Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Dear Alumni of GLA Elephant Village Initiative,

As I sit here looking through pictures and notes from you all from this summer, I am again amazed how quickly time passes, and how much I miss our little herd.  This past summer was one of amazing memories, hard work, and friendships that I hope will last a lifetime.  I hope that reading this letter will provide you all with an opportunity to reminisce on the experience that we had with the amazing elephants of Thai Elephant Home, and that you don’t forget the things you have seen, the opinions you have heard, and the experiences you have lived this summer.

The community we created on this trip was truly special.  The bonds that you made with one another, the staff at Thai Elephant home, and the elephants are some of the strongest I have seen.  I hope that you don’t forget that the community we created is not restricted to the confines of Thailand and that you all take this letter as an opportunity to reach out to friends that you have not spoken to or seen.  Remember:  we are a support network that will be there to support you in all you do.  Be kind to one another and yourselves.

In all honestly, the true stars of our trip were the elephants.  I still remember the sound of their bells gently ringing as they walked through the jungle and down to the river with heavy-footed grace, and the sounds of their dinosaur like grumblings during morning chores.  They are majestic, dirty, beautiful, and endangered creatures that need help.  Please remember to think critically about their welfare, and do not become overwhelmed by the complexity of elephant conservation here in Thailand.  Always remember that you can make a difference!  Talk to a friend, raise money, or even come back to Thailand to help and know that you have one another to make your conservation goals possible.  Elephants are amazing, and I think it would be a shame to see the world, and especially Thailand, without them.

Thank-you all for making this past summer unforgettable.  I am lucky to have met you all and I hope that all is well!  Don’t forget to keep me updated on your amazing, exciting and fun lives!  In closing, I’ve made a short list of my favorite moments from the summer.  I am sure I am forgetting many, but here are the ones I do remember.

Special Memories

• Moge stealing food from Jason while he tried to feed Ellie
• Rafting! “No flip, no fun!”
• The elephant games! ☺
• Jenny showing off her amazing dance moves in the mud pit
• The talent show, and Sams’ Kung-Fu abilities
• Trunk juice from the elephants (Ewwww☺)
• Hot Chocolate Sammy G style
• The undeniable cuteness of the puppies at the Nursery and Obama and Nemar
• Dumbo the wild child at the Nursery

Peace, and nothing but love,

♥Emma

Another Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Sabai di mai?,

was for me. It was a pretty remarkable and unusual experience that we shared this summer. Not many people know what it’s like to stand on a mountain in Northern Thailand and hunt for bugs while listening to the sounds of elephant bells clonking in the distance or understand how much the bellows of pachyderms sound like ferocious dinosaurs roaming the Mae Tang Valley. Not many people get to examine the complexity of environmental stewardship from such a unique and close up perspective. I hope that the lessons you learned about yourself and the world help inform the next adventures in your lives. Don’t forget to keep exploring, embracing the discomforts of personal growth, and using your critical thinking. It was a pleasure being your mentor this summer and I wish you guys all the best!

Sawadee Khrop!

            Sam

Summer Blog Posts

Day 1

After having a long and exhausting day of travel, today was mainly for aclimating ourselves to the Thai culture and recovering from jet lag. In the morning we had orientation and discussed rules and expectations and practiced our Thai. For lunch, we ate at a delicious buffet where we were able to sample all sorts of new foods. Following lunch, we visited two beautiful temples and received a blessing from a monk. Later on, we returned to the hotel and prepared our presentation for the school exchange. The mentors brought us fried rice for dinner and we were able to get to bed early.

July 9, 2016 – Chiang Mai, Thailand

Waking up in Chiang Mai, Thailand is no doubt a privilege. Yet us, the GLA team were downright spoiled in the opportunity that had been so graciously presented. Though we all had to wake up fairly early (7:00), the mood was energizing and up-beat. We pushed through an hour long drive to a privately run elephant hospital called Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE), where the most famous elephant in the world resided. Motala was found with a severed leg after barely surviving a land mine blast. She was treated by a record number of surgeons, and survived the tragedy. She now is the face of elephant conservation in Thailand and quite possibly the world. The group toured the hospital and met a few more permanent residents before driving to a government operated elephant ‘sanctuary,’ where the residing elephants performed tricks such as walking across a skinny log and painting a picture. In awe, many of the group members (including myself) purchased the stunning self portrait, landscape and flower paintings. After returning home and having a traditional Pad Thai dinner, we all met in the ‘bean bag room’ for discussion and an educational but disturbing documentary about the use of elephants in modern society, and how the have been and most likely still are being abused and mistreated. We ended the night on a happy note by announcing roommates and elephant assignments for the following day at the Thai Elephant Home.

-Taylor

Day 4 – Day 1 of Elephant Boot Camp

We woke up on Saturday excited to go to Thai Elephant Home. Breakfast was at 7:30am and we hopped on the bus at 8:00am for hour hour and a half bus ride! We greeted at the elephant home by the elephants and their mahoots; then we quickly got changed for our hike.

Although the hike up the mountain was rough, the view from the mud pit was worth it. We ate lunch just above the mud pit then we treated to spa day with the elephants. Everyone got mud masks and jumped into the pit with the elephants. After we smothered the elephants in mud we traveled back down to the river so we could all wash off the mud and spend quality time with our elephants. We loved getting pulled by their trunks and having them spray water at us.

After the extreme amount of fun with the elephants with our mahoots it was time to say goodnight and have dinner. Rice and chicken was delicious and everyone loved spending quality time with one another during and after dinner. After a long day we all went to bed excited to start our service project the next day!

-Sammy Gates and Erin O’Connor

July 13 2016

The day began with our morning chores. After waking up at 5:30, we assist our mahouts in cleaning and feeding each of our elephants. Then at 9 O’clock we begin our service work. Today group A went and built a dam on a hill near our home base. The dam was located at the sixth dam location and was properly named, Dam Sixey. Group B began their first day of grass cutting which is used to feed the elephants. Due to the lack of rain that day, service was very hot but both groups were able to come together and complete their days work.

After eating lunch at noon, it was time to begin the elephant Olympics. With two people not feeling well, there were 20 people who were able to participate which meant their would be 5 teams of 4. Over the two hour period, the teams participated in games that challenged our mental,physical, and artistic abilities. Throughout the duration of the games all teams stayed positive and supportive of one another. In the end, the red team/Team Diablo (Sam Awe, Haley Koenig, Erin O’Connor, and Jason Kehoe) came out on top. They were rewarded with ice cream and bragging rights. Immediately after, we went down and played soccer with the mahouts. It was a blast!

At 4 O’Clock we rode down to the river on our elephants. The trek is about 25-30 minutes and the views are fantastic. When we reach the river, most students swim and play with the elephants in the water. The mahouts love to splash and play with us all. The river is always a highlight of our day. After returning back to home base we showered and met for our mentor groups. At 7 O’clock we ate dinner which is always yummy Thai food made by local thai women. The night ended with free time, which some people spent journaling, watching Cheaper By The Dozen, or sleeping.

We are all having a great time here in Thailand, but we cannot wait to see you all soon!

Jason Kehoe and Morgan Lesniewski

Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

A great big hello to Session 3 of Thailand: Cultural Kaleidoscope, Tianna Home Base, we hope you are all doing well!!! It is a little crazy to realize how quickly time has passed since we were fortunate enough to spend an incredibly memorable two weeks together in Chiang Mai. This ‘Time Capsule Letter’ is a great way to look back at the people we met, the places we saw, and the experiences we shared while in Thailand. Hopefully all of you are able to think back to your time walking through one of the many temples we visited, or one of the classes you taught at Sai Moon School or Don Pung School, or the relationships you built with the local community, the Thai school children, and each other, and you are able to smile, laugh, and appreciate what a unique opportunity we all shared together.

As the third and final group of the summer, we were looking forward to an energetic group that would allow us to finish the summer on a high note, and you guys did not disappoint! Despite all the chaotic schedule changes and flight delays that accompanied the Hong Kong typhoon, everyone came together to welcome the late arrivals and make the most of the time we did have during our time in Chiang Mai. We were incredibly fortunate to have such an interesting group of people that supported each other and got along so well, and we were impressed by how well everyone managed to overcome the challenges that came with such crazy start to our program. Your group in particular seemed to click from Day 1 (even if ‘Day 1’ for you was actually ‘Day 2’ or ‘Day 3’!) and it was amazing to see how the group interacted over the course of the two weeks together. You guys were all awesome and it made the experience so much more rewarding to have been able to share it with so many other great people. That’s not to say everything was wonderful all day, every day. There were mosquitos (lots of them); there were upset stomachs and other various illnesses; there were early mornings and late nights; there were schedule changes and long van rides and nightly curfew checks. But that’s all part of what makes traveling to new countries and experiencing new cultures such a rewarding experience: you never know exactly what you will get. It’s all about making the most of those experiences while you are there, and all of you are the ones that made that happen.

GLA programs can be exciting, a little overwhelming, and a whole lot of fun, but one thing GLA hopes to stress is how the experiences you have while in Thailand, Costa Rica, India, or wherever else you may travel with GLA can be an opportunity to learn about a new culture, become more informed about how interconnected the world has become, and reflect on ways you can make a positive impact on the world around you. In addition to being an opportunity to travel and learn about what life is like in a different place and culture, a GLA trip can also be a valuable opportunity to grow and learn more about yourself, about your strengths and values, and about what motivates you to be the best person you can be. So as you make your way through your high school classes, or as you settle in to your new surroundings on a college campus, or wherever life takes you this fall, winter, and beyond, remember to think back to your experiences and the relationships you built last summer in Chiang Mai, to cherish them, and to use them as a part of what makes each of you unique. And then go out there and keep being awesome!

Before we wrap this up, here are a few of our favorite memories from Session 3:

The crazy first few days with staggered arrivals thanks to a typhoon in Hong Kong
Funny faces during fish foot massages
The third “first” day when we finally all came together in our Tianna home base during our candle-lit ‘String Welcome Ceremony’
P’ Aey’s inspirational words of wisdom: “We are all here together for a reason”
Riley kicking butt at Muay Thai
Eating bamboo silk worms. Eating chicken Nam Tok (blood mold). Eating Chiang Mai spicy sausage. Eating durian on DAY 1! Basically, eating our way through Thailand.
Late nights dancing in the meeting room
Helen’s voice
Frankie’s huge shirts
Rose’s view of the world
Maya getting stepped on by an elephant
Ryan’s van listening to Jubel every day for 3 weeks
‘Hit the quan’ and successfully pulling off all of the dances at the cultural exchange
The wedding game during the cultural exchange
Paul getting lots of love from all the Thai girls and boys at the cultural exchange
Placing fragments of gold on the buddha statue to represent generosity; actions that simply cultivate joy, respect, and gain religious/spiritual merit
The “river crew” getting infiltrated by Ryan
Sophie’s amazing henna abilities
Paul’s henna tattoo. Paul getting his nails filed. Paul championing his actions while being the one male in a group of 34!
Abbie killing it at the chicken dance
Multiple attempts to explain and play the ‘wedding game’ to the Thai elementary students
The incredible dancing of the little Thai student, Kitima, at Sai Moon School!
Kaye, Lundon and crew sinking Ryan’s hat to the bottom of the pool
Everyone’s amazing teaching skills! You guys all rocked it!!!

Finally, from all of us that had the pleasure of meeting you this past summer – P’ Aey, Orn, Prae, Ton, Kaitlyn, Ryan, Chelsea, Kaye, and Keith – Thank you again for being such a great group and we wish you all the best in wherever your future takes you! You are all awesome!!!

-Keith

Summer Blog Posts

Title: Arrival Day!

Greetings from Chiang Mai, Thailand! Unfortunately, we all learned a lot about the often chaotic nature of international travel. With typhoons basically shutting down Hong Kong, where 28 out of our total group of 34 students were originally scheduled to transit through, we spent much of the day in communication with GLA’s fantastic staff team over at Headquarters receiving updates and reworking plans. At this point, we are glad to share that 14 of our students for Session 3 at Tianna Garden Village Home Base (August 2 – August 15) were able to make their way through airports, flight changes, layovers, and many long hours of traveling, and we are looking forward to welcoming the remaining 20 students once they are able to safely travel to Thailand in the next day or two!

It has been a long day of making trips to and from the airport, and double checking the latest weather and itinerary details, but after taking some time to settle in to Tianna Garden Village (our GLA Home Base and our home away from home for the next two weeks) students were given their first taste of local Thai food, including fried cashew and chicken with rice and some exotic Thai fruit before heading to their rooms for some much needed rest.

The GLA staff team at Tianna Home Base has been working hard preparing for the students’ arrival and trying to fine tune our schedule for the next couple weeks, and we are all very excited for what we have in store going forward. With a large portion of our group still in transit, our GLA Thailand Orientation will be pushed back to tomorrow evening and Thursday morning, leaving tomorrow open for a Chiang Mai city tour, a lunch buffet at the Chiang Mai Grand View Hotel, a visit to a few notable temples in town, and our evening cooking class. Once we have the majority of our group here in Thailand, we will run through an orientation that will include an introduction to Thai culture, safety and security protocols, highlights of our service learning activities and adventure excursions, and a few other minor details (like staying hydrated in sunny Thailand!).

We’ll be getting an early start tomorrow morning so we’ll wrap up this first blog post here. Future blog posts will be authored by our student leaders and will include pictures from our busy days as well so be sure to check back often for updates on all the amazing adventures we are having together in the Land of Smiles! As they say here in Thailand, Khob Khun Krap!

Author: Keith Wingeard (International Director)

August 3, 2016

Title: Arrival Day, part 2

With all the delayed flights pushing back arrival day for a large portion of our students, we started our day with the 14 students that had already made it to Chiang Mai. After breakfast, we headed into the central part of Chiang Mai for a ‘city tour’ that included a stop at the Tha Pae gate where students had an opportunity to feed pigeons and fish in the moat around the old city and get their own feet nibbled on by small fish at the ‘foot fish spa’.

An additional group of six more students arrived earlier this morning and were able to stop by a separate city park before meeting up with the rest of the group for our buffet lunch. Everyone was able to fill up on a variety of delicious Thai food options before we got back into the vans to head over to a couple of Chiang Mai’s oldest and most revered temples. The sun was out and it was pretty hot, but students had an opportunity to duck inside one of the temples to receive a welcoming blessing from a local monk.

After our city and temple tour ended, the group headed over to a Thai cooking course. This began with an introduction to many of the ingredients used in Thai dishes and led to an opportunity for students to try their hand at mastering some of the most delicious Thai food options.

An additional group of students arrived in the early evening and met up with the larger group at our Tianna Home Base. These five students, Hannah Oliver, Lily Vaz, Taisa Graca, Paul Vu, and Nikki Macolino are not yet pictured since they arrived later in the day, but we can reassure you that they are all here in Chiang Mai with us now and will be pictured in future blog posts. Tomorrow we will go through more orientation type activities and will begin preparing for the service project at local schools, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming the remaining 9 students from our group that are still in transit to Thailand. Almost there!

With today still being relatively chaotic, this post was also written by GLA staff, but from here on out our blog posts will be written by our GLA students on this program, so be sure to check back here for more updates on our exciting schedule and many, many pictures from our busy days here in Chiang Mai!

Author: Keith Wingeard (International Director)

August 3, 2016

Title: Arrival Day, part 3, but fun!

To start our day, we had a delicious western breakfast! After, we had orientation with the GLA staff to review the code of conduct and created skits to model what not to do while in Thailand. Later, Todd, the local Thailand GLA administrator and school coordinator, came and spoke to us about proper ways to teach the Thai children English. We learned to speak clearly, loudly, correctly, and slowly when talking to the children.
Next, we took a 20 minute van ride to visit the Thai schools that we’d be teaching at. Each group toured one of two schools that GLA would help out at. Most students were introduced to the Thai students and were able to see how different schools are compared to schools back home.
For lunch, we ate at a restaurant owned by a GLA staff member, P’Aye, and his family. P’Aye’s grandmother invented the famous Thai dish known as Khow Soi. This dish is wildly popular across northern Thailand, and can even be found in the States!
With full bellies, we stopped at our first Thai Mall! We discovered Thai Tea with boba, which became extremely popular within our group. Finally, we headed back to home base and got to cool off in the pool. Around dinner time, thankfully, our last nine students arrived safely. We greeted them with open arms, and quickly bonded over a giant flying beetle in the common area (while we were having our first mentor group meeting).
Since we finally had everyone, we had a traditional Thai Welcoming Ceremony known as Lapnong (translated as “welcome younger brothers and sisters”). It involved linking all of us with a string and we each received a bracelet to keep us all connected. We are all looking forward to teaching in the schools tomorrow and an exciting lesson of Thai Boxing!

Author: Abbie Allhusen, Maya Martinez, Clara Dossetter

August 5, 2016

Title: First Impressions

We had an early start this morning, 6:30 Thai breakfast. At 7:30 we all got in the vans and headed to our schools to catch the flag raising ceremony. This was our first day of teaching, everyone was very excited. We taught age groups starting from 6 and up to 15, teaching various topics such as colors, numbers, and sentence structure in English. For some of us, this was our first time teaching, others not so much. Today was the day to evaluate the students’ abilities in the English language. It was a little stressful at the beginning adjusting to the language barrier, but the students caught on quickly and we adjusted to them as well. After everyone was done teaching, we had lunch which was prepared by the students. This was followed by some play time and non-academic interaction with the kids. After, we had to say goodbye until Monday and go back to the home base to prepare for the next activity!
Next, we had to prepare for our Muay Thai boxing class! This was a very sweaty adventure, let us tell you. First we all had our hands wrapped for extra support. Then, we watched a traditional ceremony that payed respect to past boxers. Then, we finally started to stretch to get ready for the real action. The masters taught us simple moves such as kicking, blocking, punching, and elbowing. After we mastered this, a few of us at a time moved into the ring. We practiced one on one with the instructors for about 10 minutes each. This is when it got really sweaty. But don’t worry we took long hot showers afterwards!
To finish the night after our great workout, we all met with our mentor groups to discuss the day. After, we had another yummy Thai dinner at the home base. Next, we had a group meeting to chit chat about the elephant home we will visit tomorrow. We are all looking forward to the weekend filled with many new adventures!

Authors: Sophie Celentano, Noe Abe, and Frankie Mendenhall

August 6, 2016

Title: Elephant Day

The day began with a different breakfast than usual; Thai pancakes. Their delicious vanilla flavor was a great way to jump into our adventure-filled day. After separating ourselves into our vans, we headed down the hour long road trip to what we would soon know to be the greatest experience of our lives. When we arrived at the Thai elephant home, we were warmly greeted by their kind staff. They provided us with useful information, like key elephant commands, a bottle of water, a Thai shoulder bag, and their amazing patience and support. The adventurers were split up into groups of three, and then were paired up with their personal elephant; which they would be spending the day with. Along with meeting the huge, yet majestic elephants, we met with their mahouts; their “parents”. These men knew their “long-nosed puppies” like the back of their hands. After meeting and feeding the elephants, we headed for the hills!

The mountain hike began with a lot of excitement and giggles. We all got the chance to touch their warm, rough skin, feel their powerful muscles, and stare into their intense hazel eyes. It was especially funny when the elephants would stop at every other tree, use their massive and strong trunks, and rip out a generous amount of leaves to snack on. The view was amazing- a vast forest with rice fields at the bottom, and beautiful cloudy mountains in the distance. However, it was tiring; going uphill made us all huff and puff! About halfway through the hike, the sweat began to wash way the bug repellent; the mosquitoes began to attack! Luckily, the mahouts kindly offered us some of their own spray. At the top of the mountain, we were welcomed by a delicious coconut rice wrapped in banana leaves and cute little cabanas where we could sit and rest. The hike down was a lot shorter and easier than the hike up.

By the time we got to the base, we were served with a yummy pad Thai and fruits for lunch, but the adventure was not finished! Afterwards, we reunited with our elephants and headed towards the river. The walk was very muddy, but refreshing. Once again, the view took our breath way. By the time we arrived, we were all relived to see cold water to cool down our sweaty bodies. We hopped in with the elephants and got a chance to ride them. One elephant in specific lifted us all on its trunk and let us pose for a picture. After saying our goodbyes and heading back into our vans, the day ended with a calm, quiet, and sleepy ride back.

Author: Alivia King, Taisa Graca, and Zoe Abronson

August 7, 2016

Title: Zipping through Thailand

Today we left at 8:15 for the bus to the Eagle Track zip lining site. Once we arrived there, we filled out some paperwork and waivers. After that, we put on our safety equipment and followed the trail to the first zip line. There were 35 zip line stations in total, and we got to successfully complete all of them! The overall view and scenery overlooking Thailand was breathtaking. Throughout the zip line tracks, there were several challenging rope courses. Once we neared toward the end, it started to drizzle and made things quite slippery. It stopped raining as we approached the last drop, which was 40 meters. We made our way back up to the lunch area, where we dined like kings and queens. We savaged through the meals like no tomorrow. We headed home after a long day of zipping through the forests of Chiang Mai. Once we boarded the buses back to Tianna Garden Resort, aka home base, we planned our lesson for the next day and met in our mentor groups. The last activity of the day was to head out to the Night Bazaar for 2-3 hours and shop there. Along with shopping, we got a chance to get a fish pedicure for 15 minutes, which was a once in a lifetime experience. After the long day of adventure and fun, we came back to home base and went to bed. Goodnight.

Author: Nicolette Macolino, Rose Caplan, and Paul Vu

August 8, 2016

Title: What an art-tastic day!

We started the day off going to our schools to continue the student’s English classes. We all enjoyed spending time with the students in their classrooms. They are all so welcoming and seem to enjoy their classes. After our classes we all enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by the students and staff. After that we were able to bond with them during their recess as we joined them in their games. Then we went back to the home base for a quick change and broke into two groups for the next activities. One group went to get a relaxing Thai massage while the other went to the amazing 3D art museum, Art in Paradise. While the massage was a great way to relieve the stress of travel and lesson planning, the museum was a definite highlight. The many exhibits included an underwater adventure, Egyptian tomb, and giant kitty. The groups then switched and after their massage and tour we headed back to the home base to enjoy an appetizing dinner and quiet evening.

Author: Riley Asher-Stalbaum, Kiley Asher-Stalbaum, and Hannah Oliver

August 9, 2016

Title: Cultural Exchange Day and American Food

We started the day by waking up and going back to our two schools. After we taught the day’s lesson we got on the buses and went to a local high school. The reason we went was for a cultural exchange with the students. They welcomed us with open arms, lovely necklaces of jasmine and well written speeches by students. After we were settled our group got in front of everyone to present our part of the exchange.
The whole reason behind the cultural exchange was for the GLA students to share our culture, and the local Thai students share theirs. We went first and did a silly medley of The Cup Song, The Quan, Cotton Eyed Joe and finished by dancing with the Thai kids to the Wobble. We were all laughing and having a great time. The students from the school then preformed and taught us a traditional Thai dance. The kids were kind and patient while teaching which was much appreciated. We then had a break with delicious fruits and fun games.
After saying our goodbyes we took a short, yet hot, walk down to a temple. It was absolutely breathtaking. We walked around the grounds to see the amazing architecture and gardens. Some of us even had the chance to talk to a monk for a bit until we headed to an American restaurant for dinner called Dukes. Dinner came out plate after plate buffet style of onion rings, ribs, pizza and more! Some of us should have done a better job pacing ourselves, but the food was just too good. After that we headed back to home base for some much needed sleep after a long eventful day.

Authors: Helen Frazer, Lundon Mellen-Fontanelli, and Kayla Cabral

August 10, 2016
Title: Cultural Immersion and Teaching

As our time here in Chiang Mai is quickly coming to an end, GLA students soon found themselves teaching their students for the last time. It’s safe to say that every GLA student cherished the time spent in the schools! Due to such a positive experience, the Thai students have left us with an unbelievable sense of fulfillment. It was an unforgettable opportunity that we were lucky enough to have.
After our last official day of teaching came to a close, GLA students were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn traditional Thai dances. In addition we also got to become immersed the art of weaving, thanks to Baan Mon Fai’s excellent staff.

Authors: Lily Turner-Kipke, Emily Dorsey, Laura Swaim

August 11

English Camp

Today was an eventful day at the school: not only was it Mother’s Day in Thailand, but it was also our last day teaching at the schools. We were instructed to get into groups and plan a fun, all-day, English activity for the Thai students. Some of us made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, while others taught the children English songs and dances. Although the day was long and tiring, it was worth it in the end to see the children smiling and having a blast. At the end of the day we were able to present the children with small gifts we brought from our home towns. After a tearful goodbye we went back to the home base to have a pool party complete with root beer floats.

Authors: Quinn Fox, Erin McCoy, Katherine Gring

Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Our days at Lanna Dusita were so full. We all woke up to calming music (usually soundtrack music we would be singing without realizing we were because we heard it so often) and walked around our huge fish pond—trying not to squish snails or lizards—to eat noodles, and fish porridges, and exotic fruits for breakfast. But actually no one ever ate boiled fish except for the director, ever. Oh, and we loved the mosquitos after a while, because after a while we were given those big electric racquets that electrocute them. Zap! We didn’t even feel like bad Buddhists because the Thai staff told us that we were kindly accelerating the life cycle of the mosquito so it could move onward to a next and better incarnation.

We did so many things together. We hiked and biked, zip-lined, muy thai boxed, and shopped too much at markets (of course always with buddies or “truddies”). But, as is always the case, the more meaningful part of our experience was serving in the local community at the schools and orphanage. The kids were so sweet and receptive, always wanting to participate in sports or games or dances. The teaching was difficult, but not so difficult as we had thought. We were always anxious beforehand but during the classes, even the rowdiest, everything always worked out just fine. The snacks the head teacher brought us were sometimes pretty weird and gelatinous, but we appreciated it so much still because she was just so thoughtful and kind. The time painting and plastering was…swampy and muggy and horrible, but when we took the friends we made at Nimmit on excursion and got to really know them it all seemed so worthwhile and so permanent.

What an amazing time it was and thanks to everyone who was a part of it!

-Nicole

Memories from Ryan:

·         Getting to know the amazing Thai Staff

·         Eating at the DUUUUKES!

·         Amazingly successful cultural exchange Song and Dance

·         Mountain biking through rice fields

Summer Blog Posts

August 4 and 5, 2016

Despite hardships caused by cancelled flights, the group was finally able to bond during orientation. Our amazing director, P. Nikki, told us about all the rules and regulations that we must abide by while we are in Thailand, and got us excited for all the amazing excursions we will go on. We got to know each other by sharing where we are from and a little bit about ourselves. We are all so excited for what’s to come during our time in this beautiful country.

Following orientation, we were visited by P. Todd. He told us how he ended up living in Thailand from the great city of Cleveland, Ohio. He also gave us helpful tips and tricks on how to teach the local Thai children. Shortly after, we went to a delicious Thai buffet for lunch. Everyone tried new and exciting foods, which pushed us out of our comfort zone.

With full bellies and a great attitude, we began the winding car ride to Doi Suthep, one of the most important temples in Chiang Mai. We were awed by the exquisite ambiance of the golden pagoda.

Nice golden temple
Got a decent Thai fortune
Ooh a Popsicle!
– Group written Haiku

After we left the temple, we came back to the hotel where we cooled off the the pool. We then ate dinner where we discussed the plans for teaching the next day.

After an early rise, we made our way to Watsankayon, the elementary school where we are helping to teach the children. First we were introduced during their morning assembly, then we split up into our teams to teach. We were floored by the adorableness of the children! Following our fun lessons and games, we sat down to eat the best cafeteria food in existence. The super nice head teacher made us fresh chicken and rice. The whole experience was amazing.

As we were traveling to the umbrella factory, we made a quick stop to a cafe. We cooled down with coffee, tea, and smoothies. At 1:00, we arrived to the umbrella factory where we learned about the history behind umbrella making in Chiang Mai. We also had the chance to paint our own umbrellas and get various items of ours painted by talented people after the tour.

Once we arrived back to the hotel, we met the fantastic, fantabulous, wonderful, and cool P. Wa. We then cooled off in the Pool and ate dinner as a group. We ended with some battles with bugs and astrology. Despite all the superlatives in this blog, the last two days have really been wonderful. I’m not being sarcastic. 🙂

August 6

Today, we went zip-lining. But first, we signed a waiver to make sure the company didn’t have to pay for any hospital bills (hahaha half-joking). None of us were injured. In order to get to the actual course we rode in a fast truck over a really bumpy road. It was a little bit scary. The zip-lining and ropes course itself was a lot of fun. The instructors were nice but they liked to mess with us and shake the ropes while we walked on the bridges. Our harnesses prevented us from falling, but it was still kind of unnerving. The last obstacle was a 100 foot drop straight down!

After we went zip-lining, we had lunch and then planted trees in the forest near the course. Before we went back to the hotel, we stopped at a café for coffee and snacks. There was a really cute dog inside that we could actually pet because it was domesticated and didn’t have rabies. But about halfway through our meal, it started pouring rain, leaving us stranded outside at our tables with only patio umbrellas to keep us dry (but it was still fun).

When we got back to the hotel, we took a personality test to see what kind of leader we are, and shared our personal goals. After dinner, we all played cards and mafia and ate more snacks. One of the card games we played was spoons, but we didn’t have spoons, so we used leaves. Then we played BS, which was really entertaining because some people had never played and didn’t understand the game. Hanging out and having fun as a group and sharing personal information was a really good bonding activity, and everyone definitely felt a lot closer afterwards.

-Lilly

August 7th, 2016

To start off our morning, the GLA group traveled to the oldest temple within Chiang Mai, Wat Chieng Man. Wat Chieng Man is hundreds of years old, built by the sixth king of Chiang Mai. While we were able to encounter Buddha relics that are thousands of years old, we also learned how to correctly praise Buddha. Our second stop of the day was Wat Chedi Luang, another temple within Chiang Mai. We walked clockwise around the biggest temple around. We donated money to the temple, while being able to write our names on roof bricks in return. It was a sight that will never be forgotten.

Shortly after our temple excursions, we headed off to the market to meet our cooking instructor. We spent a majority of our afternoon learning how to cook Thai cuisine. We started off with a Thai soup. Afterwards, we made Chicken Pad Thai. We were able to try our latest creations before continuing to cook Green Curry and Mangoes over Sticky Rice. In addition to an amazing afternoon with the Thai cooks, we were even given cook books to take home.

After a busy first half of the day, the GLA group took a few hours to regroup at the hotel. With a full week of teaching and a cultural exchange up ahead, there was much to do. We got into our groups and put together our lesson plans with the help of our amazing GLA staff. We have a lot planned for the children of Thailand.

With evening rolling around, we all headed out the Night Market. We spent the next few hours haggling good prices on souvenirs to bring home. The street food was delicious, and the souvenirs bought were extremely eccentric. This day was a success for the GLA group.

August 8, 2016

This morning was extremely eventful! The GLA group was woken up early to set out for a morning of teaching at a local Thai primary school. We ate breakfast at the hotel before hopping in the van to venture off to Thai school. With marathon one through six now our responsibility for a few hours, we were extremely busy. We completed two classes per group each lasting one hour and thirty minutes between 8:30am and 12pm. It was intense.

Because of recent changes within and around Thailand, it has become increasingly important for Thai people to learn English. It is our job to do as much as we can to help children between the ages of six and twelve learn as much English as they can in four days. We do our best to incorporate games and fun filled lesson plans to help them remember what they are taught. That is what we spent our morning doing.

Because we were fed lunch at the school, we headed straight to an older village that is known for their pottery. We spent the afternoon within this little village. We started off with a tour of the ground where we learned the ins and outs of pottery making. We were able to speak with the leader of the village along with a second generation villager. The skills of these people are incredible.

After the tour of the village, we were able to hand spin some of our own pottery masterpieces. We discovered that some of us are more artistic than others. With the help of the villagers, we were able to create somewhat acceptable pieces. The generosity and friendliness of the Thai people continue to shock us the further we get into our program.

With our day quickly coming to an end, we headed to the nearest mall to pick up a few necessities before heading back to the home base. We had a nice dinner with Kevin, a visiting mentor from headquarters. We went on to plan our next day of teaching before heading to bed to get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us.

August 12, 2016

After a thrilling weekend, it was time to continue teaching the kids of Watsankayom School. Through teaching and playing, we developed strong relationships with the students. On Monday afternoon, we went to learn about the culture of pottery and even made some unique handmade pottery ourselves. After school on Tuesday, we spent time preparing for the Cultural Exchange, working hard on perfecting a song and dance truly representative of our culture. Wednesday afternoon we visited and toured the beautiful Wattanothaipayap high school where we got to experience a traditional Thai dance performance done by the students. We also got to see their indoor museum which was full of magnificent artifacts and elegant wax sculptures. In addition, we made merry and formed friendships with the students through creating art together. Afterwards, we went back to the Home Base and began prepping an English Camp for the primary school students. Thursday morning we participated in a ceremony for Mother’s Day and we set up stations to get the Thai kids excited for learning more about the English language. That afternoon, we sadly had to say our goodbyes. Everyone was full of tears and hugs, but we left knowing that we had made an impact as they had on us. That night, we relaxed at the pool and watched a thought-provoking film which left us truly pondering the meaning of life.

On Friday morning, we woke well-rested and ready to shop at the markets of Chiang Mai. In the afternoon, we went to the Art in Paradise museum, which stunned us with its brilliant optical illusions. We had fun and took many pictures. Later, we had traditional Thai massages which really soothed and relaxed us. All in all, the week was riveting.

Coming soon!

Time Capsule Letter – October 2016

Hello to Session 2 of Thailand: Cultural Kaleidoscope at the Tianna Home Base!!! We hope you are all doing well! Time has flown by and it has somehow been over two months since we last said our goodbyes at the Chiang Mai airport. While we all eventually made it back to our homes and returned to our normal lives, we will always have the memories from an incredible three weeks together in Chiang Mai. This ‘Time Capsule Letter’ is a great way to look back on the people we met, the places we saw, and the experiences we shared during our time together. Hopefully all of you are able to think back to your time walking through one of the many temples we visited, or one of the classes you taught at either Wat Kha Jao School or Baan Don Kaew School, or the relationships you built with the kids from the Nimit Foundation, the Wildflower shelter, the local community, the Thai school children, and each other, and you are able to smile, laugh, and appreciate our experiences in Thailand this past summer.

Your group will always hold a special place in our collective hearts since we were able to spend a full three weeks together. Being thrown into a situation where you spend so much time with a group of people that were mostly strangers before coming together as a group means you learn a lot about the other people on your trip in a very short time. It happens on 10-day trips and 14-day trips, but spending a whopping 21 days together in Thailand in the middle of July is a whole different level. We were incredibly fortunate to have such an interesting group of people that supported each other and got along so well. You guys were all awesome and it made the experience so much more rewarding to have been able to share it with so many other great people. That’s not to say everything was wonderful sunshine and rainbows all day, every day. There were mosquitos (lots of them); there were classes where students didn’t listen; there were upset stomachs and other illnesses; there was a whole lot of rice; there were literally rainy days; there were schedule changes and long van rides and nightly curfew checks. But that’s all part of what makes traveling to new countries and experiencing new cultures such a rewarding experience: you never know exactly what you will get. It’s all about making the most of those experiences while you are there, and you guys all made that happen.

GLA programs can be exciting, a little overwhelming, and a whole lot of fun, but one thing GLA hopes to stress is how the experiences you have while in Thailand, Peru, Tanzania, or wherever else you may travel with GLA can be an opportunity to learn about a new culture, become more informed about how interconnected the world has become, and reflect on ways you can make a positive impact on the world around you. In addition to being an opportunity to travel and learn about what life is like in a different place and culture, a GLA trip can also be a valuable opportunity to grow and learn more about yourself, about your strengths and values, and about what motivates you to be the best person you can be. So as you make your way through your high school classes, or as you settle in to your new surroundings on a college campus, or wherever life takes you this fall, winter, and beyond, remember to think back to your experiences and the relationships you built last summer in Chiang Mai, to cherish them, and to use them as a part of what makes each of you unique. And then go out there and keep being awesome!

Before we wrap this up, here are a few of our favorite memories from Session 2:

• Bergen’s Shiny shoes
• Chasing little frogs in the rain at Wat Chedi Luang
• Everyone getting braids by Lauren each morning
• Ryan getting a shout out during the Thai dance class for being very feminine
• Peter, Adele, and Sydney N. pounding gravel at Wildflower
• The little boy at Wildflower home who helped spread countless loads of stone with Adele… adorable!
• Chelsea’s van playing Justin Bieber in every van ride
• Stella and her love for ice cream
• Adele’s laugh
• Aidan and Lena’s Dance moves at Nimit
• The leaf snail crawling across Tianna Home base
• Dancing while working at the orphanage and teaching Ryan and Keith
• Xinyi being surprised every time she saw a bug in Thailand
• Peter’s excellent pouncing abilities during birdie on a perch and while swimming — there goes ‘Cannonball Peter’!
• Ryan and Keith’s epic pool party swag and jumping hand clap
• Battening down the hatches at dinner time on the Ping River during the rain storm
• Harper and Aidan being just a little late!
• The never ending toque giggles – uh-ehhhh. Thanks, Giovanna!
• All of the school children pouring into the GLA students ‘resting room’ jumping on top of everything like little monkeys
• Claire sacrificing her leg to win balloon stomp
• Harper dancing around elephants
• Keith’s Muay Thai match with a praying mantis. Keith running away because he lost.
• “Hello my name is Pennsylvania and I’m from Thomas”
• Katie’s accent on cultural exchange day
• Nailing the ‘We’re all in this Together’ High School Musical dance routine.
• Eating hot Thai peppers in the middle of a pepper field while mountain biking.
• Wearing lifejackets like diapers for a more comfortable floating experience on kayak day
• The ‘We Love Chiang Mai!’ Football match
• Holding hands, swaying and singing (and crying), while closing our English camp at Don Kaew School…

Finally, from all of us that had the pleasure of meeting you this past summer – P’ Aey, Orn, Prae, Ton, Kaye, Ryan, Chelsea, Kaitlyn, and Keith – Thank you again for being such a great group and we wish you all the best in wherever your future takes you! Like we said on the last day, keep in touch, we love hearing what you guys are up to now and keep doing amazing things!!!

-Keith

Summer Blog Posts

July 9 – Arrival Day!

Greetings from Chiang Mai, Thailand! After making their way around world, through airports, layovers, and many long flights, all 29 of our students for Session 2 (July 9-July 29) have arrived safely! It has been a long day of making trips to and from the airport, but after taking some time to settle in to Tianna Garden Village (our GLA Home Base and our home away from home for the next three weeks) students were given their first taste of local Thai food, including fried rice and some exotic Thai fruit before heading to their rooms for some much needed rest.

The GLA staff team at Tianna Home Base has been working hard preparing for the students’ arrival and trying to fine tune our schedule for the next couple weeks, and we are all very excited to have everyone here with us now. We will be going through an Orientation tomorrow morning after breakfast that will include an introduction to Thai culture, safety and security protocols, highlights of our service learning activities and adventure excursions, and a few other minor details (like staying hydrated in sunny Thailand!). After our orientation, we will be heading to the Chiang Mai Grand View Hotel for a lunch buffet full of more delicious Thai food, which should be a fantastic introduction to the culinary delights Thailand has to offer.

We’ll be getting an early start tomorrow morning so we’ll wrap up this first blog post here. Future blog posts will be authored by our student leaders and will include pictures from our busy days as well so be sure to check back often for updates on all the amazing adventures we are having together in the Land of Smiles! As they say here in Thailand, Khob Khun Krap!

Author: Keith Wingeard (International Director)

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Title: Getting started

We have had a great first day! We started off with orientation. We learned about some Thai culture, language, and history from the local Thai staff. After that we began our fun day by visiting the beautiful Buddhist temples. While we were there, we were taught how to act when entering a temple. The first temple we visited was Chiang Mun. We all thought it was breath taking. After that, we went to the second temple called Chedi Luang where the weather wasn’t on our side. It was down pouring, but we found coverage in the temple, the largest in Chiang Mai. While we were there, a Buddhist monk blessed all of us. It was a great experience for the entire group.

After exploring the temples, we made our way to the food markets in order to learn about the ingredients we would be using during our cooking class. We all got to get a look at different ingredients such as fish sauce, Thai basil, and Kaffir lime. We were then brought to the cooking school and started to prepare our main 3 meals. They were delicious and consisted of stir fry, curry, and another type of soup. It was a very cool experience for all of us to cook our own Thai food and get a taste of what it has to offer. At the end the local Thai cooks gave us our very own cook book. It included multiple recipes that we can make at home. After a long day we finally made our way back to the home base. We gathered together in our mentor groups to share and discuss our thoughts from the long day. Everyone here so far is having a great time growing bonds and making memories. We love it here!!!!

Author: Aidan Purdy & Giovanna de Moura

July 11, 2016

Title: Dancing and Crafting and a Whole Lot of Packing

We started off the day learning about Thai dance and crafts. We bared the heat and saw a martial arts inspired dance, a northern Thailand finger dance, and a central Thailand circle dance. Our skills were tested when we weaved bamboo to create horses. We had lunch in a mall, and went off to service. The groups split in half as one group went to the orphanage and the other to a woman’s shelter.
At the orphanage, the supplies weren’t ready for us to begin working with just yet. We took the time as an opportunity to bond and played various games together. At the women’s shelter, we learned about Wildflower house and its purpose in Thailand. Their mission is to provide for women so that one day they can provide for themselves. They needed help building a usable walkway/driveway so the group got their hands dirty and shoveled a ton of gravel to cover the muddy ground. They shoveled and packed and made a whole lot of progress. Afterwards, they played with the mothers’ kids and had a lot of fun chasing and laughing with them.

Overall, the day was a lot of fun. It was eye opening to learn the dance and craft of a different country. Although it was difficult, we persevered and had a great time. The Thai staff thought we did an amazing job at the end! Service at the shelter was definitely hard and stressful but we pushed through and completed a large portion of the yard. All our sweat and tiredness paid off in the end when we saw how much the paved roads will help the women.

Author: Xinyi Yuan and Victoria Guevara

July 12, 2016

Umbrella Factory and Service

Today we had a very exciting and challenging day. We explored the umbrella factory as well as challenging service work. When we arrived at the umbrella factory we could already see that the umbrellas were hand made. There were different stations with diligent Thai workers using hand tools to make their biodegradable umbrellas. The whole amazing process was narrated by Robert the owner of the facility. He was crazy nice and help described the whole process to us. Once we finished the tour of the umbrella process we walked to the hall of painters. There were 12 painters on both sides who painted magnificent designs of various objects and scenes on to anything you put in front of them! Everyone got different spiritually important objects of theirs painted, including water bottles, phone cases as well as journal notebooks. As we were having our paintings dried we did some painting of our own. We received mini umbrellas and were able to design them however our hearts desired. We concluded the fun with smoothies and our fantastic paintings.
After lunch we split up into two groups and went to our service sites, one is Wild Flower which is a women’s center and the other is an orphanage, Nimit 2. At Nimit 2 we worked on constructing a cement pathway. In order to construct the cement pathway we had to mix cement which included having an assembly line which made it easier for everyone. We had some people shoveling the dirt and gravel into buckets while the rest of us passed the buckets along to where the cement was being mixed. We made a lot of progress today which made all of us happy.
The second group when to the Wild Flower where we helped lay gravel to pave a road. This was probably the sweatiest any of us every gotten. You could tell we were working as hard as we could. There were three jobs, the first was to load the gravel into our buckets and wheelbarrows, the second was to transport the wheelbarrows and buckets to where they were to be dumped and then bring the containers back and the third was to even out the gravel. The work was all worth while because it would have taken them weeks for what we did in hours. We all were very satisfied and happy to have been there.

Author: Jami Tuch and Thomas Carpenito

July 13

Wat U-Mong Temple and Service

Today we started the day off as we do everyday day, with chow circle and a delicious breakfast. Followed by visiting an extremely historic and significant temple by the name of Wat U-Mong. It was composed of underground tunnels, active vegetation, skylights, and a breathtaking and large pagoda. We then went further past the temple to visit the mediation center with a large amount of birds and catfish in the pond. We then went to a pair of nearby coffee shops and gained access to the Wi-Fi and connected with friends and family. With a quick trip across the street we were provided a delicious lunch at a restaurant called the boat. Then the group split up into their mentor groups and traveled to their respective service sites both at Nimit 2 and Wildflower.

At Nimit 2 we enjoyed a very productive and fun day laying down cement for the children living there. We spent our time dancing and listening to music all day long. At that point we were happy to enjoy our time as we worked together and made a great amount of progress from the last few days’ minor setbacks. Unfortunately though we spent less time than usual and had to leave early and were unable to play with the kids before they got back from school. Great progress was made at the Wildflower Women’s Shelter, not only is the hard work liberating, but beyond rewarding to see the size of the smiles on these women’s faces. Not to mention that it is so important to them that they are right up there shoveling, carrying, and flattening with the rest of us; of course I have no doubt that they enjoy our company as much as we enjoy theirs. In addition, their children are as fun to play with as they are adorable. The process as a whole is enjoyable, and well worth the while; it is an honor to play my part in it. Despite what site an individual was present at, I believe I can speak for everyone when I say that it is well worth our time and effort to participate in.

Author: Aidan Rupert and Sidney Neuman

July 14, 2016

Todd Talk, School and Service tours, and Khao Soi

We started off a very eventful day with chow circle and breakfast. After breakfast, we met in the conference room where Todd gave us teaching tips to use while teaching English to the children. Following the seminar, the group was split into two smaller groups and were sent off to two separate elementary schools. When we arrived, we were surprised to see how polite and social the children were. We had a small tour of the schools and were given a chance to introduce ourselves to the administration and various students. After our visitation, we had a very special lunch at the family restaurant of P.A., one of our local staff members. Most of us had their restaurant famous Thai dish, Khao Soi, which was a curry soup with chicken and noodles. After a delicious lunch, we all visited the Wild Flower Women’s Shelter, which gave the Nimit group a chance to see the progress of their peers. After a tour, the Nimit group left and went to Nimit where they continued their service as did the group at Wildflower. At the end of the day, the Wildflower group was given a chance to tour the Nimit orphanage and talk to the children and staff as well as see the progress that the other group made. Once all of that was done, we all returned to our home base, where we showered, had mentor groups, and a delicious dinner that consisted of egg rolls, fried rice, veggies, fruit, and pork. After a nutritious dinner, the group began to learn a dance that we will perform in front of a local Thai high school for a cultural exchange program. Once we finished for the night, we all went back to our separate rooms where we fell quickly asleep.

Author: Juliette Chandler and Camryn Simon

New Photos:

July 15, 2016

Title: Pottery and Summing up a motivating experience

Today we started off our morning by visiting the Muang Kung Pottery Village in which we took a tour of the many families in the village who have been creating various types of pottery there for generations. After the tour we created our own hand-spun pottery and were given a beautiful handmade pot as a parting gift from the village. Following that, we went to Big C shopping center, and were each given 100 baht to buy our own lunch and explore. After lunch we went to our last day of service at either the Wildflower Women’s Shelter or the Nimit 2 Orphanage. The group at Wildflower worked with the women to make keffir lime shampoo that they sell in the market, which was really fun to see how they had been taught to make supplies that they can sell. The Nimit group finished up their concrete pathway and with all their gravel material gone they felt very accomplished and spent the rest of the day playing with the kids. After a long day we went back to home base and had mentor groups to discuss how our last day summed up the work we did at Wildflower and Nimit 2. Then we all watched inspiring videos to see how leadership and kindness can have an effect on anyone even in the smallest of ways.

Author: Hannah Schilling, Harper Branch

July 16, 2016

Title: Our Day at Art in Paradise and a Walk in the Park

All through the week we had been working at our service sites, but today was finally our day to have fun with our new friends. We met up as a group at a perspective art museum called “Art in Paradise.” With our friends from Wildflower and Nimit we posed with the art to take creative photos. After our art adventure we split up to a lunch treat at Pizza Hut and KFC. We conversed over the food and learned so many new things about the children at the orphanage and the women’s shelter. We then traveled to the local city park to play and interact more. There were many things to do at the park, whether it was grabbing ice cream, or feeding pigeons.
At the end of a really fun afternoon, there were many hugs and a couple tears saying goodbye. For the Nimit troop we had to sadly part ways at the park. For the Wildflower group we returned to the site and purchased soaps and goods we had made with the mothers to fund and support their future endeavors.
For our evening we went to the Saturday market at the Saturday Walking Street., where for some you could say they “shopped till they dropped.” There were many sites and new sounds and smells that were amazing. We could smell strong durian fruit, see so many intricate trinkets, and so many wonderful street performers. It was the best market for our first evening expedition.

Authors: Olivia Mann-Dial, and Sidney Ammons

July 17, 2016

Title: Biking, Kayaking and Games

This morning we woke up bright and early for a 7am breakfast. After chow circle and a nutritious meal we got in the vans and left at 8:30. After an hour bus ride we arrived at the starting spot for our biking tour. We biked 12 miles with a beautiful view of rice fields. We then headed to the lake where we kayaked to a floating restaurant. There we had time to eat, swim, and jump on the water trampoline. After a couple hours enjoying the area, we got in the kayaks and raced back to the buses. When we got back to the home base we had some down time followed by chow circle wrapping up the day and dinner. After the usual mentor groups we began our evening activity consisting of 2 games. The first was a traditional Thai game called the wedding game where a lot of screaming and running was involved. The second was a game called birdie on a perch which involved jumping and screaming. We personally came in second place but we should’ve been 1^st J. That concludes our action packed day.  With love, yours truly, Lena and Stella.

Author: Lena Wencker & Stella Garland

July 18, 2016

Title: Doi Suthep Temple and the Hmong Hill Tribe Village

After a busy day of biking and Kayaking on Sunday, we got to enjoy and chill all morning at Huay Tuang Tao. We played group bonding games, relaxed, and had a picnic lunch. Some of us participated in a Thai snack tasting contest where we had to identify various snacks while blindfolded. We were also offered silkworms, but only a few were up to the challenge.

After a long and winding van ride, we arrived at Doi Suthep, the most famous temple of the city. We climbed up 308 steps, and the view was definitely worth the effort. There was a large golden pagoda in the main part of the temple. Many Thai people were visiting because it was a national holiday, but we heard many other languages such as Chinese and Russian.

Once we were finished at Doi Suthep we made our way to Hmong Village where we got to see how a hill tribe lived. We visited a coffee shop there where there was a beautiful view. All in all, it was a relaxing and fulfilling day.

Authors: Bergen Hart and Claire Jutabha

July 19, 2016
Title: Niti Day and Muay Thai Boxing

We started our day with an early 7 am breakfast overlooking the Ping River and the beautiful Chiang Mai mountain range. Then we got a brief introduction from Niti (GLA’s local Thai friend) about the Akha hill tribe before we set out. Once at the village, Niti introduced us to her grandmother and gave us a tour of her village and explained the history of the Akha tribe and their traditional dress (see Aidan pictured with Niti’s grandma… awww…). Next, we stopped at a cute coffee shop overlooking rice paddy fields where we had a variety of fresh fruit smoothies before eating an all natural lunch of lettuce wraps with rice, eggplant, and tomato salsa on a bed of bamboo. We then met back up with the other group and embarked to our Muay Thai lesson where we learned how to box from world-class Thai boxers. Though the exercise was hard and we worked up a sweat, the delicious meal waiting for us at Home Base made it all worth it.

Authors: Carli Casteel and Lauren Kanter

Day 11

After breakfast this morning, we split up into two groups. One group went to the Akha Hill Tribe Village, and the other went to a market. At the Akha village, we were able to experience the lifestyle of a hill tribe person. An informative tour was given by a local. We were able to try on traditional head dresses for ourselves. After a refreshing drink from a lovely café, we had a home cooked meal provided by the grandmother of an Akha hill tribe grandmother. The group that went to the market was able to see, and smell, a local market. We ate some Thai snacks provided by our Thai mentors. From there everyone headed to Home Base and we had a POOL PARTY!! Everyone got a coconut to enjoy! We spent the entire afternoon in the pool, playing games, and relaxing. We had dinner prepared by Thai staff. Then we did some nighttime activities, which included practicing our High School Musical that we will be preforming at a High School Cultural exchange. At the end of the night, everyone went to bed to get some rest for the first day of teaching in the morning.

Day 12

Start of teaching, talking with a monk, and American food

An unfortunate early 6:30 am wake-up call turned out to be an exciting and enjoyable day. We started our first day of teaching at either Wat Kha Jao School or Ban Don Kaew School. They greeted us with smiling faces, followed by the daily morning flag ceremonies and they passed out Jasmine flower garlands to us. All of us on the trip were assigned one class from grade P. 1 to P. 6. We teach one period, observe one period, and have a break period. During our break, we work extremely hard on lesson planning for the following day. We all felt relief once we finished our first day and then received an amazing Thai lunch at the school.

Following lunch we went to another temple, Wat Suan Dok. This time we went for something special, a group chat with a monk. The monk, KK, taught us about Buddhism and the life of a monk. We then were able to ask him any questions, concluded by a blessing from him. We then toured the temple and we came across the graveyard of the Lanna Kingdom’s past Royal Families. After seeing another stunning temple we saw even more stunning food. We had dinner at Duke’s, a Chiang Mai restaurant with AMERICAN FOOD!! Everyone was extremely stuffed after the meal consisting of pizza, ribs, onion rings, salad, and brownies for dessert.

We then were able to walk off our food at a night market, the Night Bazaar. Many people chose to have a ‘fish massage’. It was a very funny reaction to see for all the first-timers. After the night market, we headed back to Home Base. Our evening activity was finishing planning for tomorrow’s day of teaching. We then all headed to bed exhausted, but ready for another fun-filled day tomorrow. With much love, Aria Laskin and Kelly Marx.

Author: Aria Laskin and Kelly Marx

Friday, July 22, 2016
Title: Day 2 of teaching and Cultural Exchange

After an amazing breakfast, we headed out to our schools for the second day of teaching. Each group of teachers had one hour of teaching, one hour of observing, and a one hour planning period. We ate lunch at the schools and were able to play with the kids a little bit before we all went to the Regina Coeli College, which is a Catholic girl’s school. There we watched their video of their school and their cultural presentation, a beautiful traditional Thai dance. We also shared our presentation of where we are all from and a dance to “We’re All in this Together” from High School Musical as a fun representation of our own culture. We also got to know the high schoolers through a fun coconut relay race and making jasmine garlands. At the end we were able to go on a tour of the school and talk a little bit more with the students about themselves. Finally we came back to Home Base for dinner, and had an optional movie night where we watched “Mrs. Doubtfire”!

Author: Sophie von Muench and Adele Hinkle

July 23, 2016
Title: Elephant Day

Today was the day we had all been looking forward to! With so many excited faces, we met for an early 7 a.m. breakfast. After a bit of a winding drive, we finally arrived to the elephant home. Plenty of friendly faces and two beautiful elephants greeted us. We fed them sugar cane, which the elephants loved! We went through a quick orientation and we were then assigned our elephants for the day.
There were 11 elephants, one of which was a male, the rest females. About half of the female elephants were pregnant. There were about two or three people assigned to each elephant. There was also a mahut for each elephant: people who train the elephants for the majority of their lives. We hiked up a beautiful mountain covered in greenery, lots of bugs, and plenty of bamboo and plants for the elephants to snack on on the way up. At the top of the hill, we had a sticky rice snack while the elephants rested and scratched their backs on the trees.
After we made it back down the hill, we had Pad Thai for lunch. We found our elephants again and walked through a rural area surrounded by rice patties and a beautiful view. Then we took the elephants to the river which they LOVED. Some people rode on their backs for a minute while others were lifted by the elephants’ trunks. After walking back to the camp, we said our final goodbyes to our elephants and headed home.
Finally, we ended the night by going to a Chiang Mai v Bangkok soccer game. Chiang Mai won 2 to 1 and we all celebrated. We went back to home base and went to bed early for yet again, another 7 a.m. breakfast.

Author: Katie Johansen and Peter Gray

July 23, 2016
Title: Zip-lining and Sunday Night Market

This past Sunday was such an adventure. After an early breakfast at 7am, we quickly got changed and headed to Eagle Track, which was the zip-line course we would be completing. Everyone was so incredibly excited. For some people it was their first time zip-lining and other were ready to zip-line in a new beautiful location. The course we went through was WILD (don’t worry friends and family, we were harnessed in at all times). Not only was there zip-lining, there was other obstacles too. For example, drops. The drop platforms are where we were harnessed and would literally jump off the platform. Other included stepping on suspended platforms, walking across suspended bridges, and ladders. In total there were 35 different obstacles that we all completed. After we finished the Eagle track, we stayed for lunch, which consisted of many delicious items including, egg, noodles, vegetables and soup. The last thing we did before leaving was we got to all plant a tree to help with the deforestation that is currently happening here in Thailand.

After zip-lining, we went back to home base and did a quick change before going to the much anticipated Sunday Night Market. The markets are always such a blast because there is so much to explore. We got to eat dinner there too, which is fun because there is a lot to choose. After close to 2 hours we met back up at our meeting place with bags filled with our purchases. Then we rode in our vans to the home base and called it a night.

Author: August Feinstein-Hillsman

July 25, 2016
Title: Monday: Massages, Math, and Mentor Groups

After an extremely jam-packed weekend of elephants and ziplines, we were tired but ready to teach our beautiful pupils. In our third lesson, we went over various topics such as numbers, animals, and clothing. We ate lunch at our schools prepared by the school’s staff. Then, we hopped in our vans and headed to massages and an internet cafe. Groups 3 and 4 had their massages first, and as a general consensus, it felt good. Everyone was relaxed and enjoyed hot tea afterwards. At the internet café, people contacted home. We came back to Home Base and ate a delicious dinner by the Ping River. That evening, we did the True Colors Personality Test. It was interesting to gain a new insight into ourselves. Then we refueled with a GOOD night’s sleep. ;)))

Author: Claire Jutabha and Juliette Chandler

July 27, 2016
Title: English Camp
Today was the final day of service at the schools. We woke up, ate breakfast and headed over to the schools. Each school group planned out a full day of English activities for the children at the schools. Some of these activities included sports, relays, arts and crafts, “at the market”, and other fun games. The kids loved it and everyone had a great time! There were welcoming ceremonies at each of the schools. Each GLA student received a certificate of completion. From the schools, everyone headed back to home base to enjoy root beer floats and a delicious dinner!

Author: Camryn Simon and Emma Mellon