in the anatomy department and the OB/GYN department. In the anatomy department we were given the opportunity to view a human cadaver, skeleton, and brain. The doctors allowed us to hold the different organs and pieces giving us a once in a lifetime experience. We found it fascinating how the different organs work together. In the OB/GYN department we were given the chance to witness a childbirth and a C – Section giving us helpful insight into the day in the life of an Obstetrician- we also got to see a molar pregnancy!

In the middle of the day we took a break for lunch giving us the perfect opportunity to taste traditional Thai cuisine at the hospital food court. We had basil pork and mushroom bun with milk tea which were yummy! Our internship curriculum today really helped us better understand cultural humility and the overlaps between the Thai and US healthcare systems and how complex they can be.

Goodbye! See you tomorrow!

-Breylen and Ella

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 27

Hey family and friends it’s Annabelle and Brynn!

Today we woke up and enjoyed a nice big breakfast at the hotel before we headed to a new hospital, Kasemrad Prachachuen Hospital. They welcomed us with a speech from the hospital director and we all took group photos with the workers and staff. Two groups split up and each group got to explore Chinese medicine, the emergency room, pediatrics, and out patient treatments. We got to see and experience what it was like to work in these different fields – the groups even got to ride in the ambulance!

Then, Sola, a medical student currently studying in the UK came to give a presentation called “Journey to Medicine: Advice and Tips.” We learned about life as a med student and advice on applying to universities. Chicken and rice was then delivered to the hospital which everyone devoured. The rest of the afternoon in Kasemrad was then spent learning about CPR and First Aid by the paramedics – by the end everyone got a certificate!

We thanked the director and staff for their hospitality and drove in the vans to Terminal 21 – a six story mall so we could all do a bit of shopping. Everyone thought the mall was very fun and interesting because each level has themes of different countries and jewelry, clothes, food, shoes, and vendors selling local artisan gifts. We spent money on dinner at the numerous restaurants and market vendors and concluded our busy day by returning to the hotel. Everyone enjoyed a nice chow circle on the rooftop with a nice view and have now headed off to bed.

Goodbye! See you tomorrow.

Love, Brynn and Annabelle

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 28

Hi family and friends it’s Oona and Eva!

We started off with breakfast at the hotel, and at 7:30 we left for Ekachai hospital, a private for profit hospital in Bangkok.

When we arrived we were greeted with a presentation describing the children’s and adults hospital. We then split into two groups. Each group toured ENT,Dental, ER, Chinese medicine, IPD. Students were shown diagrams and demonstrations of different procedures in each specialty and some even got to test their eyesight in ophthalmology.

Then we had lunch provided by the hospital. Before moving on, we took a quick trip to 7/11 where we tried our favorite junk food in traditional Thai flavors.

After lunch, we toured the pediatrics unit seeing examples of rooms and a slide that we got to go on and a pool that children are able to participate in. We also saw hemodialysis patients, and learned about the cardiovascular system.

Then we headed back to the conference room at the hospital and had a presentation from the director of the hospital, Dr. Ambaj where we learned about his experience through medical school and his experience in the field.

Then we had a long trip home because of traffic. Once we got there we had a pizza party and a presentation from the International leader, Alexa.

We are excited about our Bangkok city tour tomorrow!
Oona & Eva

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 29

Hey family and friends it’s Clara and Delaney!

Today we were able to sleep in a little bit before enjoying a hearty breakfast and then heading to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha followed by Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace. Our tour guide, Nicki, kindly showed us around and inside the beautiful temple where everyone was able to take many pictures!

We then headed to Savoey Restaurant for lunch where everyone indulged in various different meals and cooled off with refreshing drinks.

After lunch, we toured the incredible Wat Pho temple which housed many Buddhas, most notably the enormous reclining Buddha! Following Wat Pho, we walked around the general area visiting many different shops picking up things like food, drinks, clothes, and several souvenirs.

For dinner, we headed to Chinatown where everyone was able to walk around the local mall for a little before embarking out on to the streets of Chinatown. We all grabbed dinner and some other snacks to bring back to the hotel. We ended our exciting day with a fun game on the rooftop before heading to bed!

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow! 🙂

Clara & Delaney

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BLOG POST FOR JUNE 30

Hello friends and family, it’s Parker and Lilia!

Today, we got to experience life as a Bangkok local. We started off our morning with a breakfast of champions. We then made our way to Sathon Pier to feed fish while we waited for our boat taxi. We boarded the taxi, which brought us through the beautiful city of Bangkok. After a 10 minute walk, we found ourselves at Baan Som Tum (a Michelin rated restaurant). We feasted on a family-style lunch of papaya salad, mushroom soup, assortments of chicken, and sticky rice.

Afterwards, we washed it down with thai tea and lemon iced tea at a local shop. We then took the BTS (Bangkok Train System) to The Jim Thompson House museum. We learned about the life of Jim Thompson through a tour guide-led experience through his personal house. We learned so much about him just through his architectural preferences. The group later took a short walk to Central World Mall and had some free time to shop. We arrived back at the hotel to freshly washed laundry and newly made beds.

We are so excited for our next adventure tomorrow!

Parker and Lilia

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 1

Hey friends and family it’s Joseph and Heather!

We started off with breakfast at the hotel. Croissant and juicy orange juice this morning refreshed us to start the day. Today we went to the disabled boy’s home where played fun games. Then, we danced with the children at the center, and everyone was enjoying the moment. We felt unified and realized that everyone could be friends and have fun regardless of their age, race, and or physical condition. Then it was time to say goodbye and we ate a spicy lunch. After lunch, we walked a bit to the garden to help harvest for the home where we had a little competition to see which group could gather the most healthy plant. We felt so happy that we could contribute to the community. When we had done service, it was already time to go to hotel to have a nice chicken and rice dinner. Local Thai staff even surprised us with mango sticky rice to celebrate our last day in Bangkok! After dinner we rested a bit before heading up to the roof for chow circle to end the day in peace.

Thank you🙏

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 2

It’s Agastya & Meenu!

Today we were very pumped up for the trip to the beach We started the trip with a very long bus ride(almost 3 hours). Luckily we had a very fun stop at a large rest stop with Burger King!! Yes Burger King. After that we had another 15 minute ferry ride to koh samet beach where we got our rooms in the resort. After a shot rest/unpacking time we finally got to the pool and then to the beach and had lots of fun swimming. After a great dinner some of us went to a local mini mart and got some snacks and ice cream ending the day on a great note. After that we had a mentor group, where we got to know each other and it was pretty cool!

We are excited for snorkeling tomorrow!

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 3

Hi, it’s Grace and Campbell!

Some of us got up bright and early to see the sunrise on the beach! We then met up as a group to go on a boat to go snorkeling! We saw really cool fish, sea urchins, and Nemo! We went to two snorkeling spots. From noon to 1:00, students ate lunch, but many decided to go swimming after.

We returned to the hotel and rested before dinner. At 6:00, we ate dinner and watched a really cool fire performance!

We cannot wait for our day at the local hospital on the island!

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 4

Hey everyone!

It’s Lilia and Michelle!

Today we got to sleep in and relax by the beach until around 9:30! We then took a songthaew (truck taxi) to a local medical center – where they gave us a presentation. It was so interesting to learn how a small medical group can care for a whole island. After our visit, we walked to lunch, where we ate thai food by the beach. Afterwards, we returned back to the hotel for a beach/pool swim. The staff graciously surprised us with a movie night, featuring the Sandlot, and an all-American barbecue dinner. We then ended the night smores overlooking the beach. It was so fun celebrating the Fourth of July in Thailand!

We are excited to go to Chiang Mai tomorrow!

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 5

Hey family and friends, this is Annabelle and Oona!

Today was our last day at Koh Samet and on the beach. We started our morning off with a breakfast buffet and then headed towards the dock where we boarded our ferry to the mainland.

Immediately after arrival, we hopped onto our new form of transportation: a 2.5 hour bus ride to the Bangkok International Airport! We grabbed a quick lunch including some of our favorite American classics (McDonald’s, Subway, Burger King) and then boarded our plane to Chiang Mai.

At our arrival, we were greeted by our new Chiang Mai staff and beautiful jasmine leis. We took a quick stop at our new hotel and made offerings to the land spirits of the resort through the form of lighting incense sticks and laying flowers on the spirit house. We said goodbye to some of our beloved Bangkok staff and welcomed the new Chiang Mai staff into our GLA family.

Finally, we headed to Duke’s Diner where we had a delicious American-style dinner comprised on mac-n-cheese, roasted potatoes, tater-tots, caesar salad, ribs, and variety of scrumptious pizzas. After being stuffed to the brim, we headed back to our hotel where we relaxed and had a night swim.

We are looking forward to our future adventures in Chiang Mai!

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 6

Hi family and friends! It’s us – Brynn and Parker!

Today was a very packed and exciting day. We started off the day at our new resort in Chang Mai with a big healthy breakfast (all vegan)! We all met with Todd to talk about our new hospital rotations and learn more about the healthcare system differences between Thailand and the West. We then went into groups to make up our own world that defines our definition of “perfect healthcare.” We presented to everyone where “Radland” was the most desired world.

All of the students headed to a delicious lunch of pastas and burgers. We then went to see some new temples – Chiangmun and Wat Jaydeeluang— which were gorgeous! Wat, our local staff member taught us about the history of the first temple in Chiang Mai!

We finished the end of the day by going to a local market tour to learn about different spices, vegetables. We then took our knowledge to the kitchen where we were taught by wonderful local chefs in a cooking class. One group listened to Disney songs while cooking. The other group had a competition to see who was the best chef. We learned how to make Thai curries, pad Thai, pad see ew, soups, and spring rolls. Everyone’s stomach was full when they returned back to the hotel and now everyone is chilling by the pool or going to bed.

Goodnight!

Leaders of the day,
Parker and Brynn

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 7

Hi guys it’s Amelia and Breylen!

Today we had a super fun day exploring more of Chiang Mai! We visited Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, one of thailands most famous Buddhist temples. At the temple we experienced Buddhist culture and witnessed its incredible view. After, we traveled to a Hmong mountain village where we bought souvenirs, sweet treats, and enjoyed a traditional northern Thai curry for lunch. Later we met a Thai Buddhist who taught us the basics of Buddhism, achieving happiness and balance within one’s self. Finally we ended our day at Chiang Mai’s Sunday night market where we tasted delicious Thai street food for dinner and bought Thai trinkets.

Thanks!

Amelia and Breylen

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 9

Heyyy it’s Clara and Heather!

Today we had an early wake up call and enjoyed a breakfast of an orange muffin, watermelon, jam on toast and more! Afterwards we drove up to Lamphun hospital and began on our very interesting rotations. One group visited the pediatric unit where they had the privilege of seeing children of all ages receiving proper care from the doctors. Whereas another group watched a natural birth of a healthy baby girl in OB/GYN. Once we had finished our morning rotation, we had lunch at the Terracotta Garden in Lamphun City.

Following our delicious lunch that consisted of pad thai and various different drinks, we headed back to the hospital to complete our second rotation. We split into different departments such as OB/GYN, or surgery, where students watched a live colonoscopy and then a biopsy by an endoscopy. After leaving the hospital we headed over to a 3D museum called Art in Paradise. We all took many pictures posing next to the different illusions painted on and around the walls and then headed to the cafe to grab a bite and some drinks. Following the museum, we all headed over to a restaurant called Its Good Kitchen where we indulged in a variety of Northern Thai food. After dinner, we finished off the day by walking to grab some ice cream and picked up a few snacks from 711.

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow!!!

– Clara and Heather

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 10

Hello friends and families!! It’s your leaders of the day, Grace & Delaney!

Today we woke up pumped for our third day shadowing at the hospital. We stared our morning off with a vegan buffet breakfast and heading off to a new hospital, Rahavej Hospital (all before 9 a.m). We split into our assigned groups and explored different departments such as the ER, the lab, physical therapy, etc. At 11, we all regrouped and headed to Arubtara Hotel for some authentic thai food (and some onion rings) and enjoyed our 2 hour rest before our short drive back to the hospital for our afternoon session. At 3:30, we had the chance to get to explore another Thai medical center, Baan Nong Noi health center. Here, we learned about the dengue fever and more about the daily life working here in Thailand. After our rewarding dinner at Boon Rod restaurant, we came back to our hotel to listen to a presentation by Angie Pakanan who works for Family Medicine here in Chiang Mai. We ended our night with chow circle and free time!

เจอกันพรุ่งนี้ (See you tomorrow!)

PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM

TIME CAPSULE LETTER

Written by Kasia & the Thailand Team

Dear Ana, Elijah, Evy, Priya, Gaia, Neve, Felicia, Leo, Royce, Eddie, Lauren and Milly,

We hope this letter finds you in good spirits. As we sit down to write to you, it’s hard to believe that our incredible 14-day journey together in Thailand 🇹🇭 has come to an end. It feels like just yesterday we were embarking on this adventure, and now we find ourselves reflecting on the wonderful experiences and cherished memories we created together. ✨🌈❤️

From the moment you arrived, it was clear that we had a special group of individuals. Our Sunday market excursion was a fantastic start, immersing us in the local culture and setting the tone for the rest of our time together. The 3-hour cooking class was a highlight, where we not only learned to cook delicious Thai dishes but also bonded over our shared culinary creations.

The time spent at the elephant 🐘 camp was nothing short of magical. Whether we were learning about these majestic creatures or sliding down the waterfall together, each experience brought us closer and added a new layer to our adventure. The unique activity of ripping through elephant poop was both challenging and humorous, reminding us of the importance of embracing every aspect of our journey with an open heart and a sense of humor.

We will always remember the excitement of seeing Ricky’s playful antics (who indeed was very naughty), your evenings spent watching “Love Island” or playing intense uno games, and the engaging debate and leadership activities that sparked insightful conversations among us. The 36 questions exercise was particularly meaningful, fostering deeper connections and understanding among us all.🥰

Teaching in schools and preparing lessons allowed us to make a tangible impact on the local community, and it was incredibly rewarding to see the students’ enthusiasm and growth. The fruit party was a delightful celebration of our shared experiences, and the Muay Thai 🥊 session provided both a physical challenge and a chance to appreciate Thai culture in a new way. Also, remember your Dara Academy buddies, chairball competition and our cultural exchange dance were unforgettable: WAVIN’ FLAG! 🇹🇭 🇺🇸 🇨🇦

Our visit to Doi Pui and Doi Suthep offered breathtaking views and a deeper connection to the rich history and spirituality of Thailand. Chatting with a monk was a highlight, providing us with wisdom and perspective that we will carry with us long after this trip.🧘🏽‍♂️

As we look back on our final moments together, the last river cruise stands out as a perfect conclusion to our journey. It was a peaceful and reflective experience, allowing us to savor the culmination of our time together and the many memories we had created.💖

One of the most memorable aspects of our time together was hearing your “I fear” statements. They were both funny and thought-provoking, and we even found ourselves using them in our own conversations. We hope that through this experience, you’ve faced those fears and emerged stronger, ready to take on the world with confidence and authenticity.

You are each incredibly special and valuable, and the impact you made during our time together is something we will always cherish. As you return to school and continue your education, remember the lessons you’ve learned and the memories we’ve shared. You have the power to make a difference and to be true to yourself in all that you do!

Remember our ONE MEANINGFUL GOAL that we established as a group on Friday, August 2 at 7:19 pm: Keep in touch with everyone for the next 12 months (at least). In order to achieve this goal you said that you will stop letting yourself be distracted by other things in life. You will continue texting in the group chat and putting in the effort to call/ catch up with each other. Update each other on important things in your life. We hope you are staying true to your goal!

Keep being the remarkable individuals that you are. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors and look forward to hearing about the great things you’ll achieve.🫶

With heartfelt appreciation and warm regards,
Kasia – International Director
Zak – Mentor

P.S. We remember your most frequently used emojis from Day 1: Priya 😍, Evy 🤨, Milly 😛, Eddie 😭, Elijah ☺️, Leora 😍, Felicia 😭, Gaia 😭, Royce 💀, Lauren 🤗, Ana 🙄 and Neve 🥰.

Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!

Here are a few things to know and expect:

1. 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.
2. We typically receive 2-3 blog posts 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.
3. Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
4. 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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Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

BLOG POST FOR JULY 22

สวัสดี! ยินดีต้อนรับสู่เชียงใหม่! (Hello! Welcome to Chiang Mai!) 🇹🇭

Our arrival in Chiang Mai was filled with excitement and warmth. The staff (Kasia, Zak, Fai, Keds and Meen) greeted and welcomed the students at the airport with traditional flower necklaces called phuang malai kala kala. We then traveled to our beautiful hotel, which was adorned with golden elephant statues. After settling in, we enjoyed a delicious lunch featuring green curry, stir-fried mixed veggies, spring rolls, rice, and dragon fruit. It was our first taste of Thai food, and most people enjoyed it!

In the afternoon, we visited the Firefly Factory Cafe, a fun coffee shop with immersive digital art displays. The colorful and interactive artwork added a unique touch to our coffee/tea break, where we enjoyed coffee/tea and slices of cake. The cafe was a great place to relax and chat before heading back to the hotel for a rest. Dinner that evening was another tasty Thai meal, and we were excited to pick up our last student from the airport, completing our group.❤️

We ended the day with a group picture and a name game to start learning each other’s names. The excitement for the upcoming adventures was clear, and we were happy to have everyone together. Tomorrow, we’ll kick off with our orientation, and from then on, the students will be sharing their experiences through this blog. Stay tuned for more from our trip in Chiang Mai!

With love🥰,
Kasia & Zak

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 23

วันผจญภัยครั้งแรกของเรา! (Our first adventure day!)

During the morning, we had a rich breakfast with many different options. Some students slept in but eventually everyone got to enjoy the selection of high quality rice, watermelon, freshly baked bread, the famous Pad Thai, sausage and a delectable soup.

We had orientation to go over the program and get to know each other better. We learned some Thai in order to help converse with the locals and the yes’s and no’s for cultural etiquette.

After orientation we visited an award winning restaurant with the best food imaginable, with unique drinks and mouth-watering food. After eating, we took pictures and then left to visit the famous ancient temples that even the royals use. We prayed to Buddha, took photos, learned about the religion, admired the scenery, and visited three different temples.

Later, we had a rest at a café where we socialized and enjoyed refreshing drinks. Then, we proceeded to our cooking class. First, we visited the markets to choose the herbs and ingredients, and then individually cooked our delicious meals. We each had our own options to choose from for three different courses and were guided step by step through the recipe by Sue, an excellent chef. Some people touched their face with chili on their hands and faced the dire consequences of pain and sorrow while they desperately and dramatically experienced a burning misery (this is an extreme exaggeration, everyone is ok.) 😛

Finally, we drove back to home base and got some rest. Tomorrow we will see elephants for the first time! Good night! ราตรีสวัสดิ์

Sincerely,

Milly😛 & Elijah☺️

BLOG POST FOR JULY 24

บทนำเกี่ยวกับช้าง (Intro to elephants)

Sawadeeka!

We started off the morning with an amazing breakfast consisting of eggs, sausage, ham, fried noodles, stir fried chicken with roasted chili paste, rice, and an assortment of fruit. We then drove around an hour to the world’s first ever elephant hospital where we learned about their mission, treatments, and facts such as they have treated over 6,000 cases both impatiens and outpatient!

Next we headed over to the elephant conservation center where we had the amazing opportunity to feed some of the elephants (corn, grass bundles, sugar cane, bananas).

For lunch, we went to a restaurant right inside the conservation center. The food consisted of an assortment of Thai noodles.

Shortly after, we headed over to an organization called “elephant parade” whose mission is to create more funding for the asian elephants in need specifically around Thailand. They way they do this is by hand painting and selling elephant ceramic pieces and putting displays around Thailand of their most special pieces to raise awareness. We were able to paint our own elephants and all of the kids are excited to show you guys their own versions!

We ended the day with going to the store, eating dinner at the hotel, a fun icebreaker, and two activities (“Live your values” and “social sync leadership activity”).

We are so excited to head over to the elephant sanctuary/camp tomorrow to start our service!

Farewell from Thailand,

Priya and Ana

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 25

สวัสดีช้าง (sawadee chang)- Hello Elephants! 🐘

Hello from the elephant camp,

To start our journey, we woke up for a delicious but early breakfast before hopping on the bus to Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. On the bus we enjoyed karaoke, games, and long naps as we drove through the mountains.

Arriving at camp, we settled in to our non air conditioned rooms and played some ice breakers like detective and poison dart frog. Then we hopped back on the busses for a short drive to Elephant Camp 1, where we would enjoy lunch.

After lunch, we learned the differences between Asian and African elephants such as their ear sizes and amount of toes. Next we enjoyed feeding the elephants watermelon and accompanied them to take their baths.

Soon after, we got into groups and collected information on the elephants names, typical food, and body measurements. Then we created posters to share this information with the other groups.

Thankfully, after leaving the camp, we stopped at a coffee shop where we got delicious drinks to recover from our day. After reenergizing, we headed back to our accommodations for dinner and a fun activity where we learned more about each other.

Overall we had a great day and are so excited to be at the elephant camp and for our work tomorrow.

Sincerely,
Evy and Royce

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 26

ทำงานหนัก! (Working hard!)

Sawadee-ka!

This morning we slept in and we ate eggs with tomatoes and onions, toast with jelly and sausage for breakfast. After breakfast we took a ride to the grass planting fields in the bed of a truck. At the fields we got into groups of 3 and plowed, planted and covered Napier grass for the elephants. It was raining and there were thousands of dragonflies, no one could tell the rain from their sweat. We spent two hours planting the grass with the help of the local staff who were super cheerful and made the time fly by.

We then came back to the home base for lunch where we ate Pad Thai, watermelon and fried chicken pockets. After lunch we drove up to the base of a waterfall where we had a steep uphill walk, played music and had fun. At the waterfall, we took a swim test to make sure we all could swim and then we swam around and went down a rock slide. There were also elephants bathing in the lower part of the river and the caretakers were throwing the poop down the river. We spent a few hours there splashing around and sunbathing on a rock before coming back to home base.

We had an hour to rest and then we played blind karaoke where we tested our musical knowledge and then did an activity called 36 questions to get to know each other better. At dinner we had chicken, curry, and tempura vegetables and talked. After dinner we played an identity game and took the night to rest for the next day!

Tomorrow we will be working with elephants! Stay tuned!

Love,
Leo and Lauren

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 27

เดิน ให้อาหาร และอาบน้ำช้าง! (Walking, feeding and bathing elephants!)

Today was filled with elephants, laughs, and lots of mud. We started it off with a lovely breakfast at 8 am. This consisted of bread, boiled rice, boiled egg, and fruit. Afterwards , we went up to our rooms to get ready for elephant camp.

At 9am we departed to go see the elephants. When we arrived at the camp we met and fed six elephants ( boon-ca, nun-jing, Mae boon Sri, Boon-si, Si-Cau, and cam pon) bananas and watermelon. the elephants loved their deserts and warmed up to us quickly, which helped when we went to hang out with them after.

Then, at 11 am, we took the elephants for a walk and made nutrient balls for them on the trail. These balls consisted of banana, salt, Napier grass, tamarin, rice, and probiotics. We mushed all these ingredients together in a wooden bowel and rolled it up into balls to give to the elephants.

Following the nutrient balls, we returned back to the camp for lunch at 12. This lunch consisted of garlic rice, chicken, cucumbers, and fruit. The chicken and rice were absolutely delicious after the tiring work we did that morning.

After lunch, we took the elephants to a watering hole, where we bathed them using buckets. We splashed around and had fun in the water, soaking both the elephants and ourselves. Then, we walked back to camp where we gave the elephants a mud bath, covering their backs to protect them from the sun and other things.

After the mud bath we washed off as a group in outdoor showers and departed the camp, returning to our home base. At the base we were able to rest for about 3 hours before meeting our staff, Kasia and Zak for an elephant debate. During this debate, we were broken up into pairs and each one was fighting for a certain organization or group. We debated how elephants should be treated and what the regulations surrounding elephants should be.

After the heated and passionate debate, we sat for a dinner (6pm) of spaghetti, spring rolls, and fruit. After dinner we all met up again for a mentor group at 6:45. In the mentor group we discussed our rose, thorn, and buds of this trip. We were also given our roommate assignments for when we return to the first home base tomorrow.

We were then left to have our own free time until lights out at 10pm. Some people played cards for this time, while others sat down to bond over a man episode of love island. 🏝️

This was an amazing day!

Love,

Gaia and Neve

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 28

บอกลาช้างและชอปปิ้งที่ตลาดกลางคืน! (Saying bye to the elephants and shopping at the night market!)

Today we woke up at elephant camp and ate a great breakfast. We collected our packed bags into the baggage vehicles and boarded the trucks. We stopped at Elephant Camp 6 and Ab gave us the rundown for our last partial day with the elephants. He explained how thankful he was and how unique our experience was.

After this, we got to pet, feed and take pictures with the elephants. We got to meet the special elephant, Ricky. Ricky is the youngest elephant (only 8 months old!) in the camp, and he’s known to be very naughty. He got under the wood structure holding the elephants and ran to the bucket filled with watermelon. Everyone gathered around him to take pictures. We could only pet him for one to two seconds to make sure he doesn’t get violent or try to play with us.

Next, we got to walk around while the elephants fed on grass. Ricky was running around whenever he didn’t get food and he was definitely the main attraction of the day :p. When we came back from petting the elephants, we sat down at the tables. Then the staff came in happily singing the birthday song for Ana. (PS HAPPY BDAY ANA ✨ HAPPY EIGHTEENTH- ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti linda!🥳🎂🎈🎉)

Next, we sadly had to say goodbye to the local staff and drive off with the trucks. We stopped at a café and got drinks. Once we all got our drinks, we hopped into our trucks and drove to the hotel. We got in our new rooms with new roommates (for the girls) and unpacked. Once we walked downstairs, we got to draw and design our room number papers with our names, and some groups added stars, flowers and even elephants on their signs. Once everyone came down, everyone completed the pulse check #2. After we all filled out our pulse checks, we started our activity, which was speed dating. We each got 1 minute to talk to the person who sat in front of you and switched to a new person after the minute was up.

After this activity was done, we all gathered in the front of the hotel and got ready to go to our favourite nearby store, 7/11. Once we got there, we bought snacks, makeup, utilities and even toys. Once we were done purchasing tons and tons of stuff (over exaggerated, don’t worry parents, your children are responsible with their money ✨), we walked back and got 2-ish hours in our rooms to unpack, relax and get ready for the upcoming night market trip.

After we were done with this, we gathered downstairs, everyone was ready and dressed up for the night market. Kasia set some ground rules for the night market, and we used the trucks to drive to the bustling Chiang Mai Walking Street. There were posts and stands set on both sides of the streets and street performers around. The food market was filled with people, and the food varied from Pad Thai to chicken feet to lychee shakes :).

Everyone went on shopping sprees and got hauls of clothing, trinkets, gifts and so much more. We all gathered at 8:00 in the meeting spot and waited for the vans to pick us up. We had an embarrassing moment where we waved to the wrong van overexcitedly but we don’t talk about that….once we got in our vans, we drove back to the hotel. Tomorrow is our first day to learn about education, and we are all excited to see what the day has in stock for us! 😀

Love,

Felicia and Eddie

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 29

ปฐมนิเทศและการเตรียมตัวสอน (Teaching orientation and preparation)

Sawadee ka!

Today was an amazing day filled with some laid back activities before we begin teaching tomorrow!

We started the day with breakfast and teaching orientation with Todd! Throughout the orientation, Todd introduced us to new Thai snacks while also giving us a whole rundown on what teaching will be like and how we should prepare.

Shortly after, we left for a buffet lunch at the Grand View Hotel that had countless options to choose from! Everyone liked the vanilla ice cream. 🍨

We then headed to a nearby swimming pool where we spent time swimming and laying back for some down time. The swimming pool was located on a rooftop of one of the oldest hotels in Chiang Mai!

After the swimming pool we headed back to home base to change and hangout before we spent an hour in our groups getting our lesson plans ready for the students tomorrow!

We finished off the day with dinner, a fun icebreaker, and 36 questions to get to know each other better! We are so excited to start teaching tomorrow and can’t wait to share with you all of our memories!

Farewell from Thailand! 🇹🇭

Priya and Milly

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 30

วันแรกของการสอน (first day of teaching)

Sawadee ka!! Today marked our first day of teaching. We started our day off bright and early for breakfast at 6. We were all jittery with nerves but also very excited to meet the cute kids. We finalized our lesson plans and around 7 we hopped on the bus and headed to Wa Maeng school.

When we reached the school, we were greeted with lots of waves and stares from all the kids as they did their morning routine. The kids recited words, sang, and raised flags all while sneaking glances at us watching in the corner. Then the principal gave us a small tour of some of the classes and left us to set up in our first class.

We taught the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders about jobs, animals, and food which ended up being very difficult due to the fact that the kids know very little English. To solve the language barrier, we made sure to use extravagant hand signs and speak extremely slow. In the end, we each felt at least partially confident in their learning.

Before heading back to the hotel, we had a delicious lunch of pad thai in the school. At the hotel we rested and showered for about 3 hours and then met downstairs for a 7/11 run. After refilling on snacks and drinks, we planned our next lesson for the day and headed to the busses again to go to dinner. Our leaders surprised us with a delicious pizza dinner. Italian food was very refreshing after eating thai food every day for every meal 🙂

After dinner, we played an ice breaker, had our mentor group, talked about our dance for the cultural festival exchange, and chilled before heading to bed to get a good nights sleep before our second day of teaching tomorrow.

With love,

Evy and Elijah

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BLOG POST FOR JULY 31

วันสุดท้ายของเดือนกรกฎาคม และวันที่สองของการสอน! ( Last day of July and second day of teaching!)

Hello from Thailand! We started off the morning with breakfast that was prepared by the local hotel staff, which contained protein, vegetables, and some local fruit. It had everything that our bodies needed to have a healthy start to our morning. Then, our mentors gave a couple of minutes to let us prepare everything that we would need for the market and teaching.

After gathering the supplies, we began the bus ride to one of Chiang Mai’s local schools. This was our second day of teaching English to the local students, so the majority of our lessons consisted of reviewing our previous lesson and adding more content to the lesson. After a couple of hours of teaching, we had lunch at the school, which was rice, curry and chicken wings.

After teaching, we began to make the drive to our next activity: the fruit market. The market we went to was one of the biggest markets in Thailand. At the fruit market, we got to taste some of Thailand’s well-known local snacks and got a tour of the market by the local staff. We got some time to experience the market ourselves by exploring the options available of fruits, vegetables, candy, trinkets and even clothing.

We then went to a Thai “Walmart” (Lotus) that is located here in Chiang Mai, Thailand and after visiting it we went back to the hotel. Then we had an hour of rest before our fruit party. The fruit party had many different fruits for us to try some of those being rambutan, mango, pomelo, persimmon, custard apple and an other variety of fruit.

After our fruit party, we had our third pulse check and were give an hour of lesson planning. So everyone could be prepare for tomorrow teaching. Then we had dinner.

Finally to completely our day the we had mentor group which consisted of preparing a dance that we would have to perform at the culture exchange. And in the end we were dismissed to our rooms to rest from our fun filled day here in Thailand. Tomorrow we will be trying Muay Thai right after teaching! 🥊

Good night!

Warm wishes,
Ana and Royce

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 1

การสอนและมวยไทย! (Teaching and Muay Thai!🥊)

Hello!! Today we had an early start at 7:15 AM to eat breakfast and get ready for our last full day of teaching. We arrived at the school and started with our first class of the day and began teaching english to the students. We played games like catch the bacon or slapper to engage the students with the subject they were learning. The language barrier makes it difficult however it makes it even more rewarding.
We taught two more classes and ended with a delicious lunch at the school.

We then left to our Muay Thai class where we learned the different positions and types of punches and kicks. We trained with Muay Thai professionals and had an intense workout.

We then came back to the hotel to rest for an hour. After, we took our last trip to 7/11 to get some snacks and ice cream! When we came back to the hotel, we prepped for our last day of teaching and practicing our dance for the cultural exchange tomorrow.

We finished off with a yummy dinner at the hotel and an activity where we gave each other music recommendations based on each other’s personalities and inside jokes. Today was an amazing day and we are so excited for tomorrow!!!

Love,

Leo and Gaia

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 2

สอนแลกเปลี่ยนวัฒนธรรมวันสุดท้าย! (Last day of teaching and the cultural exchange! )

Today we woke up in our hotel and ate a wonderful breakfast, including longan, noodles, rice and some other fruits and foods. We got in our clothes for school, and packed our clothes for our later dances. We then boarded the vans and drove to the school, where we were warmly welcomed by the students and the principal. We had five minutes until the first class started, so everyone started getting ready and set up the classrooms. Since it was the last day of teaching, we got to hand out candy, erasers and adorable little prizes to the kids, which they enjoyed very much.

After our hour of classes, we walked downstairs to be greeted by grades 1-6, ready for the show. The first performers were from another school, and they presented their Muay-Thai-based dance. We were all star struck at how coordinated and fast they were. The next performance were girls who danced a traditional Thai dance in dresses. We then presented our “Wave Your Flag” dance in front of the children.

After we took pictures with the group, the school presented us with some games, which we participated in. We then got to explore a few stands of hand-made crafts made by students. There were lanterns, bracelets, cup holders, keychains, some made out of wool, some were carved metal. We got to make some of these ourselves and got to buy the pre-made ones. The students were very thankful, and some teachers got gifts from some students for free.

After this, we had some rice, chicken and curry for lunch at the school. We then boarded the vans while waving goodbye to the students. We drove to Dara Academy, a more advanced and bigger school. We were partnered up with a high school student and led to the museum for a tour. We got a tour about the history and the king and queen who founded Dara Academy. We then made some flags that looked like jellyfish🪼. Grandma and Baby Jellyfish for the win 🏆.

Afterwards, we walked to the gym. We got presented with a dance from the dance team of Dara Academy. It was paired with a mashup of multiple English songs and such a good dance just speechless. Then we had to do our “Wave Your Flag” dance again. (W Eddie for his solo ✨)

After this, seven people played Chairball, which is basically basketball but with someone carrying an actual laundry-type basket while standing on a chair and moving the basket around to catch the incoming ball. Priya was the hype of the team bfr 🎉🎉🎉. We won because of Priya’s energy, Royce’s defence, Leo’s catches, Neve and Millie’s commentating, Eddie and Elijah’s passes, Lauren’s shots and the other’s yelling and cheering 📣.

Next, we sadly had to leave, but the students at Dara took so many pictures with all of us and got our contacts. We then boarded the vans and drove to the hotel. We had a few hours to relax when we got there. Then we had a dinner, which was going to be sadly our last dinner at the hotel 🥲. We had fries, fruits, rice, chicken, etc. After dinner, the people who wanted to go to 7/11 went to 7/11 from 6 – 6:30.

At 6:30, everyone met downstairs to do an icebreaker and reflection activity (SMART goals Part 2). Our icebreaker was rock-paper-scissors tournament (Shoutout to Leo for being ultimate rock-paper-scissors champion :D) and then we got to our reflection activity. We reflected on our experience, how much we changed. We got the letters we wrote on the first day of elephant camp (two weeks ago!! :p) and we reflected on that. We also set some personal and group (OMG) goals for the next 12 months. When we were done, it was free time. See you tomorrow, stay positive and party 🎉. Oh and stay tuned for mountains and monks 🤫.

With Love,

Felicia and Neve

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BLOG POST FOR AUGUST 3

อำลาประเทศไทย! (Farewell! Goodbye Thailand 🇹🇭)

This is our final full day in Chiang Mai! This morning we woke up bright and early and ate rice, chicken, and fruits for breakfast. We then all got into the buses and drove to the royal temple and looked around. After that we had the opportunity to talk to a monk and he taught us about Buddhism and meditation. It was very interesting and we learned so much.

After that we drove up to the mountain and went to another temple where we were blessed by a monk. There was a 5 minute uphill hike to get to the temple. After that we walked down to the bottom and drove to a monk village in the mountains and ate lunch.

After lunch we walked to a coffee shop with a beautiful view of the mountains and small village. On the way down we did some shopping in the local stands.

We then drove back to the hotel and got ready for the final dinner which is a cruise on the river. We all met in the lobby and shared our favorite memory from the trip before getting back on the buses and going to the cruise. We got on the boat and ate French fries, Caesar salad, and fried shrimp.

Soon after we all got drinks and ate dinner. We spent the rest of the boat ride taking pictures and spending time with each other. We then drove back to the hotel and did the GLA tradition of appreciation circle and shared lots of bittersweet tears. Good night for the final time from Chiang Mai, 2024!

By Lauren & Eddie