Hello students!!

Round, firm and a little moist, we started our time together picking up precious golden nuggets. From the moment you arrived to the moment of your departure, your energy and laughter and spirit impressed us. The hours we spent toiling in the field at EVT will be fondly remembered and appreciated by the elephants. Leeches, mosquitos and other unidentified flying insects proved to be a challenge for many but none to great for any of you.

Our trip took us into the Thailand hills, overlooking beautiful scenery, and gave us all the opportunity to cook our own Thai barbecue as the sun set. The early morning hike was definitely a character building experience but thankfully, stepping into Laos made it worth it.
The last week was spent playing with kids and giving endless autographs to your endearing fans. House dance parties and bracelet making became part of your nightly rituals.
We were impressed with your enthusiasm and commitment to reflecting on all of your experiences and maintaining positivity for the full two weeks. We wish you all the luck on your journeys to come. Fly eagles fly.

Suprise!

-Mattie, Brendan and Suzannah

 

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Hey hey hey!

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That explains just about how
crazy and awesome this program went. Pardon the rain every single day, last
minute changes due to festival traffic, everyone sharing close space at FAE,
throwing elephant dung at Dome, and the great mud fight.

The first week was a challenge trying to get to know each other and having to
maintain the decorum of FAE. How can you expect to have fun and stay quiet at
the same time? How could you have a movie/facial night with no popcorn? Our
7/11 stops never failed to bring in the entertainment, while we continued to stock
up like there was never going to be another stop.

FAE was a different world in itself; it had the seriousness of a hospital with
people working round the clock, the only agenda being to serve the elephants. It
was an eventful week where we got to work with Mosha & Boon-Mee, cut grass,
and clean the ever-falling leaves from the trees. We got to meet a lot of
interesting speakers like Dr. Preecha, a renowned elephant veterinarian. He
gave us a great insight to all the patients at the hospital and also about the
elephants, while sharing some of his life experiences.

The hospital was extremely busy while we stayed. We saw an aged male bull
suffering from a bacteria infection. We saw how the doctors were trying hard to
cure his illness. We also witnessed elephants being brought into the hospital in
the middle of the night. One of the patients brought in was a 4-year-old elephant
that had a fatal viral infection. She was swelling up as doctors from across the
provinces were dropping by to assess and provide care. But what connected us
all the most was having to clear and beautify the cemetery. It brought a sense of
connection with those majestic animals, while bringing the group closer together.
Week two bought us all back to Little Village but we could still not keep the boys
away from boys town.

This time they were a little closer and could cover the
distance with a 2 min walk. Finally the week everyone was look forward to had
come and the biggest agenda was SHOPPING and THAI MASSAGE. We kick
started the week with a cooking class and blessings from the white elephant who
sits on top of a mountain (Doi Suthep). This week also brought Dome losing his
phone to some bad karma on bamboo rafts, a biker gang entertaining us to some
hard rock tunes while we rafted down the river, and some of us trying to navigate
rapids on the raft with just a bamboo stick.

The day we’d been waiting for arrived and it was worth noting everyone’s
expression as they walked out after their Thai massage: it read I’m floating in the
clouds. Nothing could top that but the night market, which was absolute mayhem.
With only 2 hours and all of the souvenir shopping to do, some groups didn’t
even want dinner. It was running, bargaining, buying, and more running. None
the less, ended with loaded bags and loaded smiles.

After a supreme night of trying to fit all the purchases into the bags, it was time to
explore the northern Thai culture at the Hmong village. It was a challenge
walking up the hill and through the farmlands. The heavy rains and leeches did
not make the task any easier. However, the shaman cleared the air and blessed
us all to some pounded sticky rice that tasted better when grilled. While the views
dropped our jaws, the food closed them up for sure.

It was finally time to make our transition into our last week, and into our second
week of service. The team at ECH was very welcoming and it was fascinating
learning about Sab’s life and how he became a mahoot. We stayed at the Royal
Ping Resort and went to ECH during the day for service. At this point everyone
was ready to go and geared up for service.

Our routine involved cleaning up the elephant poop, having a shot put
competition with dung, cleaning the camp ground, walking and bathing the
elephants in the Ping River (in absolute downpour on some days), splashing
everyone who didn’t want to get wet, planting an entire field with
banana/sugarcane/elephant grass, having lethal mud fights, digging holes, and
carrying logs. We did it all in style with some drum jams over wet clothes, fighting
to get a spot on the chill hammock, baby elephants running while we watched out
for our feet, and never forget all of the mud and poop on our footwear!
All in all it was such a great 3-weeks! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Warm regards,
Neha

 

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Hey students!

Where are you right now? As you read this letter? Both physically and mentally. Did your eyes
light up at this letter or have you skipped over it and saved reading this for sometime later? How
has your experience in Thailand subtly or profoundly shifted the way you approach your life and
the world? Are you still rocking your elephant pants? Thankful for the familiar or missing the
bum gun? Loving being able to grab that familiar drink or dreaming of a “Mansome?”

In the blink of an eye we have all gone from being an amazingly silly gang of dreamers, seekers
and feelers during twenty-one days in Thailand; sharing meals, swimming in waterfalls, playing
with elephants, to being back to our everyday lives. I hope that you still reflect on the many
amazing friendships and bonds that were made during our time in Thailand. I hope that your
experience in Thailand has given you the desire to continue to travel this amazing world and
experience the richness of other cultures.

Some special moments from our trip:

-Talking with Monks at the Phra That Chedi Luang Temple
-Learning the process of how prosthetic legs are made
-Learning how to cook authentic Thai food
-Making personalized enrichment toys for elephants
-Hiking to the waterfall during a heavy storm
-The never-ending Yes/No/Maybe story at Hmong Village Lodge
-Hiking through the farmlands and visiting the shaman in the Hmong Village
-Getting to play with two week old Suki and having her fall asleep on fellow students at Chai Lai
-Bamboo-rafting down the Mae Wang river
-The last day of service walking the elephants through the jungle and having a cookout.

This summer was an amazing experience that would not have been the same without each and
every one of your brilliant personalities. Thank you for the continuous smiles and memories that
you have given each other and us as staff!

-written by Job Strong, Mentor

GLA Elephant Health and Welfare Staff

 

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Announcements announcements announcements!

SaWaDiKa (HELLO!) future leaders!

I hope this letter finds you well. I wish we could be sharing these memories and stories with you over some perfect eggs at Woodfield, or coconut milk curry, but instead grab some Thai tea (if you have any left) and think back to Thailand! Right from the get go we jumped right into PadThai, name games, ice breakers, and lesson planning! The cultural experiences started off strong as well, with an all you can eat international buffet, followed by a city walking tour and ending with a cooking class! I forget, who’s Tom Kha soup was rated the most tasty by our local team, Jane and Aom? Was it mine? The cooking class was also the first time we laid eyes on the fish slippers, fish flops!

Speaking of fish – remember the thatched huts at Huay Tung Tao reservoir? Who ended up eating a dancing shrimp?? And that large straw gorilla in the rice paddies? So ridiculous! Ok, bring it back, bring it back.

Your first week of teaching was so impressive and inspirational! From family to health to science and English, you could tell you gave it your all, thank you teacher. English camp was a great way to end the week as teachers, with a clothing relay, animal masks, and peanut butter and jelly sandwich making! Muay Thai, our long awaited Thai massage, and a night time pool party all followed, along with our day to Doi Suthep and the Hmong Village! You know what they say, you haven’t really been to Chiang Mai if you haven’t been to Doi Suthep and walked up all those stairs! Up at the Hmong Village we had our first market time, and Khao Soi, the famous noodle dish from northern Thailand, good thing it wasn’t too spicy! Who remembers our other day in the Hmong village, walking around the steep and hilly community, eating friend rice, and making batik art? The community leader, Mr Yua, was so funny and friendly and loved sharing about the Hmong community in Thailand!

Next came the highlight for many, elephant day at Elephant Jungle Sanctuary Camp!

From picking out our mahoot colorful wool ponchos and stuffing the pockets full of bananas to feeding the elephants bananas and medicine balls, BON BON! My favorite part of elephant day was the mud bath followed by the rinse off in the river, or maybe it was playing with the baby elephant! Another highlight would definitely be the variety of night markets! I loved taking my 100 Baht and finding glazed meat on a stick, pad thai, and a fresh smoothie! Oh and the elephant pants galore!

The service aspect of our 21 days was definitely a highlight as well. The kiddos at Baan Praporn loved hanging out with you, dancing, playing soccer, and the orphanage wide game of Sharks and Minnows! It was awesome to watch you guys work as a team to dig 4 holes for septic tanks! Not a lot of high school students can say they dug 6 foot holes in Thailand all while dancing and laughing to throw back music! Speaking of music, it was s incredible to watch you all perform the hoe down through down at the Regina all girls school! Their hip hop Thai dance infusion was also top notch. I loved watching you all interact while you were painting canvas bags, and the music that was played from the “dj booth” as well. From zip lining, to a pottery and umbrella village, to wood and silver carving, planting rice, and biking and kayaking, this program really did it all!

As international staff, Mark and I really appreciated the effort everyone put into mentor groups, the leadership activities, and being leader of the day! I especially loved facilitating our stories of self, Big talk, and crossing the line! Keep being open and willing to share! It was a pleasure getting to know you all better!

Let me leave you with one last image (a personal favorite:)… mango sticky rice!

Thank you for joining us in Thailand!! I can’t wait to see where your future endeavors and travels take you!! See you next year with GLA yeah? Yeah!

Kapunka!

-Lexi Robinson, Mentor

 

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Dear students of session 1,

It’s so crazy to think that its been such a long time since we were all living in Chiang Mai, Thailand together! I hope this letter finds you doing well, enjoying life, continuing to learn and grow as a leader, and asking good questions (you know, that’s what good leaders do!)
As I reflect back on the amazing summer experience we had together, I can’t help but giggle at all of the silliness we had, but I also remember a few moments where I may have shed a tear, just like a proud dad would do. The day we did our cultural exchange at the high school, I was so proud of the work you had put in to make your performance special and meaningful. The way you worked together, many of you getting out of your comfort zone (and into your courage zone) was truly inspiring! Oh, and those dance moves!!! Wow! Ya’ll really did such a fantastic job.

And how about our service work at Baan Praporn! I think we really honored our hosts by doing meaningful work—mixing cement, digging gigantic holes, leveling the foundation of the bathroom—you ALL worked so hard, and I know it made a difference for those students! Speaking of the kids at the orphanage, I still smile when I think of all the pretty braided & flowery hair, the crazy games of futbol, simon says, duck-duck… (goose?)…and I couldn’t forget all the beautiful hugs and smiles and tears as we said our fare-wells one last time before going to the waterpark. It’s a cherished memory for me, and I hope it is for you as well.

I also think back to some profound moments, such as our “Monk chat” with Phra KK. He took such care to tell us about the principals Buddhists live by, showing us the importance of listening to one another, asking questions, being honest, and pursuing the right path in life. I won’t forget how he showed me the importance of forgiving others—how our unforgiveness only harms ourselves, not anyone else. Did you take good notes? What do you remember from the chat? I hope you are still thinking about the ideas KK presented and learning what it means to apply healthy practices and principles to your life.

There were so many other memories for me from our first cooking class, to the crazy giant Gorilla made of straw, to biking across rice fields, our daily hashtags on the white board (#NoMoreTeb), shooting the crossbow (don’t forget I hit BOTH fruits!), all the different markets we explored, painting umbrellas & making pottery, learning how to carve wood, zip-lining, the crazy 3-D museum (and massages!!)….And my personal highlight: playing with the elephants! Wow, what an incredible few weeks we had!

All in all, I’d say we had one unforgettable summer trip. I had so much fun getting to know you all— watching you step up to challenges, listening to you encourage one another, appreciating your teaching and leadership skills in the schools and at service. I like to think that we all did a pretty good job of being present during our 21 day adventure. So, I’ll leave you with a quick reminder of my favorite quote:

“Wherever you are – be ALL there” —Jim Elliot

No matter where you choose to go in life, I hope you will always be ALL there. Live every moment to the fullest. Pursue the things you are passionate about. Stand up for those who don’t have a voice. Have meaningful dialogue. Ask good questions, and actually listen to the answers. You never know what you might learn. You won’t know what’s really possible until you attempt the impossible! Go live life!
All the best this year, and always, until we meet again,
Your “dad” in Thailand,

-Mark Tutschulte, GLA International Director

 

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