Click here to jump down to the new posts! 

Thursday July 19, 2018

Hi Friends and Family,

We are so excited to welcome this amazing group of globe-hopping, world-changing, young ladies to Thailand! The Fabulous Fourteen have landed in a far away country and are here to make a difference!

We’ve gotten to know more about their individual strengths and what they can bring to the team! We have a diverse crew that is learning about their upcoming service projects: having an authentic Thai school teaching/learning experience and volunteering at an ethical Elephant sanctuary by prepping food and maintaining the grounds.

Through learning about teaching techniques, elephant social/psychological development and issues within the tourist industry, we are certain these ladies will come back to their home community with a new series of skills and ideas of local and global issues to begin addressing with passion, commitment, and targeted determination.

We look forward to a great session and will keep you posted.

In the spirit of adventure,

Diana González
International Director – Group B
Elephant Village Initiative

Friday July 20, 2018

Good evening/morning depending on where you are reading from! Today started out a little later than usual, as the majority of us were experiencing jet lag. As a group we determined the goals and expectations that we have for this trip as well as went over the code of conduct. On our tour throughout the Elephant Sanctuary we learned as much as we could about the elephants. The owner of the sanctuary, Jack, had many experiences to share regarding the history of what makes this sanctuary so unique.

Following a walking tour spent watching elephants play in mud whilst experiencing Thailand downpour. We were able to learn and observe much of the elephant’s natural behaviors. The best part of the day came when had the opportunity to get extra close to the elephants and feed them lots of banana tree. We are extremely excited for the upcoming service days. Stay tuned!

Thai Word of the Day – “Chang”: Elephant

Leaders of the Day,

Amia and Kelly

Saturday July 21, 2018

Today was filled with many tasks.

Picture this, 14 girls in oversized black boots approach a pile of elephant poo. They continue working hard at the element, which was roughly the shape of a baby’s head, trying to clean the sleeping area of the 2 ton weighing creatures.

Next up, was uprooting the weeds and sticks covering a nearby field with the plan to plant a new field of grass for the elephants. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that far. We did, however, clear a generous area. The hardest part was definitely lugging the uprooted, bug infested weeds and tree branches up to our seemingly very far away pile. Yes the work was difficult, but also incredibly rewarding.

After a delicious lunch, we had another infamous conversation with Jack, the owner of the sanctuary. We observed Thong Inn, the only male elephant in the sanctuary, and talked in depth about him being in Must. This is the when a male elephant is looking to mate and in the wild becomes competitive with male elephants due to his spike in testosterone.

We continued walking on the path until we reached the pond. In a flurry of events we watched the youngest elephant, Lou, attack a nearby tire as its prey and then playfully jump in the pond as a means to drown the rubbery snack. The splashing and chaos that ensued was terrifically exciting.

Then, things turned wet with an incoming thunderstorm which caused our banana tree cutting to be cut short while we chatted at the dining tables.

Once the rain ended we fed the elephant again, which of course was just as amazing as yesterday. We then engaged in an amusing round of spoons as our chosen Leader of the Day Activity, and were finally all able to take a much need shower to wash off.

We ended our day with another delicious dinner, fun free time, and are about to watch an elephant documentary. Another great day!

-Grace Battles and Grace Moser

Monday July 23, 2018

Today was our last day of service in this beautiful elephant sanctuary. We finished working on the fields, planting banana grass for the elephants to eat, as well as continue to pick up the elephant’s poo. We were able to have a chat with the co-founder of this amazing sanctuary, and talk about future goals and what has led him to live out his dreams. He also answered any questions we had about the elephants we took care of, such as their abilities to do certain things.

As much stress and tiredness the group went through during service due to factors such as heat, it’s quite sad that this was our last work day with the elephants. On the good side, we’re leaving the sanctuary tomorrow and visiting some temples, which we are all extremely looking forward to.

Greetings,
Diana and Jenny!

Tuesday July 24, 2018

Today was different from the previous. We had our first cultural experience. We delved into the depths of one of the key factors in most Thai people’s lives, religion.

Our morning began greeted by the endless loaves of toast and delicious jams for breakfast at 8.30, a whole hour later than usual. At 9.30 we boarded our vans and headed out to our first location, the Jade Temple in which we met with a surprise guest, our program coordinator John Strand. He briefly educated us on Buddhism and afterwards we were allowed to roam freely in the temple.

Later on we reunited in a predetermined spot and boarded the vans again for a quick ride to our next location, The Nine Tiered Temple.

Here we encountered a building shaped like Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy, a completely white temple and a breathtaking nine tiered tower. The third eye of the goddess was actually a window easily accessible with a short elevator ride. Most of us very willingly payed the 40 baht to ride it. Up there we were met by an astonishing view of the green Chiang Rai area. All this tourism was bound to make us hungry.

At 12:30 we had a luscious buffet lunch at a resort’s restaurant. Many of us were more than glad to see desserts that were not fruits. After this refueling we headed to the last location in our list, the Blue Temple. This temple was designed by a known Thai artist’s apprentice and was a beautiful shade of blue with colour full accents.

We took a group picture to commemorate our budding friendships and dived into this awe-inspiring construction. Right outside of the temple we had opportunities to buy the infamous elephant pants and local treats like coconut ice cream. Our last stop today was only added after popular demand, a grocery store, or so we thought. We ended up going to a small mall with a supermarket and even a Dairy Queen where many of us enjoyed an icy Blizzard.

We bought absolute necessities such as face masks, handy watches snacks and tiger balm to soothe our newly attained bug bites. Our day full of adventure started winding down as we sung in our vans. When we arrived back at Elephant Valley Thailand we got a last chance to feed the elephant and say goodbye to our lovely guides. Our last dinner at this location was a tasty pad Thai and a variety of fruit, and we began packing for the adventure that awaits us.

Written by: Kaitlynn and Nancy

Wednesday July 25, 2018

We woke the group up bright and early *emphasis on early*, and initiated the day with some last-minute packing so we could head out for the next adventure. Breakfast, as per usual, was delicious but having to say goodbye to the people, elephants and resident dog, KFC, of EVT made moving feel bittersweet. After that up, we hopped in the vans and drove to a very different home for Elephants called Elephant Peace Thailand.

At EPT, we explored the culture of the hill tribe people, especially surrounding elephants. While elephant peace travel is considered more ethical than most, it still has some major differences from our last sanctuary. The hill tribe people let the elephants get up close and personal, which at first is enticing until you remember they are wild animals. While the elephants still get free range, they also get very close to humans, which is something they don’t enjoy.

When it came time to wash, the initial feeling was excitement, which took a sharp turn down hill. After everything we had learned it was hard to see those complex animals forced to do anything.
As the day progressed we learned more about the love, respect, and spiritual connection they had with the elephants. We began to realize we had to take a lot of things into account, and put our western views or judgments aside. The hill tribe people view elephants as their equals, they feel they have a spiritual connection with these animals. The people don’t have much money or access to jobs, so they need to use the elephants in order to survive. However they also want to them to be free, so when they aren’t being fed or washed they roam through the hills. It was a real eye opener to see not only a different culture, but also the impacts of money and tourism. These things effect people and animals alike.

After such complex a experience, we concluded the day with an Elephant Capstone meeting in which we discussed the differences and similarities of EVT and EPT and participated in a mock-UN conference. We were split to represent three groups: Elephant Sanctuaries, Mahoots of the Hill Tribe, and Tourism of Thailand. Then, in imitation of these parties, we discussed potential solutions to solve the elephant crisis that could satisfy each of our needs. This activity was extremely impactful because it brought us all out of our individual perspectives and broadened the focus from the issues at hand to practical problem solving and it’s nuances.

All in all, the day was packed and though difficult at times, was positive in that each event felt critical to our learning experience.

Stay saucy,
Maddie & Paige

Saturday July 28, 2018

Today after a delicious breakfast, we headed to the local hot springs. We were surprised to learn that one of the pools was so hot that they sold eggs visitors could boil in it. Needless to say, that was not the pool we swam in. We swam in a different pool that was basically a huge bath. After 20 minutes when we got hot, many of us went to get foot massages while the others went to get coffee with Rein and Diana.

After the hot springs, we headed to Singha Park and had a sandwich picnic! We then got a tour of the beautiful park and were able to taste tea, mushroom soup, and see some cute zebras. After our guided tour around Singha Park, a few of our brave souls zip-lined above the parks beautiful view. When we returned to Chang Garden, we had spaghetti for dinner and got ready for the Saturday Night market. This authentic market allowed us to experience real Thai culture, such as eating crickets and cockroaches. The market was crowded with sellers and buyers; many of us got lots of souvenirs to bring back home but none as great as the lessons we’ve learned on the trip. As we near the end, we are looking forward to enjoying these last few days especially our upcoming Thai cooking class!

-Grace Battles and Amia Reddy

Sunday July 29, 2018

Today was a relatively laid back day. We stayed at home base doing different activities since there currently is a Thai holiday that limited our options. Regardless, we got to experience a fun Thai cooking class, and a soap work shop.

During the class we cooked our lunch. We made green curry and pad thai.

In the afternoon, we were taught how to make a sweet Thai dessert using ingredients such as coconut milk, rice flour, and natural foods as food coloring. Not only did we learn how to make delicious dishes, but we also made adorable soaps to take home. We dyed them with a spiky sticky fruit called Gac fruit and the smell amazing.

After all the cooking and soap making we felt the need to relax. We had a while of free time and then we relaxed by the pool, accompanied by some great music.

We wrapped up our hands-on day with a movie.

Monday July 30, 2018

Today we got some beauty sleep, waking up at 9 for breakfast, headed for a market on the boarder of Myanmar at 10:30, and spent some time shopping. Some of our phones had different times because of the change in time zones. For lunch we all met at 12, and had pizza! Off we went to the Golden triangle. We walked up to a giant golden Buddha to look over the huge muddy river below. We could view three countries that connected at a single point and were visible from multiple directions: Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. After a quick look we went to some local shops then found our way to a giant staircase. At the top was a temple built in 579 A.C. and some ruins around it. After, we left for home base and played some card games as a group. For dinner we had our favorite, Pad Thai. The day flew by, and we are ready to take on our last day in this beautiful country tomorrow!

Allie and Hannah

Click here to jump down to the new posts!

Thursday July 19, 2018

We are a full group! Lots of smiles and endless laughter started our morning. We can’t wait to see what the next two weeks brings.

Friday July 20, 2018

Today we on an excursion to Singha Park. At the park we had an amazing tour starting where we were shown a tea farm. There we tried oolong tea and were able to take pictures in traditional tea gathering clothing that represented a local hill tribe. From there we were brought to a petting zoo where we saw cows, zebras, ponies, and giraffes. After that we went to our last stop, which the tour guide called the “activity center”. There was an open grass area with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains where we had foot races on the grass and took plenty of group photos. Once we were done, we went to the “Thai version of Target”, Tesco Lotus, where we bought delicious Thai candy and other cool items to bring back home. This was our first time traveling outside of our home base and we had an amazing time seeing a little bit more of Thailand.

-by Adaline & Malia

Saturday July 21, 2018

Today was a very beautiful and eventful day! We started our morning visiting the Blue temple. We were able to immerse ourselves into the Thai culture and observe information about Buddhism. We also visited the Temple Of Jade. Here we experienced a true authentic Buddhist temple where we could witness the religion and all of the practices within. Our last temple visit was Guan Yin(The white statue) which contained three separate areas, two temples and a nine tiered pagoda.

Guan Yin, the biggest statue contained indescribable detail within its surface. We were also greeted by monks within the temples. After our excursions, we ate lunch on the river. We were introduced with authentic Thai food, including fried chicken and fish, rice, fresh fruit, and veggies. We ended our day with a relaxing pool party! Overall, today was a very informative, indescribable experience.

-by Harmony And Rebekah

Sunday July 22, 2018

Similar to the past three days, we awoke at early hours of the morning, and had breakfast at 8. However, instead of traveling to sacred sites, we found ourselves in a different place of reflection. The White Temple, although it may sound quite formal, it is closer to a modern art museum than anything.

Displaying the severed head of Captain America is one example of how the White Temple unites formal architecture with modern ideas of art and sculptures. We spent the day looking at art, eating food, and scavenger hunting for different interesting pieces. Not only did we have the opportunity to visit nearby clothing and food shops, but we were also able to eat at a local food court to experience the real food that has inspired so many westernized dishes.

After contributing our fair share to the local economy via purchasing gifts for friends and family, we made our way back to homebase to swim and enjoy the short lived sunlight after three days of rain. Before sitting down for dinner, we listened to John, GLA regional director, about the do’s and don’ts of the school day ahead. At dinner, we celebrated the birthday of our GLA supervisor, Brendon, with his favorite desert, mango sticky rice. Full of food, we will soon head off to bed to get a good night’s rest before our day tomorrow begins.

-by Savannah and Clara

Monday July 23, 2018

In our first day experience of teaching in school, it is chaotic, erratic, but very fun. To begin our day, we traveled to school in traditional Thai school buses: pick ups with modified beds that contained two benches, a roof, and an open tailgate. After we arrived to the school we watched the flag raising ceremony and the entire school was gathered to experience the daily celebration. Throughout the day we worked with various teachers and students. Two examples of games we played with students were: modified hangman and tic-tac-toe. From our experience, a number of students were extremely engaged and enthusiastic about learning and had exceedingly impressive english and knowledge in other languages.

It was an eye opening experience and we are more than ecstatic to continue observing and helping the students over the next two days.

-by George and Lissie

Tuesday July 24, 2018

Today was another day filled with chaos and love. We started our day by taking “song teaws” to school. Once we got there we jumped into our day right away in class , teaching a variety of different subjects. After three periods of classes, it was finally lunch time. We all quickly ate and ran outside to socialize with the adorable kids. Socialize actually means getting mauled by each and every child outside. Rain from the day before meant plenty of mud to go around. We finished off the afternoon with a few more classes before saying goodbye to the children.

On our way home we had the option to either get dropped off at Tesco Lotus (Thai target) or go straight back to home base. Many chose to venture to Tesco Lotus but were then had to walk 30 minutes home with all their Thai snacks. Upon returning back to home base, we had some much needed alone time. We packed, wrote our thoughts down in our journal, showered and everything in between. At 6:00 the group gathered for our usual dinner but was met with the unusual meal of American comfort food. We finished off the night with a GLA activity and free time to end off our last night at Chang Garden Resort. We have had a great time here but we excited to move onto our next home!

-Ava and Alana

Thursday July 26, 2018

Today was our first full day at Elephant Village Thailand and was one of the most exciting days of this adventure. We started the day off with breakfast at 8:30 with elephants walking around us. After breakfast we had an orientation with the owner of EVT, Jack, and got safety tips along with facts about elephants in Asia/around the world. Lunch was served at 12:00 and we had sticky rice, tofu, chicken, and vegetables.

In the second half of the day we split into two groups and started to tour around the EVT grounds. In our groups we were able to meet all the elephants (Jay, Ka-Moon, Claire, Lou, Mo-Dee,Thonginn) and see them in their natural habitat. One very exciting thing we all saw was littlest of the elephants, Jay, slide down a mud wall into a pond. The two groups there came together and saw the elephants get bathed by their mahout (a personal care taker of a specific elephants). At 4:30pm the elephants get fed and we got to feed them! They ate banana tree leaves and stock. We were able to touch and interact with each elephant.

Ending the day we had fried chicken, french fries, rice, and curry for dinner. Then everyone relaxed by playing ping pong, pool, and hanging out together. We finished the day in by breaking off into our mentor groups. The first day at EVT was a success and we are excited to see what more it brings.

-Campbell and Taylor

Friday July 27, 2018

Today our gla team had the pleasure of starting our day with nugget (elephant poop) pickup in the rain. In case you were wondering, it is big and round and smells like horse poop. We spent the rest of the day working on preparing an area to plant elephant grass, a key part of an elephant’s diet. We accomplished a surprising amount, and then finished the day by harvesting banana leaves and feeding the elephants. We sincerely apologize if the elephant stench manages to follow us home. Overall, we enjoyed a rewarding day of hard work for the sanctuary.

-Amy and Réka

Saturday July 28, 2018

Today we had another day of work here at EVT. We had a great breakfeast full of plenty of bread and jams.
We then headed out into the fields to pick up some elephant poop that we call nuggets. We spent the next hour or so observing elephants as they eat. After a while everyone was pretty hungry so we headed in to the dinning area for lunch. We spent a hour after lunch chilling. After our break we headed back out into three groups and conquered our work. The strenuous work made everyone tired so we spent the next hours relaxing and showering. Tonight we have one of are last shopping opportunities as we head to the night Bazzar in Chiang Rai. We all miss our family and friends very much. Also happy birthday Lauren, everyone here at GLA hopes you have a great day!

-by Logan and Sophia

Sunday July 29, 2018

Today students awoke to a beautiful sunrise (that was behind the dark, rainy clouds). After a delicious breakfast of KoKo Krunch, we rejoiced when it was time for… nugget pickup! Today was our last of tossing nuggets and the sweet smell will be dearly missed. 🙁 Then we went to the field and prepared the elephant grass for planting. We planted the grass in the trenches we dug yesterday. Then we went to a well deserved lunch, full of greens and tofu, after we finished. Afterwards we had a interesting Q & A with Jack, the owner of Elephant Valley. We asked many questions about his life in Thailand and the magnificent elephants that live here. He responded with funny analogies, metaphors, and some more serious (great) mentorship.

After, we had an interesting debate; we were all assigned the different sides of the controversial argument: What is the purpose of elephants in Thailand. We were forced to look at all perspectives of the argument, even the ones we did not personally support. We had the side of the Mahouts, the conservationists, the bureau of tourism, and the owners of trekking camps where the elephants learn tricks for tourists and are usually tortured. We had to come up with a solution to the elephant problem and still provide benefit to all sides of the argument. Many students created excellent arguments that clearly conveyed their point of view. What a great time! Afterwards, some of the students went on a walk to the local convenience store, along the way we got drenched in rain! Puddles for everyone! After we got some ice cream, chips, and whatever else, we came back to EVT. We had some free time, had a great dinner, and a awesome game night. All in all, it was another action packed day with GLA. Cheers!

-by Kenneth Warren and Becca Gillespie

Monday July 30, 2018

Heyyyyyyy, this is Cara and Vincent from the depths of the Thailand jungle. We are out here living it up with the elephants. Today we took a voyage to the deeper depths of Chiang Rai. We met a lady named Dada, she was great, and fed us some really tasty chicken wings. Upon arrival to Elephant Peace Travel, we took a 10 minute walk through rice fields up into the deep depths of Thail countryside where we met 5 new elephants from the Karen hill tribe. We learned that although many of the elephants from the region are still used in trekking Dada and her family have taken a new approach to elephant care. They respect their elephants, involve them in everyday activities in their fields, and are returning to the ancient hill tribe care methods.

Not only did we get up and close with these wonderful creatures, we also got to prep their food, feed them, bathe them in a river and watch the tribe elders perform a ritual with the elephants. Some other highlights included diving deeper into the culture of the hill tribe and have the opportunity to be blessed by the elders as well. We then said goodbye to the elephants and made the journey back down the terraced rice fields. On our drive back we stopped by a typical elephant trekking camp to get a third perspective on elephant tourism in Thailand. We watched from the road to view the way these elephants are treated and live. We also stopped at a 7/11 to stock up on snacks and other commodities. Once arriving back at homebase we were treated to a yummy dinner.

Peace Out,
Cara and Vinny

 

Tuesday July 31, 2018

This was our last full day in Thailand and it is definitely bittersweet to leave everyone. We started out the day at Thai hot springs spa. It was very fun and relaxing. We had the option to get a Thai massage, swim in a mineral water pool or hang out in a bungalow sauna . We had lunch at a restaurant with a buffet where there was pad Thai made in front of you. It was awesome. Then our personal favorite part of the day was when we got to hike to a waterfall and swim under it. The water was very refreshing and everyone had so much fun. Then we came back to home base and went through a tornado called packing:) Then we had our last dinner in Thailand. This experience for us has been incredible and definitely a trip of a lifetime. We are sad to leave this amazing country and these awesome people but we are excited to see our friends and family back at home.

WE LOVE THAILAND!!!!!!!! -Lexi and Katie

Wednesday August 1, 2018

And just like that…two weeks passed. It was a great two weeks. It was a challenging two weeks. It was rewarding two weeks. The final day here in Thailand was plagued with happiness, laughter and final goodbye tears. This group of 24 couldn’t have bonded more and it was tough to send people back across the ocean to their own worlds again.

Thank you to everyone who made this past two weeks possible; it was a fantastic experience!

(First and final group shots to compare)

Click here to jump down to the new posts! 

Tuesday July 3, 2018

Hi Friends and Family,

We are so excited to welcome this amazing group of globe-hopping, world-changing, young ladies to Thailand! The Great Eight have landed in a far away country and are here to make a difference! Although jet-lagged, they’ve hung out with elephants, done some team building activities, and have already tried new Thai dishes!

We’ve gotten to know more about their individual strengths and what they can bring to the team! We have a diverse crew that is learning about their upcoming service projects: having an authentic Thai school teaching/learning experience and volunteering at an ethical Elephant sanctuary by prepping food and maintaining the grounds.

Through learning about teaching techniques, elephant social/psychological development and issues within the tourist industry, we are certain these ladies will come back to their home community with a new series of skills and ideas of local and global issues to begin addressing with passion, commitment, and targeted determination.

We look forward to a great session and will keep you posted. Happy 4th of July, America!

In the spirit of adventure,
Diana González
International Director – Group B
Elephant Village Initiative

Wednesday July 4, 2018

What a great first full day together! We shared a wonderful breakfast together with some delicious fresh mangos, then we spent the morning having our orientation which consisted of introduction activities, code of conduct, expectations, Leader of the day and blog expectation, goal setting and other activities that gave us all a chance to get to know each other better. After lunch we went on our first guided tour of the sanctuary with Jack the founder and owner of the sanctuary who gave us a lot of information about each of the 6 elephants lucky enough to be living in this wonderful place. We then fed the elephants banana leaves and the stems of the banana trees. After another great meal we discussed what it meant to be a leader with inspiration from a short TED talk, then we sat around our 4th of July campfire roasting marshmallows on chopsticks!!! Tomorrow we start our service work and will learn more about taking care of these majestic creatures.

Thursday July 5, 2018

Today was the first day of 3 of the elephant service days. Our group is still on a jet lagged schedule, but we got up, had breakfast and were out doing our first service activity (poo patrol) by 8 this morning. After finishing up poo patrol duty, at 10 AM we were out picking weeds and maintaining the freshly planted grass fields that the last GLA group planted. We went on a tour/observation of the elephants with a tour guide that better helped us understand the way that elephants should be treated and the poor treatment that they get in the elephant camps and tourism industry. On the tour, we learned that elephants hearts beat around 30 beats per minute, and based on observations we learned that elephants pick up and collect their food with their trunks. We got to see the elephants taking a mud bath which was so adorable and got to learn more about how the individual elephants react to certain situations.

After the tour/observation part of the day, we all relaxed and rehearsed for our “The Parent Trap” play due to the fact that our group has been wanting to watch it since the trip begun. After we put on the skit, we played a travel themed get-to-know you game and shared some of our best travel stories.

Leaders of the Day,

Molly and Lindsey

 

Friday July 6, 2018

Today was the second day of three elephant service days. Most are fully adjusted to the time change. We cleaned up elephant poop for an hour and a half yet again. After that we moved to planting more food so the elephants could poop more. That’s how much we love poop patrol. We had a delicious home made Thai meal before hitting the pit of doom. The pit of doom is a place full of poop and old elegant food. Our job is to separate the dead leaves from the poop and add the leaves to the mulch which we use in the food fields. Then we finished our service by chopping banana trees down to feed the elephants. It was a very sticky yet rewarding task. We rested after our only full day of service and then led a bonding activity for all the girls.

As we do our service, we get to hang out with people who work with the elephants everyday. They educate us in Thai culture and usually we learn new Thai words. Today we learned the word “chai” which means yes in Thai. We are very exhausted from our full day of service, but it is satisfying to complete a full six hours of service in one day, even if it means being knee deep in poop. We are buzzing for tomorrow’s evening market. There, we will buy many authentic Thai articles and see more into the Thai culture.

-by the Leaders of the day – Sophia Coker and Emma Rose Mahoney-Rohrl

Saturday July 7, 2018

We started off the day with a wonderful breakfast with delicious mango. We later and transitioned into our morning service work of poop patrol. It was very hot and extra long today because we did not get split up but it was satisfying to know we were helping the elephants. Peter wasn’t here today though which made us all very sad (we love you Peter). After poop patrol we had a short break and then we weeded around the elephant food. Later, we had an amazing lunch that consisted of sticky rice and veggies among some other yummy dishes.

Then, we did a Q&A with Jack and learned about elephant tourism and how to ethically treat them. Later in the evening we went to a traditional Thai market and got to see and learn more about the culture. we had a wonderful time exploring the night market, where were tried new food and shopped for trinkets and clothing. it was a very unique experience and we all immensely enjoyed immersing ourselves in the local Thai culture. We are all greatly looking forward to tomorrow’s excursions in which we will visit the famous white temple and hike to a waterfall that we will have the opportunity to swim in.

Leaders of the day – Sophie V and Caroline

Sunday July 8, 2018

Today we packed our bags and finished our last day of service at the elephant village, we headed out to view the White Temple where we experienced Thai art and culture. After lunch we headed to the wet muddy waterfall hike. The hike was about a mile long where we had to trudge through the mud and rain until we got to the beautiful waterfall where we all went for a swim we will never forget.

Although the hike was muddy and difficult it was worth it because we got to see the waterfall. After that we dried off we started our long journey to Chang Mai where we will be staying the night to experience an elephant jungle sanctuary camp . We are excited to compare our elephant experiences. We wrapped up the night by eating dinner at a local restaurant where we took a group photo then headed to bed after a long tiring day.

Leaders of the day – Julia & Antonia

Monday July 9, 2018

Today our group woke up in Chiang Mai, had breakfast at our hotel and headed to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary where we learned about that sanctuary and how they approached taking care of elephants. We arrived at EJS and were immediately greeted by 3 elephants, all very friendly and welcoming. We then were taken on a full day tour of the sanctuary starting with an introduction and then a banana feeding to the three elephants that greeted us.

After the feeding and visiting with the three elephants, we had lunch and visited the gift shop. Visiting this camp was part of our observation of the differences between sanctuaries. We then proceeded to leave the sanctuary and return to Chiang Rai to our new location, Chiang Garden Resort, where we will begin the teaching section of our trip. I’m also excited to visit the hot springs and begin teaching.

Tuesday July 10, 2018

Dear friends and family,

This morning we woke up in the new resort and had a wonderful breakfast with some western options as well. Then we went to the hill tribe and observed the way that they treat the elephants. We saw the tourists riding the elephants on a metal saddle and they were having to walk on the asphalt with a lot of weight on their backs. We learned that this is very poor treatment because it burns their feet and can damage their spine.

Then we went to a hot spring near by and went swimming and got coffee. After lunch we did a series of activities including a debate that we called the united league for elephant welfare. We were assigned a stance on the way that elephants should be treated which went extremely well and definitely helped me to look at the issue from a lot of different perspectives. Then we learned about what to expect for teaching which begins tomorrow and we reviewed some simple games that will help the students stay engaged and keep them having fun. Then we had dinner and chilled by the pool. We are all very excited to meet the students tomorrow.

Leader of the day,
Lindsey Toro

Wednesday July 11, 2018

Today was our first day of teaching in Chiang Rai. We started at Mae Chan School at 8:00 AM. We split into groups of two and got assigned to an english language teacher. We worked in the classrooms for about two to three hours and got to walk around and hang out for the rest of the time. From 8-10:30 AM, my partner, Julia, and I planned for our second grade science class.

When we got to the classroom, we were completely unprepared. We assumed the students would be learning very basic English, but as soon as we walked in the room they ran up to us and started conversations in English. We played games to teach the children about animals for an hour. It was very hard to get the students to pay attention to the lesson because they were so excited to see new faces in the classroom.

After class, we ate lunch with our GLA group and then went to the coffee shop and hung out with the students. All of the students were very welcoming. They ran up to us and gave us presents or hugs and wanted to hold our hands. The children took may pictures with us.

After lunch was over, Julia and I planned for our next class. Our class at 1:50 was in the Kindergarten building. They were learning about phonics, so we sang the alphabet song with them many times and played fun games where they learned about vowels. The younger children were much more involved in the lesson and very energetic. We left the school around three and returned to home base where we hung out for the rest of the day.

We are excited to go back to the school tomorrow and make it in time to see the flag raising. This time we will be more prepared for our classes. Everyone is having a great time with the children and we are all enjoying being able to relax in the pool after a long day at school.

Leader of the Day,
Emma Rose

Thursday July 12, 2018

Today we woke up earlier than usual in order to see the flag raising at the Thai school. All the children stood in the middle of a field for about 15 minutes and sang the Thai national anthem. It was quite different than what U.S. children do before school. Then, we started the school day. Some people had morning or afternoon classes; however, another girl and I taught in the morning and afternoon. We took the schedule of a teacher who is in another country, so we created our own lesson plan.

The teacher taught English to 6th and 5th grade students; therefore, we taught those students. We had two classes in a row and for those classes we played trivia with American pop culture and some other games. Oddly enough, the children were quite educated in that subject! Then, we had lunch and got coffee afterwords. The Thai children were very touchy and fascinated with us. The kids asked for our autograph many time!

We then had two afternoon classes a challenge to say the least. However, we were able to get through to some of them and still improved their English vocabulary. After school was over we came back to home base and had a discussion about the differences of American schools and Thai schools. One of the differences include Thai schools being less organised and more relaxed than American Schools. I am excited to teach tomorrow and then go to the market in the afternoon!

-written by the leader of The Day: Sophia Coker

Friday July 13, 2018

Today we wrapped up our service by teaching for half the day at school. Although it was hard work teaching to children who weren’t fluent in English, the friendships we made with the children made it worth while. Our group got to experience true Thai culture and found a new appreciation for the privileges we receive in the US. After saying goodbye to our new friends and teachers, we headed to Mae Sai, a local market. We will never forget this experience, we are looking forward to relaxing for the last two days of our trip and exploring more of Thailand.

Leader of the day – Julia

Saturday July 14, 2018

We started off the day today with the black house, where we drew comparisons to the white temple we had toured previously on the trip. At the black house we observed unique architecture, a wide variety of collected animal skins, some live animals, and we were even lucky enough to stumble upon a dance performance.

After the black house we traveled to a wonderful buffet lunch and then made our way over to Singha Park. At this breathtaking tea plantation we zip lined and took in the beautiful views which included a plethora of diverse live-stalk such as water buffalo, long horn cows, and even giraffes! We then sat down at the red barn gift shop for some delicious iced teas and coffees.

Following our experience with Singha Park we went back to our resort for a little break before we traveled to the night bazaar. We all had an amazing time shopping for souvenirs and clothing together as we listened to live music. We ate a dinner of pizza and Pepsi at the food court before returning to shopping. After a few hours at the night bazaar, we made our way back to the resort for a night of rest before our final day of this unforgettable GLA experience.

We have all gotten very close over the past two weeks and we are all so sad to see the trip starting to come to a close, however I know we will all stay in touch and some lifelong bonds have certainly been made. I consider myself very luck to have gotten to be a part of such a wonderful group of 8 outgoing, kind, and adventurous girls; whom I will miss greatly and share memories with that I will cherish forever.

-Leader of the day – Sophie V

Sunday July 15, 2018

Today was the last day of our Thailand adventure. We started the day off at !!! the temple with the huge white statue of a goddess. We went to the top of the head of the statue and saw the beautiful art inside of it. After that we went into the temple and saw a lot of beautiful wooden art and statues. We then went to another temple where we got to see the history of the temple in the amazing museum. Later we went to our last temple which was the blue temple.

It was very beautiful and we are so glad we got to see it. We stopped by Jam’s restaurant where we had a traditional Thai meal which was wonderful. After lunch we went to get ice cream and then headed back for our end of trip barbecue,games,and more! Although we will miss Thailand we are all very excited to come home to our family and friends!

Leaders of the day – Caroline and Antonia

 

 

Click here to jump down to the new posts!

Tuesday July 3, 2018

They made it! Session 2 is in full swing! After stepping off the plane into the Chiang Rai humidity, the group traveled to their home base, settled into their rooms and then enjoyed their first taste of Thai green curry for lunch.

The afternoon was a combination of resting by the pool, naps and a few hours of getting to know each other and the program. Everyone headed to bed early after dinner, ready to start resetting their jet-legged body clocks. It was a good and exhausting first day in Thailand.

Goodnight from this side of the world.

(not pictured: Ava Mulrooney because she arrived after dark. More pictures to come soon!)

Wednesday July 4, 2018

Sawat dee kha\krup (hello) from Chiang Rai, Thailand! After a much needed night’s rest and receiving some lost luggage, we’re settling in nicely here at Chang Garden Resort. Our first full day began with instant coffee and a filling Thai breakfast, followed by some activities in the sun to help us get to know each other a little better. After warming up, orientation gave us the chance to talk everything GLA, Thailand, and what this adventure is going to look like over the next two weeks.

We got a great introduction to working in Thai schools and came up with some student activities, and later caught a sneak peek at the elephant sanctuary that we’ll be working with, called Elephant Valley Thailand. We can’t wait to dive into these opportunities and are thrilled to share them with you all!

Thursday July 5, 2018

Hi! We are Cassie and Ava and today we visited a school in Mae Chan.

At first it was challenging because the classrooms full of children were very chaotic. It’s very different from American schools. Culturally, the children are independent from the teachers, which stems from the idea of Thai school being a business, because parents pay for their kids to be in certain classes. According to a teacher, kids have more control than the teachers because of this. Kids also aren’t as enthusiastic to learn after certain ages.

The kids are very respectful and treat you like celebrities. We signed so many arms today because the younger kids wanted autographs. Memorable experiences included receiving bouquets of flowers from the kids, playing in the field with the kids, and buying tea with them.

Once we returned to the homebase we had free-time to swim and relax after a long day of crazy, fun kids.

Overall it was a very fulfilling day and everyone is exhausted. Let’s see what tomorrow holds!

-Cassie and Ava

Friday July 6, 2018

Starting the day early, we left for the school at 7:45 in order to see the daily flag raising at Baan Mae Chan. The students all recited the national anthem in organized lines. Following the flag raising we all went to our assigned classroom to assist the teachers. The students enthusiastically participated in games of hangman and tic tac toe to teach them english. During lunch at the school we all made personal connections with the children playing games. The kids loved being picked up and swung around by us and begged us to autograph their arms. We sadly had to say goodbye after lunch but we ensured the kids we will return on Monday.

We piled into the vans and drove 30 minutes to the traditional Thai market at the border of Myanmar. The shops lined the streets filled with everything from fresh produce to sunglasses. We split into groups and explored the market, each of buying different souvenirs and new foods to try. After an hour and a half of shopping and exploring, we started our drive back to home base. A long day of teaching left us tired and in need of some relaxation. We all went swimming at the home base before heading to dinner, where we had spaghetti.

Saturday July 7, 2018

Hey guys, this is Gaby and Paige from GLA Thailand. Today we took a break from the schools and did some touring around the beauty that is Thailand. First, we started out at the white temple, which is not only a temple, but an amazing art instalation. Everyone enjoyed themselves and got some insta-worthy pictures! While we were there, many of us also got gifts and souvenirs for family and friends and drank some authentic Thai smoothies in some different flavors such as watermelon, coconut and durian. After that, we got to experience the more natural beauty of Thailand at Khun Korn, a waterfall, which was definitely worth the one mile hike there and back. The water was freezing yet refreshing. Afterwards, we all got some delicious ice cream that helped us cool down on this super hot and sunny day. Finally, we all had time to relax after this eventful day and get some very good dinner.

-by Paige Lillibridge and Gaby Morgan

Sunday July 8, 2018

Hey all!

Today we started off by going to the Black House which was an art instillation and museum that included live water buffalo, various bones and remains of dead animals including giant snakes and alligators. Then for lunch we went to Jam’s family restaurant (She is one of our counselors) and had chicken, sticky rice, and the famous papaya salad. After a delicious lunch we headed to the beautiful Blue Temple (and yes, it was super blue). The next stop was to the Big White Buddha which isn’t actually a Buddha, it’s the Goddess of Mercy in Buddhism. The statue was so huge that most of us saw it from the plane ride in.

We were all able to go up to the 26th floor and look out of her third eye and see the view of Chiang Rai. We then visited the jade temple and museum to get an idea of what a real temple is like. It was a lot less touristy and the Buddha itself was green. Throughout these visits it would pour rain. We ended our day by going to the Walmart of Chang Rai also known as Tesco, where we loaded up on snacks, and then ate an awesome American style meal with burgers, fries, chicken, and other good stuff.

We love you and miss you!!!

From Sydney and Rachel 🙂

Monday July 9, 2018

Today was our last day at school. It seemed to be a bit more hectic than the other days, but still successful! The kids were very excited to see us as always and were engaged with us. After school we drove to Chiang Mai which was about a 3.5 hour drive.

We are at the midpoint with our time with GLA in Thailand. After reflecting on the past week we feel we were successful in assisting the teachers, and giving the Thai students something they can take with them in their future education. Along with our service being successful, our excursions to the waterfall and to the temples were also successful and a completely new and exciting experience for all of us!

So far the GLA experience has been enjoyed by all, and we are looking forward to the second week and new service and setting. Hopefully the second week will be as enjoyable and successful as the first!

Yours truly,
John Wielbruda and Olivia Nacht

Wednesday July 11, 2018

Our day today began at 8:30 breakfast where we enjoyed some eggs, mangos, and toast. Afterwards, we had a discussion about our experience with the elephants in Chaing Mai. For an hour or so we had free time to either nap, chat, read, or play ping pong! Freetime was followed by lunch which consisted of curry, rice, and tofu.

When we finished eating, we separated into two groups and walked throughout the sanctuary observing the elephants eating. Afterwards, we fed the elephants banana tree pieces. Free time followed until dinner at 6. We ate rice, chicken, fried mushrooms, and cooked greens. We capped off the night with another GLA activity. Looking forward to the service tomorrow.

-by Evan and Talia

Thursday July 12, 2018

Today Is our is second at EVT. Here are a few things that we did during our service time today; it was a great learning experience for everyone.

Today’s Highlights:
Cutting grass
Cleaning the elephant areas
Thai target shopping (small, traditional Thai store)
Cutting down banana trees to feed the elephants
Planting elephant grass
Movie Night
Feeding the elephants
Eating some rice, traditional Thai dishes, fried chicken and Pad Thai

-by Drake Anthony and Brianna Newberry

Friday July 13, 2018

Hey it’s Sarah and Alyssa!

Today we worked together and put in a lot of hard work and effort. Our activity’s included golden nugget pickup, cutting grass, banana trees, and planting grass. The grass that we planted will be used to feed the elephants when it’s fully grown.

Our favorite moment of the day was when Peanut the elephant was being goofy and not lining up for snack time in the correct order. She also kept missing her mouth when she was eating the banana trees.
Today we also got to experience selfie time, where we all had 30 minutes to focus on our selves in separate locations. We both decided to take a little nap on the tile floor – which was very refreshing! A lot of our members were able to cut down the banana trees with one axe swing – very impressing.

Love,
Alyssa and Sarah

Saturday July 15, 2018

After an amazing two weeks of service and adventure, our trip has come to an end. It has been life changing and great to meet an amazing group of people and experience a new culture alongside them. Over the course of the last couple of days, we had some super fun trips. On Saturday, we started our day finishing up our service with the elephants (nugget pick-up). We then did a final observation of the elephants, which included watching the elephants and learning some facts about them. After the final observation, we had some free time which we used to all hang out as a group. At the end of the day, we went to the Saturday Night Market where we all got some nice souvenirs to remember our trip to Thailand.

On Sunday, we had the treat of sleeping in. After a delicious breakfast, we headed out for the hot springs. On the ride there, we made a stop at an elephant riding camp. This was very hard but eye-opening for all of us to see. Then we finally arrived at the hot springs. Some of us chose to get massages while the rest of us swam. We had a buffet lunch at a Thai restaurant. It was delicious. We then had our final dinner together.

This trip was the trip of a lifetime. We have all become best friends on this two week adventure! Experiencing every aspect of Thailand, from the kind children in the school to the hillarious elephants, has been so amazing! We will miss the temples, food, elephants and friends in Thailand so much! We have gained a significantly better understanding of Thai culture, life outside of the United States and ethical interactions with elephants. We cannot wait to share our experiences with you in person! Thank you to all of the parents who helped us get here and enjoy this wonderful trip!

-by Reagan, Morgan, Dani, Mariesa

Monday July 16, 2018

Two weeks passed in a blur…heat, autographs and golden nuggets defined our session.
Thank you for choosing to challenge yourself on this journey and step into the growth process. We hope your time in Thailand memorable.

Singing off-Brendan, Mattie and Suzannah

(Rachel, you know you deserve the key for this picture)

Click here to jump down to the most recent post!

Sunday June 17, 2018

We are so excited to welcome this amazing group of globe-hopping, world-changing, adolescents to Thailand! Although jet-lagged, they’ve powered through a half day of orientation, goal setting, and team building.

We’ve gotten to know more about their individual strengths and what they can bring to the team! We have a diverse crew that is learning about their upcoming service projects: having an authentic Thai school teaching/learning experience and volunteering at an ethical Elephant sanctuary by prepping food and maintaining the grounds.

Through learning about teaching techniques, elephant social/psychological development and issues within the tourist industry, we are certain these youth will come back to their home community with a new series of skills and ideas of local and global issues to begin addressing with passion, commitment, and targeted determination.

We look forward to a great session and will keep you posted from tomorrow’s Leaders Of the Day: Ryan and Austin!

Monday June 18, 2018

Say Cheese! or Say Pepsi! (as the Thai kids do)

Today we visited Mae Chan School, just five minutes down the road from Home Base, and taught kids from grades 1-8 to expand their English through math, science, and language arts. The Thai students were all very energetic, and teaching them was an experience that will never be forgotten. During lunch we were able to overcome the language barrier by participating in games and bonding. Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves, especially because we felt that we were helping the teachers and encouraging the kids to be more comfortable with speaking English around people from different cultures. Compared to America, the students were given much more freedom during their lunch and seemed to act as more of a community, as opposed to breaking off into separate cliques or friend circles. An interesting fact we learned today was about feet in Thai culture: Since they are the lowest part of the body, they are considered dirty and it is considered rude to point to something with your feet. Today was a blast and we can’t wait to go back to the school and teach different age groups! We are also really looking forward to helping out at the Elephant Sanctuary next week.

There is no doubt that this will be an amazing adventure!

Signed: your leaders of the day
Ryan & Ashtin

Our quote of the day was: “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life,” -Richard Bach

P.S. For parents who want a sneak peak of what their Group B students will be doing next week during their elephant service, check out the blog from Group A who is currently working with the elephants and will switch to the school next week.

Wednesday June 20, 2018

Hello! Today is Wednesday June 20th, 2018 in Chiang Rai, Thailand. In the morning we woke up for some great breakfast and hopped on the bus to go to the school. We spent the morning and afternoon teaching with the same groups we had yesterday. My group (Rachel) taught third grade Math and English. To teach English, we played a game of bingo which the kids seemed to recognise and love. By the time our teaching was done, the students were surrounding us with group hugs and begging me to take a picture of them with my camera. My group (Alex) graded two PE classes final assessments and timed students 15 meter dash. We then briefed them on tomorrows activities.

After all of the GLA students had lunch, we went out to the recess field to play with the kids. The kids began to swarm us, asking for our signatures and to be held or picked up. One of the obstacles we faced today was helping the students understand how to play the games we prepared for them but we persevered and eventually they understood and had a good time playing. We learned how to say hello in Thai which is “Sawadee” and how are you is “Sabaidee mai”. We are really looking forward to this weekends activities which includes the waterfall hike and camping on Saturday along with the hot springs and the Hill Tribe observation on Sunday!

-From the Leaders of the Day, Rachel & Alex

Thursday June 21, 2018

To begin the day, we observed the kids during the flag raising ceremony as we have for the previous two days. After having spent so many hours with the kids yesterday and the day before, they have gotten used to our faces––enough so that they enjoy yelling our names as we walk by (for example, yelling “Teacher Anna” during the opening ceremony). Next, we proceeded to the classrooms where we began working with the Thai teachers for the first time during this experience. We both taught middle school students a variety of food from around the world in English. The Thai teachers thoughtfully presented us with beautiful Chinese ornaments as a gift of appreciation.

Since this was our first time working with students and teachers who weren’t confident in their English speaking abilities, we faced some challenges along the way. We were compelled to use more hand gestures and body language to communicate with them. Overall, it was a really rewarding experience because we were able to establish meaningful relationships with the students and teachers despite the language barrier.

During our free time, most of us were swarmed by young students who begged for our autographs. At some point or another, all of us signed both scraps of paper as well as body parts (to clarify, arms). We also had the pleasure of witnessing the boy scouts and the girl scouts practice their traditional routines, since the school schedules these every Thursday. Most of them marched, yelled, and did synchronized group squats. Some GLA students participated in this event.

Tomorrow, we’re highly anticipating the exciting waterfall hike in the morning. In the afternoon, we will be venturing around Chiang Rai and visiting multiple temples.

-Written by Leaders of the Day, Zoë and Anna

Friday June 22, 2018

Today started out with a challenging walk through the Thai jungle to a beautiful waterfall. The walk itself was filled with interesting greenery and insects, as well as the occasional shishi-odoshi (water fountain). The waterfall was an absolute blast. It felt great to finally unwind after three days of service, and although swimming meant wet socks and muddy clothes, everyone agreed it was worth it. Following the decent back to civilization, we got our fist glimpse of the elephants at Elephant Valley Sanctuary.

The group was ecstatic to enjoy lunch whilst elephants roamed around us. Needless to say, we are all incredibly excited for next week. After lunch, we made our way to Wat Pra Kaew, home to the jade Buddha and an assortment of turtles. While some gained Buddhist wisdom from the resident monks, a few others made the pragmatic choice to utilize the temple’s wifi. This was succeeded by an excursion to Wat Huay Plakang, which featured an explorable stature of a Buddhist deity and a nine tier temple, each tier representing a stage of enlightenment. The day was concluded with another delicious Thai meal and a great final night at Chang Garden Resort with our newfound friends.

– Zachary Shuter and Cameron Nowel

Saturday June 23, 2018

Today, we started our journey to see the Black house. The Black house was very unique and almost satanic. It consisted of many animal skulls, horns and skins. Then we set off to see the Blue Temple which was much different from the previous destination. The temple was absolutely gorgeous, I found it so extraordinary that someone could imagine something like this. There was a massive Buddha in the back of the temple, as you can see from the picture bellow. There were also paintings of the naga, a sacred figure in Buddhism. We then had “Somtam” for lunch at the local staffs family restaurant. Many of the campers had catfish for the first time and I enjoyed a mushroom dish which was surprising considering I don’t usually like them. After that delicious meal we made our three hour journey to the mountain of Phu Chi Fa to camp. At the campsite we made our own meal which consisted of soup for vegetarians and meat for the others. The day was then concluded with some card games and gazing at the night sky. I look forward to being with elephants in the days to come.

Leaders of the day – Jared Shuter & Serena Trousdale

Sunday June 24, 2018

The day started at 4:30 AM at Mt. Phu Chi Fa. In hopes to see the sunrise over the cloud cover, most of all of the group woke up to rain seeping through the tents and clanging on the roof. We all threw on some warm clothes and climbed onto the bus. After a short ride, we reached the trail head. After a slippery climb filled with lots of challenges, we reached the summit. Despite the trek, the fog was so dense we could not see 100 feet in front of us. Half of the summit is in Thailand, and half is in Laos. Lots of jokes were thrown about being in 2 countries at once. Later, we climbed down the summit with meticulousness in hopes of our feet not coming out from under us.

The second part of the day consisted of going to a local market. Although there were not many souvenirs available, we got to see real Thai street action. There were foods most of us have never seen before, as well as authentic Thai clothing, immune to Americanization. The market further allowed us to see the country not just through the eyes of American tourists.

Monday June 25, 2018

Today was our first day at the Elephant Valley Thailand. This morning we revisited our goals that we had set last week, and discussed whether or not we had accomplished said goals . We had a long discussion on how we could generate change at home and raise awarness about elephant cruelty and rehablilitation. We talked about possible solutions to create future change for elephants here in Thailand and how we could use social media to advocate awarness for elephants after we’ve left Thailand.

After lunch, we went into the forty acres given to the elephants here at Elephant Valley Thailand. We met the six elephants and learned about their pasts and how Elephant Valley Thailand was working to accommodate each elephant’s journey back to rehabilitation. We saw that the elephants coated themselves in mud to protect themselves from insects and the sun. At the end of our walk around the property, we fed the elephants bamboo and leaves, which they enjoyed. We ended the day playing a ping-pong tournament at the home base and Ashtin won.

By: Sydney Garman and Marco Lunetta

Tuesday June 26, 2018

The day started with a rainy breakfast of fresh mangoes, diverse jams, and whole wheat toast. Our group was divided by what side of the table people were sitting. We then tackled our first task at the service site. Once both groups finished their service for the morning, we had a break. After cleaning the elephants bathing area, I really enjoyed watching the elephants walk around us as we worked. After cleaning the bathing area where many of us got soaked, we headed to the other side of the camp to strip grass, dig rows for planting the grass, and then planted grass in the rainy mud. This task lasted until lunch where we had another delicious meal. We finished our tasks by 4:00 and wrapped up our labor with feeding the adorable and mesmerizing elephants.

Everyone in my room took a hard nap for free time. After dinner, we hosted an activity as our Leader Of the Day activity (although some members were not very involved, others, like myself, enjoyed themselves!). To wrap up the night, John (regional director) shared his adventures outside of America and answered many of the kids questions about ex-pat life. His wondrous stories inspired us to explore the world and discover the other colorful cultures around the world.

-by Elizabeth and Carolyn Reid

Wednesday June 27, 2018

Today we leaders of the day, Kaleigh and Ruthie, made sure everyone was up by 7:00 and at breakfast by 7:30, so we could get ready to start the adventure-filled day. We started off with our usual clean up of the elephants’ night area. As today being our second day doing this, it went by a lot faster and a lot easier. Then we had a quick break, which was followed by another day of planting grass for the elephants food.

After providing food for the elephants, we were provided with delicious food from the staff at Elephant Village. After lunch, our two activities included elephant observations and elephant feeding. Elephant observations was new today, and what we did was sketch and learn more about the individual elephants and their patterns. After dinner, we had soooo much fun with our adventure to the market. We all were assigned to purchase a small gift for someone and at the end of the day we all went around and presented each other with their gift. It was very funny and made everyone extremely happy!! Today was another eventful and successful day!

-by Kayleigh Brown & Ruthie Reid

Thursday June 28, 2018

Hey there, or as they say in San Francisco, “Howdy!” And, as they say in West Chester, Pennsylvania, “Hello.” Our second-to-last day was full of fun service and surprises. To begin the day, we woke up to a delightful surprise: Full-sized bananas, peanut butter, and Corn Flakes were on the menu, and boy was it delicious. And that is just what our day was, delicious.

Our first task was to continue the awesome service we have been doing all week. I never thought I would say this, but I really love cleaning up after elephants. It’s always a pleasure to be surrounded by peers, working as a team, and then suddenly a beautiful elephant walks by, always mesmerizing me. No matter how humid, or how wet, the young group of leaders we have here worked together for a cause much bigger than ourselves. This included clearing forest and planting grass for the elephants, as well as preparing the feeding area and then watching everything come together as we fed the elephants banana leaves, banana trees, bananas, banana pancakes, etc.

After a much-appreciated break, we were delighted to sit down and talk to Jack, the founder of Elephant Valley Thailand and master of the cargo shorts polo shirt look. He treated us to his fascinating life story, his mission to better the situation of Asiatic Elephants across Asia, and some life advice. For dinner, the long-awaited Pad Thai with a side of Pad Thai. After dinner, we sat down to watch The Goonies.

Although it was our second to last day, today was our last day of service. This allowed everyone to reflect upon the time we spent with the elephants and the current efforts to protect and save the Asiatic elephants. While we are presented with a buffet of mixed emotions about the trip coming to a close, it’s days like these that make us so thankful and blessed to be a part of the GLA family.

-by Rebecca Kinzly & Max Goldberg