6/20/2015

My flight was delayed coming in to the Dominican Republic, so it made it extra special when I got in. The DR is exactly like I expected it to be, and also nothing like I expected. It’s colorful, friendly, and hot. I tried to take in everything as I was on the bus to Home Base, but it was hard. There’s so much life. When we finally got to Home Base, it was perfect. I picked my room, set up, and ate a delicious dinner of rice, beans, and fruit. Then we had orientation where we went over rules and the itinerary. We learned which villages we’d be volunteering in, building schools and houses. We also learned which days we’d be adventuring. All in all, it was a pretty great day.

– Lily Steiger

Today started off at with a pillow shoved over my face at 2:30 am and a lot of groaning. All flights from my area were more than my minimum wage job & my 18th birthday money could afford. Because of that, I had to take the 6 hour road trip from Dayton Ohio, my home town, to Chicago, the day before. It was a fun trip, my mom and I haven’t been on a road trip in forever. We spent the night at a nice hotel, with pretty good coffee, which I desperately needed. At 3 am, I kissed my mother goodbye and took a shuttle to the airport. I ended up being the only one from GLA to arrive via New Jersey, my layover, and ended up being the first to arrive. This wasn’t a problem though. I went on the 10 day trip last year and during my senior year; I decided to return for the last time. The drive back was around two hours, which I got to spend hanging out with Freddy, the driver, and Katie, one of my mentors. It was pretty surreal being back. I forgot how much I missed the colorfully houses, the constant palm trees, the view of the rainforest. The ever present heat feels like a blanket, smothering at times, comforting at others. I’m sorry, I know this probably sounds overly flowery, but I’m feeling pretty nostalgic. In a few months I’ll be in college and unable to return to GLA. It was great to see the lodge, and I even ended up in my old bunk. I’m excited for the trips we will be taking and the group, 44-all girls, some have yet to arrive- seem great. I’m ready to try and give this trip my all and push myself-physically and also emotionally.

– Chloé Massie-Costales

6/21/2015

Today, after awaking bright and early to the sound of a rooster crowing at 6 am, our GLA group ate a delicious breakfast of eggs, toast, fresh fruit and ham & cheese and loaded the bus for the community of Joba Arribe. We broke up into small groups and all tackled various projects. One group worked on shoveling sand and rocks by a river to use for cement production, another group removed debris from a destroyed water tank with an eventual goal to restore it for the citizens in the valley below it, and the last group mixed cement by hand and helped locals to lay flooring that will benefit their health. The three groups then rejoined for lunch on site to eat delicious local food and bond with each other.

After lunch, we split into groups again; two groups dug holes for septum tanks, and the other group dug a trench for a bridge. After all the heavy lifting, everyone enjoyed the beautiful nearby beach where we swam, took pictures, found sand dollars, and got some sun. The beach was incredible and helped us to recognize the beauty in the simplicity of the island. We later came back to home base to further bond and swim in our on-site pool. Extremely hungry after a long day, we very much enjoyed the amazing dinner that had been prepared for us. After leadership activities with our mentor Sarah, we returned to our rooms to play card games and chill out (except not really due to the insanely high temperatures here). All jokes aside, overall it has been an amazing and unforgettable day!

– Claire Foley and Gracie Blue

6/22/2015

Day 3 started off with the cacophonous cucaw of a rooster which woke our entire room up. After we got dressed, we headed down to the pavilion for scrumptious breakfast of mashed potatoes, eggs, fruit, etc. At 8, we left for the job site, Caraballo, with our daring bus driver “Ruthless Rafael”. Two hours later, we finally arrived at the job site. We split into two groups: the painters (who were instructed to paint the inside and outside of the schoolhouse) and the cement mixers. Throughout the day, the local children would come and help us do our jobs, and we would help them learn a little bit of English, as well as teaching them American dances (like the “whip”) and hand games (like “Miss Mary Mack”). It was so much fun teaching them a little of our culture and getting mini Spanish lessons in return. We were super impressed with the amount of languages that they all knew and how good their English was! We also went on tours around the local villages with a mentor. As we were walking through the communities, local children came up to us in large groups, asking to hold our hands and ride on our backs. I, Rebecca, held one little boy named Louis. He was the sweetest little boy ever and was so affectionate. Overall, this day was very eye-opening and rewarding because the stuff that we were working on, the panting and cementing of the schoolhouse, was having a direct and impactful effect on the people that we had spent the day with.

– Rebecca Jacobi & Rachel Shaw

6/23/2015

This morning we woke up to a yummy, homemade breakfast including French toast, eggs, fruit, and protein. Then we made our way to La Grua to work on one of GLA’s bottle schools. On the lengthy, but enjoyable bus ride, we drove through many different cities and villages. When we arrived at La Grua, we broke into groups and started our projects. We did many different jobs. We put bottle into the frames for the wall, mixed cement, worked on leveling the floors, and dug a hole that will be used for the septic tank. We worked really hard for a few hours and then it was time for lunch. For lunch we enjoyed chicken, potatoes, salad, and fruit. After, some of us got back to work and the others started on a tour of La Grua. They saw a lot of different animals including dogs, cats, cows, and horses. They also met some of the people that live there. On their way back, they brought along some of the children and they came to work with us. The second group went on the tour and brought back even more hard workers that they met along the way. After a few more hours of hard work and lots of progress, we decided to take a break and have a little fun. We turned up the music and danced the meringue with some of the locals. After lots of dancing, we headed back to home base. We had about 2 hours of free time where some people went to the beach, relaxed, swam in the pool, or socialized. After free time, we had a delicious dinner including chicken, fried eggplant, seasoned potatoes, and fruit. Following was a leadership workshop where we discussed and discovered our core values. Then we had an educational lecture on Environmental Security. Then it was time for bed.

–  Kaeli Coppa and Alanna Hurd

6/24/2015

Today we had beach time at Cabarete. W e used our great bargaining skills and bought amazing souvenirs for our lovely parents and friends, but you will not find out until we get home. We tried Dominican pizza for the first time and had awesome daiquiris, virgin of course. After that we headed over to a different beach called, Sosua. It had clear water and soft white sand. We took and small boat to a larger boat to travel to a beautiful coral reef. We jumped off the side of the boat and some people even got to steer the boat. Later, we shopped in the local stores for more trinkets and such and had a peaceful afternoon. Also, dinner was amazing because we had tacos and tortillas and it was iconic.

– Chigo Chukwu (California) & Mallory Gault (California)

6/25/2015

Today, we went back to La Grua, a Dominican and Haitian village located two hours away from our base camp. We continued to fill the walls with recycled bottles found in and around the local village. We take for granted everyday our ability to throw away our waste, but to the impoverished Dominican and Haitian people, they do not have this luxury. They have to prioritize feeding their families over paying for the disposal of their waste. Because of the buildup of garbage, this poses a threat to the health security of the local people. On our tour through the community, we witnessed the locals swimming and playing in the polluted river, which is their only source of water. They played Dominican music and taught us all how to dance and have fun the Dominican way. After saying our final goodbyes, we hopped on the bus and drove back to base camp. Sarah, our leadership mentor, led us through a team building activity of low ropes. We learned about the different styles and importance of leadership. We went through a serious of ropes and mazes to complete as a team. Then we had a delicious beef stew for dinner and listened to George give another Human Security lecture about health security. It made us think about how fortunate we are to live in America. We are privileged with specifically the availability of medicine and doctors. We were informed that 40% of the 56 million deaths a year are avoidable. These threats are not going away and our society continues to waste time and resources. Although many see our generation as the future, we are the now and we have the responsibility to be the change.

–Gabrielle Alias and Natalie Greco

6/26/2015

This morning started off with some girls running and others doing yoga on the beach. After enjoying a tasty Dominican breakfast, we all set off for Cano Dulce to start our service for the day. Our group was separated into three in order to complete different tasks in this Dominican community. The first group was in charge of mixing cement to provide concrete flooring for three different houses. Although this task was physically exhausting, all girls felt accomplished when we set a new record of mixing thirty-five bags of cement. GIRL POWER! The second group was in charge of building bee boxes in order to support Jonny the bee man’s bee farm. In addition to sawing wood for future bee boxes, girls had the opportunity to taste fresh honeycomb. The third group hoed the land to prepare the ground for a tree nursery. After eating our lunch with some locals, James took us on a tour around the village. It is a rewarding and humbling experience to witness how our actions are positively influencing this community. After arriving back at the home base, we went to the beach to relax and soak up the sun.

Following dinner, we listened to the importance of economic security and its impact globally. It provided us all with a new perspective on the economic imbalance throughout the world. Also, we watched a video teaching us the importance of seizing educational opportunities. Our eyes were opened as we realized how many privileges we are given each day of our lives. We are looking forward to our hike to Brison tomorrow and know it will be a great day!

– Grace Resnik and Claire Sheller, California

6/15 – 6/18, 2015

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise! 

Mayhem, madness, horrible, terrible; those are the words that surprise brings to mind in American culture.  However, in Chinese culture, every surprise is something to relish.  At the restaurant we ate at for dinner, the food was just as exotic as the way of thinking.  This was especially evident when the waiter brought out the “surprise dumplings,” which had random fillings.  In America, you would never get unlabeled food because it’s all about practicality, allergy information and order, whereas in China, surprises are relished and it is customary to revel in the uncertainty because of the experience it gives.  In Chinese culture, surprises lead to learning, while in Western culture, it is the gateway to strife.

-Timothy Jones, 16

Hometown: West Orange, New Jersey

Surrounded by Kindness

It only took me five minutes of wandering through the Beijing airport to figure out that Chinese people are surprisingly nice.  A simple “你好“ in China will get you a warm smile and pleasant replays opposed to America, where , where simply looking at someone gets you a nasty look and a dismissive grunt.  The only thing that is more weird than treating random strangers with respect and kindness, is the fact that this is completely foreign to Western culture.

The Great Wall

The Great Wall is indescribably beautiful.  On the day we went, we were very lucky to have beautiful weather.  Views of the mountains stretched out in every direction, disappearing into a haze twenty or so miles away.  Looking up the mountains, you could see the wall snake its way up to the peaks and then continue atop the ridges.  We visited two of the seemingly infinite guard towers.  One has a roof that you could climb up onto and stand on, and both offered a cool, shady break from the hot sun.  In the second tower we discovered a ladder that led down to the Mongol/Manchurian side.  I was tempted to try it, but it was quite rickety, so I decided against it.  The journey down the mountain was just as fun as the dazzling ride up in the chair lift.  We got to take little toboggans down a quarter mile slide.  All in all, my trip to the great wall was awe-inspiring.  I still can’t believe that I have visited something I had previously only seen pictures of.

-Weston Way, 16

Hometown: San Francisco, California

6/20/2015

Kunming to Shaxi

Although 7-8 hour bus rides aren’t really my cup of tea, the farmlands we passed as we drove to Shaxi were beautiful. It was awesome to see the terrace farming I had seen in some China videos I’ve watched. Even before we made it to Shaxi, we stopped for some lunch that was typical of the Bai minority people that consisted of pig intestines, “seaweed,” and plenty more exotic dishes. It was quite delicious and helped to make the rest of the bus ride more bearable.

The bus ride was totally worth it when we got to Shaxi. We were met by Uncle Lu, who is a magical chef with supreme culinary powers and he introduced us to what may be the cutest thing to grace this earth: a kitten. She is a fierce one, and we named her Sasha. Shaxi itself is beautiful, and the next day, we went on a scavenger hunt throughout the village learning about important sites and foods. We are all alive and doing well.

Alexander, signing off.

6/26/2015

It’s been a long week of service and learning! We’re all a little tired, but everyone’s sense of humor seems to be intact!

6/27-28/2015

Today was our second day of service.  We are helping to restore an ancient Chinese temple from the Qing dynasty by making mud bricks to build new walls.  On our second day, the locals were there, and everyone was very kind.  They greatly appreciated our help, and some even offered us part of their meals as a gift of gratitude.     Once we returned from service, we ate our delicious lunch cooked by Uncle Lu.  Uncle Lu not only cooks meals for us, but also runs the cultural center & inn that we are all staying at.

After lunch we had our daily Chinese lesson with Charles!!!  Then it came time to dance.  Our dance teacher was Aliu.  Aliu is a famous Bai Minority singer and dancer.  She performed four dances for us, and when she finished performing, we voted on the dance that we wanted her to teach us.  We voted on a dance that required us all to use sticks to dance with.  Aliu’s stick had coins in it that made nice ringing sounds when she tapped her feet and hands with it.

The dancing was pretty humorous because we all had trouble following Aliu’s lead.  She taught us “the basics,” which seemed very difficult, and then sang for us when we had had enough.  After Aliu’s beautiful singing, we were given free time to hang out.  For free time, we all went to a cafe where we enjoyed a little taste of home and had pizza, popcorn, and milkshakes.  Overall, this was an amazing day, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of our time here!

7/21/2015

Hi everyone,

After a couple of short delays we have all 24 students here safe and sound, ready for the start of session 3

Phone calls have been made to all parents with a couple of students leaving messages. We will call again in the morning.

7/24/2015

Hello Mother Hens and Father Poppies! We have just concluded day 3 of the Elephant Village Initiative. Can I just say we are having a BLASSSSSTTTT!!! On our first real day here in Thailand, we pleased our eyes with the sights of Wat Chiang Mun and Chedi Luang temples. After being mesmerized by the articulate layout of the temples we went and paid a visit to Elephant Parade. While at Elephant Parade we were able to learn more about the elephants as well as being able to put our artistic abilities to work and paint our own elephant figurines. The money from Elephant Parade goes to support the Elephant Hospital Foundation. We finished with dinner at Chiangmai Gate, a local food market. On our second day we woke up and started our day with a short chow circle and breakfast here at the hotel. After eating breakfast, we made a 30 minute drive up into the mountains of Chiang Mai to visit Doi suthep temple and a beautiful lookout point over Chiang Mai city. After spending a few hours taking in all of the beautiful culture we made our way back down to enjoy lunch at Lam duan , where we ate a famous Chiang Mai dish called Kao Soi. We went on to then visit Navamindarajudis Phayap School. There, we were able to give a powerpoint about just how different America is from Thailand. We then serenaded them with the sounds of our beautiful national anthem. We all can now say that we have at least a few best friends here in Thailand. To end the day we ignored our exhaustion and absorbed some of the night life of the night bazzra. We are SO ready for tomorrow!

-Michelle & Lydia

7/26/2015

Today we left Chiang Mai and headed to Thai Elephant Home. We arrived and were greeted by a few elephants and went and found our new rooms. We quickly changed into mahout clothes, excited to go meet our elephants we rushed down to the place where they are kept. We hopped on random elephants to practice what it would feel like. We headed out on our trek through the jungle. Some of us walked and some of us hopped on our elephant. There are two people and a mahout to each elephant. We crossed the road and everybody had to jump on an elephant to cross the river. Once across the river it was a long trek on elephant back up the mountain to the mud spa. Once at the mud spa we ate a delicious lunch of pad thai and sweet sticky rice. We finished up lunch and went to bathe the elephants in the mud. A mud fight quickly ensued and we were all thrown in the mud and covered. We climbed back onto the elephants and headed down to the river to clean up. Once in the river we jumped off and had lots of fun. The mahouts thoroughly enjoyed starting water fights and shamelessly used their elephant’s trunk to spray us. We headed back to home base and showered up before some games and dinner. After dinner we split into smaller groups and chatted. We headed to bed ready for sleep and excited for the long day ahead of us.

7/26/2015

Yesterday was a blast! After waking up bright and early to feed the elephants and clean their stalls, we headed out into the jungle with mini-trees in hand to plant on the mountainside. We split into a few groups, using hoes and machetes to clear the brush and dig holes for the trees. Hundreds of holes later, a new forest was freshly planted. We left the jungle for a quick cat nap before venturing out on our daily trip to the river with the elephants. With our elephant partners, we all rode atop our elephants and bathed them in the river. Later, after returning to Thai Elephant Home for a delicious dinner of cashew stir fry, we watched a documentary that exposed the unfair and brutal treatment of elephants when they are trained for performance and work. We then discussed our personal opinions and debated the questionable treatment of elephants in Thailand. We are so excited to spend even more time with our elephants and interact with the community tomorrow!

7/28/2015

During the past two days, we split up into two groups and had so much fun! One group visited the elephant nursery, and got to play, learn, and care for two baby elephants and their mothers! It was really amazing and they were so cute! We also planted rice and built a dam there, it was so cool! The other group went to the village school to teach the students English and play games with them! It was amazing teaching our culture to Thai kids, they loved it and it was so much fun. We then swapped for the second day to do the other activity. The past two days have been a whirl wind of fun, adventure, culture, and memories to last a life time! We never want to leave!!!

– Jessica Stubbs and Emma Mackey

7/29/2015

Today we had a village/temple/health clinic tour! We walked into the village from the Thai Elephant Home which wasn’t very far, we walked into a local market to buy our mahouts gifts to say thank you for everything that they have done. The market was like a very big, spread out dollar store! They just had everything you need. It was nice, the people were so kind. After that we went into the Temple which was absolutely beautiful, there we bowed and prayed to show our respect and then we went outside to see the pictures of what happens if you do bad things (basically the 5 rules of Buddhism) The 5 rules of Buddhism are:

 Don’t steal

 Don’t lie

 Don’t cheat

 Don’t drink

 Don’t kill animals

After that we walked to a little store where everyone bought some snacks and ice cream which was very fun but then it started POURING so we waited a little bit but walked back after a little bit, and it slowed down a lot so that was nice. After we got back to Thai Elephant Home we went to talk and learn about T, a man who moved into The Elephant home a little over a year ago and he owns an elephant here.

He just told us about his story and what he has done which was awesome, we asked him questions after too.

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings! 

7/31/2015

Today, we tackled the great challenge of grass cutting! Elephants are incredibly big animals, and they eat SO MUCH food (10 percent of their body weight every day)! To feed these massive creatures, grass cutters work six hours a day in the grass fields cutting bushels. So today, we tried our hand at it. Grass cutting is quite the feat, and the grass the elephants eat is very sharp and tall. We wore long pants and long shirts with bandanas and hiked up a pretty big hill to the grass fields, where we were handed machetes and told to survive alone in the woods for the night. Just kidding. We were taught how to properly cut down the 12 foot tall grass stalks and then bundle them with bamboo ties. We didn’t realize that this was the incredibly fun part of the task, and even though some of our friends looked quite scary holding machetes, we escaped with all limbs intact. After cutting the bushels, we carried them up an incredibly muddy hill to the trucks. This definitely was good team bonding, as we were all flailing in the mud, except for Ashley and Diana, who were the champions of The Bundle Carry. There was a definite sense of accomplishment in feeding our elephants the grass we cut, but we also gained a new respect for the grass cutters who do this each and every day. Caring for elephants is incredibly hard work, and we are very lucky to be able to experience it first hand and learn from these inspiring people.

Peace and Chow!

– Soph and Cat

8/3/2015

All students have departed and are on their way home!

We continued on to view two more temples, both equally as grand and breathtaking as the others. Our thai staff educated us about the royal family, specifically the princess who is associated with the colour purple and adored by the entirety of the nation. We left the last of the temples to go enjoy a massive and delicious  Thai lunch, where we stuffed our faces with pad thai, pizza, rice (lots of rice), and green tea ice cream. Thus far, the food here is one of the best parts  ( kidding, but moderately serious ).

We woke up at 5:45 to feed and clean up after the elephants. After breakfast we split up into our smaller mentor groups to do separate activities. That day Group One went up a mountain to get to the grass fields. There, we cut the grass with machetes and bundled them for the elephants to eat. We made sure to wear long sleeves and pants so the grass wouldn’t cut us. We ended up cutting enough grass that the truck had to make multiple trips.

While Group One was in the fields cutting grass, Group Two went on a three hour hike in the mountains from 9 to 12. During the hike we did a few group bonding activities from telling corny jokes to playing word games in Thai. While the hike consisted of constant uphill walking, it all became worth it when we got to the top of the mountain and got to see over the valley where we were staying in.

After going to the river in the afternoon and bathing our elephants, we started to learn about their history. We watched a documentary about how elephants are traditionally trained and what different parties are doing to make a difference. Then we discussed how we felt about these issues in our mentor groups.

-Natalie Gulrajani & Ethan Davidson

7/13/2015

By Hannah Porter

Today included baby elephants, which means it was amazing. We woke up and half of the group went to the school, while the other half went to the nursery. When we arrived we were greeted by energetic baby elephants and their protective mothers. We played with them, rode them and got pushed around. We may have fallen several times but it was still fun. After we walked for a while to get to the sight of our dam build. We brought bags of dirt up to the damn, which was made out of bamboo. We brought rocks to the dam to make it sturdy, covered it with dirt, and filled bags will more dirt to place on top and solidify it all. It took us around 45 minutes and we were all very tired by the end of the build. We were all tired as you can imagine, so we walked back to lunch where we found a family of cats that we held while they ate our food. After lunch we walked with the elephants, helping them with their mud baths, followed with a bath in the river. We finally returned back to home base and went straight to the river with our own elephants. When we were finally able to rest we were soaked and tired, but we got to play with baby elephants so it was still an adorable day.

6/18/2015

All students have arrived safely and are ready for an amazing program!

6/19/2015

Thai Elephant Initiative: Session 1 Day 1 Orientation Tour

Sawadii ka! My name is Rowan. I am the International Director for GLA’s Thai Elephant Initiative and it is my great pleasure to be able to work with each of our students during the next two weeks. First of all I would like to thank each of you for allowing your child to embark on such an exciting opportunity to learn, make friends for life, and grow. I know it can be scary to say good-bye without really knowing where your child is going, who they are going with, and what exactly they will be doing. I will be updating this blog as frequently as possible so that you are continually informed about what your child is doing and how they are doing.

I would also like to introduce you to the wonderful mentors, Chelsea and Ash, your child will be working closely with for the next two weeks. They are both highly motivated, conscientious, and knowledgeable.

The local Thai staff is amazing and has worked so hard with us to design a program that is packed with cultural activities that highlight important aspects of Thai culture as well as service projects where your child will be helping local communities to do things like plant trees and cut grass for their elephant. Then of course there is a lot of fun fit in as well! It was so wonderful to see the local staff so excited to greet our GLA students at the airport! Their names are Mai, she is the local director, Joon, Honey, and Gai.

Today was a busy day. We started with orientation from 9-12 where students reviewed GLA safety policies and how to stay healthy and happy in Thailand. They also learned about Thai culture and language from Thai staff and participated in leadership and summer planning workshops with our mentors. It was packed!

Next we went to a nice restaurant for lunch and students were able to choose what they were brave enough to try from a buffet.

After that we all went to learn about the importance of elephants in Thai history by visiting the two main elephant temples in Chiang Mai: Wat Chiang Mun and Wat Chedi Luang. At Wat Chiang Mun Mai, our local director, taught students about the oldest temple in Chiang Mai and how to sit properly in a Buddhist temple.

We then went to Wat Chedi Luang where students learned about how to get a Buddhist blessing and we took an awesome group photo.

After that, students went inside Wat Chedi Luang and practiced how to sit in front of the image of Buddha.

Then we all went to the Thai Elephant Parade office in Chiang Mai were students learned about this important international elephant conservation project and they painted their own baby elephant. Students were super creative and came up with some truly original designs. It was awesome to watch them at work!

Kop koon ka! (Thank you!)

6/20/2015

Sawadii ka!

This is your International Director, Rowan Beraza, at the Thai Elephant Initiative again. Students will hopefully be taking over this blog starting today. The second day of our program was packed and students learned about how elephants were traditionally used in Thailand when they visited the Thai Elephant Conservation Center that was built and is maintained by the Thai royal family. Students enjoyed watching elephants show off their skills in logging, painting, and playing games. They then got up close and personal with the elephants while feeding them bananas, which are like candy for the elephants.

Next, students had lunch and met their first baby elephant. They were super excited to interact with such cuteness.

After that they met Motala, the world’s most famous elephant, and learned about how she was injured by a land mine and doctors worked to create the first prosthetic limb for an elephant for her.

Finally, students came back to the hotel and we went to a very Thai style restaurant to enjoy delicious Pad Thai. In the evening students played a getting to know you game and relaxed.

Kop koon ka! (Thank you!)

06/21/2015

Doi Suthep Temple and Huey Tung Taew Lake

Sawadii Ka! (Hello)

The day started with a yummy Thai breakfast at Imm Hotel. Following that, everybody piled into the vans and up the mountain we went to visit the historic Doi Suthep Temple. The 2-hour trip included dance parties in the backseat. After we were all blown away by the beauty of the temple, we drove to Muang Hilltribe Village and got a taste of a curry dish that was created in Chiang Mai, called Kao Soi. As we made our way down the hill towards the vans, we shopped and gazed at handmade jewelry, bags, and clothing.

After boarding the vans, we took off to the Huey Tung Taew Lake which is a reservoir in Northern Thailand. We splashed around the lake and played a few team building games as the sun sucked out our energy. Post-lake, we piled into the vans and took off to experience the craziness of the Sunday Night Walking Street Market in Chiang Mai. You could say we shopped till we dropped. It was an amazing day.

Kop koon ka! (Thank you!)

– Hannah Wagar and Josephine Holubkov

06/22/2015

Fun with Elephants!

Sawadii Ka! (Hello)

This day was absolutely amazing. We got up earlier than usual, and after our last Inn Hotel breakfast, we got into the vans for an hour and a half before arriving at Thai Elephant Home! After settling into our rooms and changing into mahout clothes, we grabbed baskets of bananas and went to go meet our elephants! We learned some simple command words, like how to get our elephants to lie down: map-long (body down). After a practice ride around the elephants’ quarters, we began our trek through the jungle. We enjoyed a lunch of Pad Thai, and then gave our elephants mud baths.

We then got back on the elephants and rode them down into the river, where we bathed them and had water fights, then were sprayed by our elephants. Before bed, we fed the elephants and said good night. It was a spectacular day and we’re all looking forward to bonding with our elephants.

Kop koon ka! (Thank you!)

– Hannah Wagar and Josephine Holubkov

06/23/2015

Community Tree Planting, team building & fun with elephants by Hailey & Morgan Photography by Jamie

Our day started early, promptly at 5:45 am, when we woke up to feed our elephants. After breakfast, we went to a tree planting ceremony in the village! Even though it was really hot, it was a lot of fun. We had the opportunity to meet the people living in and around the village, including the head of the agriculture department in all of Thailand! After hearing his speech and taking a few photos, we walked a bit until we found the perfect spot to plant our little trees. While we were planting our trees we had the opportunity to meet 7th graders from the local school. They were very cute, funny, and nice. After that we went back to home base to get ready to wash the elephants in the river (a daily activity for us, no big deal). While most of us went to the river, four from the group had the chance to cook a Thai dinner for us. Morgan, one of the chefs from dinner stated, “It was really interesting to learn about the preparation of our dinner. The kitchen was very different which made the experience more fascinating”.

At the river the students and the elephants jumped into the water, excited for another day in the river. The students were sprayed by the elephants and the elephants were splashed by students. All in all, it was a busy yet fantastic day.

6/25/2015

Thai Elephant Initiative: Session 1 Home Base and Daily Routine 06/25/2015 by Rowan Beraza (International Director)
Sawadii Ka! (Hello)

I hope you are all doing well! The students have been playing and working hard in the rain these past couple of days. As soon as we have some free time our student bloggers will be back but until then I wanted to inform you about our Home Base in the jungle. The staff at Thai Elephant Home have been kind enough to build new accommodations for us and students enjoyed making prayer flags their first day to set their goals for the trip and beautify the community space.

The space is great for mentor groups and presentations.

Every day students wake up at 5:45am to clean up their elephant’s space.

Then after community activities they either get up on or walk alongside their elephants to go down to the river where they bathe and play with them.

The real fun of the program is playing in the water with their elephants each evening.

Then after dinner they get their headlamps and head down to feed their elephant.

Kop koon ka! (Thank you!)

6/26-28/2015

Sawadii Ka! (Hello)

Day 8:

This morning everyone woke up to a heavy rainfall. For breakfast this morning one of our Thai staff members, Honey, who is responsible for the food, set out yogurt and peanut butter. It was a little taste of home. The GLA family was split into two groups based on their mentor groups. Team Ash went to the school while team Chelsey went to an elephant nursery. The team rode to the nursery in the back of a pickup truck, but don’t worry parents there were seats in the truck. When we first arrived at the nursery we met the two moms and their two babies. Both babies are six months old, their names were Dumbo and Aomgord. [It just started down pouring as I’m writing this.]

After the introduction to the elephants we started planting rice for the elephants. Chelsea’s group was cool and sang songs during our work. For lunch we had fried rice wrapped in banana leaves and played with the dogs and the baby kittens. When lunch ended the group went back to the elephants and gave them a mud bath. Me (Claire) and four other girls got in the mud pit with them and got in a mud fight. The babies were so cute, they needed help getting out of the mud pit.

We then took the elephants down to river and washed them off. In the river I (Claire) was playing in the water when Isabel looked me and started freaking out. I had a spider the size of a quarter on my forehead. I started freaking out and everyone got out of the water. It had rained so much that day that when we started to drive back everyone had to get out of the pickup trucks and walk until we got to the back to the normal road. When we were allowed to get back in the truck me (Mary) and 7 other girls sang songs as loud as we could the entire way home. We were probably really annoying, but it was a blast! All of us even made up a GLA cheer! When we arrived back at the home base Team Chelsea was soaking wet from the rain and the river so we stayed in our mahout clothing until it was time for us to bathe the elephants.

-by Claire and Mary

Day 9:

Team Chelsey went to the village school and Team Ash went to the elephant nursery. At first we had planned out lesson plans, but once we arrived we realized that we had to improvise. For the first hour our group of 12 split into two groups of 6. One group stayed with grade 1 kids and they taught the children songs and animals. The other group of 6 went into a big classroom and talked to a group of 15 and 16 year olds. With the 15 and 16 year olds we working on helping the Thai students hold conversations with us. We also taught them some games like Tic Tac Toe and Rock Paper Scissors. For the second hour, the first group of 6 came and joined the other group of 6 and they talked with the 15 and 16 year olds too. After those two hours we went back to the home base and had lunch. Then we went back to the school and talked to a group of mostly 14 year olds. We thought we were going to watch some sort of show at the Thai school, but we ended up watching a ceremony where the kids received money and art supplies for winning an art competition. It was really interesting to see how the school was different in Thailand compared to our schools in America.

For dinner we had egg in banana leaf boats and they were really cool to eat. Kop koon ka! (Thank you!)

-by Claire and Mary

Sawadii Ka! (Hello)

Day 10:

We were supposed to grass cutting today, but there were some problems with scheduling, so we decided to go on a jungle trek! We divided into two groups and walked through the trees while our Thai staff pointed out certain plants and bugs to us. We learned a lot about jungle flora and fauna then did target practice with a few slingshots. Only five kids lost their eyes! (Just kidding, we’re fine.) After some complaining, we reached a point which gave us a beautiful view of the valley and mountains. We also saw some strange cows (with humps on their backs), as well as some buffalo and a few elephants from other camps. It was a very fun and pretty easy hike, and I’m sure everybody enjoyed it at some level.

Day 11:

This day we went to cut grass for the elephants. We had to wear long sleeves and long pants so the grass wouldn’t cut us up, so of course this is the day the sun came out. We had to walk to the grass site for about half an hour, then we took a small break and tried to stop sweating while we rehydrated. We then received our machetes and started cutting the grass. Within two minutes, one of our team members had cut herself accidentally on the knee and was taken to the clinic, where she received two stitches (without anesthesia, because she is brave). She is doing well now and is currently riding her elephant through the mountains. Meanwhile, the other students cut grass and bundled it up so the mahouts could load it into their truck. Although it was an extremely hot day, grass cutting was a popular activity and it also allowed us to see what our mahouts do for their elephants every day.

Following this theme, we had an ice cream party with our mahouts and presented them with gifts we had previously purchased from Chiang Mai. We really wished we had brought our mahouts something from America to remember us by because they do not have a lot. It was amazing to see how happy they were to be with us and how much they appreciated our gifts.

This morning (Day 12) our Thai staff and some students surprised us with delicious pancakes!!! Most students are currently whitewater rafting. I’m blogging and hanging out with Rowan because I’m not feeling well. Tonight we are having our farewell dinner, which will mark our last night at Thai Elephant Home.

Kop koon ka! (Thank you!)

Village Tour – Flashback Blog

Sawadii Ka! (Hello)

The students have been very busy and the internet has not been available due to large rain storms, so this is your friendly International Director Rowan again! On day 7 of our program, students went on a village tour where they visited a local market and tried some Thai snacks. We then visited the local clinic where the doctor told students about traditional Thai medicine techniques. Students then had an opportunity to try out Thai therapies such as massage and cupping. At the end, the doctors and masseuses wanted to take a group photo with us.

Kop koon ka! (Thank you!)

Sawadii Ka! (Hello)

Day 10: We were supposed to grass cutting today, but rain was suspected which would have increased the safety risk, so we decided to go on a jungle trek! We divided into two groups and walked through the trees while our Thai staff pointed out certain plants and bugs to us. We learned a lot about jungle flora and fauna then did target practice with a few slingshots. Only five kids lost their eyes! (Just kidding, we’re fine.) After some complaining, we reached a point which gave us a beautiful view of the valley and mountains. We also saw some strange cows (with humps on their backs), as well as some buffalo and a few elephants from other camps. It was a very fun and pretty easy hike, and I’m sure everybody enjoyed it at some level.

Day 11: This day we went to cut grass for the elephants. We had to wear long sleeves and long pants so the grass wouldn’t cut us up, so of course this is the day the sun came out. We had to walk to the grass site for about half an hour, then we took a small break and tried to stop sweating while we rehydrated. We then received our machetes and started cutting the grass. Within two minutes, one of our team members had cut herself accidentally on the knee and was taken to the clinic, where she received two stitches. She is doing well now and is currently riding her elephant through the mountains. Meanwhile, the other students cut grass and bundled it up so the mahouts could load it into their truck. Although it was an extremely hot day, grass cutting was a popular activity and it also allowed us to see what our mahouts do for their elephants every day.

Following this theme, we had an ice cream party with our mahouts and presented them with gifts we had previously purchased from Chiang Mai. We really wished we had brought our mahouts something from America to remember us by because they do not have a lot. It was amazing to see how happy they were to be with us and how much they appreciated our gifts.

This morning (Day 12) our Thai staff and some students surprised us with delicious pancakes!!!

Most students are currently whitewater rafting. I’m blogging and hanging out with Rowan because I’m not feeling well. Tonight we are having our farewell dinner, which will mark our last night at Thai Elephant Home.

Kop koon ka! (Thank you!)

7/1/2015

All students for Thai Elephant Village Initiative session 1 have safely left Chiang Mai! Woohoo!!! Such a great bunch. We’re going to miss them!

Rowan