On the first full day of our stay in Chiang Mai, we started off by exploring local temples. For most of us, this visit to the temples was our first, but most definitely exceeded all of our expectations. Our Thai staff explained in detail about the rituals and customs of the temples and lead us in a buddhist prayer. After exploring, we had an opportunity to chat with the monks and pick their brains about daily life and traditions as a monk. Lunch was at a local buffet, and it was pretty much a unanimous vote that the entire group loved the food, (most of us even started to plan a trip back). Before dinner, we received a tour of the Elephant Parade Museum, where they paint elephant sculptures and sell them, donating 10% of their profit to elephant conservation and rehabilitation projects. After the tour, we all painted mini elephant sculptures and packed them up for home. Dinner was in The Coffee Bus, where the cafe actually had a bus as seating and the coffee was the best we’ve had so far. Today was definitely a great start to a wonderful trip.

It is safe to say that the second day of our 2 week trip was one for the books. We started out at the most popular temple in Chiang Mai, which rests upon a huge hill overlooking the entire city. The ride was hard for some, being very windy and elevated, but the temple was worth it. As a group we took the climb of about 380 steps to the top of the hill to explore the entirety of the temple and marvel over a breathtaking view of the city. We attended lunch in the Boat Bakery and it was a delicious meal, as always. Then, it was on to the school exchange. We went to a local Chiang Mai school, named after the King, and they entertained us with a beautiful, traditional Thai dance. In return, we performed an American classic: the Macarena. At the school we formed groups to play a bunch of games with the Thai students and they showed us some of their favorites as well. No face was left without a smile throughout the entire experience and we did not want to leave at the end; they were truly an amazing group of students. We finished the day at a local market, buying gifts for our families and friends, as well as experiencing Thai culture through food and fish feet cleanings.

August 12th written by Jenna Ryan

We all sat for our final meal at the Imm Hotel this morning before we journeyed out to the Thai Elephant Home. Upon arrival, we reviewed our room assignments and quickly jumped right into our first elephant excursion. Everyone was assigned an elephant with their partner that we would ride and attend to for the duration of the trip.  After getting to know our new friends through feeding them sugar cane, we started our trek upon their backs through the jungle. Elephant riding was an innovative way to experience the beauty of the land as we developed a bond with our majestic companions. The elephants received a mud bath from our group at a local lunch stop, and we created clay masks for ourselves. By far everyone’s favorite part of the day was bathing the river with our elephants. We cleaned and played with them in the water, and in return, they lifted us high up on their trucks; an exhilarating first for everyone involved. All in all, our jungle trek was a great introduction to these beautiful creatures and we’re excited to work with them for the days to come.

August 13 + 14

Over the past two days, we began our service projects to really give back to the local community, (and our elephants). Half of us were assigned grass cutting while the other half were assigned dam building.

The hike to grass cutting was long and tiring under the hot, morning sun and we were all dripping with sweat by the time we reached the fields. We arrived at a field full of tall stalks of serrated grass that we chopped down with machetes, (carefully, of course), and tied up into a pile with bamboo strands. The machetes were very easy to use after our Thai staff demonstrated, and most, if not all, of the group members enjoyed cutting the grass for our elephants to snack on.

Dam building was up top of a mountain, where the hike was a straight incline in slippery mud, but shorter than the hike for grass cutting. The group members chopped bamboo to make walls for the dam and filled up bags of dirt to their heaviest point to support the dam. There was a lot of slipping and rolling down the mountain, but none of us are afraid to get our hands dirty.

Even those both of these service projects were extremely sweaty and required hard work, the results paid off and it felt good to give back to the community.

August 15th and 16th

These past two days our service groups took turns going to the elephant nursery; about a 40 minute drive from the Thai Elephant Home. Each group was able to play with the babies extensively as they roam freely around their nursery. Sunday, a baby girl who is only 8 months old, was most definitely a crowd favorite with her playful attitude and out-going, kind heart.

We hiked through the jungle with the group of babies and, unlike our full grown elephants, the babies just wander around and play in the mud, not sticking to the path at all. After lunch, we were able to join the elephants in the pond. Everyone was throwing mud and playing with the baby elephants, smiles galore. We gave the babies a mud bath as well.

When we weren’t at the nursery the opposite day, we were able to sign up for massages at home base. Almost everyone got a massage and they were a great way to wind down after all the work we’ve done this week. Both groups made “medicine balls” as well for the elephants, packed with vitamins and nutrients.

-Jenna Ryan

Day 1

What an amazing day!  First we spent some time getting to know each other & learning about GLA and our program via orientation. Then we headed to lunch at this delicious buffet and afterward we visited some temples. From there we went to Elephant Parade where we painted our very own tiny elephants – so much fun! Then we celebrated Lindley’s birthday after dinner at coffee bus with mango sticky rice & cupcakes!

By: Kelly Urch

July 24, 2017

Today, we went to see the elephants at the Thai elephant hospital and conservation center. It was a really eye opening experience to see the two different conditions the elephants live in. We then discussed how complicated and controversial elephant living conditions are in Southeast Asia, and left the conversation open to learning and growing in our beliefs. Pondering the complex ethical dilemmas of the Asian elephant crisis, we must now weigh new information against preconceived ideas of right and wrong.

X

Sydney Wallack and Alexa McPhee

Hey friends and family!

Today we had our cultural exchange program with the local Chaing Mai Christian School. We started the day off with an opening ceremony where we saw a traditional Thai dance. After, we presented an acapella performance based on the movie Pitch Perfect. Our song was Cups. Half of us sang while the other half did the cup clapping tune. Following, we learned how to do the traditional Thai dance, and how to make flowers that are cremated with the king.

After a lunch at the school and having met many of the younger students, we went to a museum with some of the students our age. The museum presented the history of Thailand, and the Thai students gladly explained more about their country.

Later, we went back to our hotel and watched a documentary called, “The Last Elephants in Thailand.” Shown in a UN movie festival, the movie explored Asian elephants and the toughness of their situation in Thailand. We discussed the ethics of the Thai elephant tourist industry, and ways to improve elephant lives.

For dinner, we went to a Thai mall food court where we could have whatever we wanted! Lastly, we finished up the day with a trip to a night market. Many of us indulged in the fish foot baths and made many purchases.

We have an early start tomorrow since we leave for the Thai Elephant home.

-Lindley Hall and Sam Cohen

July 27, 2017

July 28, 2017

Today was a great day. We woke up early to clean and feed the elephants. After breakfast, we moved onto our very first day of service. One group started building a dam, and the other group cut grass for the elephants. We also had our very first mentor group in which we discussed our first impressions of the Thai elephant home. We finished our day with pesto and chicken for dinner and a competition game of spoons. 

-lily Rotter and lily Harrison

Today the groups were split for morning service. 

Half of the group went to the jungle to collect and make medicine balls for the elephants and the other half went to an elephant nursery. 

We used tree bark, bananas, sugarcane, herbs, rice, leaves, salt, and other ingredients to make a small compact ball to feed the elephants but it was fun.

At the nursery, we played with elephants under the age of 5. We walked into the jungle, played in the mud, and washed off in the river before returning to home base.

Food was good, miss you families, be safe, peace out, *dabs*, *trips*, *stumbles*, *smiles*, thumbs up.

• Amanda Gang, Natalie Bakwin

7/31/17

After the normal morning routine, we once again split into two groups to round off our alternating experiences in the elephant nursery and the creation of medicine balls. At the elephant nursery, we haphazardly pursued mischievous baby elephants in their ceaseless pursuit of food. We then joined them in a mud bathing pit, which initiated a raging mud war between mahouts and students alike. Back at the village, the other group worked hard scouring and collecting a mish-mash of herbs and various plants, turning them into healthy snacks which will enhance elephant health and demeanor. After walking our elephants to the local reservoir like normal, we had our daily games of Ta-kra (a game played by locals combined of hackey sack and volleyball in ways). We finished up our fantastic day with leadership exercises and bonding games.

From the incredible leaders named

Sam Fuller and Miles Roma

 

July 6, 2017

Today we had our first full day in Thailand!! We started the day with orientation, then treated ourselves to an awesome buffet lunch – a perfect opportunity to try heaps of different Thai foods. Next we visited some gorgeous gold temples and learned a little bit about Buddhism. We were also able to chat with some local monks about daily life in Thailand. Then we went to Elephant Parade, an organization that partners with local artists to create elephant centered art and spread awareness about elephant conservation in Thailand. It was an awesome start to the program!

– Sam (Mentor)

July 7, 2017

Hi friends and family, day three consisted of lots of fun! We started off the day by going to the Thai Elephant Hospital and the Elephant Conservation Center. Here we learned about the lives of elephants that were injured in the past and brought in to be taken care of. At the Conservation center we had the opportunity to touch the elephants and feed them. After this we watched an elephant show where they completed tasks like painting, moving logs, and putting hats on their owners. We finished off the night by going to a nearby restaurant and shopped in the markets.
Lance is the best!👍🏻👍🏻

Carley and Chloe

July 8, 2017

Today was our first day at the Thai elephant home. Since we didn’t have service today, we spent the majority of the day with the elephants, riding through the mountains and bathing them in the river. On our trip up the mountain, we got to see some amazing views of the Thailand jungle and also of the towns at the bottom. Stopping halfway for lunch, the elephants took baths in the mud and the students took turns rubbing the clay onto them. The rain, although it made it harder to hike, was refreshing for both the students & elephants. Our whole journey with the elephants took about 5 hours, and when we got back we had group discussions & played games until dinner, while we watched a slide show of all the amazing pictures that were taken of us on the ride. Overall, we had a great experience with the elephants and are looking forward to many more days we get to spend with them.

Andy (Andrea Graham)

July 9

swadi (saw-wa-do-ka) which is hello in Thai! Today was our first day of service so we were up bright and early to help the mahouts clean up our elephant’s living quarters. We were then split into our service groups. One group helped build a damn while the other group cut down food for the elephants. After our hard work we ate lunch and prepared to take our elephants down to the river to give them a bath. It poured rain there and back but we still had a blast! Rain or shine, it’s beautiful here in Thailand. We ate a delicious dinner and then watched an interesting ted talk video that everyone should check out: https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/up-next

We’re excited to see what tomorrow brings!

peace and chow
Lexi & Gaby

July 10, 2017

Today was day 6 of the program and day 3 at Thai Elephant Home. We woke up bright and early to partake in our favorite activity of the day, shoveling poop!! Afterwards we had breakfast and prepared for our separate service trips. One group was rained out from dam building, so instead they took a hike through the forest to find herbs to create medicine balls for the elephants. The medicine balls were made of wood, herbs, bananas, and other materials and elephants loved them. The other group had a second day of grass cutting. Today was a lot more successful than day 1 because we cut a lot more grass and the bushels were much neater. However, we did find a snake in the grass and a scorpion on our walk back which wasn’t too fun. After service, we had lunch and then split into 2 groups to make flags with team names and later an elephant trivia game. Emerson, Hannah, Nicole, and Lexi were the winners and got to go first at dinner. After trivia, we went on the daily walk to bathe our elephants. After that, we had a short shower break and dinner. The fruit in Thailand is amazing. Tonight is the first night we have no activity after dinner so we get the night to ourselves which is nice, considering everyone is super tired.

See you soon!

Emerson and Mädchen

July, 11, 2017

Day 7

To start out day 7 ( day 4 at Thai elephant home) we woke up at 6:00 am to go help the mahouts clean up the elephants area. Afterwards we headed over to eat breakfast. However we were very sad because Joon had his day off today and couldn’t toast the bread. Next we split off into our two groups where one went and finished building their dam and the other went to collect materials from the forest to make medicine balls. After service we all came back to the home base and ate a very amazingly good lunch. Around 2:00pm we had a group discussion on plastics in the ocean and then we did an evaluation on the program so far. At 4:00pm we took our elephants down to the river for their daily bath. Then came home and got ready for yet another very good meal at Thai elephant home. Later that night we played a optional game of spoons.

Your dear and loving leaders,

Kaitlyn & Riley

July 12, 2017

Today after cleaning and feeding the elephants early in the morning, we walked to the local market to try new foods and buy souvenirs. Half of the group went to build a dam in order to regulate rainwater coming into the local village while the other went to cut grass to feed to the elephants. We ended the evening practicing for our upcoming talent show!

By: Alexis & Kali

July 13, 2017

Today was day 9! This morning, we got up at 6:00 am to clean up after our elephants. Then we had chow circle and ate a delicious breakfast! For our activities today, we split up into two groups. One group visited the baby elephants at the nursery. They were so cute and playful! The other group continued their service by building the rest of their dam followed by a relaxing, hour-long massage. Afterwards, we all went on a hike with the elephants instead of going to the river since the water was too high. After showering and getting cleaned up, we all gathered for chow circle, gave our shoutouts and ate dinner. Today was a pretty rainy day but we all made the most of it and worked hard. Can’t wait for the rest of the week!! M

By: Hanna & Katie

July 14, 2017

Hello friends and families! Today was day 10 (July 14) of our Thai Elephant Program and our last day of service work (thank goodness). Kelly’s group finished up with grass cutting for the elephants and then came back to home base, where they relaxed and got full body Thai massages. While Sam’s group went to the Thai elephant nursery and played with baby elephants. Sunday (6 months old) was a fan favorite! After, we all gathered at home base and took our elephants down to the river for a bath. We then had dinner and played an evening game.

Here’s a picture of Sunday and his mom

Here’s a photo of the grass that was cut

Here’s another photo of Gaby, Maria, and Carley feeding Sunday

Day 12

Hi friends and family! Today we left Thai Elephant Home and drove back to Chiang Mai :(. We all had an amazing time there and were sad to leave. In Chiang Mai, we went to a 3D museum. It was really fun taking pictures with all the exhibits. We also went to a big night market. It had lots of cool stuff with lots of people. Joon even joined a band with a couple younger Thai boys.

“Thai-tanic”

Lily and Diana in “Venice”

June 21st, written by Jayne Pollock  and Kylie Crist:

Today we went to an elephant hospital an hour away from Chiang Mai. After visiting the hospital we went to lunch near the elephant conservation. At the elephant conservation we watched the watched the elephants bath and an elephant show. After that, we learned about the making of the elephant paper out of their waste.

Jayne and Kylie

June 21, 2017

We started off the morning by hiking a flight of 307 steps to the Suthep Temple where we were met with a beautiful golden pagoda and stunning view of Chiang Mai. Next we traveled to ABS, an international school, where we met and interacted with students our age from a variety of Asian countries. We sang and danced to a pop song and watched their well-choreographed performance; after, we played a game of basketball, in which we were terribly defeated by the international students. For dinner, we were taken to a food court in a mall, where we were able to choose our meals. We ended the day at a lively night market, where we greeted by colorful paintings, fragrant  soaps, and an endless array of clothing.

June 22, 2017

Starting off early, we made our way to Thai Elephant Home to stay and learn about Mahoots (elephant keepers), elephants, and elephant conservation. We were assigned our elephant who we will take care of for about a week. To bond with our elephants more, we went on a hike in mountains nearby and finished it off with a bath in the river. Everyone is excited and enthusiastic about bonding with our elephants more.

Sarah and Maria

6/24/17

Today we started the morning off early by cleaning and sweeping where the elephants stay and rinsing them off. Then, we had breakfast and after that we started our service. We split into two groups and one group went to cut grass for the elephants to eat and the other group started building a dam. In the afternoon we took the elephants for a walk and bathed them in the river. Overall, it was a great first day of service and we were able to get to know our elephants better.

Written by Clara and Alexandra

June 25, 2017

Today was our second full day working at the elephant village. After an early morning of feeding and cleaning our elephants we headed to service where both groups made significant progress. The grass cutting group increased their yield from yesterday and the dam building group finished GLAs first dam of the summer. Before our afternoon activity we learned some valuable information about what it is like to volunteer with peace corps and after a riveting game of trivia and some flag making we went to the river to give the elephants their daily bath. The dark clouds above made it seem as if we may experience our first torrential downpour of the trip

Wade and Marianna

June 26, 2017

Today we woke up early, as usual, to take care of our elephants with duties including cleaning and feeding. Afterwards, we had breakfast and then split into groups for our activities for the day. One group continued with community service and cut grass for the elephants. The other group had the opportunity to go to an elephant nursery. They fed the baby elephants bananas, walked with them through the jungle, and gave them baths in the river. This group stayed and had lunch at the nursery. The group at the grass cutting got the chance to receive a Thai Massage after they ate lunch. After both groups brought their elephants to the river for their daily baths, we all went to Leslie’s, more commonly known as Mr. T’s, house to learn about what brought him to Thai Elephant Home. We concluded the night with dinner and discussions in our mentor groups. 

-Mia and Kaylie

June 27, 2017

Today we started off like we always do  with cleaning up and feeding the elephants. One group got to go to the nursery who were the ones that had massages yesterday. Well the other group had their first day of grass cutting! The grass cutters today seem to do more than the grass cutters previously oops. The grass cutters were able to have massages after service which they seemed to enjoy it a lot! The nursery group was able to spend a lot of time with the baby elephants including Sunday and 44! After dinner we got to play a fun leadership game where one person I after dinner we got to play a fun leadership game where one person has a blindfold and can move but cannot speak, another one has a blindfold and can talk but cannot move, and the last person can see but cannot speak or move. The goal of the game was to send the person who is blindfolded and can move to find as many shoes that were scattered around the ground as possible! It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot of skills such as communication. Today was overall a very eventful day!!

Ciara and Avery

Wednesday Day 10:

Today we woke up to rain, and did our usual elephant cleaning. After, we went to a local market which had many different foods and trinkets. We then went back to home base for breakfast and to get ready for service. Kelly’s mentor group cut grass for the elephants, Sam’s started to build their dam. On our way back from cutting grass, the truck carrying the grass had gotten stuck in the mud and we had to push it out. Back at home base, everyone showered and relaxed during their free time. By the time we were suppose to take our regular hike to the river with our elephants, the rain and thunder began again. We all decided to stay back for our safety and play some games instead.  We played the human knot, grab the bacon, just to name a few. We all had fun running around in the rain. Then a student bought frogs at the market and fried them up and everyone tried them. Tastes like chicken.

By: Cynthia Macias & Cecilia Petersen

June 29th, 2017

As usual, in the mornings, we went to help the mahouts clean up and feed the elephants. Afterwards we ate breakfast and got ready for our last day of service. One group went to finish their dam, and the other went to cut grass. Then we came back to home base, showered, and ate lunch. We got chocolate bread and ice cream today!! Then we had a little walk and learned a bit about Buddhism and the god Ganesh. Next was our elephant walk and bath, the tide was super high from the rain so we had to be careful. Before dinner we played a game of soccer with the mahouts, and ate a yummy dinner.

Maille and Tatjana

June 30, 2017

We woke up at our regular time of 5:45 this morning and walked over to our elephants to do our morning duties. We cleaned up their poop, bathed them, and fed them breakfast. After we finished, we ate breakfast and got ready to go on our white water rafting adventure. The drive took about 40 minutes but we were all amazed by the spectacular view of the jungle even though we’ve seen it every day for the past 12 days. Once we got to the rafting company, we picked out our helmets, paddles, and life jackets. Then we learned the basic commands of rafting from the kind guides that would accompany us throughout the adventure. We started down the river and practiced what we learned so that we were ready for the rapids. About 20 minutes down the river, everyone screamed and giggled as they splashed down the raging rapids. We were able to play in the calm parts of the river and everyone had a blast trying to pull each other in. About two hours later, we reached the destination where we would eat lunch and then depart from the guides and head back to camp. Once we got back to camp, we had time to shower and then a group discussion about what we can do to change the world as individuals. Then we had our final elephant bath of the trip where a few of the students decided that they’d walk alongside their mahouts and elephants instead of riding today as a symbol of appreciation for the wonderful week they’ve given us. Tonight, we had dinner and now we are preparing for a dance party with the mahouts and their families as a goodbye before we leave for Chiang Mai tomorrow afternoon.

-Kenzie & Tatum

July 1, 2017

Today, we said our final goodbyes to our elephants at Thai Elephant Home and headed back to Imm Hotel in Chiang Mai for our last night. After arriving at the hotel, we went to the Art In Paradise 3D museum, which contained interactive 3D art and enjoyed fresh smoothies and coffee at the local cafe. After that, we had our farewell dinner at Riverside Restaurant and headed out for a dinner cruise on the river. We then spent our last night in Chiang Mai at a lively night market where we bought souvenirs. We then went back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep before a long trip home.

Blog by Jesse & Kate

Last Day

We are all incredibly sad to be leaving Thailand. We spent our last day sleeping in till 8AM, visiting an amazing cat cafe, enjoying traditional Thai massages, and relishing our final, authentic Thai meal. The days spent here, in the company of new lifelong friends, flew by faster than any of us could have imagined. It feels like just yesterday we were hopping off the plane and on to the back of our elephants for the first time. We’ll miss waking up at the earliest hours of the morning to clean up after our elephants. We’ll miss interacting with our mahouts and mentors. We’ll miss being immersed in the Thai culture we’ve all grown so fond of. Thank you GLA for providing us with a trip we will never forget.

Duke Johnson

16/7/2017
We met for chow circle at 7, ate breakfast, and played a game. Throughout the day, we had countless opportunities to bond with our fellow students and get to know everyone. As today was treated more as an introductory start to our adventure, it was very relaxed and low key. We learned more about the hospital itself and our plans for the duration of the trip. Learning how to poop in Thailand was by far the most interesting conversation we had.
17/7/2017
Today we started off with our daily chow circle followed by a very yummy breakfast (so yum), then we packed our bags and drove to our first Buddhist temple where we had the opportunity to be blessed by a Monk during our tour. We then learned how to barter at our first Thai market, where a bunch of us bought elephant pants and other souvenirs. Following the market, we went to an Asian buffet. We then drove to 7/11 to get snacks for our next three weeks. Arriving at the FAE (elephant hospital), we learned about the five permanent residents and their individual stories, then we toured the facility and fed an elephant. Afterwards, we ate a traditional northern Thai dish: noodles and curry. After dinner, we got to know our advisors better as they shared their personal stories.

-Ocea and Bella

18/7/17

Today we learned what service work is really all about. One group woke up around 5:30 to cut grass for elephants. Turns out there are a lot of weird bugs in the grass. The other group woke up a little later to go care for the elephants. This involved sweeping the elephant enclosures and washing the elephants. This was our first time doing service, so it was a learning experience for everyone. Later in the day, we watched a documentary about, and met with the founder of the elephant hospital, Soraida Salwala. We had the opportunity to ask questions about how the hospital haste owns and changed. In the late afternoon, we got blessed by a witch doctor. The blessing given to us would allow our lost souls to return to us. Our souls could have gotten lost due to our extensive travel around the world, so the blessing will help us feel more at home here in Thailand. In the evening we all sat down and talked about ourselves, allowing us to learn more about ourselves and each other. As a group we learned that we are more similar to each other then we original thought..

Sarah and Fiona

07/19/17
The day started with half of the group going to cut grass and the other half assisting the mahouts with caring for the elephants. This included sweeping the enclosures and surrounding areas as well as helping wash the elephants. After breakfast we made enrichment toys for the baby elephants out of burlap sack and hay. Then we had the opportunity to hear from Richard Lair a world renowned elephant specialist. We learned a great amount from Mr. Lair regarding the significance of elephants in the history of Thailand and how they have been used throughout the history of the country. We then had the chance to play with Mosha one of the permanent reside to of FAE.

Harley and Belle.

July 20, 2017

At 8 in the morning, we began our adventure at the Thai elephant conservation center. We were guided by two Thai natives who helped us understand what went on before the center opened to the public. We first were able to see how the mahouts exercised the elephants and checked their vitals. We then headed over to another area where we viewed elephants hormones being checked for heat. We then traveled to the mahout training center where we got to wear the clothing that mahouts wear. We made herbal fiber treat for the elephants which later we were able to feed to the elephants. After that we drove to a lake area where we bathed three elephants with all natural sponges. Afterwards, we fed them corn, sugar cane, bananas, and the herbal treats we had made earlier. We then made a quick visit to the hospital where we learned how they treated different elephants. After the hospital, we went to this little cafe in the conservation center where we had delicious pad Thai! Once we had lunch, we were welcomed to see a show starring the Elephants where they demonstrated logging, showering and at the end we were allowed to feed them. After the show we were able to buy some snacks at the small little stores they had by the theater. After the show, we went to see a museum showing the past birth of elephants and comparing Africans and Asian elephants. After the museum, we took the car back to our base camp at FAE. Once we got home, we played some group bonding games before dinner. After dinner, we had a small amount of free time to enjoy, followed by watching a documentary based on intellectual elephants. It was a really interesting and fun filled day, we all learned a lot.

Sincerely,
Heather & Lily

July 21
We started out the morning by splitting into our mentor groups, and doing some gardening and building a compost center for FAE. After lunch, we dressed up and headed off to the school. A cultural dance was performed, and we got to dance along! Being able to meet teens that were around the same age as us in a country with different customs and cultural aspects was eye opening and very impactful. Afterwards, we introduced ourselves to the students and they asked us questions and because of this we were able to become more familiar with each other and our interests. We left the school and headed to Lampang to have a walking tour of the temples and city. The group stopped at a riverside café for drinks, and then off to dinner on a small pond before returning back to FAE.

July 22
The morning started with breakfast following the group preparing to leave for the Little Village to spend the weekend. After finishing breakfast, we headed back to old Chiang Mai and took a tour of several temples around the city and we were able to see one of the biggest pagodas we had encountered and the tree that conceived the Buddha. After walking around Chiang Mai for a few hours, we went to lunch at a restaurant that specialized in tea. All of the food that we had was infused with tea that was grown and harvested in Thailand and was also one of the first brands of tea that used sustainable farming. After a delicious yet educational lunch we headed off to The Elephant Parade, an art organization that donates 20% of its profits to elephant conservation such as FAE. We got to paint our own decorative elephants before we headed out to the Saturday Night Walking Bazaar to do some shopping and have dinner. The entire group was worn out by the time we got back to the Little Village but it was a successful and productive day.

Kind regards,
Alex and Mina

July 24, 2017

Today, we woke up and had a lovely breakfast. After a few hours of free time, we made our way to ChaiLai, which is a for/non profit organization two women founded to help young girls from Burma escape the dangers of sex trafficking and dehumanizations due to a lack of citizenship. The women also started ChaiLai to rent elephants so that they don’t have to work as hard compared to where they normally are. After hearing an informative talk from one of the founders, we met some of the elephants we would have the option to ride later on that day. After feeding and playing with them, we ate a Thai lunch. After lunch we bathed an 8 year old elephant calf named Dede, and then we proceeded to ride the older elephants. From there, we drove back to Little Village and played games before dinner. After dinner, we drove back to FAE where we had an early night in.
Kind regards,
Harley Barlow and Rylie Walker

July 26, 2017

Today, we started the morning with our daily community service activities. One group went grass cutting and the other stayed in the hospital to work with the elephants. After our morning service, we had chow circle and breakfast. Following breakfast, the two groups either went to work in the garden or to help with the compost. After our hard work, we were able to cook a delicious, traditional Thai papaya salad. After lunch, we were all lucky enough to experience authentic Thai massages. After a relaxing hour of being pampered, we were using our art skills to the test to paint some adorable elephant key chains. After the keychains, we watched a Ted Talk called “The Danger Of A Single Story” and followed that with a discussion. After the discussion, we had din din and it was scrumptious. After a long day of work, we had free time after dinner and ended a great day in paradise.
Sincerely,
Lily and Ocea!!

7/27/17

After being treated with massages yesterday, today was very service-oriented. We started the day by waking up at 5:30 to either cut grass for the elephants or clean their enclosures. Following our early-morning service, we ate breakfast and then proceeded to do more service; some of us built a compost box while others gardened and tidied up around the hospital. Then we ate a very-yummy pad Thai lunch with some chicken nuggets, a great combo. After lunch we made toys for the baby elephants in and out of the hospital. Our last piece of service involved us finishing the key rings that we started in previous days, which will be sold here at the hospital to raise money for the patients. We then participated in an aggravating yet successful team-building exercise to build our leadership skills. Finally, we ate dinner and watched a brief TED talk about leadership.

Fiona and Bella

07/28/2017

Fellow readers please get comfy you are about to embark on our adventure. Grab your popcorn.

We started our morning early, before we heard the roosters cackadodledoo. We trekked out into the humid air, ready for a fulfilling day of giving back to our fellow elephant friends. Half of the group began with our mighty weapons, some call machetes, slaying the treacherous grass. The other half of us tidied up the elephant’s homes. We broke a sweat, and worked up an appetite only to find a delicious hot breakfast before us. After a short break, we were greeted by a genius professor and her wonderful colleague.  They spoke about the rich history of Thai culture and how it affects the lives of Thai people to this day. After indulging in a detailed spiel, we peace and chowed on, yet another, delicious hot lunch. After lunch we digested our lovely meal, getting ready for the next activity. One group began constructing a marvelous compost box to reuse food scraps and reduce our carbon footprint. The other group reassured that the paths of FAE would be spick and span, free of weeds and debris that the wind blew in. But suddenly, ominous clouds formed above us, releasing tears from the sky and cries of thunder filled the atmosphere.  Were pelted by bullets of rain, screaming “why.?!” until we seeked shelter, waiting out the frightening storm. After the rain had subsided we all made an effort to resume our gardening work. Our silly little friend Non introduced us to their organic garden where we were instructed to maintain the lemongrass. We were surprised by the warm welcome of our slimy amigos, the snails. Julia and Belle, the leaders of the day, felt it was their responsibility to form a snail clan; to make them our own. Everyone in the group was on board, making it their personal duty to collect and protect our snail family. Once we ensured their safety, we gained their trust and released them as a group back into their home. We trotted back to home base and washed our hands preparing for our pizza project. Like chefs, we created delicacies, only found in the states. Settling in for the night, we grabbed our popcorn and enlightened ourselves with a quality rom com. Eyelids beginning to get heavy, one by one GLA students began to drift into sleep; exhausted from a satisfying and tiring day of service. We dreamt about how we can help the elephants for the following days. Until next time, friends.
Peace & chow.
-Belle and Julia