Time Capsule Letter

We can’t believe it has already been so long since our Guadeloupe trip came to a close! I can still remember waking up to the ocean view at Domaine St Gerard, munching on delicious tropical fruits at “le petit dejeuner” and soaking up the sun under palm trees at beaches all around Guadeloupe.

It feels like yesterday we were romping around on aerial bridges at the zoo, exploring new waterfalls, planting in the garden with Jose and Sylvia, chowing down on bananas and Cassava cakes on our agro-tourism visits, preparing local Accra’s with Juliette and relaxing in rainbow hammocks together. You’re probably back in school, but we wanted you to know that here in Guadeloupe we are still thinking of you and the memories we made this summer together.

Our time spent together here truly did make an impact in the local community. You should all know you left Goyave a better place than when you came. The local river has drastically been cleared of trash, while L’ecole de Lezarde’s students practice their “my name is” and other favorite English phrases. Domaine St Gerard continues to be an abundant garden for school children from all over Goyave to visit. The aloe vera plants we planted and garden pathways we built will stand longer after our time here!

Your impact is lasting and is not just a memory, but has made a tangible impact on the environment and community. And more importantly, the knowledge YOU gained on this trip we hope will serve you and the communities you go on to be in for the rest of your life! We now know how harmful plastic is to the environment, and some ways to reduce and reuse it in order to lessen our impact on the environment, as well as ways to plant and incorporate medicinal plants into our lives.

Another thing I can’t forget is how much fun we had together here! You guys were a huge part of making this trip so enjoyable by being a really close knit group that looked out for each other and supported each other through thick and thin. We experienced Guadeloupean culture by learning to dance Gwoka & to make traditionally churned passion fruit coconut ice cream. We also got to visit a local craft market and buy our goodies to take home with us. We also got to explore the bottom of the ocean and see endangered marine life such as turtles through our snorkel masks.

We worked really hard and also had a blast together. Whether it was playing games on home base such as Zip, Zap, Boing, enjoying karaoke nights with our community members, figuring out riddles on the bus, learning french during mealtimes and on service sights or exploring new places together- it was that much fun because we got to share it with all you guys — the FIRST 2019 GLA Guadeloupe group!

Remember our Group’s OMG – “One Meaningful Goal” – that we created at the end of the session? We pledged to utilize the 5 pillars to help those in need, be more aware of who those people are in your communities at home and how you can serve them by applying what you learned on the program. We would love to know how that is going! Have there been any shifts in your beliefs, or changes in your home and community?

Remember to share your personal goals with GLA too, they’d love to see how you are BEING the CHANGE back home! And always tag @glateens on that IG!

Thanks for helping to make these special memories in an amazing place and “bonne chance” with all your OMG projects!

Cheers,
Charlotte and the Guadeloupe team

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This blog is for the Guadeloupe split session starting June 15, 2019, which includes both the 14-day and the 21-day student group. 

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Saturday June 15, 2019

Bienvenue a Guadeloupe!

We are so excited to have welcomed our students within country! After a scoop from the airport, we came back to the home base to drop luggage, freshen up, and enjoy some delicious local fruit juice and French pastries.

Students met staff at the base house, explored the garden, and participated in a few icebreakers and name games before being joined by a group of local Guadeloupean high school students for some afternoon French immersion.

After some hammock hangouts and time to decompress, students enjoyed their first meal in Guadeloupe- a special welcome dinner prepared by our devoted talented and local Chef Linda.

After dinner, students will receive an orientation of the base house and discuss community guidelines and GLA policies for the duration of the program.

Students are bubbly and enthusiastic about their arrival and asking lots of questions about activities they will be participating in, foods they will be trying, and when they will have the chance to practice their French!

We are looking forward to our journey together and will keep you updated!

A bientot 🙂

-Written by Charlotte Prud’Homme (International Director)

Sunday June 16, 2019

Today was an action packed first full day. The students started off the morning with some ice breakers and games at 7 am for breakfast alongside some fresh fruit juice, scrambled eggs and sausage, local ham, fruit, bread and other delicious local products. They then worked with Charlotte to complete their swim tests where each individual students abilities in the water were evaluated and they practiced treading water before heading out to the sea for the first time. Charlotte also went through individual health check-ins with each student to check up on everyone’s tummy’s, brains and hearts after their first night in Guadeloupe. Ryan completed French evaluations with students who were then placed into their language learning level of beginner, intermediate or advanced to maximize class learning time in small groups that reflect ability and comfort level en Francais.

Students then made their own skits about the Code of Conduct to review safety and community guidelines before their first excursion outside the base house. After some laughs and serious discussions we received a brief history of Guadeloupe lesson with our Local Director Therese. Guadeloupe’s long and complex history of multiple colonizers makes for interesting history lessons and looks into the past. Therese also showed students on the map where they would be travelling today to the sea.

After lunch of a local shrimp pasta dish with some fresh bread and veggies we went out to Bas Du Fort where students got to spend the rest of the day swimming in the sea near a local hotel resort. Shells were found, ice cream was eaten, soccer was played, human pyramids made, and much more..

Looking forward to another excursion tomorrow!

A bientot 🙂

Monday June 17, 2019

Bon Matin et s”il vous plait excuse mon delay! Hier soir nous avons celebre l’anniversaire de Mr. Danica, se lui qui vie ici a la basse. *sorry for the delay, last night we celebrated the birthday of Mr. Danica who’s home we’re staying at while at Domingue St. Gerard base house.

Yesterday was an action packed day. The students dove into multiple elements of GLA’s five leadership pillars while engaging in community service, adventure, french class, and arts and crafts projects.

Before breakfast students gathered for Zip, Zap, Zoom, Boing to get our tired gears turning. (Ask your child to teach you this game for 4+ people when they’re back home!). After breakfast of cheesy egg scramble, sausages, fresh brioche, cereal and granola, local fruit jams, fruit juices, and oats students circled up for their first french class. Unlike during high school french class, students were moving, speaking, singing, dancing, and speaking French the full two hour time frame.

Some of the activities included talent Olympics, Map of the World, Ball Toss for Animals and Numbers and singing some French songs. Students wrapped up class with a toast of mango banana smoothies and some of us on team Ghost (you can ask your student what this is) also had a gouter (snack) of some fresh prunes.

From the base house deck we watched sugar cane being harvested in the back fields, before jumping into our morning community service gardening at the home base. We planted succulents and learned about tropical plants and the history of the land here at Domaine St. Gerard. We also harvested and tried native Guadeloupean sour cherries and breadfruit, and found a leaf cutter ant nest busy at work building their nest.

After a refreshing swim to cool off and a nourishing lunch students completed their first homework assignment for French class, a 5-10 presentation (en Francais et en Anglais!) about their topic of choice regarding Guadeloupe. Topics included the history of slavery, explorer and oceanographer Jaques Cartier, native fruits of Guadleoupe, and more. We then departed for les Chutes du Carbet where we learned about some history of the native peoples who lived there when it was discovered by Christopher Columbus. Students really enjoyed this hike and came back very ready for dinner.

After students presented their projects and cleaned up, we had dinner and celebrated Mr. Danika’s birthday with a handmade birthday card signed by everyone and a group chorus of Joyeux Anniversaire (happy birthday) and “dit nous quele age a tous” (tell us how old you are) and some coconut cream cake. After dinner students had the option to lounge in the hammocks and watch a French movie under the stars.

I am thrilled at the amount of growth, communication, bravery and leadership already present among the group and look forward to getting to work with this group very much.

A bientot!

Tuesday June 18, 2019

Another day of paradise began with a fueling breakfast and service work around owner José’s property. This was followed by French classes taught by GLA counselor Ryan Boeding.

After a nutritious lunch, we headed over to the local zoo where we saw a variety of fascinating creatures including jaguars, alligators, and playful monkeys.

After seeing various species at the zoo, the group traveled to a waterfall about 20 minutes away. Although the water was freezing, everyone still managed to have loads of fun! Adventurous folks like Maddie and Martin were the first to enter the water. Everyone got beautiful pictures to upload to social media; some of which you can see below. We swam and splashed around until the very last minute!

The group returned to home base and enjoyed a wonderful dinner consisting of pork, breadfruit with cheese, beets, and tomatoes. A delicious coconut cake was served for dessert!

The leaders of the day, Saarah and JP, gave the first shoutout of the trip to Maddie! Her consistent positivity and bright smile really contributes to the overall positive attitude of the group!

Later in the night, we worked on a letter to ourselves that we will receive at the end of the program. The letter is based around the GLA leadership pillars. Inside the letter are our expectations for ourselves, how we plan to take on a form of leadership, and how we will ensure the GLA pillars are incorporated into our lives during the program.

Directly after completing the letters, the group worked on the leadership curriculum with Charlotte and Ryan.

-Written by JP and Saarah

Wednesday June 19, 2019

This morning we started off with a delicious breakfast of beans, fresh fruit, and a variety of pastries. After fueling up, we began our french lesson. The beginner group learned directions and how to ask more advanced questions, while the intermediate and advanced groups worked on verb conjugations. The three groups then played get-to-know-you games in French.

We then helped Mr. Danika paint signs for his in-house photography business. We decorated a new sign with flowers and sharpened up the lettering on an old sign. (Martin would like to note that he worked extra hard on this task). During the painting, Angelica, Livia, and Thalia helped Charlotte make a fresh mango smoothie for all to enjoy. Some students also helped Charlotte pick succulents and learned about the growth of aloe vera, a plant helpful in soothing all our sunburns.

After a hearty lunch of a fish rice and quinoa salad, we toured La Kassaverie and learned how a manioc plant is turned into flour. We then tried delicious chocolate and coconut kassave, and had the opportunity to purchase goods from the kassaverie. We also reunited with our new local Guadeloupian friends, and got to practice our french in casual conversation. We then conducted interviews with the local Guadeloupians (en français!) about the qualities of a leader.

After the Kassaverie we stopped at “Carrefour” (the french version of a Target) to stock up on snacks and other items. Dinner was followed by a heavy but short rainstorm, a game of cards, and a good nights sleep.

Thursday June 20, 2019

After a relaxing petite déjeuner (breakfast) of fresh pineapple, passion fruit, and chocolate croissants, the ten of us headed out to our daily french lessons. Our group reviewed verb conjugations and then worked on reflexive verbs with the others. We then learned and practiced French songs to compete in the karaoke competition tomorrow night. After hearing groups practice, it’s apparent the competition will go down in history. Featured songs include: Papaoutai, Frères Jacques, and Sur La Route.

Then, we split up into groups to help tend to Josè and Sylvia’s, our hosts, estate. A few of us worked on rebuilding a wooden walkway for their lush tropical garden, which included measuring, cutting, drilling, and hammering down boards. Other groups finished repainting a large wooden sign for the property and then plant succulents for the garden.

A few hours later, we enjoyed a delicious lunch and prepared our bags for our trip to the banana plantation. At the plantation, we were taught all the interesting uses for bananas (ask us when you see us), and found out some really fascinating information about the natural balance of the ecosystem in the banana fields.

It was a fun-filled day and we’re all eagerly awaiting the scrumptious dinner provided by the wonderful staff at Domaine St Gerard while we relax in the many hammocks hanging just in sight of the bright blue Caribbean waters. À tout à l’heure!

Written by: Delara and Livia

Friday June 21, 2019

Bienvenue! Aujourd’hui, nous sommes allés à l’école… à parler aux étudiants guadeloupéens en anglais. Après ça, nous sommes allés à la plage qui était cinquante minutes du notre « base de maison ». Maintenant, nous allons traduire… Welcome! Today, we went to school… to speak with Guadeloupian students in English. Afterwards, we went to the beach which was approximately fifty minutes away from home base.

At the school, we engaged the students in several fun activities and gave them a chance to show off their English speaking skills. They responded well to both questions about themselves and the people and places around them. To begin the day at the school, they asked us questions about our hometowns and the types of activities we enjoy. Overall, all of us, students included, learned about communication and how we perform as leaders.

After visiting the school, we ate a local café and enjoyed eating gelato with our local friends. As a surprise, Thérèse booked us a kayaking expedition. Once in the water, the boys took off racing to the next beach while the girls went at their own pace. We reached the beach after battling the wind and the waves. We took plenty of group photos and had a great time taking in the shining sun and the teal blue waters. We then took off, back to the main beach.

Market time! While being tight on time, we still managed to visit the market. We spent forty minutes wandering around and seeing all of the different shops.

Lastly, after a long day and an amazing dinner, we had a tight karaoke competition. Everyone was dancing enthusiastically and trying their best to win. Meanwhile, the guys were waiting anxiously for their turn to end. There was not a clear winner.

– écrire par Martin et Meghan

Saturday June 22, 2019

The start of the second week of our time in Guadeloupe began with a laid-back day. Following breakfast, we helped Chef Juliette cook fish balls that were served alongside the buffet Chef Linda cooked for lunch.

After lunch, we we’re given a lot of free time which many of us used to catch up on rest as many aren’t used to getting up at 6:30 everyday. The next activity began at 3:00 with Chef Linda. Despite the ice war, we helped Linda finish some delicious coconut ice cream In a fairly short amount of time.

Next, an hour and half was allocated to us for free time and for finishing our mid-program evaluation based on our experience with the trip thus far. Dinner occurred at the usual 6:50-7:00 time and it was followed by an exciting drum presentation by Linda’s husband Phillip. Phillip then allowed a few pioneers to come up and take a shot at the drums. The participants included Megan, Madi, and a half-asleep Martin, the latter prompting Charlotte to insist that we all head straight to bed.

By J.P. and Madi

Sunday June 23, 2019

Today we had a morning of GLA leadership curriculum. We played games and had a group discourse about social justice issues currently prevalent in today’s society. After a delicious breakfast of Nutella and crepes, we played a game called celebrities. After the humorous game, we began an activity that focused on our development as leaders. We were supposed to have a twenty minute conversation in response to the prompt: “How has being in Guadeloupe, changed your perspective of the country?”

However, being the young, independent, and passionate people that we are, the nine of us ended up having an hour and a half discussion about racism, gun violence prevention, poverty and the deep rooted and sometimes flawed nationalism in the United States. After lunch, we went to visit the Musee ACTe. Through audio guides, artifacts, videos, and writing, we learned about the history of slavery in Guadeloupe and other Caribbean islands. Guadeloupe faced a long battle against slavery; after having it abolished it was then reinstated. The museum also briefly covered racial injustices in other countries around the world.

-écrit par Talia et Saarah

Monday June 24, 2019

The next day in sunny Guadeloupe began with a refreshing breakfast and an 8am bus ride through the mountains. This brought us to the picturesque beach “Plage de la Mal Endure.”

Following our arrival, we met up with our local snorkel guides, Raphael and Florent. We grabbed our flippers and wet suits, and then we headed out to the boat. A fascinating snorkeling experience ensued which involved the sightings of underwater statues, turtles, jellyfish, and a plethora of colorful fish.

Shortly after, we each got a delicious baguette sandwich and re-applied sunscreen before jumping back into the water to swim and hang out on the black sand beach. Every single one of us ended the day with wetsuit tan lines and sunny faces. The long day at the beach caused us all to drop like flies before 8:30pm, despite our best efforts to stay awake and finish watching a French film.

JP and Livia

 

Tuesday June 25, 2019

We started off the morning with a breakfast of fruit, croissants, and Nutella (though many people only had Nutella). We then began our French class, where we played “deux vérités et un mensonge” -two truths and a lie. Students stated 3 facts about themselves (one fake) -others had to guess which one was false.

After French, we began our community service for the day -a mile long hike to do a trash pickup by a river. On the way, we ran into a stray dog we named Bonnie/Nunus/Noodle. After a quick petting session, we continued on our way to the cleanup site. We were all very sad about leaving the dog, but there was no need to be! She followed us all the way to the river, and then back to our home base after we finished cleaning trash. The hike there and back was a long and tiring one, but none of us minded -we were proud to have helped out the community, and discussing ways to improve the environment helped to take our mind off the heat.

Lunch was followed by a trip to the mall where we bought souvenirs, clothing, and restocked on our candy supply. We then returned home to play a quick game of “guess whose parents” and dinner. After, we watched the leadership videos we had created with local guadeloupians, and discussed the difference between our definitions of leadership.

“A true leader is like the banks of a river, not always appreciated, but always needed.” -Madi H.

Written by Zara G and Meghan K

Wednesday June 26, 2019

We started the day with some delicious nutella crepes and an abundance of fruit. After breakfast we headed towards a sugar cane plantation for a tour. Sugar cane is very historically and culturally significant in Guadeloupe, and there were parts of the plantation that were over 250 years old. We were able to take a tour of their distillery while learning about the science of how sugar cane rum is made. They start off with the tractor that brings in 3 types of sugar cane. The first is the thickest but the least sweet, the middle one is slightly sweeter, and the thinnest one that is the sweetest. The sugar cane is put into the 150 year old machine that separates the fibers from the sugar itself. The fibers are used to produce their own electricity so the distillery is self sustained. The sugar cane juice is placed into a big barrel where it is mixed in with alcohol. We were able to taste the raw sugar cane juice (before it was mixed with alcohol of course!!)

After the sugar cane tour, we came back to home base for lunch. We enjoyed some pasta and vegetables. Right after lunch, we departed for a nice beach in Port-Louis. We spent a few hours at the beautiful beach tanning and playing in the clear, turquoise waters.

After a relaxing evening, we ate dinner and had the rest of the night to pack our things.

Thursday June 27, 2019

Yesterday, our last full day together, was jam-packed with leadership curriculum, festivities and local cultural exposure. We started the day by pressing flowers from the garden at home base, followed by a presentation on the native fruits of Guadeloupe created by three advanced students: Talia, Meghan, and Angelica.

After lunch, we worked on an arts-and-crafts project with Henola, a local Guadeloupean teen who has been joining us on our outings for the past week and a half. Using rolled up newspaper, glue, and cardboard, we created miniature baskets.

Following that, we were joined by a local dancer and two drummers. They showed us the ins-and-outs of their goatskin drums and taught us the seven basic rhythms of traditional Guadeloupean music. As a group, we learned five steps of Gwoka dancing.

After the musicians left, we sat in a circle and discussed the connotations of the phrase “knowledge is power”. When we finished with our capstone, we worked with a local carpenter to build a compost bin for the home base to be used by the next group of GLA students and the local community in the future.

As a celebratory farewell surprise, our local hosts and Henola planned a special dinner and dance for the nine of us. The girls dressed up in their nicest clothes while helping the boys adorn themselves in flamboyant costumes. After dinner and a surprise visit from a pair of local siblings we’ve been spending time with, we danced our hearts out under some disco lights to music.

Saturday June 29, 2019

First and foremost, let me apologize for the lack of blog posts in the past two days. In all honesty, we have just been having too much fun together to remember.

Let me give you a quick recap:

On Friday, June 28, we ate a delicious breakfast of tropical fruits and chocolate croissants. Then, we completed our final program evaluations and did some arts and crafts with pressed flowers. Therese led us through a recap of the past two weeks before we headed to lunch. This was our last meal together and yet, true to our MO, we laughed the entire time. However, as soon as the dishes had been put away and the luggage brought downstairs, tears began to slide down our faces. Two weeks together in a place none of us had ever been to before had brought us closer than any of us could have imagined. Our good byes lasted as long as they possibly could before we were told that the bus had arrived to take 7 of us to the airport. The rest of the day was quiet, the four of us that were left, took naps, looked through pictures and packed up our own bags for the next day.

On Saturday, June 29, at 7 in the morning, we got into a van with all of our luggage and were driven to a boat. This boat took us to Terres Basses in Les Saintes. However, the boat ride was in no way smooth sails. Because of how fast the boat was going, every tiny wave that we hit, and there were a lot of tiny waves, felt like a drop from the top of the highest roller coaster. Our trick to not getting sick? Sleep! After the 45 minute boat ride, we arrived at the island where we will be staying for the next week. We went to a market and found a variety of foods and served our lunch. Then we played a card game, read books, and colored before ordering a pizza dinner and heading off to bed.

– Écrit par Talia

Tuesday July 2, 2019

Yet again we apologize for any worrying that our delayed blog postings may have caused you. But we are, after all, on island time. Two days ago, on June 30th, we spent our first full day in Terre de Bas. We started the morning with left over pizza and virgin piña colodas. Then after taking a little too long to get ready, we took a stroll down to the beach. We got lunch at a small local restaurant and chowed down on some hard boiled eggs, salad, chicken and fries. We returned to the beach and had French class with Thérèse. For dinner, we had some yummy soup paired beautifully with some fromage and baguette.

Yesterday, we awoke to the cry of a rooster who seemed to think we wanted to wake up at 6 am. Soon after, our croissants were delivered, fresh and warm, from the island’s boulangerie. After putting on our “best clothes”, we walked down to the beach to meet the mayor of Terre de Bas. We introduced ourselves and briefly discussed the weekly agenda. We needed to figure out the needs of the community before committing to any of our project ideas. There was an experiential learning takeaway from meeting with the mayor: When working in a new place, we need not begin a project without knowing the needs of the community. As people from other countries, we do not live the locals’ lives and therefore, are not familiar with the things they experience throughout the year.

After our meeting, we went to L’OMCSL and played games with the local children, such as “sleeping lions”, “duck, duck, gray duck” (aka duck, duck, goose depending on where you’re from), and “night at the museum”. The kids had so much energy and were happy to put up with the time consuming translations and broken French. For lunch, we had delicious potato-cheese-veggie tartes and kebabs. Then in the afternoon we went on a guided hike from the village, where we are staying, to the middle of the island. We learned a lot about the native plants and their medicinal properties. Upon returning from the hike, it was already sundown. However, the children from earlier in the day still managed to find us and we played even more games with them well past sunset.

Today, we ate even more butter-lathered croissants and then headed to the city hall where we were given our “work” for the day: start the process of painting over the curbs of the town square. We worked diligently for two hours, painting as fast and as precisely as possible. We discussed how the work was tedious and, with the help of some of the technological innovations from the United States, could have taken drastically less human power. While this could reduce physical work, we began questioning whether this would lead to more solutions or problems. A possible concern of mechanizing this process is the value in the cultural expression and historical importance of manual labor.

After reflecting on our experience, we headed home for a quick breather before embarking on a tour of the island led by a very kind and well informed local. We drove to the other small town on Terre de Bas and were given a brief yet expansive history lesson about the island. After lunch, we all took a nap before going to see a French movie at the OMCSL.

Time Capsule Letter

Ten high school students flew from a variety of places throughout our home, and presently our only, planet. You all had at least a few ideas of what this grand, life-changing experence would entail. After completing orientation, lesson planning began for teaching English the following day. You all adapted smoothly to the playful, carefree attitudes of the Thai children. You all excelled at creating a variety of games and activities for the students to learn.

After the final class we traveled to Phu Chi Fa, where we had the fortune of experiening local cuisine, an amazing cultural display of dancing, martial arts, and firey acrobatics! The evening culminated with campfire songs!

The next morning, everyone ate breakfast and we left at 8:00 am for a sunrise hike! We jumped into the back of the locals trucks and road a short way to the trailhead. A short hike up to the summit and we were on the top of the mountain bordering Laos, however dense clouds obstructed any view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. We left Phu Chi Fa for a food court near the White Temple, then we set off for the waterfall! A giant, beautiful waterfall met us at the end of a long, natural hike. That night was our final night at Chang Garden before moving to EVT.

Perhaps a couple of you imagined elephant poop, but less-likely smearing it onto trees — to protect them! Everyone was surprised when they realized the elephant poop didn’t smell that bad!

The first day of service began with Jack demonstrating elephant training and his novel methods of cleaning their feet. It was surprising when Tongin started putting up a different foot and Jack explained how that proved Tongin’s intelligence and the success of his target training method. Service began by moving sand with two carts to the training area, which remind one of homemade wheel barrels. Early on we realized that one of the carts wheels was flat and bending obscurely under the weight of the sand. However, just like that cart, we all pushed through the strenuous service and came out on the other side!

In retrospect, those who were excited and shared a positive attitude made it easier for everyone, which luckily was all of you. Moving sand to the training area led into poop smearing. We all shared a relaxed poop smearing session, which culminated in most everyone covered in mud and water, this happily lead us happily into “Jack Talk.” We all viscerally experienced a condensed version of jacks life. Remember? It was a story of adventure, uncertainty, trials, and self-discovery. He reassured you that if you stay positive, work hard, take the road less traveled and stay open to life’s lessons, that you will find your way!

To celebrate finishing the second half of service, we went to the night market, one of the most memorable experiences in the local community. In groups you all strolled, bought souvineers and marvelled at the Thai market. Following the final day of service, we ventured out into Chiang Rai to four exceptionally different temples and enjoyed a fancy buffet. The next morning we set out for Elephant Peace where we had a more intimate experience with Elephants! We learned about the Carin people’s cultural traditions and lifestyle from the amazing Da-Da.

On the morning of the final full day, we set out for the cooking class! Strolling the traditional Thai market, akin to America’s grocery stores we tasted a variety of treats. In groups of 2 you all cooked Thai cuisine for one another under Suwannee’s guidance.

The trip culminated with capstones, a campfire and writing appreciation letters! We hope you all learned how capable you truly are after all the challenges you overcame in Thailand. Never stop learning, growing, and evolving to the best version of you—that only you can be! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

Keenan

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Sunday August 4, 2019

Hi parents! Hi students! Welcome to the first blog post of your GLA trip.

There is a lot of preparation and behind the scenes work that goes into this program, so the three of us woke up early to make sure that everything was in order before your arrival!

All the students arriving today were coming in on the same 2:30pm flight so we made our way to the airport around 12:30. We had enough time to settle in and get ready to greet your smiling faces at the international arrivals gate.

We were so happy to see all nine of you! Even though you had just gone through many hours of travel, each of you greeted us with excited hellos and positive attitudes.

After some time spent exchanging money and calling home, it was time to head to the home base, Chang Garden. Everyone settled into their rooms and then met at the dining room to talk about and complete their roommate agreements. A quick shower break later, we were back together talking about and role playing the Code of Conduct.

At 6pm a chicken fried rice dinner was served and once we finished, we began making our Community Agreement. With such a small group, it felt like we were already a family as we discussed these topics and shared our opinions.

As you’re all settling into your new accommodations, with your new friends, we are so excited to have you all here and can’t wait for what’s to come this session! (Definitely better pictures to come 🙂

Ps. Talia, we can’t wait for you to join us 🙂

– Kasandra, Keenan and Dee

Monday August 5, 2019

Today was our first full day in Chiang Rai. We woke up bright and early because of the time change and played cards in our house until breakfast. After, we got to know each other through ice breaker games and familiarized ourselves with all the rules we would need to know for the duration of the trip.

For lunch we had a Thai dish that the cook assured us was mild, but left many of us sweating. We then had some down time and a large part of our group went swimming in the pool while the others talked nearby. After we returned to the dining area to learn about Thailand’s culture and basic words and phrases.

In the afternoon we started discussing and planning for our service in a nearby school. We split into groups for the older and younger grades and began planning games and vocabulary to teach the students. The group working with the younger kids focused on items in the classroom while the other group focused on camping, adjectives, and animals. We worked until dinner then took a break to enjoy coconut curry and fresh mango.

At the end of the day we split into our mentor groups and played games and talked for an hour, which was my favourite part of the day. After, the group working with the older students in school finished up their materials while everyone else settled into their cabins getting ready for bed.

Overall it was a great first day in Thailand and we are excited to start teaching tomorrow.

-by Amelia

Tuesday August 6, 2019

Today we began our first day of teaching! Everyone was nervous at first, but once we met the students we realized that it wasn’t as difficult as we thought. We taught students animals, camping supplies, and adjectives. We learned shortly that the students love to play “Hangman” and “Duck, Duck, Goose”, or as the students call it “Apple, Apple, Banana”, and of course “Baby Shark”.

After a fun day of teaching we went to experience a Thai 7/11. Some of us bought ramen and sweets. A lot of us were shocked to see how inexpensive everything was as someone saw a toilet for the price of 1500 baht on our way home which is roughly 49 U.S. dollars.

Once we got back to home base we had dinner and then began prepping for our next day of teaching. After having met with the students, we realized that what we originally planned was too simple for the students and we needed to make new games that are more challenging and more engaging for them.

After a reflection circle with Dee, we are off to our rooms and ready for day 2!

Ps: We are very glad that our last team member arrived today. 🙂

– by Erin

Thursday August 8, 2019

Today we woke up at 6:30 am and left for the last day of teaching at 7:15. We got to experience their morning assembly where they brought the GLA members to the stage to give a speech. Afterwards we sorted through our materials to leave behind for the teacher.

At our last classes we all joined together to work with the p1, p2, and p3 groups. The students were able to figure out 80% of the vocab from looking at the corresponding picture. This was made me feel really good about what we were doing for them and i felt as our week was quite beneficial. As we left the students bombarded us with hugs and goodbyes.

When we got back into the vans we went straight to Phu Chi Fah and settled into our rooms for our one night stay. After dinner the Mong tribe put on two shows. The first show involved men diving through rings of fire. The little kids performed their cultural dance. After each performance I handed over GLA’s donation and took group photos. As the night came to an end, we gathered around the fire and sang calming and soothing music.

– by Lacie

Friday August 9, 2019

Greetings friends and family! Today was our second and final day at the mountain village Pu Chi Fa. We all woke up around 8am and after breakfast we were on our way to hike up to the summit. To get to our starting point, we rode in the back of pickup trucks on winding roads through the rain; which was surprisingly fun. Hiking up was a difficult task, but the beautiful cows on the way and trees surrounding us made it well worth it.

At the top, we were at an altitude of 6,000 feet, and literally standing in a cloud. We also stuck our hands over a border fence, which means we all technically visited Laos. We also had about ten minutes of silent meditation, which Was a great experience for After hiking and riding back down, we got into the vans and were on our way to the Khun waterfall.

For lunch we stopped at a food court, and soon enough, we arrived. The hike on the way went through a lush jungle, was incredibly beautiful. There were tall trees and bamboo stalks, huge leaves, and the constant chirps and hums of insects. The water itself was cold, but it was easy to ignore that in the setting. I was struck by the height of the waterfall and how picturesque and perfect the whole thing was. We stayed for about 45 minutes, and returned to the vans to go back to Chang Garden for the last time. After dinner, we mostly packed and relaxed around the resort. This was the end of another great day in Thailand.

-by Lauryn

Saturday August 10, 2019

Hello friends and family,

Today was an adventure for us since the second we woke up. We scrambled to shower and pack to move to the EVT since we were too tired last night . Our breakfast consisted of eggs, bacon, rice, and of course mangosteen which is the best fruit ever by far. After breakfast, it was time to say our goodbyes and get on our way to EVT. In the van some we had nice discussions about the trip and looked as we saw new scenery pop up.

When we arrived at EVT, we firstly saw that the ethereal white temple sat right across the street. We all got out the van and then Jack the owner of EVT greeted us. One of the first things he explained to us was that the sounds of suitcases make the elephants annoyed so we had to wait. We all tried to pick up our suitcases and walk across the grounds to get to our houses.

There we went over basic house rules and got settled before lunch. At lunch we had a delicious chicken and some vegan dished too. All of it was very yummy and we ended up eating with another tour group. Then, it was off to see the elephants.

As Jack took us around the property he explained a bunch of cool facts about the area. The sanctuary’s origin story was that it was a garbage site dating back for years before they cleaned it up. They then started to get their elephants and work on rehabilitation. When we saw the first elephant it was chained up (humanely) due to a certain process that happens. It’s a process that is meant for breeding, but it can make the elephants more aggressive during the time period which is called musth.

We then moved on to see the beautiful girls ( Elephants of course:) and continued to learn a lot about these animals. After awhile we got to see the elephants get their baths. Jack explained how they purposely get themselves extra dirty for the baths. Then later on we got to feed the elephants and the one I fed really enjoyed banana tree shoots. After that long day of seeing elephants we had a good dinner and continued on to do some nice activities with each other. The activities really engulfed us in looking at perspective. I really enjoyed today.

Morgan

Sunday August 11, 2019

Hi! My name is Remie and I was the leader of the day today. Our day here at Elephant Valley Thailand (EVT) started off with a yummy breakfast of cereal and the best mangoes we all had ever eaten. We are all obsessed now. Then, we prepared for poo patrol hour with our guide named Fon, by putting on gloves and boots (which Jack, the owner of EVT, calls “wellies”) and making sure we all had water with us to keep from getting dehydrated. Poo patrol consisted of picking up poop and raking leaves and throwing it all into “poo poo island!” As gross as this may sound, it was mostly fun and definitely tiring. With the hot sun and the flies, we all pushed through and put in great effort in the name of clean pathways for the elephants. Tomorrow we get up and do it all over again!

Following poo patrol, we washed our hands and changed into new clothes because we were all very dirty and sweaty. Then we went to watch an elephant named Tong In get his nails trimmed by Jack. To do this, a trainer used “target training” to get the elephant to raise a certain leg when it was tapped by a stick. Then, the elephant would put its foot on a low fence, and Jack would trim its toenails and take care of his feet. He even found a cut which was in unhealthy conditions on the back foot of Tong In and fixed it up. It was very interesting to watch and hear what Jack has to say. There is so much that goes into taking care of elephants that most of us hadn’t thought of before.

After lunch, it began to pour (the first time). Instead of beginning our volunteer work for the day, we avoided the storm and studied elephants with Jack through a video of a few herds of elephants crossing a road. We learned about how some elephants are matriarchs, and how to tell the age of an elephant through its smile, ears, and back hump. When the rain stopped, we did service for a while by bringing wheelbarrows of sand to wherever it was needed around the EVT campus. Hard work, but of course, fun. The rest of our days was filled with dinner, a trip to the local convenience store to find snacks and a coincidental group of cows, and group hangouts. Tomorrow is going to be a pretty similar day to today, and we are planning on getting through it living by this quote: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Gandhi

P.S.

Mammy, Babby and Zippy, I miss and love you!

P.S.S.

Babby I know i am probably making you super jealous with this mango talk, but they were so good. You would love them! Lol sorry… not sorry at all.

Photos from Friday through Sunday:

Monday August 12, 2019

Today, Monday the 12th of August was our second day of service at Elephant Valley Thailand. Our morning began with breakfast at 7:30, the usual time here at the sanctuary. We have “Poo patrol” from 8-9 in which we move as a group from site to site cleaning up the night areas of our 5 beautiful elephants. It’s really quite an enjoyable experience to see those who can barely conceptualise that they are touching feces to laugh and talk as they scrape the remaining poop off the dirt floor.

I, myself, find it very satisfying. Fon is one of the many great staff that Jack, the general manager at EVT, employs. She joins us for Poo Patrol and her quirky and amusing attitude makes the experience much more enjoyable for all of us. “Poo poo island” is now a place that we all refer to casually and find it funny that we do.

After poo patrol our real service day begins. From 9:30 to 11:30 we cleaned up the area for one of Jack’s newest rescues, Zack. Our group of ten split into two, one digging up the urine soaked areas of dirt to avoid the elephants sensitive pads from acquiring urine burn, and the other on sand duty. Those on sand duty take turns shoveling sand from one end of the sanctuary into a wheelbarrow and hauling it back to Zack’s area to recover the dug up dirt. Trips for hauling the damaged soil in a wheelbarrow back to “Poo poo island” are also rotated. After those two hours of service came feeding the elephants and lunch, at 12.

Lunch consisted of tofu dishes, vegetable dishes, a fish dish, as well as individual rice bowls; this is the common lunch of EVT. Afternoon service was a joy if I do say so myself. There’s no proper way to put it – We smeared poop on trees. Trees are very important to elephant health and their balanced ecosystems but they often break and knock over trees as they rub up against them, to scratch, play or sometimes unknowingly, or out of aggression. The act of spreading a mixture of many different elephant’s poops and mud on the trees prevents this from happening, as they do not like the smell of other elephants poop and do not want it on their bodies.

Afternoon service ended at 3:00, after which we all showered and rested for 30 minutes for feeding time at 3:45. The elephants are fed at 11:30 and 3:30 and our group is able to do at least one of these times a day. After their feeding, one of our mentors took all of us to the store about 15 minutes down the road; there we bought snacks, ice cream, and anything else, as we did yesterday.

Dinner is always served at 6:00, and tonight it was a tasty chicken noodle soup dish and french fries, as well as fruits and veggies. After dinner, we had an activity, a debate. The topic of our debate was the legality of Bequains aboriginal whaling practices for the sake of their culture and diet. We were split into pairs and given a side to take, as one of 5 different organizations. The debate got quite heated and I was given the position of the IWC, the International Whaling Commission.

My stance on the subject was opposing to the side I was given, being that the IWC supports the island to whale only up to 4 male whales a year due to its weight in their survival and economy. After educating myself and participating in the debate, I agreed with the side I was arguing for. Following the debate, we all answered questions on the program thus far and our experience with staff, food, travel, etc. Lights out at 9:15 for our last day of service tomorrow!

– by Sophia

Tuesday August 13, 2019

Greetings to friends and family!

Today is August 13th which unfortunately marks our last day of service. The day started of by eating “the most important meal of the day”. Our breakfast consisted of eggs, toast with homemade jam, cereal, and fresh fruit including the well loved juicy MANGO. After stuffing our faces with the delicious food, service began. Our first task was “Poo Patrol”, which is essentially picking up elephant dung and leaves. As gross as it sounds, it surprisingly became somewhat enjoyable.

At 9:30 the service truly began, our second task of the day was moving sand around. As monotonous and insignificant as it sounds it’s actually quite essential for the elephants’ well-being. Sand is fun for elephants to play with and acts as a urine drainer to reduce urine burn. After loads and loads of moving around sand we all grew eager for lunch. This task really tested our teamwork in that we had to truly work together to be able to do this job as efficiently as possible. Usually after one task is done we were given another however today was slightly different. Finally lunch came around, and you can assume that all the food was consumed immediately after sitting down, no food left behind!

After lunch, we got the privilege of speaking to Jack about what a leader truly is. Jack is a bubbly and hilarious Englishman that founded the elephant sanctuary in which we are occupying. He thoroughly explained key factors in succeeding in what you are truly passionate about. One thing among the many that resonated with me is when he explained that you can never truly be a leader unless you can lead yourself.

We fed the elephants one last time then break time rolled around which consisted of showering, much to my parents’ surprise reading, and group bonding. After eating dinner we all hopped onto the tour buses and headed to the night markets. The bus rides there included lots and lots of “karaoke”. When we all arrived to the night market engulfed in all the little stores and their foreign items, we began shopping! After running around from store to store bargaining became a sport that I am particularly fond of. After our two hours at the market came to an end, another karaoke session began. This action packed day has come to an end, and tomorrow awaits.

-Talia Perlman

PS: Regarding the picture, this is who you raised. Love Dad & Mom

Wednesday August 14, 2019

Greetings, GLA friends and family! Today was an exciting day, the coveted temple day, during which we explored 3 magnificent temples. The first was appropriately called the White Temple, for its stunning coloring. In Thai, it is called Wat Rong Kun. We were all captured by its breathtaking white and silver architecture and haunted by the depiction of hell around the temple that consisted of skulls and hands reaching up from the ground. The White Temple was built to cause the youth to gain back their interest in religion, which the artist attempted to do by depicting famous characters such as Harry Potter and Spiderman within the temple.

The second temple was the Blue Temple, which is called Seuaten Way Rong Kun in Thai, and the blue structure was trimmed in golden-yellow with statues of dragons. Many of us bought incense, candles, and flowers as is customary for offering in Buddhism and we considered what we are grateful for in our lives. Next, we enjoyed a delicious buffet before traveling to the largest temple.

The Lady Buddha Temple, which is called Wat Huay Pla Kung, is composed of multiple structures devoted to the female Buddha atop a beautiful hill. The most famous part is a massive temple in the shape of the female Buddha with about 26 floors. The worship of the female Buddha is due to the belief that men cause chaos and women are less problematic, a belief which I happen to appreciate.

Finally, we restocked our snack collections at 7-eleven and traveled back to Elephant Valley Thailand. We discussed how we can continue the work we did during this trip in the real world by setting goals about future service we will do, which we call capstones. To begin, we had a fascinating discussion about how “knowledge is power” is perhaps not completely accurate because what a person chooses to do with that knowledge is what matters. We set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely goals (“S.M.A.R.T. goals), which we will present to each other on Friday. After a delicious dinner at EVT, we all watched an insightful and fascinating movie called Captain Fantastic.

We hope your day was as enjoyable as ours!

-by Zara

Thursday August 15, 2019

Where do I even begin?! I guess I’ll start this blog entree by saying that today was our second-to-last day here in Thailand, and although none of us were thinking about that fact throughout all the fun activities we did today, it is sad. Alright, now that I’ve gotten the sad stuff over with, today was so COOL! We all woke up around 8am and ate breakfast at 8:30am. The usual yummy pleasures of mangos and cereal. Afterwards, we drove in two separate vans for a while through the more rural areas of Chiang Rai.

We then stopped in the middle of a road, and climbed into another car which drove us to the grounds of the Karen Tribe’s Elephant Peace Project. On the outside, it looked like a beautiful landscape of rolling streams, farms, trees and vibrant green hills. But when we walked deeper into this tribe’s home, we discovered the rare wonder of how elephants live happily amongst humans; humans who live in bamboo stilt homes, not caring how social media or other groups perceive them.

Our tour guide and the owner of the Project, Dada, explained to us how her tribe treats the elephants with kindness and respect. The tribe regards the elephants, not as animals, but as humans and they should be treated with the same sympathy. Dada also explained how she knows that the Project’s elephants are domesticated and that she is not trying to convince her visitors that the way she does things is the best way in existence. Instead, she said that she and the rest of the Karen tribe aims to help the elephants live in peace, as they are sacred beings that must be protected.

Our jobs at the Project began with feeding the two elephants, Maddie and Dét, leaves and banana tree trunks. Then, we trekked through the stream, trying our best not to fall on the slippery rocks and sands. At the conclusion of our trek, we used small buckets to wash the elephants in the river. As if this wasn’t fun enough, we then had a water fight that got us all soaking wet and laughing. After eating a delicious lunch at the Project, we partook in a ceremony where we patted the elephants head with sacred water to bless them and wish for something of our choice.

Our last stop of the day was in the Karen Tribe Museum where Dara taught us about how her people live, dress, eat, and survive. She was so inspiring that we all decided to buy something(s) from her shop, mainly to give her money and help her continue the Elephant Peace Project’s incredible work. Touching and caring for the elephants and listening to Dada’s stories and lectures helped us all to not only understand how life can be lived happily with very little, but also how elephants and people can live in harmony in nature. As the Karen Tribe states on their website, “we do not see the elephants as business; we see them as part of the family.”

Thanks for reading,

Remie Suvanto — lover of elephants

Friday August 16, 2019

Today we went to a thai cooking class. Our tour guide Nam showed us around a thai food market and let us taste lots of delicious food. We tried two different type of sweets with mung bean.

After our tour of the food market we went to Suanee’s cooking studio to learn all about how to make classic thai foods. We made papaya salad, pad see ew, tom ka gai soup, and bananas in coconut milk. Everything was absolutely delicious and everyone loved it!

Later we set up a campfire and shared our capstone projects. capstone projects are where we talk about a goal we have and how we plan to achieve it. Dee was able to find us marshmallows and cream crackers and we found a way to make s’mores!

After the campfire we all went to write our final goodbye letters and packed our suitcases to get ready for our flights in the morning.

– by Erin

Saturday August 17, 2019

Today was departure day! The excitement, the sadness, the packing and the goodbyes were just a few things we experienced today.

The first couple students were leaving at 730am, so it was an early wake up to eat breakfast and say goodbye. While they ventured off to the airport, the rest of the students slept and packed. They spent the day writing appreciation letters and preparing for their long journeys home.

After one final lunch, we headed to the airport with students for their afternoon flights. There were teary-eyed goodbyes, last words to prolong our time together 🙂 and long hugs shared by everyone.

After our final send offs, we just have some last words to share with you all.

This session flew by. It was filled with laughs, van jams, growth and new friendships. As your mentors and director, we are so proud of each and every one of you. We loved watching you grow and change in such a short amount of time. We witnessed your positivity, your willingness to overcome challenges and your ability to roll with the punches.

We appreciated your work ethic during service, your participation during activities and the great discussions in mentor groups.

We hope that each of you enjoyed these last two weeks and we hope you’ll take what you’ve learned here and share it with your friends and families at home.

Safe travels and thank you for being such a great group of students.

– by Keenan, Kasandra and Dee

Time Capsule Letter

We can’t believe it has already been so long since our Thailand trip ended! We’ll never hear “I want it that way” without thinking of your group, and who can forget the infamous “oop” or the impact that Lil Peppa and Aquawoman and her crew had on our group.

It seems like yesterday that we were moving sand at EVT (very efficiently) and playing with kids at our school. You’re probably back at school (or starting college) but we wanted you to know that we are still thinking of you and the memories we made this summer in Thailand.

Thank you for your commitment to making a positive impact on the world. I encourage you to continue learning all that you can about issues that you are passionate about at home. And more importantly, the knowledge YOU gained on this trip will serve you and your community for the rest of your life! We now know how complex animal and environmental conservation are.

And we were inspired by Dada’s inspirational leadership as she endeavors to highlight the culture of community, empower local artisans, and treat elephants as her brothers and sisters. It is truly inspirational to witness someone step into leadership with grace and strength to do better for themself and for their community (animal and human!).

Another thing I can’t forget is how much fun we had together! You guys were a huge part of making this trip so fun by being a really close knit group. We experienced Thai culture by learning to haggle at the market, prepare delicious Thai cuisine, and pick up a few key Thai phrases. What a joy to do all of these things with beautiful landscapes around us!

We worked really hard and also had a blast together. Whether it was trips to Poo Poo Island, to the White Temple, or the bonfire at Phu Chi Pha we all had a great time be learning, growing and exploring together!

Thanks for helping to make these special memories in an amazing place and good luck as you become the change!!

Cheers,

Melissa, Emma and the GLA Thailand team

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Friday July 19, 2019

Sawadeekah (Hello in Thai) to all of our readers of the Global Leadership Adventures Elephant Sanctuary Project blog!

Today was arrival day in Chiang Rai, and we have successfully picked up all of the tired but excited members of our group from the airport, and brought them back to our lovely homebase. We ate a delicious dinner of fried rice prepared by our talented homebase chefs, and students are resting up for orientation tomorrow.

Check out our first group picture! (Note: we are missing Cayetana and Gabriela, as they arrived a bit after the group photo, but they are here and all settled in as well!)

Tomorrow we will kick off orientation activities, start learning about Thai language and culture, and explore a local market!

-Emma, GLA Program Staff

Saturday July 20, 2019

This morning we had orientation. After lunch, we had. Thai language and culture lesson an met a monk at a temple. Finally we did a scavenger hunt in a market. Student blogs to follow beginning tomorrow.

Sunday July 21, 2019

Today we were able to visit the incredible Elephant Peace Project. We were welcomed with open arms by Dada, her family, and the other members of the Elephant Peace staff. We began with a short hike through rice paddies to reach the Elephant Peace camp where the elephants reside. Dada introduced herself and the hill tribe she identifies with, as well as others around the area. She explained to us the importance of elephant conservation in northern Thailand. This included the struggle between moving away from elephant riding and that being the family’s only source of income to be able to feed the elephants they own. The knowledge and experience Dada shared with us was life changing and touched us all in different and individual ways.

After introductions we were able to prepare sugar cane, banana trunk, and grass roots for the elephants to eat. Throughout feeding them we were given the opportunity to get up close, take pictures, and pet the elephants. After feeding the elephants, we were able to eat the delicious food prepared by the people as well as have an open forum with Dada where we were able to ask questions and dive deeper into our understanding of her life.

We then took a short hike down the small river to find a pool where we were able to bathe the elephants. We used small buckets to splash the elephants and scrub them clean. This was another opportunity for a photo op with the elephants. As it began to rain we headed back to the main center and were given the chance to shop around in Dada’s gift store. This was a great way to end the incredible day we had at Elephant Peace. Everyone came out of this adventure having a deep connection and respect towards Dada and the positive attitude that she puts out into the world.

-by Zoe and Mikayla

Monday July 22, 2019

On Monday, we began teaching English to some of the Thai students. The night before we were split up into two teaching groups, one group for grades 1 through 3 and one for grades 4 through 6. Each group had to create a lesson plan for different topics depending on the grades they were teaching, and we all had a lot of fun preparing them.

We woke up a little earlier than normal, in order to arrive at the school with enough time to plan a little more as well as get an introduction from one of the teachers.

The teaching was a challenge at first, but once we made it through a class or two many of us started to get the hang it. The kids were very energetic and excited to see us! They loved to play games, especially the younger kids, and many of them were super competitive. But they were the best kind of competitive, since they mostly just cared about the competition and not who won.

It was and probably still will be difficult to break through the language barrier, but overall we provided a positive experience for the kids while learning a lot about ourselves in the process. And despite the difference in culture, as the day went on we realized many of the kids act very similarly to American elementary school kids. We also learned a lot about our own personal strengths and weaknesses in regards to our teaching skills. Many of us probably learned more than the students! After teaching, we stopped at a grocery store, in case anyone needed supplies, before heading back to home base.

By Max and Linden

Tuesday July 23, 2019

After three days of teaching English and creating amazing bonds with the students, we woke up this morning bright and early for our final day of teaching at our Thai school. A group of students were also sent to an anuban, or kindergarten class to meet and play with the kindergarteners. Doing activities such as songs, games, lots of dancing and running. This being our very last day it consisted of a lot of wrapping up our lessons and saying the toughest goodbyes.

After leaving the Thai school we set out on our next activity. When arriving at home base we prepared to play a game to teach us about leadership strategies. We were tested as a group to make it across a path that took communication, patience and teamwork. With lots of trial and errors the time started ticking. It was past dinner by the time we finally made it through. It was well worth it though because we passed the time by doing the wave and singing.

At one point in the Leadership game we were nearing the end when numerous people had to be sent back to the beginning. We struck a deal and the boys agreed to perform a song and dance if they didn’t have to start from the very start of the game. After about an hour we were all set to watch them perform. They definitely went above and beyond our expectations. It was definitely a night to remember.

-Ashley and Bri

Wednesday July 24, 2019

Simply put, last Tuesday was a banger of a day. Starting with an extravagant feast consisting of sunny side up eggs,rice, and toast. This gave the energy boost needed to carry out the rest of the day. We then traveled to the school and prepared for our first task. We were divided into to two groups to teach two different sets of kids.

One group took the playful and energetic 1-3 graders, while the other group handled the more mature 4-6 graders. While one group was constructing a plan for the kids, the other would be in the class room instructing. Some problems that arose during the teaching was the language barriers and the kids lack of cooperation. We overcame the obstacles and taught the kids things such as fruits and animals.

To start off the afternoon we had delicious chicken fried rice with a side of pineapple. Three hours of of teaching remained. The kids were ready to learn! Some games to get the kids engaged were apple apple grape(duck duck goose),board slap, and a card pickup game. Although they struggled at first,the kids were great at pronouncing words such as grape. After an exhausting day teaching the group left to get some juice. The heat seemed to fade away after a refreshing sip of some fresh squeezed Thailand juice.

We were unexpectedly informed by our leaders that would take a trip to a local Thai market. The group was ecstatic that we would be able to shop for Thailand merchandise. In the market local vendors sold lots of hand made crafts and bracelets. A group favorite was the rings. After an exciting shopping run it was time to go back to home base. We all snuggled into our bed covers and called it a day.

-Randy & Bradley

Thursday July 25, 2019

Today we woke up to the sound of rain and headed to breakfast at 8am. During breakfast we had eggs, rice, pineapple, toast, ham, and steamed veggies to choose from. While we ate, we listened to announcements about our day and gained some more information about the cooking class and drive to Mount Phu Chi Fa that we would be having that day.

At 9 we finished up breakfast and loaded into the vans to head to our Thai cooking class. We arrived at a market where we met our cooking instructor. From here we split into two groups and we taken on a tour of the market which doubled as a chance for us to pick up the fresh ingredients we would be using in our dishes as well as sample Thai street food. Once we had gathered all of our ingredients we loaded back into the vans and drove to our instructors house to begin cooking our meal.

Using our ingredients from the market we prepared Spicy Green Papaya Salad, Tam Ka Soup, Green Curry, and Bananas in Sweet Coconut Milk for desert. To prepare these dishes we split of into pairs allowing one person to make the Spicy Green Papaya Salad and Tam Ka Soup and the other person to make the Green Curry and Bananas and Coconut milk. Even though each person only made two things, we were able to try everything because we prepared enough of the dish for two people to eat together. Once we had finished making and eating our Thai food, we began our journey to Phu Chi Fa.

During the three hour drive we talked to friends, listened to music, and watched the interesting views from our window. We arrived to the village just in time for dinner where we ate rice, fish, egg, green beans, and chicken. After dinner we were treated to a performance by the locals. This performance consisted of men and boys showing us their warrior acrobatic routine and traditional dance.

After the performance we had a quick bonfire and then went to sleep in our rooms that overlooked the mountains.

Friday July 26, 2019

We woke up in Phu Chi Fa and our beautiful mountain view was covered by a thick fog. A breakfast of vegetable, meat, and rice stew was prepared by the hill tribe people of us. Shortly after breakfast we departed, we were going to go on an early morning sunrise hike and swim in a waterfall but due to weather conditions we had to change our plans.

Everyone got on their buses and drove to a cute coffee shop with many funny statues. We continued driving and then stopped at a grocery store for lunch and some snacks. We got back in the car and headed to another Thai market which was right on the border with Thailand, and Myanmar.

After the market, we got back in the bus and set off to Elephant Valley Thailand, where we will be spending the remainder of our time here. When we arrived, everyone immediately loved our new home base. We had an amazing dinner and we saw and are excited to continue seeing elephants right outside the fences of our eating area.

We all ended the night with a game of jeopardy testing us all of Thai Culture, Thai Language, GLA Students/Staff, Elephants Trivia, and Random Knowledge. After a tough battle and countless vegetable offs, team Starships managed to take the victory. Everyone headed back to their cabins and we’re overjoyed about the extended sleep for breakfast at 9 tomorrow.

-Carly & Peyton

Saturday July 27, 2019

Saturday, we woke up in the Elephant Valley Sanctuary. We had breakfast in the diner, which has the amazing view of the elephants. It is very cool because in here, we are the ones who are in a ‘cage’ and the elephants are ‘free’.

After breakfast we had a GLA activity in groups; we each had a role assigned of different types of elephant parks and sanctuaries, each with different ideologies. Here we discussed and shared each point of view, permitting us to see how difficult it is to reach a final decision about the future of elephants.

After lunch we had observation time and we were able to meet Jack. He taught us the elephant’s body language and what each movement meant. For example when the ears are flapping, it means it is happy; also the tail determines the elephant’s heart rate.

After this we fed the elephants banana leaves and stems along with actual bananas. Jack explained to us that they put minerals and other medications in the food for the well being of the elephants.

In our free time, we went to explore our space and we found swings that faced the elephants. It had a pretty cool view :). Finally we ate dinner and headed out to the night market (which only opens on Saturdays). There was a huge variety of things such as food, hand-made crafts and more. At 9 we saw the light show of the Golden Clock were it lit up and music was playing. We returned on the bus signing throwback songs and having a good time. We arrived back and it was 9:30 and time to go to bed.

This day was very unique because it was the first time we learned more in depth about elephants and were able to have a fun time in our new household (Elephant Valley Sanctuary).

We are so excited for the next last days enjoying our time in Thailand.

-Cayetana and Gabriela (from Ecuador)

Sunday July 28, 2019

Today was an early day for GLA, starting with breakfast at 7:30. After a quick bite to eat, we slipped on boots and gloves and began a solid hour of poo patrol. We worked alongside two amazing staff members who taught us about what it takes to care for the elephants here at Elephant Valley, Thailand. We took a quick break filled with laughs and dance parties then grabbed our hoes and garden gloves to start weeding out invasive species that have grown in the elephants’ habitat.

Our work was exhausting and hot, but extremely rewarding. Seeing the final product was worth every sweaty second.

After stopping for a lunch break, we joined Jack, one of the leaders here at Elephant Valley. He helped us observe the body language of the elephants and taught us about each of the elephants’ special traits. The elephants took a quick swim in the pond, which fascinated many members of the group and was a great opportunity for us to get a closer look at the animals.

Following observation, we interviewed a local Thai woman who works at EVT. JJ was able to help us better understand youth in Thailand and how culture and tradition change over time.

We then fed the elephants again, which was a highlight for many. We are all extremely excited to make these last few days in Thailand count, meaning we are all pushing ourselves to do our best in service and self growth.

Jaiden and Taya

Monday July 29, 2019

Monday July 29, we started out our day at 7:30 with breakfast. Following breakfast was elephant poop scooping duty. After scooping poop for about an hour we moved on to our next task.

Our biggest goal for the day was to clean up the space that Zach has been living in. Zach is an elephant that is experiencing musth which is a period of time where male elephants produce higher doses of testosterone causing them to become a little extra aggressive in a drunken state and requiring distance from other elephants.

We started by scrapping all the mud that had been contaminated by Zach’s feces and moving some branches from fallen trees. Then we enjoyed a delicious lunch while the sun dried out the newly cleared area.
After lunch we began sand duty. Sand duty consisted of us moving loads of sand and packing it into Zach’s area. Even though this work was pretty demanding and we were all dripping sweat by the end of it, we all had a lot of fun and felt really accomplished by the time we were done!

After our hard work we got to walk over to a local market and got some snacks. Once back at home base we had the opportunity to talk to Tee, one of the sanctuary workers. Following that we had dinner and later a GLA activity. Finally we had some free time which consisted of most of us playing Uno or spoons!

Photos coming soon!

-by Carolina

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Today we woke up pretty early for breakfast at 7:30. After breakfast we went for our last day of poop patrol, you know we’ve been doing poop patrol for too long when most people could recognize Thongin’s poop.
Then, we had our last day of service and we all worked extremely hard weeding. We thought the first day of weeding was hard, but the roots on these plants were the size of our water bottles. After service we all took freezing cold showers because we somehow used so much electricity that our bathroom electricity stopped working.

We had observation after lunch and it was the best day yet. Jack, the manager of elephant valley, gave us two tires chained together to give to the elephants to play with.the tired were left in the elephant’s area and the elephants quickly found their favorite toy. Ka moon, one of the smaller elephants, loved to kick the tires and chase them. Mor poo too, a newer elephant, was scared of them and kept telling them to go away by smacking her trunk on the ground. May noy went back and forth between being scared of the tires and wanting to play. Watching them play was an amazing sight.

Time Capsule Letter

Twenty-two high school students flew from a variety of places throughout our home, and presently our only, planet. You all had at least a few ideas of what this grand, life-changing experience would entail. Perhaps a couple of you imagined elephant poop, but less-likely smearing it onto trees — to protect them!

Everyone was surprised when they realized the elephant poop didn’t smell that bad! We watched twenty-two teenagers uneasily begin mixing poop, mud, and water, until we experienced minor disbelief, yet a great deal of satisfaction, as those same teenagers began laughing and having different degrees of a good time smearing it onto trees.

In retrospect, those who were excited and shared a positive attitude made it easier for everyone, which luckily was all of you. Poop smearing led into weeding and planting. Jack explained how most all plants store nitrogen differently, however, plants with ridged leaves store the nitrogen in their leaves.

Jack said that removing the excess nitrogen in the soil from the chicken farming was necessary in the long term. Weeding on the steep embankments from the previous catfish ponds in the pouring rain was a transformative experience. You all pushed through the discomfort and challenge and emerged victorious with many cartloads of weeds—progress for the future of the Elephant sanctuary.

Working in the dense overgrowth of plants and seemingly endless summer monsoon rains lead us happily into “Jack Talk.” We all viscerally experienced a condensed version of jacks life. Remember? It was a story of adventure, uncertainty, trials, and self-discovery. He reassured you that if you stay positive, work hard, take the road less traveled and stay open to life’s lessons, that you will find your way!

To formally celebrate finishing the first half of service, we went to the night market, one of the first experiences in the local community. In groups you all strolled, bought souvineers and marvelled at the Thai market. Following the final day of service, we ventured out into Chiang Rai to four exceptionally different temples and enjoyed a fancy buffet.

That same evening we moved into Chang Garden, the second homebase. The next morning we set out early for the cooking class! In groups of 2-3 you all cooked Thai cuisine for one another under Suwannee’s guidance.

After the class we traveled to Phu Chi Fa, where we had the fortune of experiening local cuisine, an amazing cultural display of dancing, martial arts, and firey acrobatics! The evening culminated with campfire songs and telephone.

The next morning, everyone woke up at 430 am for a sunrise hike! We jumped into the back of the locals trucks and road a short way to the trailhead. A short hike up to the summit and we were on the top of the mountain bordering Laos, however dense clouds obstructed a true view of the sunrise and valleys below. We left Phu Chi Fa for a food court near the White Temple, then we set off for the waterfall! A giant, beautiful waterfall met us at the end of a long, natural hike.

That same evening, lesson planning began for teaching English the following day. You all adapted smoothly to the playful, carefree attitudes of the Thai children. You all excelled at creating a variety of games and activities for the students to learn.

We hope you all learned how capable you truly are after all the challenges you overcame in Thailand. Never stop learning, growing, and evolving to the best version of you—that only you can be! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

Keenan

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Friday July 19, 2019

Hello GLA Families!! 🙂

Today we woke up early, ready for our students to arrive!

Three students arrived, then we found out five of our students were unfortunately delayed. But they did take the time to get to know each other while waiting with ten other students. True leaders! 🙂

We were glad have most of our students to home-base by 4:30 pm. Once at home base, Jack gave a talk about house rules, and then later, we were finally joined with our last four students, and our group was complete!

Tired and well fed, our students were ready for bed.

We are very excited to start our session and get to know your children. Stay tuned for more blog posts about all our adventures in Thailand!

Dee, Keenan, and Kasandra
GLA Program Staff

Saturday July 20, 2019

On the first day of our Thailand experience we woke up bright and early around 8:30, except of course those of us overcome with jet lag, who were blissfully yanked awake at around 4 AM by our own internal clocks. We enjoyed a complete breakfast of eggs, cereal and bread. Then we got to know each other with name games where we said our states and nations of origin and put together short skits to go over the GLA code of conduct.

Afterwards, we did some more name games and discussed the rules for a while and then we moved into lunch, they offered a lot of good options that everybody could eat. Then, more games were played and we reviewed more safety rules, finishing the rules part of the orientation off by each coming up with a word for our Community agreement and signing our names in an elephant drawing.

Later, we had a bit of a general lesson in Thai culture from a local woman named Jay Jay who taught us proper etiquete for bowing, going to temples, making way for monks to go by, and respecting the king and spirits….After a few minutes break, the Asia regional director for GLA gave us a beginner Thai lesson where he taught us Thai basics such as hello, goodbye, thank you, excuse me as well as many more.

After, we grouped up and had something called a chow circle where we did shoutouts to appreciate someone’s action, words of the day in both Thai and english as well as a quote of the day from star wars. After that it was time for dinner with really good food such as chicken, mashed potatoes and of veggies as well as Thai food.

Finally, we got into our mentor groups and we reflected about our choice to do GLA this summer and how things are going so far, after that it was time for showers and going off to bed. It was a long but almost fun day.

-by Alex K and Zoe M

Sunday July 21, 2019

To start off this morning we had a western style breakfast that included omelette toast mangos and cereal. After our delicious breakfast we had our first orientation with the founder of the sanctuary: Elephant Valley Thailand, Jack.

We learned the do’s-and-dont’s of elephant care. During our talk, we learned about how Jack came up with the idea of the elephant sanctuary. He created this wonderful sanctuary to reintroduce the elephants to their natural habitat. We also learned about how this sanctuary creates a safe place for these elephants. Then we Thai cuisine for our lunch.

We then got to feed the elephants with safety instructions on how to feed them. We took turns giving them bananas for their snack time making sure to keep their personal space. We, then, got to observe the elephants in their space and learning about their body language and natural tendency. We learned that elephants use their ears, tails and trunk to express their emotions.

For our evening activity we watched a video from National Geographic about animal tourism and exposing the reality. It talked about different places in Thailand where they use elephants for entertainment purposes. The truth about the way these elephants are treated is very disturbing.

They are abused mentally and physically everyday. Not just elephants but many other animals.

We should promote sanctuary’s like the one we are staying at in order to keep these beautiful species alive. After we watched the short documentary, we discussed the layers of challenges this industry faces. We finished the day with watching a native Thai movie.

Overall, we had an amazing day and are having the best time of our lives!

– by Lucy and Natalia

Monday July 22, 2019

For the first time we woke up to a cool rain which was an amazing feeling. We had our usual favorite breakfast at 7:30. Right after breakfast we went on poo patrol. It sounded gross at first but honestly it wasn’t bad. We made sure that non of the elephants food had bacteria in it. After a short break we split up into two groups. One group was in charge of mixing mud and elephant poop to spread on the trees.
This helps prevent the elephants from stripping down the trees by snacking on them. The other group pulled weeds to help clear up more area for the elephants to roam and eat freely.

All these jobs were tiring but it gave us opportunities to bring us all together. After all that hard work, we had a delicious Thai meal. It consisted of fish, chicken, tofu, and sticky rice. Once we were all full and energized, we played a game of never have I ever led by leaders of the day. It let us get to know one another much better. After a few rounds of that it was time for some more service. The groups switched jobs so we could experience all aspects of the sanctuary.

After a hard days work we had downtime and got ready for the rest of the night. We had a quick but delicious dinner of tom kha gai soup over rice with fried vegetables. Now it was time for the moment we were all waiting for, the excursion to the night market. We took a 30 minute car ride to the Chiang Rai outdoor market. There we were able to fully immerse ourselves in Thai culture. We were surrounded by delicious smells and beautiful merchandise.

Some brave students ate seasoned crickets. Not all of us we able to stomach that. Once everyone was done with their shopping and eating we all got back in our vans and headed back to the sanctuary.

-by Stella and Eleanor

Tuesday July 23, 2019

Today we started the day with breakfast at 7:30 and went straight to poop patrol at 8. After cleaning up all of the elephant areas, we took a short break to get ready for the rest of the day’s service. At 9:30, we split up into two groups for service. One group worked to plant trees that will later be harvested for elephant food. The other group moved sand to areas where the elephants eat and sleep.

After service, it was time for feeding the elephants. We fed them bananas by hand for their morning snack. Then we had a delicious Thai lunch. After a short break, we played a quick game of mafia led by our leaders of the day – us! And then it was back to service. Everyone worked together to weed out plants that were over growing in the elephant living area.

After a long day of service, we had some free time in the afternoon to shower, relax, and talk with friends. We met for our daily chow circle and then had dinner. After dinner, we all met and got to listen to the life stories of some of the sanctuary’s employees. Then, we did an activity to help us understand different perspectives on elephant tourism in Thailand and the future of elephants. We split up into groups and each took on different roles to present to a council our vision for the future of elephants. This activity helped us to see other sides of this complicated issue.

Finally, after a long day, it was time for bed.

Nicole and Abbie

Wednesday July 24, 2019

Today was our last day here at Elephant Valley. We started the day off with a nice breakfast at 7:30 am, which was followed by our favorite: poop patrol.

After that, Jack talked to us about his background and how he got so involved in elephant rehabilitation. While he talked, we observed the elephants and learned more about their personalities and behaviors. Once we were done observing the elephants, we had the opportunity to feed them bananas right before lunchtime.

After lunch and a short break, we led the group in a game of sardines — basically a reverse version of hide and seek. Then, the group went back to work, this time weeding!

Unfortunately, it started to rain heavily when we were weeding and we had to hang out for a bit (while drinking hot chocolate). Once the rain stopped, we went back to work. After completing the task of weeding, we had one last opportunity to feed the elephants before we embarked on our next journey. We again had a break where some people walked to a store down the road to buy some Thai snacks and other goodies while others stayed at home base and packed. After that, we had chow circle — led by yours truly, of course.

Finally, we ended the day with dinner and mentor groups. We’re excited to move to the next home base, but we’ll miss Elephant Valley and all of it’s members who have taught us so much and been kind enough to share this space with us.

~ Iris and Faith

Thursday July 25, 2019

Sawat dii

Today was temple day! We started the day with our last breakfast at the elephant sanctuary, which consisted of toast, eggs and cereal. Then we finished up packing and said our final goodbyes to the staff and the elephants. It was sad to leave, but we’re excited for teaching and our upcoming adventures.

We loaded into the vans and headed to our first temple, The White Temple. This is a more modern and less traditional temple than some of the others we went to. We walked for about an hour, exploring the pretty details and the nice gold bathrooms. Some of us even got smoothies!

The second temple we went to was the Emerald Buddha Temple. The temple was home to the Emerald Buddha, a very sacred statue in Thai culture This was a much more traditional temple, where we saw many monks and visited a museum filled with Buddhist artifacts.

Here we learned about the different statues of Buddha’s found at temples that correlate with the day of the week you’re born. We also saw many turtles, which many Buddhists release from markets as a sign of good karma. After we went to The Blue Temple, which had a large Buddha situated in a blue decorated temple. Many of us sat and meditated, paying careful attention as to not point our feet at the Buddha. After some of us got coconut ice cream and souvenirs.

Taking a break from our temple visiting, we stopped at a buffet for some pad Thai and many other options, which some of us found VERY spicy. Afterwards we visited our final temple, which has a large statue of the goddess of virtue as well as other temples. Many of us took an elevator to the top of the statue, where we got a great view from a window in the goddesses third eye. After walking up the large dragon staircase, we were all sweaty and tired, so we headed back to our new home base.

We got situated in our new rooms where we were very excited to find air conditioning. After a dinner of soup, chicken and rice, we began to make lesson plans for teaching tomorrow. While this was very hectic and overwhelming, we’re excited for tomorrow and to meet the children.

Sarah and Hannah

Friday July 26, 2019

Today was the first day of our teaching service in Chiang Rai. We woke at about 6:45 to have breakfast at 7:00. We had fried eggs, toast and butter, cereal and milk, and fruit. We went back into our houses to change into our teaching clothes and went into vans to head to the school.

At the school, we went to teach in classrooms for 2 hours in the morning and one in the afternoon, with an hour long break in between. In the classrooms, the children were excited to see us and eager to learn. In the younger classrooms, we went over numbers, animals, the alphabet, and big and small things using handmade teaching materials. The older classrooms learned about jobs, food, and seasons. The older kids had a solid comprehension of English, and everyone was very interactive.

After saying goodbye to the children, we got in the vans and stopped by a supermarket on the way to home base to get snacks. Once at home, we had time to design the class curriculum for next class. We then had our chow circle, and had a spaghetti and pineapple for dinner. After playing copy-cat for the leader of the day activity (courtesy of yesterday’s and today’s leaders), we tried to watch a Ted Talk but it wouldn’t load so the activity was rescheduled. We then went into our mentor groups before retiring for the night.

We had a great first day teaching, and tomorrow we’ll have another great day as we are doing a cooking class.

-by Alex Vick and Yiwen

Saturday July 27, 2019

Hey families, this is Zoe C and Hannah G.

Reporting live from the border between Thailand and Laos. Currently in a our accommodation in Phu Chi fah before our sunrise hike at 4 30 am tomorrow, yippee. So excited.

Today was monumental. Unforgettable. We took a cooking class and learned how to make coconut soup and Thai curry. Hannah slightly cut her finger within the first 30 seconds of meal prep (minor injury, occupational hazard). Then we took a bus to the border town for 2 hours which included a snack break and squattie potties.

Upon arrival, we met finalists from Thailand’s got Talent who literally jumped through hoops of fire. Then we had a nice sunset dinner looking out over the mountains and a fun campfire singalong. Great day all in all. That’s all for today. Sarah D
and Tim K. will be in contact tomorrow.

Hope u enjoyed our blog 🙂
Xo
Zoe C and Hannah G

Sunday July 28, 2019

This morning we woke up at 4:30 in the morning and quickly got ready for our sunrise hike. We drove up windy roads and made it to our starting point. We hiked up a steep trail in the dark with our flash lights to guide us. Once we reached the destination, we calmly waited for the sun to rise up. Unfortunately, the clouds covered our view and we were unable to see the view from the top. Nevertheless, we were able to see the beautiful skies and took pictures and listened to music.

After our morning hike, we hit the road again and made our way towards our next spot. As usual, we made our way to 7/11 and loaded up on snacks. We then went to a food court full of traditional Thai food that helped fuel us for our next hike to the waterfalls. Soon, we arrived at the waterfalls, we hiked up the steep and rigorous terrain. Although it was a difficult journey, it was a refreshing sight to see a massive waterfall at the top of the mountain. We got to swim at the bottom and took lots of pictures.

When we arrived back at home base, we were greeted with a great surprise with all of our clean laundry! We unpacked our clothes and then ate some delicious noodles for dinner. We then began working on our capstones, which were goals that we planned on achieving in order to continue making an impact even after we leave Thailand. We’re now enjoying some free time and getting some much needed rest for our big day tomorrow at Elephant Peace!

-by Sarah D and Tim Kim

Monday July 29, 2019

Today we left home base at around 8:30am and drove to Elephant Peace Project. It’s a program to take care of elephants who are past the point of rehabilitation, and preserve Karen culture, a hilltribe in this region of Thailand. Once we arrived at the site, we changed into their traditional clothing. Colorful woven shirts and flowy pants are made by hand and worn by the native people.

Then, we started preparing sugarcane and banana tree stalks to feed to the elephants. One different aspect of Elephant Peace Project is when we fed the elephants we were allowed to get very close and pet them. After feeding was over, we headed over to lunch which was traditional food served on bamboo sitting tables made there. We then headed over to the river and hiked up to a spot where the elephants bathe. Students who wanted to could splash water on the elephants and help them get clean. Later, Dada, the owner, gave us an in depth tour of the Karen Museum. She showed us how her people lived and their relationship with elephants.

The experience was really enlightening to understanding Keren rituals and culture. Giving us a chance to go into the home of native Thai people opened our eyes to how they live so closely with elephants and the effect that elephants have on their culture. We even participated in a ritual where it is believed that if you splash holy water on the elephant’s head and think of a wish, that wish will come true.The group got a short break once we got home and then we ate dinner at home base.

The last activity of the day was the night market. We’ve been there before, but this second time was extra fun. We found more shops and revisited our favorites from last time. All in all, another great day in Thailand.

-by Rachel and Kylie

Tuesday July 30, 2019

Today was our second day of teaching service in Chiang Rai. We woke up at 7 to have breakfast at 7:30. After breakfast we changed into our teaching clothes and left in the vans to the school at 8.

We arrived at the school at 9. We had an hour to get the lesson plans for the day ready. At 10 we started teaching groups for 2 hours. After the first 2 teaching groups we had lunch. After lunch we finished our last class of the day.

We said goodbye to all the kids and went in the van to head back to home base. We arrived at home base and had a small break to relax. After the small break we headed to our mentor groups. After mentor groups we had dinner. Dinner was pad thai, dragon fruit, and mango slices. After dinner we had free time to swim with friends and music or just enjoy our last days together.

We had a great second day of teaching, tomorrow is the last day of teaching and last full day here in Thailand.

-Ellie and Timothée Duffort

Wednesday July 31, 2019

Hey dawgs (parents)

Today (our last day), in P1 and P3 the kids were very sweet and adorable they played many games . For example duck duck goose red light green light and learning the ABC’s. The kids were very sweet and respectful to all of us. Teaching was so rewarding. We learned how to be patient in certain situations as how to better understand how to help these kids. It was rewarding to feel like we helped even if it was in just a small way.

In P4,5, and 6 we taught with many games. Some kids played soccer others did flashcards and a fun game of English candy land. We had a delicious lunch of rice and vegetables. After lunch we came home and swam for a little and did our capstone presentations which is basically goals we set for ourselves to make the world a better place during our well deserved and missed American BBQ. It was very interesting to hear others ideas.

At 9 pm, we had a video that captured our trip and a surprise birthday celebration for Abbie and Ellie. We also did our appreciation letters to all of our new lifelong friends. After that we went swimming again and hung out.

This trip was amazing thank you to all the parents who sent us on this amazing GLA trip. Thank you to Dee, Kasandra, Jack, Esther and Keenan for taking care of us and being homies 🙂 (being good to us)

From Natalia, Zoey and Hannah

Thursday August 1, 2019

Today was departure day! The excitement, the sadness, the packing and the goodbyes were just a few things we experienced today.

The first few students were leaving at 730am, so it was an early wake up to eat breakfast and say goodbye. While they ventured off to the airport, the rest of the students slept and packed. They spent the day writing appreciation letters and preparing for their long journeys home.

After one final spicy lunch, we headed to the airport with students for their afternoon flights. There were teary-eyed goodbyes, last words and long hugs shared by everyone.

With our last students leaving later in the afternoon, there was one more trip the airport at 5pm. After our final send offs, we just have some last words to share with you all.

This session flew by. It was filled with laughs, van jams, growth and new friendships. As your mentors and director we are so proud of each and every one of you. We loved watching you grow and change in such a short amount of time. We witnessed your positivity, your willingness to overcome challenges and your ability to roll with the punches.

We appreciated your work ethic during service, your participation during activities and the great discussions in mentor groups.

We hope that each of you enjoyed these last two weeks and we hope you’ll take what you’ve learned here and share it with your friends and families at home.

Safe travels and thank you for being such a great group of students.

Keenan, Kasandra and Dee

Time Capsule Letter

Twenty three highschool students flew from a variety of places throughout our home, and presently our only, planet. You all had at least a few ideas of what this grand, life-changing experence would entail. Perhaps a couple of you imagined elephant poop, but less-likely smearing it onto trees — to protect them!

Everyone was surprised when they realized the elephant poop didn’t smell that bad! I watched twenty-three teenagers uneasily begin mixing poop, mud, and water, until I experienced minor disbelief, yet a great deal of satisfaction, as those same teenager began laughing and having different degrees of a good time.

In retrospect, those who were excited and shared a positive attitude made it easier for everyone, which was all of you! Trudging through thick grasses, while cutting out invasive plants, a couple students discovered wasps and walked away with stinging evidence! The responses were vastly different, but still echo a deeper message.

At this point, half of the group was weary and unwilling to trudge into the grasses, a sort of collective hysteria, which required reassurance and motivation to surmount. However, the group collectively returned to work, though a bit more wearily, and teamwork undeniably emerged from the unexpected.

Working in the sweaty, blazing summer heat lead us happily into “Jack Talk.” We all viscerally experienced a condensed version of jacks life. Remember?, It was a story of adventure, uncertainty, trials, and self discovery. He reassured you that if you stay positive, take the road less traveled and stay open to life’s lessons, that you will find your way! Jack’s talks culminated with the elephants shaking their heads in indecision over whether or not to swim!

We all experienced chills when the elephants finally swam and trumpeted their excitement. Wonder spread collectively as we observed the elephants social expressions, which culminated with the one elephant artfully covered in mud and dirt, elegantly displaying herself as some sort of kaleidoscopic expression of all the beauty in life.

To formally celebrate finishing the first half of service, we went to the night market, one of the first experiences in the local community. In groups you all strolled, bought souvineers and marvelled at the Thai market.

After the final day of service, we packed up and set out for Phu Chi Fa, where we had the Fortune of experiening local cuisine, an amazing cultural display of dancing, martial arts, and firey acrobatics! The campfire marked an epic transition in our living conditions as we left the world of endless heat and dove into the land of the air conn!

The next morning, everyone woke up on time at 430 am for a sunrise hike! We jumped into the back of the locals trucks and road a short way to the trailhead. A short hike culminated on the top of the mountain over looking the beautiful, rolling mountains, with clouds filling the valley floors. We were met with a whipping, chilling wind. The lack of a colorful sunrise was forgotten in the unmistakeably magnificent display of rolling mountains.

That same evening, lesson planning began for teaching English the following day. You all adapted smoothly to the playful, carefree attitudes of the Thai children. You all excelled at creating a variety of games and activities for the students to learn.

Most everyday the group cooled off the exceedingly challenging temperatures in the pool and playing post-dinner soccer on the field! The trip culminated with Buddha Caves and hot springs!

We hope you all learned how capable you truly are after all the challenges you overcame in Thailand. Never stop learning, growing, and evolving to the best version of you—that only you can be! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors!

-Dee

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Wednesday July 3, 2019

It was a 7am wake up for us today. We departed from home base ( Chang Garden) to meet and greet the first half of students that were arriving into Chiang Rai around 8:55am. They came through the arrival gates with smiles and tired eyes but were excited and ready to start their adventure!

We arrived at the Elephant Valley Sanctuary, (2nd home base), around 10am. Luggage was unpacked, lunch was enjoyed, then the students played a few ice breakers. The first game had students say their name and one thing they would bring to a picnic, that starts with the same first letter of their name.

The second game had students in two circles which moved in opposite direction then students paired up from each circle once the music stopped. The pair were prompted with a question or topic they would discuss to get to know each other better.

Once the ice breakers were finished students were able to relax, chat, and play cards until the second half of students arrived.

Everyone except two students whose flights were delayed, enjoyed “Jacks’ house rules” and dinner. All students were ready to sleep by 8 pm.

We are excited to be working with your children and waiting for our two students to arrive safely. Wish them a safe flight 🙂

PS: picture with all students will be sent with tomorrows’ blog:)

🙂 Kasandra, Keenan and Dee

Thursday July 4, 2019

Our first full day started off with a great breakfast of fried eggs, omelettes, toast and cereal. Breakfast was followed by some icebreaker games to get to know each other better.

After that we started orientation. We went over safety rules, the history of GLA and some other important topics like our community agreement and our roommate agreement. We also went over the code of conduct, where we read over important rules and then performed a role play of each. It was funny because we were acting out the ways in which we wouldn’t follow the rules.

We had some free time before lunch to relax and take in all the information. Lunch consisted of veggies, fish, eggs and some other goodies. After lunch, we ran a group activity. We decided on playing Ninja all together while waiting for another discussion led by a local Thai person who also works here at the Sanctuary. Her name was JJ and she talked to us about some cultural do’s and don’ts.

We had a little more free time to shower and relax before we met for chow circle. Chow circle is a way for us to come together and reflect and give shout outs for the good things that happen each day.
When this was finished it was dinner time! For dinner we had veggie tempura, pork and a white chicken soup.
After dinner we gathered together for an activity. Tonight we watched a video which showed how poorly elephants are treated because of the tourism industry. Lastly after a long day, we ended off by splitting into two mentor groups where we discussed and shared our thoughts on similarities and differences between people, places and cultures.

It was a busy, but fun day! Now we are off to bed.

-by Abigail and Abraham

Friday July 5, 2019

Hello parents 🙂

Today is July 5th, we stared off the day by eating breakfast with some delicious homemade jams, Mango and passion fruit. Then we had an elephant orientation, where we learned how Elephant Valley Thailand treats their Elephants.

Today we even got to see the elephants up close for the first time! Before entering the area where the elephants live, we had to dip the soles of our shoes in a bucket of solution to avoid transmitting human diseases to the elephants. We also talked about elephant’s expressions, such as when they move their ears back and forth they are happy, and when their ears are pinned back they are concentrating.

After watching them for a while we got to watch their mahouts give them a bath and we got to help feed them bananas as a snack. For lunch we had curry, lots of veggies and the groups’ favorite, sticky rice. We are always satisfied after every meal.

We then got to see the male elephant who is currently musking which is similar to puberty and makes the elephant confused and aggressive (the oil secreted from his head makes him this way). After more elephant observation a bunch of us had a ping pong tournament in which Javier won.

We were able to feed the elephants again, this time with banana leaves and banana tree trunks, then we played a group game of mafia. During free time we used a lot of brain power to solve difficult riddles. For dinner we enjoyed western style cuisine including spaghetti and French Fries.

Finally, we finished off the day with an elephant and conservation debate including group representatives that included mahouts, an elephant camp, tourists and rice farmers. We learned that compromise and listening to others perspectives is the best solution to these issues. We are looking forward to starting our service work tomorrow.

Signing off,
Allison and Addison Sawadee ka (goodbye)

Saturday July 6, 2019

We woke up today to an early 7:30 morning breakfast consisting of cereal, eggs, toasts, and the beloved mango (mamwng in Thai). And then, we started service with poo patrol (how exciting)! This involved picking up elephant poop and gathering it into a big pile. Good thing the poo didn’t smell too bad!

Afterwards, we mixed the poop up with some water and broken-up dirt then slapped the mush on the trees. Elephants like to keep away from their own poo, so putting poop on the trees keeps the elephants away and stops them from eating or breaking the tree bark. After service, we had lunch consisting of the usual dishes (chicken curry, seasoned fish and greens).

For service in the afternoon, we spent an hour uprooting plants that took nitrogen from the soil (it also was not a food source for the elephants, so the plant only had negative effects). The tricky part was that if you didn’t pull up the roots and only pulled the stem, 3 more plants would grow in its place (kind of like a hydra). After this, we had an educational talk with Jack (Sanctuary owner) about elephant behaviors and body languages and got the chance to feed the elephants for the second time.

Finally, everyone took a desperately needed shower break and at 6:00 pm, we gathered for dinner, we ate sausage, pork balls, fried rice and papaya salad. After dinner, we headed to the Saturday night market in Chang Rai (about a 30 min van ride) and brought several exciting souvenirs ranging from T-shirts, necklaces, art pieces and food. We returned from a jam packed day, ready to get to bed but excited for tomorrow!

-by Cameron Kalik and Cara Dunleavy

Sunday July 7, 2019

We started off with an early morning waking up at 7:30 for breakfast. We had omelettes, cereal, jams, toast, and mangoes. We then went for the usual clean up of the elephant poop. After that, we began on our service for the day, which consisted of grounding up elephants poop and clay with water. We used this mixture to protect trees from elephants eating the bark and scratching against the trees. After all of the hard work, we were relieved to come back to a tasty lunch consisting of sticky rice, vegetables, fish and tofu.

After lunch, we took a quick break to play mafia, and then went back to hard work and sweat. For our afternoon service work, we spent a couple hours cutting down prickly shy trees in order to allow the food for the elephants to grow. Next, we had a Jack Talk about the body language of an elephant and how the new elephant was adapting to his environment. After the Jack Talk, we fed the elephants different parts of the banana tree and returned to a well earned dinner, consisting of kao soi (chicken curry soup) french fries, watermelon, and dragonfruit.

In the evening, we learned about our capstone projects and how we can start a S.M.A.R.T. goal, and communicated our ideas to our mentors. Then we met for our mentor groups in which we participated in fun activities.

After a long day of hard work and enjoyable activities, everyone was ready to go to bed.

Written by Evie and Joel

Monday July 8, 2019

Today we started off the morning with breakfast and then later poo patrol. We all did a great job cleaning up after the elephants. After that we took a break, and then observed the elephants. We also got a great talk from Jack about following your passion. It was informative and interesting to hear a different perspective.
After a great morning, we had lunch. As always, the food was amazing!

After lunch we played a fun game called psychiatrist. Followed by more elephant observations where we got to watch the elephants swim which was really amazing. They played in the water and then started scratching themselves and throwing sand on their backs. It was really entertaining.

At 4:00 we fed the elephants parts of banana trees and banana leaves. We then took a break until Chow Circle. Our word of the day was “ping pong” and the word for the power clap was “laughter”. This was very fitting for today as there were lots of laughs throughout the day.

After, we had an amazing last dinner at Elephant Valley. Then we took a walk to a corner store and the scenery was immensely beautiful. We all explored the store and bought snacks and ice cream. After getting back from the store, we packed and then watched a movie.

-by Javier and Jenna

Tuesday July 9, 2019

After breakfast, we packed up and left Elephant Valley in three vans. We stopped at a Thai market to learn about different Thai foods from two chefs. Afterward we drove to her cooking school and we were taught how to prepare classic Thai dishes such as Green Cury, Coconut Milk Banana dessert, and papayas salad.

After our incredible meal, we embarked on a journey to Phu Chi Fa in the mountains of northern Thailand. Once we arrived after 2 hours, we were greeted with a dinner and a gorgeous view of the mountains. We then went to watch a traditional Martial Arts demonstration and a child folk dance.

After the show was over, GLA donated money in thanks in our names. Later on, we all bonded together around a campfire which ended our amazing day.

-by Sydney and Isabelle

Wednesday July 10, 2019

Today we woke up at 4:30 am to go for a hike to see the sunrise at Puchifa. We saw an amazing view up above the clouds and then hiked back down where we awaited a breakfast of tofu and mushroom soup. Shortly after, we finished up packing and left for our next home base at Chang Garden Resort.

Along the way, we stopped at a 7-11 to get some local Thai snacks for our long car ride to a mall where we could purchase lunch. We then traveled to Mae Sai market where we were right near the border of Thailand and Myanmar. After an hour of shopping, we headed back to the vans and drove until we reached our home base.

After a few minutes of settling down and unpacking, we went for a swim and we played fun pool games. Then we ate a delicious dinner and prepared for our first day of teaching at the local school.

-by Kat and Julia

Thursday July 11, 2019

Today was a great day for our lovely GLA team. We are becoming closer and closer by the day, and developing life long friendships. This morning was a little later of a start than what we have grown accustomed to, but it was nice to slow things down a little. Breakfast at seven consisted of fresh pineapple, and dragonfruit, as well as eggs, rice, vegetables, toast, and cereal. After that it was off to our first day of teaching at the Thai school.

We gathered the materials we made last night, dressed in our more formal clothes, and headed in to meet our extremely excited students. We were thrilled by their enthusiasm, and attempted to channel their endless energy into learning and remembering as much English as we could teach them. After morning classes we went back to the “teachers lounge” and ate a lunch of fried egg tofu, and vegetable stir fry. Then many of us decided to spend our break playing with and entertaining the kids at recess. (Many piggyback rides were given.) For the last class of the day, we taught the older kids many topics like shopping mall, and grocery store vocabulary.

When school ended we debriefed and exhaustedly headed back to the vans. When we arrived back at the Chang Garden Resort (our home-base) we all got changed into our bathing suits and headed to the pool for a fun game. In each group there were 3 people, each with an important job. One person was the eyes and had to use gestures to communicate to the second person who yelled the directions to the third person. The third person was in the water and couldn’t see so they could only use the vocal directions they were being given. We had to work together to find our water bottle in the water. This game taught us the importance of filtering out the unimportant voices and focusing only on the important voices and yourself.

Next, we went to dinner, which consisted of delicious spaghetti along with fresh fruit. After dinner we worked on making more materials for teaching our students tomorrow. Next we watched a PowerPoint and had a group chat about mindfulness. We learned (and were reminded) to be in the present and to breathe and take a moment to reflect before reacting in all situations. We also learned some methods on how to solve conflicts peacefully with others and within ourselves and how to take some deep breaths and relax. After a long, busy day we then all headed to bed.

-By Katie and Willow

Friday July 12, 2019

Greetings to all parents and blog-readers! We started our day at 7:00 sharp for breakfast. We had scrambled eggs, rice, veggies and fruit! We then went straight to the school after breakfast.

After a long car ride, we finally arrived with open hearts and minds ready to teach. We taught the same topics as yesterday but used different games and strategies to help the students learn. We played a lot and were so happy to make the students laugh. It was our last teaching day so we took pictures with the students and said our goodbyes until Monday where we will join them at a temple for their holiday celebration.

Everyone had a blast teaching the students, and we were all exhausted afterwards. To cool off, we visited a Huay Mae Sai waterfall Waterfall! We had to hike through rocky paths and steps for about 700m to reach the water. The water was cold, but the scenery was gorgeous. We spent time in the water and then relaxed in the sun.

After a long day of swimming and teaching, we were all exhausted when we arrived back at home base. We had chicken fried rice for dinner. And then to unwind, many students engaged in an absolute bloodbath on the soccer pitch. It was competitive but fun!

Overall, today was full of laughs and excitement.

-by Meredith and Mark

Saturday July 13, 2019

Hello parents and friends🙂

This mornings’ breakfast was at 830. We had eggs, toast and bacon! We had a full day ahead of us, so we left homebase around 930. We first drove to the Blue Temple, where we learned that artists (apprentice) from the White temple helped create it. After that, we drove to another temple that had a small museum and a beautiful Emerald Buddhist sculpture. After this temple we stopped to have lunch at a buffet. There was a good mix of both Thai food and Western food.

Our third destination was the Wat Huay Pla Kang temple where we took an elevator to the top and saw an amazing view through the statue’s eyes. The statue was of a very large woman sitting. Close by this statue, there were two other temples that we explored. Our last temple was the White Temple which had a large golden bathroom and is said to be the nicest bathroom in the world. It was the biggest temple we had seen for the day. Each building was so beautifully made with many intricate details.

After our sight seeing, we went home for a quick dinner and then at 715 we headed to the night market. We spent time shopping for souvenirs and traditional accessories. It was smaller than the first market we went too, but it had everything we could have ever needed. We bought fresh fruit smoothies and ice cream too!

-By Michelle and Mia

Sunday July 14, 2019

Hello parents, we started our morning at 8am. We were able to experience a few amazing age old traditions, at the elephant peace project! We spent the day feeding, washing, and got to experience an elephant ceremony. We learned so much about the Keren tribe and about how they would do things in their daily lives.

We started by taking a truck up a dirt road in order to get to the location where we would get outfits for the day that are made by the tribe. We later found out how these were made, how long it took to make them and we learned a lot about the history of the peace project. We also learned about Dada (the owner of the project) and how she started her peace camp and the history of her culture, family and education.

After we were properly dressed to fit in with the people of the tribe, we cut and prepared the elephant food with the mahoot, and tried to form a connection with the elephants. Then we walked down the stream with the elephants to the bathing area and we were able to get close and wash the elephants and splash around in the water ourselves. After this we had lunch in a building that was sponsored by the GLA program. We were lucky enough to be a part of a elephant blessing ceremony and were able to participate as well.

After saying our final goodbyes to the elephants. Some of the group took quick dip in the pool before dinner, after we ate a large group of the students went to go play a game of soccer (Sriracha versus The Sapphires). We ended the night by going over and improving our capstones, and goals for when we return home. We are excited for a busy last full day tomorrow!!!!

Written by Sara and Monica 🌏

Monday July 15, 2019

Today we woke up for our last day. The day was chill and not too eventful. First we went to the Buddha cave and explored the caves. There were bats , stray cats and a monk. We all enjoyed taking photos in the cave and by the huge Buddha above the river. Then we went to the hot springs for an hour.

We boiled quail eggs, talked and swam for a while. Afterwards, we rode to the school to prepare for the ceremony at the temples and had lunch. The ceremony time was pushed back unfortunately so we weren’t able to attend. On the way back home we made our last 7/11 stop with the group and bought snacks.

Next we had free time, did some packing and hanging with each other. Then we watched a surprise video after our last chow circle. After the video we ate dinner and wrote letters to each other and put them in envelopes dedicated to each person. Then we presented our capstone projects to the whole group and gave each other feedback. Lastly we took a long swim together, playing games and having fun.

-by Jade and Abraham

Tuesday July 16, 2019

This morning was an early wake up call, with breakfast at 630am! Three lovely students had flights to catch so we packed up the van and departed home base at 7am.
Back home, the rest of the students were enjoying an 830am breakfast. They spent the day packing up their belongings and hanging out together.
After lunch, the remaining 20 students brought their luggage to the vans, hopped in, and off we went. It was a somewhat joyful ride, with music blaring, sing alongs and of course, a few tears.

It took about an hour for everyone to check in and get their boarding passes. But once that was done with, we wandered up to the food court for some smoothies and comfort food. It wasn’t long before we were hugging and saying our final goodbyes. We watched you walk through security and waved goodbye.

Now that we are back at home base, it feels empty and has us missing you already! We hope that all of you enjoyed your time with us, and throughout this program.

Safe travels!

Dee, Keenan and Kasandra