PROGRAM PHOTO ALBUM
Thanks for the checking out the blog for this Global Leadership Adventures program!
Here are a few things to know and expect:
- Blog posts are written by onsite program staff and/or students and sent to our Headquarters team who will post the blog on this page.
- We typically receive 2-3 blog 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.
- Blog updates received on weekends may not be posted until Monday.
- Due to many factors such as internet accessibility, program staff aren’t always able to send photos, so some blog posts may contain text only.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we hope you enjoy following along on these unforgettable adventures.
For frequently asked questions about the blogs, please visit our Program Blog FAQ page.
-The Global Leadership Adventures HQ Team
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BLOG POST FOR JULY 16
Sawasdee from Thailand!
We are super excited to meet our final batch of students this summer. Even though we miss Liz.
Once we picked everyone up at the airport, we went ahead and ate some chicken rice at a Thai shop owned by our local director. Everyone then came back to the home base, swam in the hotel pool and rested well for the remaining afternoon. We all loved playing some get to know you games and name games led by our international staff, followed by a delicious dinner and free time before we hit the bed.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 17
Hi I’m Maddie the leader of the day. Today was a fun day filled with lots of amazing activities. We got up for breakfast around 8:00 before getting ready for a meeting. We went over all the rules for the program and played some really fun group games! After we headed to check out some temples. This was an amazing opportunity. They were so beautiful and we learned a lot about the culture and religion in Thailand! There was some amazing artwork and they told stories of Buddha and how he grew up. We also learned how to show respect to the monks. After we went to a super cute cafe to grab some drinks. We then ended our day with a cooking class. We got to make our own dinner which consisted of a bunch of delicious Thai food. We make pad tai and spring rolls to name a few. We ate so much and by the end we were all so full. We all had a blast and can’t wait for another fun filled day!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 18
Hi, my name is Elle and i’m the leader of the day. We started off our day with a 7:30 breakfast. After that, we had a teaching orientation with Todd, who taught us what to expect and what to do when teaching the classes with the Thai kids later on down the road. During our lesson we tried a variety of Thai snacks. One of which was a durian candy and I think everyone agreed durian is not very appetizing and does not have an appeasing smell. We then headed on over to two different elephant conservation centers where we first learned about elephants with disabilities and how they can have prosthetics. In between both places we ate lunch, which was chicken and rice.
After lunch, we fed more elephants a variety of foods and took pictures with the elephants. On the way back we stopped at the Elephant Parade which is a foundation and place that raises money for elephants in need by painting all different types of pottery elephants. Once learning and touring the place all of us got to paint our own one and keep our own. Everyone put their best effort in and they all turned out really well. We had extra time when we got back so everyone went out for a 7-eleven run, where mostly everyone got Thai snacks that were interesting to say the least. Maddie, Marika, and I even made Emily eat a weird jelly cup that was not very appetizing. Then we had dinner which again was chicken and rice. Finally we discussed our plans for the next few days and went to bed.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 19
Hey everyone! My name is Marika and I’m the leader of the day. Today we woke up a little earlier to pack for the elephant camp before breakfast at 7:15. We somehow managed to fit our clothes for 4 days into our backpacks and left the clothes we didn’t need at the home base. We then headed out in our vans to the elephant sanctuary which is an hour drive. We obviously stopped along the way at the 7 eleven where we bought snacks. There were also other little shops where Maddie and I bought cute tote bags and elephant pants. We love them! We got some boba for the car ride which was delicious. When we got to the new home base in the jungle we played some leadership games and settled in. We then drove 10 minutes to the elephant sanctuary where we learned general information about elephants and did physical examinations. We stopped at another coffee shop on the way back to the home base. At the home base we worked on our lesson plans for teaching and relaxed before ending the day in mentor groups. It was a very fun day and can’t wait for tomorrow!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 20
I’m Liz, the leader of the day. Today began with a leisurely breakfast at 8 o’clock, allowing us to sleep in a bit. We had some downtime afterward, filled with lively hand clapping games, while waiting for the trucks. Once loaded, we headed to a local coffee shop where we swapped travel tales. After enjoying our drinks, we moved on to the fields to plant grass for the elephants, working diligently to plant nearly 10 rows. After that, we returned to the hotel for a quick lunch.
In the afternoon, we geared up for the waterfalls, where some slid down nature’s own slide, others swam and swung on the swing, and we all delighted in watching the elephants frolic in the water. On our way back to the trucks, we indulged in some ice cream. Back at the hotel, free time included showers and a workout session led by our mentors, followed by an early dinner.
Post-dinner, we gathered in the meeting room for a leadership activity called SMART goals, where we set and share personal objectives. Despite the day’s length, our energy persisted as we engaged in games like Uno, BS, and a lively game of man hunt before finally retiring for a good night’s rest, eagerly anticipating tomorrow’s adventures.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 21
Hi! My name is Kennedy, and I am the leader of the day. Today, we had breakfast before heading out to spend the day with the elephants. On the way, we stopped at a local coffee shop to help everyone wake up more. When we arrived at the elephant camp, we waited for the elephants to return from their morning walk, and when they came back, we fed them some of their favorite treats: watermelon and banana. We then hung out with the elephants while they ate more food, and we got close up to pet them, which was really cool. After spending time with them, we went hiking with the elephants, which was part of their daily routine. We stopped during the hike to make the elephants their daily vitamins consisting of rice, banana, grass, tamarin, and probiotics. After giving them their vitamins, we wrapped up the hike and had this fantastic pad thai for lunch.
After lunch, we bathed the elephants and got fully in the water with them while splashing them and each other with water for bath time. After their bath, we went up to the mud pit, where we threw mud on the elephants and at each other. It ended up in a full-on mud war. The mud is good for the elephants as it acts as a natural sunscreen and insect repellent, but for us, it was just for fun. We then went to a nearby waterfall to wash off; the views were amazing. We all hung out, and when it was time to go, we headed back to the camp and got in the vans to return to home base. We relaxed for a while until dinner, which was spaghetti. After dinner, our lovely staff brought us to get ice cream because we are just that amazing. After ice cream we played rose, thorn, and bud to recap our day and ended with a fun game of would you rather. Today was a great day and we can’t wait for more fun ahead!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 22
Hi! I’m Chloe, the leader of the day for today. Today we woke up for breakfast at 8:30, all packed and ready to leave for Chotana! Today is unfortunately our last day at the elephant sanctuary, but that means we get to start teaching. We started the day stopping for coffee on the way to elephant camp number 6 where we fed and spent time with some elephants. We got to see the cutest 7 months old elephant which was the youngest so far!
After that we headed back on the road stopping at 7/11 for some snacks on the way to Chotana. When we got to Chotana we were all exhausted from the past couple of days so we had free time for a couple of hours. After that we all met up to work on teaching prep and our cultural exchange dance. We finished off the day with dinner and a little trip to a pizza place before heading to bed for the night. Today was so fun, super excited to start teaching tomorrow!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 23
Hi It’s Nina your leader of the day! Today we started the day off with breakfast at 8:15 am and after that we all got ready for the first day of teaching and headed out at 9 am. We were put into groups to teach each class. The first classes were at 9:30-10:30 and the second class of the day was 10:30-11:30. The children were super engaged in all the content that we had taught. My partner Maddie and I both had so much fun teaching 5th and 3rd grade today, their energy was super high but they learned a lot about jobs in english and we can’t wait to teach different students and grades tomorrow!
After everyone finished teaching we had lunch at the school then departed back to our home base. We spent a few minutes at the home base before we changed and got ready to leave to go to one Nimman street. We walked around and picked up sweet treats and souvenirs. Then we walked across to the mall and spent an hour shopping! Everyone got super nice dresses and outfits. We headed back to our home base where we spent some alone time as-well as swimming, working out, and playing games before dinner! We then had dinner around 6:30pm and after that we did a quick run to a pizza place and 7 eleven for some pizza and more sweet treats!
After that we came back and started the debate on future elephants in Thailand. Everyone disagreed on some points but in the end came up with a good compromise for the safety of the future elephants here in Thailand. After we finished the debate some people headed back to 7 eleven for ice cream to end the night. We had so much fun today and can’t wait for tomorrow!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 24
Hi! I’m Ronny, the leader of the day. Today we started early with breakfast at 7 am and left to go to the school at 7:45. We watched the students perform a ceremony and then began teaching. My partner Liz and I taught 3rd and 5th grade. They were definitely a handful, but we had so much fun teaching them! Each group taught 2 classes and had one break from 8:30 to 11:30. After we were done teaching we had lunch, which was pad Thai! Everyone loved it.
After lunch, we went to a local market. Many of us got fruit smoothies there that were so refreshing. We did some shopping and looked around at all the local foods and clothes. Once everyone bought everything they wanted, we headed back to the hotel for some free time. There were a lot of activities going on during free time, including workouts, swimming in the pool, napping, and card games. Todd brought us all some ice cream and then we played a weird game of never have I ever! We had dinner after that and then tried a bunch of local Thai fruits! There were many mixed opinions on them but it was a fun experience trying it! We finished off the night with a mentor group reflecting on our teaching.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 25
Today our group woke up a bit early and was driven to the nearby Thai primary school. This was our last full say of teaching the Thai children. We all had a good time being teachers. After we finished teaching the kids, we changed out of our teaching clothes and into our more casual attire to do Muay Thai. On the way, we stopped at a local cafe and enjoyed some delicious drinks. The cafe also had some koi fish in one of their outdoor ponds. Then after a short walk, we finally arrived at the Muay Thai gym. The staff there were great and they taught us many different fighting moves. The whole thing, while very fun, was also pretty exhausting and we spent the rest of the day relaxing and playing card games.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 26
Hi! I’m Alder, leader of the day. Today we started the day early with breakfast at 7:15 and left for the school at 8 am. Today was a cultural day at the school so we spent the morning playing games with the student, we played red light – green light, duck – duck goose and sharks and minnows. After that there were some thank you speeches to say goodbye as it was our last day at the school. Then we had lunch which was shrimp fried rice, it was really good! When everyone was done eating we went to a Thai high school for the cultural exchange. Once we got there we had some time to talk to the Thai students and get to know them.
After that some of the Thai students preformed a Thai dance and we surprised them with our own performance of ‘watch me’. Then we played an ice breaker game of broken telephone so we could all get to know each other and after that we participated in the activities that the school had planned for the cultural exchange, these included; trying on Thai traditional clothing, learn traditional Thai dances and making a traditional Thai craft that wards off bad spirit and helps people connect to Buddhism.
After that there were thank you speeches given by both students and staff from G.L.A and the school. We got back to the hotel at around 4pm and just rested until 5:30 when we had pizza for dinner. We finished the night off with mentor groups where we worked on setting smart goals.
BLOG POST FOR JULY 27
Hi! I’m Chloe, the leader of the day as one of our last days! Today we woke up for breakfast at 7:45 before heading on the road to a monk chat. There we learned about Buddhism, and their way of life. We ended off the chat with some meditation practice which was super relaxing and cool to experience. Thank you to Pra KK for sharing his knowledge as a monk! We then stopped at a coffee shop for some drinks before getting back on the road to Doi Pui where we got a delicious lunch and walked to see the beautiful scenery. We all roamed around for a bit, shopping at the booths before packing back into the car to head to a temple. The temple was called Doi Suthep and it was incredible, the views and architecture were all so amazing. We arrived back at Chotana around 5, then piled back into the van to the Saturday walking street as our last stop of the day. The night market was a ton of fun, we all got dinner and shopped around for a couple of hours. Today was so good and we are all so sad to leave!
BLOG POST FOR JULY 28
Hi, my name is Marika and I’m the leader of the day. Today we woke up at 7:30am to have breakfast and head out for hiking. The hike was uphill and we were very sweaty, but the view was worth it! We walked back down after enjoying the view and stopped at a coffee shop on the way to lunch. For lunch we sat in a rice den on the lake and had rice, chicken, squid, vegetables, fish and glass noodles. It was yummy and we were all so full after. We then went back to home base to pack and get ready for the farewell dinner. Everyone looked gorgeous! Dinner was delicious and was on a beautiful rooftop. We celebrated my birthday with cake and ice cream; and then played card games at the home base. It was such a memorable trip! I can’t believe we are leaving tomorrow.
